1.1 IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) V7.1 Server Components Introduction
IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) is an enterprise-wide protection solution designed to protect the organization’s data from hardware failures and other errors by managing backup and archive copies of data. For disaster recover purposes, an additional copy is stored off-site. Designed for a heterogeneous environment, Tivoli Storage Manager connects over the local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), Internet, and storage area network (SAN). This design provides data move and store techniques, comprehensive policy based automation, and data management.
Optional modules are available for business-critical applications that must run twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. These modules use Tivoli Storage Manager’s centralized data protection with no interruption of service.
IBM Tivoli Storage Manager V7.1 consists of the following components:
- TSM Administrative interfaces
- Tivoli Storage Manager Operations Center
- Tivoli Storage Manager Server
- TSM Scheduler Services
- TSM Backup-archive client
- Tivoli Storage Manager database
- Tivoli Storage Manager recovery log
- Storage pools
- Policy-based management
- Media library
Tivoli Storage Manager Interfaces
You can access TSM Server and TSM client through various interfaces as mentioned below
- Operations Center accessed through web browser and default secure port 11090
- Backup-archive client GUI accessed through dsm (Windows) dsmj (UNIX) commands.
- Web client GUI accessed through web browser and default port 1581
- Backup-archive command line accessed through command dsmc
- Tivoli Storage Manager server command line accessed through dsmadmc, Operations Center, and server console.
Tivoli Storage Manager Operations Center
IBM Tivoli Storage Manager Operations Center is a new added dashboard-style management interface starting from TSM V6.4 to simplify TSM operations and monitoring. You can use the Operations Center, command-line interfaces, backup-archive graphical user interface (GUI), and a web client interface to manage your Tivoli Storage Manager environment.
Tivoli Storage Manager Server instance
Tivoli Storage Manager server refers to an instance, not a physical system. A single system can run multiple instances of the server. In a typical local area network or LAN configuration, the Tivoli Storage Manager server stores to the storage media the backup or archive data from the backup-archive clients that it supports. The server also has a database to manage data, including policy management objects, users and administrators, and client nodes.
TSM Scheduler Services
Tivoli Storage Manager includes a central scheduling component to automatically process the administrative commands and backup-archive client operations during the specific time period when the schedule is activated. An administrator is responsible to create and maintain the schedules in each policy domain. Tivoli Storage Manager scheduling is split into two categories administrative scheduling and backup-archive client scheduling.
- Administrator-defined schedules allow for the automation of Tivoli Storage Manager server and backup-archive client operations. A comprehensive and integrated set of schedules can provide the basis for efficient data management with little need for intervention during normal operations.
- Scheduling Tivoli Storage Manager backup-archive client operations consists of schedules on the Tivoli Storage Manager server and a scheduler component that runs on the Tivoli Storage Manager backup-archive client machine.
TSM Backup-archive client
A backup-archive client is usually a server. Application servers and file servers, and also desktop workstations and portable PCs, are backup-archive clients to the Tivoli Storage Manager server. Physical client systems are registered on the server as nodes. File servers, workstations, and database servers that are backed up, are referred to as clients.
- The Tivoli Storage Manager backup-archive client is a service that sends data to and retrieves data from a Tivoli Storage Manager server. The Tivoli Storage Manager backup-archive client must be installed on every machine that transfers data to server-managed storage called storage pools. This machine might be a workstation, a file, or a database server.
- The Tivoli Storage Manager server uses a unique node name for identifying each Tivoli Storage Manager backup-archive client instance. The Tivoli Storage Manager backup-archive client supports encryption, and can use a password for authenticating communications between the Tivoli Storage Manager backup-archive client and server.
Tivoli Storage Manager Database
Earlier versions of Tivoli Storage Manager used a proprietary B+-tree database. As of version 6, the Tivoli Storage Manager database is built on DB2. This database is part of Tivoli Storage Manager and you must not manage it as a DB2 database. The information that the database stores includes the file name, file size, management class, copy group, location of the files in Tivoli Storage Manager server storage, and all other information except for the data. Data is stored in a storage pool.
- When the Tivoli Storage Manager server is installed, a database and recovery logs are created. Tivoli Storage Manager saves information in the Tivoli Storage Manager database about each file, logical volume, or database that it backs up, archives, or migrates.
- The Tivoli Storage Manager database is the heart of Tivoli Storage Manager. You need take backup of this database in regular intervals in order to restore the database to the current state if any disaster occurs.
Tivoli Storage Manager Recovery log
The server uses the recovery log as a scratch pad for the database, recording information about client and server actions while the actions are performed. Changes to the database are recorded in the recovery log to maintain a consistent database image. The recovery log stores data that is required to back up a restored database to the most recent committed transaction. Starting TSM V6, the Recoverylog consists of Activelog, Archivelog, Active mirror log and Archive failover log.
TSM Storage pools
Storage pools are collections of similar media that provide storage for backed up, archived, and migrated files. These pools can be chained to create a storage hierarchy. You can use any supported sequential media in all copy storage pools. There are 2 important process which moves client backups within the storage hierarchy.
Migration: Data moves from the primary disk pool directly to tape pools.
Copy data: Data moves from the primary disk pool to file pools or disk pools to tape pools
A storage pool volume is the basic unit of storage for the Tivoli Storage Manager storage pools. A volume might be a logical volume, a standard file system file, a tape cartridge, or an optical cartridge. A unique volume identifier identifies each volume.
Tivoli Storage Manager Policies
Backup-archive client data is centrally managed by business policy. The administrator creates policies and stores them in the database on the server. Policies are defined based on the business requirements for data backup and retention. These requirements, sometimes referred to as a storage service level agreement (SLA), identify when to perform backups, how long and how many copies of files to retain, and other requirements that the customer specifies. This feature makes it possible for different departments with different types of data to have their own customized storage management plan.
With policies, you can manage data that is based on business requirements by defining the following information
- Files that are eligible for backup
- Files that are eligible for archive
- Data storage location
- Length of time for retaining data
- Number of versions of data to retain
