Administrator's Guide


Generating Client Backup Sets on the Server


Task Required Privilege Class
Generate a backup set System or restricted policy over the domain to which the node is assigned

You can generate a backup set on the server for a client node. Generating a backup set for a client node includes:

The GENERATE BACKUPSET command runs as a background process on the server. If you cancel the background process created by this command, the media may not contain a complete backup set.

Selecting a Name for the Backup Set

You must select a name to associate with your backup set. When you select a name, TSM adds a suffix to construct your backup set name. For example, if you name your backup set mybackupset, TSM adds a unique number such as 3099 to the name. Your backup set name is then identified to TSM as mybackupset.3099. To later display information about this backup set, you can include a wildcard character with the name, such as mybackupset*, or you can specify the fully qualified name, such as mybackupset.3099.

Choosing Media for the Backup Set

When generating a backup set, you need to consider the media to which the backup set will be written. The device class you specify must be supported on both the client and server in order for the client to restore their data from the media.

Selecting a Device Class for the Backup Set

You can query the server to select a device class that supports a device type that is supported by the server and client. The backup set can be created on any sequential access devices whose device types are supported on both the client and server. If you cannot find a-like device type, you will need to define a device class for a device type that is supported on both the client and server.

For more information on device classes, see Configuring Removable Media Devices.

Using Scratch Media

You can determine whether to use scratch volumes when you generate a backup set. If you do not use specific volumes, the server uses scratch volumes for the backup set. If you use specific volumes for the backup set and there is not enough space to store the backup set on the volumes, the server uses scratch volumes to store the remainder of the backup set.

Setting a Retention Period for the Backup Set

You need to determine the retention period, specified as a number of days, that the volumes containing the backup set should be retained on the server. The server uses the retention period that is assigned to the backup set to determine when to expire the backup set. After the retention period passes, the volumes that make up the backup set are deleted from the volume history file.

Example: Generating a Client Backup Set

In this scenario, assume a mobile sales representative uses a laptop to connect to TSM. The sales representative is working on a new sales contract and wants to keep various files for a period of time, for future reference, on media he can retain at his location. He requests that his administrator generate a backup set of these files on a CD-ROM he can later use to restore his data.

Here are the steps required for writing a backup set to a CD-ROM:

  1. Define a library whose type is MANUAL. Name the library MANUALLIB.
    define library manuallib libtype=manual 
     
    

  2. Define a device class whose device type is REMOVABLEFILE. Name the device class CDROM:
    define devclass cdrom devtype=removablefile library=manuallib 
     
    

  3. Define a drive to associate with the library. Name the drive CDDRIVE and the device /cdrom/cdrom0
    define drive manuallib cddrive device=/cdrom/cdrom0
     
    

  4. Define a device class whose device type is FILE. Name the device class FILES:
    define devclass files devtype=file maxcapacity=640M dir=/backupset
     
    

  5. Generate the backup set to the FILE device class for client node JOHNSON. Name the backup set PROJECT and retain it for 90 days.
    generate backupset johnson project devclass=file scratch=yes retention=90 
     
    

  6. Use your own software for writing CD-ROMs. For this example, the CD-ROM volume names are VOL1, VOL2, and VOL3. These names were put on the CD-ROM as they were created.

    For an example of using the backup set on the CD-ROM, see Moving Backup Sets to Other Servers.


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