Availability : Proven Practice: Integrating Tivoli Storage Manager 5.5 with VCB 1.1 : Comments

RE: Proven Practice: Integrating Tivoli Storage Manager 5.5 with VCB 1.1

mcfm — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:42:40 GMT

Hi Chris,

If you are doing file-level backups, you also can, with TSM 5.5, integrate it with VCB without TSM VCB Integration Modules.

You have 4 new parameters in TSM BAClient dsm.opt which are VMCHOST, VMCUSER, VMCPWD, VMLIST, and a new dsmc command option, "backup vm".

One advantage to me is, you create a tsm node for each virtual machine you want to backup, like in a physical environment, then you grant authority to the proxy node (VCB/TSM). When you backup, the tsm client parses a command that invokes VCB, all mount points to the VM are mounted in C:/mnt and the backup is done. Now the advantage, each filespace, you have backed up, belonging to each VM are under is tsm node and not in the VCB tsm node. If you want to restore just a single file, and if you have installed and only configured dsm.opt, you have the possibility to restore directly in the VM. One other thing is, if you decommission a VM and want to delete all its backups, you just have to delete its own filespaces.

RE: Proven Practice: Integrating Tivoli Storage Manager 5.5 with VCB 1.1

schambers — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:20:50 GMT

@mcfm, that is a great comment - do you think you might be able to write your practice up? Just a series of steps... you don't have to include screenshots, but it helps... perhaps you have this in a word doc or something, which you could attach to a new viops doc?

RE: Proven Practice: Integrating Tivoli Storage Manager 5.5 with VCB 1.1

mcfm — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:05:29 GMT

Steve I don't have that documented, but I will manage that.

RE: Proven Practice: Integrating Tivoli Storage Manager 5.5 with VCB 1.1

Steve — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:13:52 GMT

Well boy's what fantastic timing, as a company managing multiple VMware installations that are currently backed up with CA ARCServe, which is causing us problems and we are looking at making use of Tivoli.

I have a lot of experience with backup platforms as would be REALLY keen to keep track of this and make use of the excellent document you have posted here.

I am just waiting for our IBM man to get in touch about some eval software, and so am just gathering information for my trial install.

Please keen me up-to-date with any ideas and I’d love any tips etc.

Thanks

Again

Steve

RE: Proven Practice: Integrating Tivoli Storage Manager 5.5 with VCB 1.1

barvos — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:05:45 GMT

Thanks Miguel for the great explanation.

I am preparing to my first installaton. Besides your explanation, there are very few comments on the topic in the web. I've found only:

1. a notice that options that you mentioned (VMCHost, VM.. ) are used by the TSM to automatically pass virtualfsname, virtualhostname etc so that the backup/restore is more seamless. Backup vm also runs transparently for us all pre and post schedules related to snapshots . Correct?

2. a notice that the c:\mnt is hardcoded regardless of any integration stuff like config.js etc.

I am especially curious what scripts are called by 'dsmc backup vm' command, and how to pass parameters to vcbmounter, what are all config files in the end to end process, how to call also VM tools for applications quiescing etc.

Another question would be how to dynamically call a group VMs (group could be defined by IP alias? or could be 'all' VMs?)

Looking forward to any posts..