Tivoli Storage Manager for Windows: Administrator's Guide


Overview of Client Nodes and File Spaces

Each client is given a node name when it is registered with the server. The server views its registered nodes as clients that require services and resources from the server.

Typically, a node is equivalent to a machine as in the case of a backup-archive client installed on a user's computer for file system backups. However, multiple nodes can exist on a single machine as in the case of a SQL server machine containing both an application client for SQL database and transaction log backups, and a backup-archive client for file system backups.

Typically, each client file system is represented on the server as a unique file space that belongs to each client node. Therefore, the number of file spaces a node has depends on the number of file systems on the client machine. For example, a Windows desktop system may have multiple drives (file systems), such as C: and D:. In this case, the client's node has two file spaces on the server; one for the C: drive and a second for the D: drive. The file spaces can grow as a client stores more data on the server. The file spaces decrease as backup and archive file versions expire and the server reclaims the space. TSM does not allow an administrator to delete a node unless the node's file spaces have been deleted.

File Spaces for Clients

For client nodes running on Windows, file spaces map to logical partitions and shares. Each file space is named with the UNC name of the respective client partition or share.

For client nodes running on NetWare, file spaces map to NetWare volumes. Each file space is named with the corresponding NetWare volume name.

For clients running on Macintosh, file spaces map to Macintosh volumes. Each file space is named with the corresponding Macintosh volume name.

For clients running AIX or SunOS, a file space name identifies a file system or file space defined by a user with the VIRTUALMOUNTPOINT option. With this option, users can define a virtual mount point for a file system to back up or archive files beginning with a specific directory or subdirectory. For information on the VIRTUALMOUNTPOINT option, refer to the appropriate Using the Backup-Archive Client.


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