Tivoli Storage Manager for NetWare Using the Backup-Archive Client


Chapter 3. Backing Up and Restoring Files

A primary function of TSM is to create and maintain a set of backup versions of the files on your NetWare server. This allows you to recover older versions of your files if the current files are lost or damaged. This chapter covers different ways to back up files, and how to restore these files when you need them.

Table 3 contains a list of commonly performed tasks. Instructions for the tasks are explained in the chapter.

Table 3. Backing Up and Restoring Files

Task Page
"Backing Up Files and Directories" "Backing Up Files and Directories"
"Backing Up Specific Files or Directories" "Backing Up Specific Files or Directories"
"Requesting Backup and Archive Services for Remote Servers" "Requesting Backup and Archive Services for Remote Servers"
"Using the Web Client to Back Up Files" "Using the Web Client to Back Up Files"
"Displaying File Details" "Displaying File Details"
"Backing Up Files: Additional Topics" "Backing Up Files: Additional Topics"
"Displaying Backup Processing Status" "Displaying Backup Processing Status"
"Restoring Files or Directories" "Restoring Files or Directories"
"Point-in-Time Restore" "Point-in-Time Restore"
"Using the Web Client for Restoring Files" "Using the Web Client for Restoring Files"
"Restoring an Active or Inactive Backup" "Restoring an Active or Inactive Backup"
"Restoring Files Using a File Name" "Restoring Files Using a File Name"
"Restoring Files Using a Directory Tree" "Restoring Files Using a Directory Tree"
"Restoring Files Using a Subdirectory Path" "Restoring Files Using a Subdirectory Path"
"Restoring Files: Additional Topics" "Restoring Files: Additional Topics"

All backup and restore procedures in this chapter also apply to the Web client, except those identified in "Using the Web Backup-Archive Client".

For information about starting and using the Web client, see "Starting A Web Client Session".


A Checklist to Help Plan Your Backups

If you are a first-time user, or if you only back up files occasionally, you may wish to use Table 4 as a checklist of preliminary steps to consider before performing a backup.

Table 4. Preliminary Steps for Backing Up Files



&box. Decide whether you want to backup files or archive them. See "Do You Want to Back Up or Archive Files?" for more information.
&box. Determine whether you need support for files with long names. See "Support for Long Names" for more information.
&box. Create an include-exclude list to specify files and directories you want to exclude from backup services. See "Using the Include-Exclude List to Control Processing" for more information.
&box. If your workstation is low on memory, decide whether performance is important. See "Running an Incremental Backup on a Memory-Constrained Machine" for more information.
&box. Decide what type of backup you want according to your needs. See the following sections for more information: "Full Incremental", "Partial Incremental", and "Full Incremental Versus Partial Incremental"
&box. If a file is important, ensure that it is closed before backing it up. See "Backing Up Open Files" for more information.
&box. For further backup considerations, see "Backing Up Files: Additional Topics".

Do You Want to Back Up or Archive Files?

When TSM backs up or archives a file, it sends a copy of the file and its associated attributes to the server; however, backups and archives have different goals.

Backups protect against file damage. A sequence of backup versions is kept for each file on your NetWare server (the number of backup versions is set by your administrator), and older versions are deleted as newer versions are made.

Archive copies are more permanent. They maintain a file in a particular state indefinitely (although your administrator can limit how long archives are kept). They are useful if you need, for example, to go back to a particular version of your files, or if you want to delete a file from your NetWare server and retrieve it if necessary. For example, you might need to save spreadsheets for tax purposes, but because you are not using them, you do not want to leave them on your NetWare server. See Chapter 4, Archiving and Retrieving Files for more information about archiving and retrieving files.

Use backups to protect against unforeseen damage to your files, and archives for maintaining more permanent versions of your files.


Backing Up Files and Directories

Your administrator might have set up schedules to back up files on your NetWare server automatically. See Chapter 5, Automating TSM Tasks for information on checking and running the schedules available to you. The following sections discuss how to back up files without using a schedule.

There are two types of incremental backup: full incremental and partial incremental. Both kinds of backup can also be used to back up the NDS and bindery. In addition, TSM saves trustee rights, file attributes, name spaces, and associated name space information with the backup versions of the files.

