Hi Neil,

This looks like a defect. I recommend opening a PMR.

Del

----------------------------------------------------


"ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU> wrote on 03/15/2016 
02:35:38 PM:

> From: "Schofield, Neil (Storage & Middleware, Backup & Restore)" 
> <Neil.Schofield AT LLOYDSBANKING DOT COM>
> To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Date: 03/15/2016 02:36 PM
> Subject: Self-contained application protection and ANS9499W messages
> Sent by: "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU>
> 
> We're doing some testing of the self-contained application 
> protection features of TSM for VE 7.1 and have come across a 
> troubling problem that I would appreciate your thoughts on.
> 
> The application protection features are disabled if the VMware Tools
> on the guest are not 'current'. Fair enough if the Tools are years 
> out-of-date, but the TSM client software seems to use a strange way 
> to check. We have seen clients happily running application 
> protection only to have it switched off because a newer version of 
> the VMware tools have been made available to the client by an update
> to the ESX host. At least I'm assuming that's what happens based on 
> the following message in the logs:
> ANS9499W VMware tools on virtual machine 'XXXXXXXXXX' need to be 
> updated. IBM Tivoli Storage Manager application protection will not be 
used.
> 
> Never mind that the guest continues to run the same version of the 
> tools which were previously working without issue - if there is an 
> even slightly newer version of the Tools available to the client 
> then application protection will be disabled until the guest is updated.
> 
> Just think about that for a minute. You update your vSphere hosts to
> the latest patch levels with a view to updating the guests at your 
> leisure and all of a sudden your guests no longer have application 
> protection. You're exposed. Am I alone in thinking that disabling 
> application protection in this scenario is a bug, or at the least a 
> very poor design choice? I'm guessing most shops will have a lag 
> between making the latest VMware Tools available and completing the 
> update on all their guests?
> 
> Regards
> Neil Schofield
> Tivoli Storage Manager SME
> Backup & Recovery | Storage & Middleware | Central Infrastructure 
> Services | Infrastructure & Service Delivery | Group IT
> LLOYDS BANKING GROUP