Central Backup at DESY

The Backup System

Since 1994 , IBM's ITSM (IBM TivoliŽ Storage Manager, formerly: TSM, ADSM, DFDSM, WDSF) is used at DESY as central backup system on multi-user-systems/platforms. It is a pure client/server application and uses TCP/IP as communication protocol.

Every Tuesday is the regular maintenance slot for all backup server.

How to Restore a File from the Backup System?

From any local TSM/ADSM node:
to start the TSM GUI enter dsm , press the Restore button and select your file.
Alternatively you can restore a specific file under the current pwd via TSM CLI (command-line interface). Simple restore example:
dsmc restore scan.tex

Restore an AFS file (user or group) quick from the ~/.OldFiles/ directory or from the TSM via:
dsm_afs starts the DESY AFS TSM GUI, please press the Restore button and select your file,
or with the DESY AFS TSM CLI (command-line interface), example:
dsmc_afs restore /afs/desy.de/user/a/anyusername/.netscape/bookmarks.html

ATTENTION: only such AFS files which are readable by system:administrators will be stored in the TSM backup node AFSFILE. AFS setacl example:
fs setacl -dir private -acl system:administrators rlidwka

More usefully dsmc or dsmc_afs commands can be found under: restore examples

Restore Windows NT files: please send a request via email to windows@desy.de
Restore mailnt.desy.de INBOX, or folder files: please send a request via email to windows@desy.de

Restore Unix mail.desy.de INBOX file: please send a request via email to mailmaster@desy.de

Further details of the ADSM-V3-RESTORE feature can be found in the
DESY User Services/99/01 publication, Restoring ADSM V3 Backup Files ,
also available in the self-service area of the computer center.

For any kinds of questions: please contact the UCO or send a mail to tsm.service@desy.de

Which Files are Backed Up? The Backup Policy/Rules

Backups are made for:

• user data on centrally or general managed multi-user systems ( AFS, Windows, Linux, ...)
• general, centrally managed multi-user databases ( SAP/R3, Oracle, OSM, Objectivity, Mail, MS-Exchange, ...)
• and for other important data on clients (only on special request, closed registration).
  A complete overview of all TSM/ADSM nodes see under: nodes.
  Please ask the local system administrator for details.

The Backup System consists of a Backup Server and several Backup Clients. DESY-IT group takes full TSM policy responsibility for the Backup Server. The administrator, a member of the System Group of IT tsm.service@desy.de is responsible for full support of all TSM server components. Additionally he helps with the TSM/ADSM client installation, as well as with defining files-space (domain), filtering, and monitoring.

Every Backup Client has a local administrator , who also takes some responsibilities. It is the local administrator who has to define the requirements of mission-critical data and user data and has to check the success of the backup on his Client or Server.

Backup technics:

All backup clients must be online 24 hours a day and will be backed up automatically during the night. When a file space is backed up for the first time, a full backup of the entire file system is created. After that only incremental backups are made, meaning that only modified and new files are copied.
The clients need a 10Mb-Ethernet, 100Mb-Ethernet, or 1Gb-Ethernet adapter and must be registered in the DESY names-server.
When the scheduled backup time for a client is reached, the backup-server activates the TSM/ADSM scheduler process which is running permanently on this client. Some data is compressed in the client's memory (CPU consuming) and then stored by the TSM on tape cartridges STK9840 in a tape library STK Powderhorn.
The normal backup policy for public machines is: incremental backup every night, i.e. 7 times/week (other backup policies are possible).
After all backups are done, the TSM server migrates the data from disk-cache to tape, every morning/day. When TSM migration is done, the TSM server will be disabled for 20 minutes (every day), to make a consistent TSM DB backup.
The TSM server holds up to 10 versions of a backed up file. Removed files are expired from the ``ACTIVE'' mode during the nightly incremental backup. After file deletion, TSM retains the last 5 file versions 100 days. The last file version will be held 200 days in an ``INACTIVE'' status.
The node administrators should monitor the TSM/ADSM scheduler log and the mounts and status of the backup file spaces, as well as ensure the proper operation of the ADSM backup system on their nodes. There are some usefully hints to help TSM/ADSM node administrators.
A backup filter is active: TSM/ADSM ignores e.g. all kinds of /tmp files and all .netscape/cache with the help of a file filter pattern. If a user or administrator knows of other files or file types which do not need backups, they should ask for an extension to the node backup filter file (only root user access).

Current Status of TSM-Backup at DESY (Jan 2003)

Online help for the usage of TSM/ADSM is available with the commands: dsmc help or dsmc_afs help,
or with the GUI interface dsm or dsm_afs. Please press the Getting button in TSM/ADSM V5,V4,V3.
Please use dsmu for ADSM V2 and press the Help topic.

With the dsmc q fi command you will see the last successful incremental backup date/time of the file-space on your node.

Further details of the TSM/ADSM-V3-RESTORE feature can be found in the
DESY User Services/99/01 publication, Restoring ADSM V3 Backup Files ,

or the old ADSM-V2-RESTORE feature can be found in the
USG/96/07 publication, Restoring ADSM Backup Files ,

Both publications are available in the self-service area of the computer center.