Understanding Which Files Are Backed Up

When you request an incremental backup, TSM backs up a file if all of the following requirements are met:

When you run an incremental backup, TSM also backs up all directory information. When you back up a file, the directories in the path in which that file is contained are also backed up. Directories and NDS container objects are counted in the number of objects backed up.

Full Incremental

A full incremental backup (also called an incremental backup), initially backs up all specified volumes, directories and files, and thereafter, all new and changed files, thus maintaining current server storage of your NetWare server files according to your storage management policies. See Chapter 6, "Understanding Storage Management Policies" for more information about storage management polices.

To perform a full incremental backup use the incremental command. You must specify one or more file systems to include in the back up.

During a full incremental, the client queries the server to determine the exact state of your storage as of your last incremental. TSM uses this information to:

Partial Incremental

A partial incremental backs up new and changed files but does not expire or rebind files on the server, and it ignores the frequency attribute of the copy group. There are two types of partial incremental backup:

Full Incremental Versus Partial Incremental

Both full and partial incrementals back up new and changed files. An incremental-by-date takes less time to process than a full incremental, and requires less memory. However, unlike a full incremental, an incremental-by-date does not maintain current server storage of all your NetWare server files because:

For these reasons, if you have limited time during the week to perform backups, but extra time on weekends, you may want to maintain current server storage of your NetWare server files by performing a partial incremental backup on weekdays, and a full incremental backup on weekends.

Support for Long Names

If you are running with TSM client and server Version 3.7 or later, or ADSM server Version 3.1, Level 2.3 or later, support for long names is included.

If you have file names longer than the DOS name space permits, you can use the long name when you back up the file. If you are running a NetWare 3.12 server, it must include the c-run library patch, lib312B.exe (available from Novell).

Mac Name Space is Not Supported

TSM does not support Macintosh name space. If a NetWare volume has only DOS and Mac name spaces, TSM uses the DOS name for Macintosh file names. If you use only DOS and Mac names spaces on a NetWare volume, you should add Long name space to that volume. This will ensure that NetWare converts Macintosh file names to the Long name before the file is backed up.

Migration to the Long Name Space

Using the Long name space allows greater flexibility for backing up files whose names are longer than traditional DOS names.

To see the name spaces that are loaded on a volume, enter volumes at the NetWare console, for example: 411:volumes. Information displays which is similar to the following:

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Mounted Volumes                   Name Spaces                  Flags            |
|    SYS                             DOS, LONG                  Cp Sa            |
|    VOL1                            DOS, MAC, LONG             Cp SA            |
|411:                                                                            |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

In this example, server 411 has 2 volumes. The SYS volume has DOS and long name spaces. VOL1 has DOS, Mac and long name spaces. The NetWare client inspects these settings when it begins an operation, such as backup. TSM then determines the name space used by the backed up volume. For example:

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|tsm> q file                                                                     |
|Node Name: VONORE                                                               |
|Session established with server TSM: Windows NT                                 |
|  Server Version 3, Release 1, Level 2.1                                        |
|  Server date/time: 02/05/1999 05:59:45  Last access: 02/04/1999 18:34:09       |
|                                                                                |
|Num   Last incr Date        Type      File Space Name                           |
|---   ----------------      ----      ---------------                           |
|  1   02/04/1999 18:34:46   NTWFS     411\VOL1:                                 |
|tsm>                                                                            |
|                                                                                |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

VOL1 was backed up with the file space type of NTWFS or DOS name space. When TSM starts a full incremental of VOL1, it detects that VOL1 has both Mac and long name spaces, but that the data is backed up using the DOS name space. This causes the file space to be updated to the long name space. Even though both Mac and long are loaded, TSM chooses the long name space because the Mac name space is not supported.

