Agreed.
I tell my customers NOT to install OFS unless they have a reason, and only
on systems where they know what the reason is.
It triggers a LOT of unncessary and pretty unintelligible VSS errors, and is
usually doing nothing worthwhile.

Look at your TSM daily reporter output on clients without OFS installed,
check the "missed file details".  You'll find that 90% of the files that are
missed are in the category of "usual suspects".  You may want to sit down
with a Windows admin and get them to help you identify the missed files.

Many will be ntuser.dat or ntuser.log files, or other parts of the user
profile.  You rarely need backups of these unless you are backing up
desktops, and then the profiles are included in teh backup of System State.


Most of the rest will be files that are clearly identifiable as DB parts
belonging to apps like SQL or Oracle.  OFS support does not necessarily give
you good backups of a data base, because there is no interface with the DB
journal/logs.  So even if people THINK they are getting backups this way,
you probably shouldn't count on using them - the appropriate solution for
DB's is using a TDP client.

Once you identify the missed files, you'll usually find there is nothing on
the client that needs the OFS support - exception would be a locally
developed application.  But I still wouldn't count on OFS being the answer,
until somebody explains to me how the app works and what kind of backups
will give you appropriate restore and DR capability.  (ANd then TEST to make
sure the restored version is viable.)







On 1/16/08, Zoltan Forray/AC/VCU <zforray AT vcu DOT edu> wrote:
>
> FWIW, I don't think it has ever been installed on any of our > 200 Windows
> systems we backup.
>
> FYI, installing either of these WILL REQUIRE a reboot since it installs a
> service/low-level driver.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------
> Zoltan Forray
> Virginia Commonwealth University
> Office of Technology Services
> University Computing Center
> e-mail: zforray AT vcu DOT edu
> voice: 804-828-4807
>
>
>
> Ben Bullock <BBullock AT BCIDAHO DOT COM>
> Sent by: "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU>
> 01/16/2008 12:15 PM
> Please respond to
> "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU>
>
>
> To
> ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> cc
>
> Subject
> [ADSM-L] Windows Client question...
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Howdy,
>    I recently switched jobs and now am managing TSM in a mostly Windows
> environment (instead of the Unix world where I am comfortable). A new
> challenge... anyways....
>
> On the Windows TSM client, there is the option to install the "Open file
> support" and the "Image Backup" support. Does everyone install these?
> Does it depend on what kind of DR you might have to do on the windows
> host? Forgive my Windows ignorance,
>
> I've read the manuals and it looks like the upside is the ability to
> backup open files, but the downside I am seeing is that there seems to
> be a lot of errors with the way it interfaces with the Windows native
> VSS service. It also looks like if these are installed and you want to
> upgrade the TSM client, it requires a reboot of the Windows client to
> get it done. Nobody wants to reboot a production server to upgrade its
> backup software.
>
> So what is everyone's opinion?:
> - "The Open file support is worth the hassle and should be installed on
> all TSM clients"
> - "The Open file support should be installed on certain systems" (if so,
> what is your criteria).
> - "The open file support is to much pain and should not be installed."
>
> Thanks,
> Ben
>
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