>>Does TSM have an iSeries client? 

No, but it has an API for BRMS that will send the BRMS backup to TSM via TCP/IP 
instead of writing to local tape/DVD/whatever.
Sort of like the way the TSM TDP works with Oracle RMAN. 


>Do you need to use BRMS?  
Yes.

>If you use BRMS and point it to TSM via the API, can BRMS do a daily 
>'incremental' backup of the data and only send changes each night?
I'm not a BRMS user, although I've set up the API for TSM many times.  But the 
redbook SG24-7031 says BRMS can do incrementals.

BRMS do whatever BRMS do.  Installing the TSM API doesn't change anything about 
the way BRMS works.  It just provides what looks to BRMS like a funky tape 
driver; so the "destination" for the backups is TSM via TCP/IP, not a local 
drive (destination isn't the right BRMS word for it, but you get the idea).

A limitation:  BRMS can send to TSM only the "library" backups, not the 
"system" backups.  I think those correspond to a mksysb on AIX, or SystemState 
on Windows, sort of.  It's the BRMS bootable system backup.  So even if you 
send your data to TSM, you still have to make the bootable system backup on 
other media.  
 
Another limitation:  For some reason, the API is darn slow.  Nobody can tell me 
the reason why, doesn't seem to be enough interest to get IBM to make it 
faster.  My experience has been that getting a 100-200 GB backup is easy, a 1 
TB probably isn't going to fly.

>>We've got an iSeries that has approx. 800 GB of data (of which a small amount 
>>changes daily). It isn't feasible for us to pick-up all 800 GB each night and 
>>send it to the TSM server (at a remote location) due to bandwidth 
>>limitations.  We would be able to send only the 'incremental' changes each 
>>night.

Well, my question there, what would you do if you needed to do a full restore?  
You'll have those same bandwidth restrictions.
And I'm not sure it's practical to get 800GB of data per day through that API, 
anyway.  My customers have found that backing up direct to LTO3+ is faster.
 
OTOH, if your AS400 guy has a decent understanding of BRMS, the API is free and 
you can set up and test in an afternoon, easy, to see if it is going to be 
practical for you.
In the redbook SG24-7031, ignore parts 1 and 2 about the TSM server for 
iSeries, that no longer exists.  Start with Part 3.

W

 

Thanks.   Eric