After a full incremental backup, the following change displays:

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|tsm> q file                                                                     |
|Node Name: VONORE                                                               |
|Session established with server TSM: Windows NT                                 |
|  Server Version 3, Release 1, Level 2.1                                        |
|  Server date/time: 02/05/1999 05:59:45  Last access: 02/04/1999 20:34:09       |
|                                                                                |
|Num   Last incr Date        Type        File Space Name                         |
|---   ----------------      ----        ---------------                         |
|  1   02/04/1999 18:34:46   NTW:LONG     411\VOL1:                              |
|tsm>                                                                            |
|                                                                                |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

The file space type has changed from NTWFS to NTW:LONG. TSM uses the long name space during the next full incremental backup. The file space is converted to use the long name space. All active and inactive files are changed to the following:

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|tsm> Q BACKUP VOL1:* -SUB=YES                                                   |
|Size      Backup Date        Mgmt Class A/I File                                |
|----      -----------        ---------- --- ----                                |
|    0  02/05/1999 06:33:28    STANDARD  A   VOL1:/                              |
|    0  02/05/1999 06:29:49    STANDARD  A   VOL1:/DELETED.SAV                   |
|    0  02/05/1999 06:29:49    STANDARD  A   VOL1:/Frank Ramke                   |
|1,175  02/05/1999 06:29:49    DEFAULT   A   VOL1:/VOL$LOG.ERR                   |
|    0  02/05/1999 06:29:49    STANDARD  A   VOL1:/Frank Ramke/Debbie Ramke      |
|    0  02/05/1999 06:29:49    STANDARD  A   VOL1:/Frank Ramke/Debbie Ramke/     |
|    Krista Breeden                                                              |
|    0  02/05/1999 06:29:49    STANDARD  A   VOL1:/Frank Ramke/Debbie Ramke/     |
|    Shane Breeden                                                               |
|   11  02/05/1999 06:29:49    DEFAULT   A   VOL1:/Frank Ramke/1 Long File       |
|   11  02/05/1999 06:29:49    DEFAULT   A   VOL1:/Frank Ramke/2 Long File       |
|   11  02/05/1999 06:29:49    DEFAULT   A   VOL1:/Frank Ramke/Debbie Ramke/1    |
|   Long File                                                                    |
|   11  02/05/1999 06:29:49    DEFAULT   A   VOL1:/Frank Ramke/Debbie Ramke/2    |
|   Long File                                                                    |
|   11  02/03/1999 06:29:49    DEFAULT   I   VOL1:/FRANK RAMKE/DEBBIE RAMKE/2    |
|   LONG FILE                                                                    |
|tsm>                                                                            |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

The last file in the list is an inactive file and is not cased properly because of the way case is preserved by the client. This migration cannot case inactive files correctly.

During a full incremental, objects are "updated." This is when renaming occurs. For example,

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|...                                                                             |
|Updating-->                    0 VOL1:/TOMRAMK0/DEBBIERA/SHANEBRE [Sent]        |
|Updating-->                   11 VOL1:/TOMRAMK0/DEBBIERA/1LONGFIL [Sent]        |
|Updating-->                   11 VOL1:/TOMRAMK0/DEBBIERA/2LONGFI0 [Sent]        |
|Updating-->                   11 VOL1:/VONORE/1LONGFIL [Sent]                   |
|Updating-->                   11 VOL1:/VONORETE/1LONGFIL [Sent]                 |
|Successful incremental backup of 'VOL1:'                                        |
|                                                                                |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Converting Name Spaces Using the Web Client or Command Line

To convert from a short to a long name space, you must perform a full incremental on your file space. Ensure that memoryefficient no is set in the dsm.opt file. You can perform the conversion using either the Web client or the command line.

To use the Web client, click on the volume name, and select Incremental (complete) from the pull down menu at the top of the screen. To perform a full incremental on your file space from the command line, enter dsmc i sys:.

After converting the file space, you can set memoryefficient yes. Files which are backed up or archived in the future will be converted to long name support.

Adding and Removing a Name Space

Your NetWare administrator can add and remove name spaces for particular volumes. TSM converts the file space to the correct name space if the following conditions are met:

  1. memoryefficient no is set in the dsm.opt file
  2. a full file space incremental is performed

For example, the following procedures add and remove name spaces (to remove a name space, use vrepair.nlm:

add name space mac to sys
411:
 
411:load vrepair
 
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
&sqbul.  NetWare Volume Repair Utility  4.19			           NetWare Loadable Module  &sqbul.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 
Warning!!  Removing a Name Space will destroy all directory entries for that
Name Space.  If you remove a Macintosh Name Space, you will also destroy all
associated Resource Forks.
		
