TSM (Tivoli Storage Manager) can be used to back up servers. To utilize the service, you will need to have your department administrator open a request with Internal Services.
TSM operates in client/server configuration, with backups dependent on installation of TSM agent, a software package that backs up data stored on your server to a designated central backup server. Once the TSM agent is installed and properly configured, the TSM Scheduler and Daemon query the server and issue backup commands as per predefined schedules.
TSM Backup Policies (Effective October 14, 2013)
Files are backed up in multiple copies (on and off-site) and versions (for easy error recovery) and are retained a predetermined number of days, depending on the specific policy that applies, as per the following table:
| Files in Storage | Files Erased from Storage | Number of Copies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Policy | Number of Versions Stored | Retention Time in Days |
Number of Versions Stored | Retention Time in Days |
|
| 30DAYS_REMOTE | 10 | 30 | 1 | 548 | 2 |
| 90DAYS_REMOTE | 10 | 90 | 1 | 548 | 2 |
Explanation of policy for files that exist in the storage system:
- Number of Versions: the number of backup versions that will be stored for the file (that has been found and has not been erased) on the backup server
- Time in Days: the number of days that a backup version of the file will be saved. As the time in days passes, the last copy of the file will be saved. In accordance with the length of the currently selected policy (30 or 90 days), and the maximum number of versions allowed (10), versions of the file whose age exceeds 30 or 90 days, depending on what you chose, will be deleted
Explanation of policy for files that have been erased from the storage system:
- Number of Versions: the latest version of a file that has been erased from the backup server will be saved
- Time in Days: the number of days that the absolutely latest version of the file will be saved. After this time in days, the file will be erased
The number of copies relates to the number of copies of the file in the Institute’s system. The value is 2, meaning that we also store one additional copy of the file outside of the Institute, at a dedicated facility.
Earlier TSM Backup Policies (Expired October 13, 2013)
When a file was modified and backed up, the central server overwrote its most recently stored backup. Previous versions of a file had a “shelf life” of up to 540 days, depending on the retention policy selected (18, 12 or 6 months) when registering for server backup services via Internal Services. Consequently, as soon as a backup of a file was succeeded by a newer version, a countdown of up to 540 days to its deletion commenced.
If, for example, you created a file on Sunday and it was backed up, then modified that file on Monday and the updated version was backed up too, you ended up with two versions of the file being stored on TSM. However, the version created on Sunday would begin a 540-day countdown to deletion, as it was regarded an earlier, inactive copy at that point.
As stated, this TSM backup policy expired on October 13, 2013.
Cost
TSM backup service costs can be calculated as per pricing listed in computing charges, under Tape Backup Services.
Backup File Inclusion/Exclusion
Certain files and directories are excluded from TSM server backups, as detailed below.
Windows include/exclude list
- "*:\...\Symantec Endpoint Protection\ContentCache"
- "*:\...\Symantec Shared\VirusDefs"
- "*:\Documents and Settings\...\Local Settings\Temp"
- "*:\...\WINNT\Temp\*"
- "*:\...\WINNT\Temp\*"
- "*:\...\ntuser.dat*"
- "*:\...\UsrClass.dat*"
- "*:\...\Application Data\Skype\...\*.*"
- "*:\...\Thumbs.db"
- "c:\...\Program Files\System Center Operations Manager 20
Unix & Macintosh include\exclude list
- /.Spotlight-V100
- /FeedsPubSub/Users/.../Library/
- /.../lost+found
- /.../.beagle
- /.../.snapshot/weekly*
- /.../.snapshot/nightly*
- /.../.snapshot/hourly*
- /.../Cachemozilla/.../.
- /var/tmp/*
- /var/tmp/*
- /tmp/*
- /tmp/*
- /cachenetscape/.../.
- webcache/.../.
- /.../.phoenix/.../Cache/*
- /.../.phoenix/.../Cache/*
- /home/.../.thumbnails/.../*
- /cache/*gftp/.../.
- /.../.kde/cache/*
- /*clientmqueue/var/spool/
- /.../.Trash/*
- /.../.Trash/*
- /.../.*DS_Store
- /var/log/lastlog
Instructions for Use
Your server must remain powered up, and the central server must be set to the correct time and time zone for backups to be performed properly.
Should you miss your scheduled backup, an automated e-mail reminder will be sent to the contact responsible for your designated backup server.
System Requirements
Hardware Requirements
- AMD64 or EM64T processor
- 128MB of free RAM
- A minimum of 1.5GB of free disk space
- A 1 Gigabit network connection
Supported Operating Systems
- Windows: any 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 2003 Server (all editions and all Service Packs); Windows 2003 R2 Server; Windows 2008 Server (and R2)
- Any X86 64-bit (or 32-bit) Red Hat or SUSE system, of the following minimum versions:
SLES 10 and 11 (all Service Packs); RHEL 5 and 6 (server)
Eligible Distribution and Release Levels
The following are eligible for “best effort” backup archiving and API client support:
- CentOS 5 and 6
- Debian* 5 and 6
- Fedora 14, 15, 16, and 17
- Scientific Linux 5 and 6
- Asianux 3
- Mandriva Linux 2010 and 2011
- Ubuntu* 10, 11, and 12.04