Server Supported Name Spaces:
 
    1. MACINTOSH
    2. NFS
    3. FTAM
    4. LONG_NAMES
    5. NAFS
    6. Return to VRepair Configuration Menu
 
    Enter name space number to remove: 4

All files are backed up under the new name space; however, some may be backed up again during the conversion process.

Attention: TSM may not convert every name. TSM may back up a short name instead of updating it, and a long name may be marked inactive. NetWare name collisions may not be handled accurately. Therefore, do not add or remove name spaces after TSM begins backing up a volume. Also, consider renaming the entire file space before conversion instead of allowing TSM to rename objects.

Backing Up Before Conversion

If you run a selective or archive before conversion, TSM uses the current name space for the backup; that is, the name space indicated from the q file space command.

Include/exclude statements are affected; they must be changed to reflect the long names. Until conversion is complete, consider entering both long and short names. For example:

exclude vol1:\frankra0/.../*
exclude vol1:\frank ramke/.../*

If files have been backed up from a volume with long name space loaded, and you attempt to restore them to a volume without long name space, the restore will fail. A message similar to the following displays: 02/12/1999 09:24:30 (TSA400 4.14 287) The name space type does not exist or is invalid.

Use quotes to enclose a long name string that has embedded blanks.

If files are not being converted, the reason could be any of the following:

Using the Include-Exclude List to Control Processing

Usually, there are files on your disk that you do not want to back up. These files might be operating system or application files that could be easily recovered by reinstalling the program, or any other file that you could easily rebuild.

You can use the include and exclude options in the options file to tell TSM which files to exclude from backup processing. TSM honors the include-exclude list whether you are doing an incremental or selective backup. TSM backs up any file that is not explicitly excluded. You do not need to use an include option to include specific files unless those files are in a directory you are trying to exclude.

For more information on setting up an include-exclude list, see Chapter 7, Creating an Include-Exclude List.

Running a Full Incremental Backup

To run a full incremental backup, use the incremental command. TSM runs an incremental backup against the volumes specified in your client domain. The volumes you specify can include the bindery and the NDS.

You can specify the volumes you want to back up in one of the following ways:

Backing Up Open Files

Some files on your system may be in use when you try backing them up (these are called open files, because they are opened by an application for its use). Because an open file may change, it is likely that any backup of an open file will not correctly reflect the contents of the file at a given time.

If certain files are not backed up because they are open or they get changed when TSM backs them up, consider the following:

Running an Incremental by Date Backup

To run an incremental by date backup, add the incrbydate option to the incremental command:

   load dsmc incremental -incrbydate

Running an Incremental Backup on a Memory-Constrained Machine

The performance of an incremental backup suffers if your machine runs out of available memory during the backup. If you have enough memory on your machine, you can use a more efficient method of backing up your machine. Turn off the memoryefficientbackup option in the options file:

memoryefficientbackup no

Specifying memoryefficientbackup yes (the default) causes TSM to back up only one directory at a time. If you have poor performance even when using memoryefficientbackup yes, check your communication buffer settings and the communication link between your machine and the server.

Backing Up Specific Files or Directories

You can use the selective command to back up specific files, a group of files with similar names, entire directories, the NDS, or the bindery. This is called a selective backup.

You can use more than one file specification on the selective command. For example, to back up the sys:proj/test.doc and the bindery files, use:

   load dsmc selective sys:proj/test.doc bindery

See Displaying Backup Processing Status for an explanation of the statistics that TSM provides after processing an incremental, selective, or archive command. For a scheduled selective backup, your administrator must specify which files to back up.

For more information, see Selective.

Requesting Backup and Archive Services for Remote Servers

You can request backup and archive services for multiple NetWare file servers.

To back up files on a remote NetWare file server, you must either:

TSM includes two options that relate to backing up and archiving files for remote servers:

You can include volumes stored on remote NetWare file servers in your default client domain specified with the domain option in your client options file. For example, to specify the sys: volume on three remote NetWare file servers as well as all local volumes and the bindery, use:

  domain all-local  servb\sys:  servc\sys:  servd\sys:

You can also use the domain option with the incremental command to specify volumes stored on remote NetWare file servers. For example:

   load dsmc incremental -domain="servb\sys: servc\sys:"

In addition, you can selectively back up or archive files stored on a remote server. For example:

   load dsmc selective servb\sys:test/*
   load dsmc archive servc\sys:test2/proj1/

Using the Web Client to Back Up Files

If you have the Web client started on your workstation, (see "Starting A Web Client Session") you can perform the backup tasks shown below using the Web client backup-archive GUI.

Backing Up Specific Files

To back up a file or a group of files using the Web client, follow these steps:

  1. Click on Backup from the main window. The Backup by Tree window displays.
  2. Expand the directory tree by clicking on the + sign.
  3. Click on the drive, directory, or file you want to back up.
  4. Click on the selection boxes next to the files you want to back up.
  5. Click on Always Backup from the Type of Backup list.
  6. Click on Backup. The Task List window displays your backup processing status. If the backup was retried because of a failure such as a communications failure or session loss, the transfer statistics may not match file statistics. The transfer statistics will show the number of bytes TSM attempted to transfer during all command attempts.

Backing Up Files Using Directory Trees

You can apply a filter to a directory tree to display only files that you want to back up. Any files that do not match the filter criteria do not display. To filter a directory tree in preparation for your backup:

  1. Click on Backup from the main window. The Backup by Tree window displays.
  2. Expand the directory tree by clicking on the + sign.
  3. Click on the drive, directory, or file that you want to backup.
  4. Click on Always Backup from the Type of Backup list.
  5. Click on the selection boxes next to the files or directories you want to back up.
  6. Click on Backup. The Task List window displays the backup processing status. If the backup was retried because of a failure such as a communications failure or session loss, the transfer statistics may not match file statistics. The transfer statistics will show the number of bytes TSM attempted to transfer during all command attempts.

Displaying File Details

Select File details on the View menu to display file attributes for any file.

The Web client GUI provides a Task List window you can display to see information about files that are processing. In addition, a Task Report window shows the details for a particular task, such as the number of files backed up, transfer rates, any files that failed, and so forth. This window displays automatically when a task completes.


Backing Up Files: Additional Topics

This section discusses additional topics related to performing backups. You do not need to understand this information in order to do basic work.

Estimating Backup Processing Time

The TSM Backup and Restore windows provide an estimate function that estimates the amount of time to process your files and directories. The estimated transfer is a rough calculation of the time it takes to transfer your data. It is based on previous transfers of data between your workstation and the current TSM server. The actual transfer time could be longer or shorter than the estimate due to factors like network traffic, system load on your workstation, or system load on the server.

Note: The Estimated Transfer Time is based on previous backup transfer rates so you must run at least one backup operation first. The Estimated Transfer Time filed reads N/A if no files are sent to or from the current TSM server.

Displaying Backup Processing Status

During an incremental backup, TSM displays the status of each file it attempts to back up. TSM reports the file's size, volume, path, file name, and whether the backup attempt was successful. Similar statistics are produced by the selective and archive commands. These also display in the schedule log for scheduled commands.

When TSM backs up a volume or other set of files, it attempts to improve performance and load balancing by using multiple sessions. This can result in as many as five sessions running at one time to read files and send them to a server.

The command line displays the name of each file after it is sent to the server. If a file is not sent immediately, a progress indicator shows the file's progress.

The Web client and backup-archive client GUI provide a Task List window that displays information about files that are processing. The backup-archive command line displays similar information.

When a task completes, a Task Report window displays processing details. You can click the Help button in the Task Report window for information about the following processing statistics:

Understanding How Files Are Managed

TSM uses management classes to determine how to manage your backups on the server. Every time you back up a file, the file is assigned a management class. The management class used is either a default chosen for you, or one you assigned to the file using the include option in the include-exclude list. The chosen management class must contain a backup copy group in order for the file to be backed up. See Chapter 5, Automating TSM Tasks for more information on management classes and how to assign them to files.

Backing Up Directories

If you back up a directory, you can use the subdir=yes option to include all the subdirectories under that directory in the backup.

For example, to back up the sys:proj directory and its subdirectories, use:

   load dsmc selective sys:proj/ -subdir=yes

Using Wildcard Characters

You can use the operating system's wildcard characters in file specifications, including commands, for most tasks. These characters allow you to select groups of files that have similar names.

In a command, wildcard characters can only be used in the file name or extension. They cannot be used to specify destination files, volume names, server names, NDS names, or the bindery.

The wildcard characters used by NetWare are:

*
Asterisk. This stands for zero or more characters. For example:
*.exe matches all files that have the extension exe
hm* matches all files that start with hm, regardless of extension
*h* matches all files with an h somewhere in the file name, regardless of extension

?
Question mark. This stands for one character. For example:
?.exe matches all files with the extension exe that have one, and only one, character in their file name
hm?.exe matches all files that have three-character names beginning with hm and that have an exe extension

You can combine the asterisk and question mark in a file specification. For example, ??hm.* matches all four-character file names ending in hm, no matter what extension they have.

Understanding Which Files Are Backed Up

When you request a selective backup, TSM backs up a file if all of the following requirements are met:

For selective backups, TSM does not check frequency or mode, and does not check to see whether a file has changed since it was last backed up. The only criteria for selective backups are that the file is not excluded from backup services and the management class associated with it has a backup copy group.

When you run a selective backup, TSM also backs up all directory information. You can exclude the files within a directory, but you cannot exclude a directory from being backed up. Directories and NDS containers are counted in the number of objects backed up.

When you use the volinformation option with the selective command, volume information such as disk space restrictions and volume root directory trustee rights are backed up.


Restoring Files or Directories

You can use the restore command to restore backup versions of specific files, a group of files with similar names, entire directories, or backup sets. For more information on restoring backup sets, see "Restoring Data from a Backup Set".

You can restore a file to either its original location or to a different location. For example, to restore the sys:doc/h1.doc file to its original directory, use:

   load dsmc restore sys:doc/h1.doc

To restore the file under a new name and directory, use:

   load dsmc restore sys:doc/h1.doc sys:newdoc/h2.doc

Add the -subdir=yes option to the command if you need to restore the files in a directory and all of its subdirectories. For example, if you are recovering an entire volume (in this example, the nw3: volume), you can restore all the files using:

   load dsmc restore nw3:* -subdir=yes

See Restore for more information.

No Query Restore

Client functions such as point-in-time restore and restartable restores, use no query restore to address potential memory constraints. No query restore coexists with other restore protocols and is supported on all Version 3 servers and clients.

No query restore addresses potential memory constraints on the client. For clients with large filespaces the list of backed up files can become very large; too large for some clients to keep and sort in memory. No query restore gets its name from the fact that, when using this protocol, the client does not need to query the server for a list of backed up files, nor does the client need to perform a sort of the list of files returned.

When an entire directory or directory tree is restored, and the inactive, latest, pick, todate, and fromdate options are not specified on the restore command, TSM keeps track of which objects have been restored. If the restore process is interrupted for any reason, such as a power outage or network failure, you can restart the restore at the point of interruption by entering the restart restore command. It is possible to create more than one restartable restore session. Use the query restore command to display a list of your restartable restore sessions in the server database. The existence of a restartable restore inhibits further backups of that file system until the restartable restore is completed using the restart restore command or the restartable restore is dropped using the cancel restore command.

The differences between the standard restore process and the no query restore process are described below.

Standard Restore Process

  1. The client queries the server for a list of files backed up for the client file space being restored.
  2. The server sends a list of backed up files that match the restore criteria. If both active and inactive files are to be restored, information about all backed up files is sent to the client.
  3. The list of files returned from the server is sorted in client memory to determine the file restore order and to minimize tape mounts required to perform the restore.
  4. The client tells the server to restore file data and directory objects.
  5. The directories and files to be restored are sent from the server to the client.

No Query Restore Process

  1. The client tells the server that a no query restore is going to be performed and provides the server with details about filespaces, directories and files.
  2. The server sorts the data using an internal sort table which minimizes tape mounts.
  3. The data to be restored is sent to the client. File and directory objects stored on disk are sent immediately since sorting for such data is not required before restoring it.

For more information on using the command line to begin restartable restores, see Restore. For help with performing restartable restores using a GUI, follow these steps:

  1. Click Help from the Restore window.
  2. Click Restoring Backup Versions
  3. Click Work with restartable restore sessions.

Do You Want To Restore an Active or Inactive Backup?

Your administrator determines how many backup versions TSM maintains for each file on your NetWare server. Frequently, the administrator maintains more than one version of each file. Having multiple versions of a file allows you to restore older versions in case the most recent backup is damaged.

TSM considers the most recent backup version to be the active version. Any other backup version is considered an inactive version.

Every time TSM backs up your files, it marks the new backup version as the active backup, and it changes what used to be the active backup to an inactive backup. When the maximum number of inactive versions is reached, TSM deletes the oldest inactive version.

Normally, you want to restore active backup versions of files. However, there might be times when you want to restore an inactive version. For example, you might want to restore a file with the contents it contained on or before a specific date. Or you might accidentally erase a file, and then run an incremental backup. The active backup version of the file is now inactive. To get your file back, you need to restore the most recent inactive backup version of the file.

The restore command restores only active backup versions of files, unless you use the following options:

For example, if you want to restore the latest version of the deleted file sys:h1.doc, use:

   load dsmc restore sys:h1.doc -latest

If you try to restore both an active and inactive version of a file at the same time, only the active version is restored.

Point-in-Time Restore

A point-in-time restore recovers a file space or a directory to a previous condition. For example, a point-in-time restore can eliminate the effect of data corruption, or recover a basic configuration to a prior condition.

You can start a point-in-time restore from the TSM backup-archive command line client, using the pitdate and pittime command line options. A point-in-time restore is supported on the file space, directory, or file level.

Perform incremental backups to a Version 3 or higher server in order to support a point-in-time restore. The server is only notified when files are deleted from a client file space or directory during an incremental backup. Run incremental backups frequently to provide the necessary point-in-time resolution. A point-in-time restore will restore files deleted after the point-in-time date, but not files deleted before. TSM restores the versions from the most recent backup before the specified point-in-time. Ensure the point-in-time you specify is not the same as the time and date that a back up was performed.

Point-in-time overrides object condition so that even if an object has an active backup from a later date, the previous inactive copy is returned.

The point-in-time command line options, pitdate and pittime, are used with the query and restore commands. For example, when pitdate and pittime are used with the query backup command, the date and time values specified in the pitdate and pittime parameters are used to establish the point-in-time for which file information is returned. When pitdate and pittime are used with the restore command, the date and time values specified in the pitdate and pittime parameters are used to establish the point-in-time for which files are returned. The pitdate and pittime values are mutually exclusive from the todate and totime parameters.

Restoring Data from a Backup Set

Your TSM administrator can generate a backup set (a collection of your active files that reside on the server) onto portable media that are supported by both the server and client.

Portable media can be used on devices such as a tape, CD-ROM, DVD, JAZ or ZIP drives. Current device support information is available at the following Web site:

http://www.tivoli.com/support/storage_mgr/tivolimain.html

You can restore backup sets from either of the following locations:

Note:If you cannot restore a backup set from portable media, check with your TSM administrator to ensure that the portable media was created on a device using a format that is compatible with your device.

TSM considers a backup set as one object containing the whole file structure. Files are copied down to the file space level, and you can perform partial restores. After a backup set is generated, it is not tracked by the TSM database. The media is self-describing and contains all the information required to perform a successful restore.

Backup sets can provide you with instant archive and rapid recovery capability as described below:

Instant Archive
This capability allows you to retain long-term storage of periodic backups without requiring that the data be sent again over the network from client nodes.

Rapid Recovery
When you are away from your office without a network connection and you lose data, you can restore the data from the backup set.

See Restore Backupset for information on how to use the restore backupset command.

Using the Web Client for Restoring Files

Restoring an Active or Inactive Backup

Your administrator determines how many backup versions TSM maintains for each file on your workstation. Frequently, the administrator maintains more than one version of each file. Having multiple versions of a file permits you to restore older versions in the event the most recent backup is damaged. TSM considers the most recent backup version to be the active version. Any other backup version is considered to be an inactive version. To restore a backup version that is inactive, you must display both active and inactive versions.

  1. Click on Restore on the main window. The Restore by Tree window displays.
  2. Click Display Active/Inactive Files on the View menu.
  3. Expand the directory tree by clicking on the + sign.
  4. Click the selection boxes next to the drive, directory, or file you want to restore.
  5. Click Restore. The Restore Destination window displays.
  6. Enter the information in the Restore Destination window.
  7. Click Restore. The Task List window displays. If the restore was retried because of a failure such as a communications failure or session loss, the transfer statistics may not match file statistics. The transfer statistics will show the number of bytes TSM attempted to transfer during all command attempts.

If you try to restore both an active and inactive version of a file at the same time, only the active version will be restored.

Restoring Files Using a File Name

You can copy a version of a backup file from a storage pool to your workstation or file server without affecting the backup copy in the storage pool. If you know the name of the file you want to restore, or you know at least part of the name, you can use the name to restore the file. Restoring a file using a name is much like backing one up. The windows are similar, except that you are selecting files to restore rather than to back up. To restore a file by its file name (directory attributes and permissions are not restored):

  1. Click Restore on the main window. The Restore by Tree window displays.
  2. Expand the directory tree by clicking on the + sign.
  3. Click the drive or directory you want to restore.
  4. Click on the selection boxes next to the files you want to restore. The selected files display in the Restore by Tree window.
  5. Click Restore. The Restore Destination window displays.
  6. Enter the information in the Restore Destination window.
  7. Click Restore. The Task List window displays the restore processing status. If the restore was retried because of a failure such as a communications failure or session loss, the transfer statistics may not match file statistics. The transfer statistics will show the number of bytes TSM attempted to transfer during all command attempts.

Restoring Files Using a Directory Tree

You can use a directory tree to display only those backup versions matching search criteria that you specify. Filtering the directory tree to restore a file is similar to backing one up. To restore a file using a directory tree (directory attributes and permissions are not restored):

  1. Click Restore on the main window. The Restore by Tree window displays.
  2. Expand the directory tree by clicking the + sign.
  3. Select the drive, directory, or file you want to restore.
  4. Click the selection boxes next to the files you want to restore.
  5. Click Restore. The Restore Destination window displays.
  6. Enter the information in the Restore Destination window.
  7. Click Restore. The Task List window displays the processing status. If the restore was retried because of a failure such as a communications failure or session loss, the transfer statistics may not match file statistics. The transfer statistics will show the number of bytes TSM attempted to transfer during all command attempts.

Restoring Files Using a Subdirectory Path

To restore backup versions of individual files or subdirectories along with directory attributes and permissions:

  1. Click on Restore on the main window. The Restore by Tree window displays.
  2. Expand the directory tree by clicking on the + sign. Click on the selection boxes next to the files or directories you want to restore.
  3. Click on Restore. The Restore Destination window displays.
  4. Enter the information in the Restore Destination window.
  5. Click on Restore. The Task List window displays with the processing status. If the restore was retried because of a failure such as a communications failure or session loss, the transfer statistics may not match file statistics. The transfer statistics will show the number of bytes TSM attempted to transfer during all command attempts.

Restoring Files: Additional Topics

This section discusses additional topics related to performing restores. You do not need to understand this information in order to use TSM for basic tasks.

Authorizing Another Client Node to Restore or Retrieve Your Files

You can authorize another client node to restore your backup versions or retrieve your archive copies.

To authorize another node to restore or retrieve your files, use the set access command. You can also use the query access command to see your current list, and delete access to delete nodes from the list.

For more information on the commands, see:

The TSM node you are authorizing must be registered with your TSM server.

Restoring or Retrieving Files from Another Client Node

If you want to restore files backed up or retrieve files archived by another NetWare client node, then you need access to those files as described in Authorizing Another Client Node to Restore or Retrieve Your Files.

If you are granted access to files backed up by a different client node, you can restore those files by using the fromnode option with the restore command. For example, you could enter the following:

   load dsmc res -fromnode=nw2 servb\sys:home/proj/* serva\sys:home/proj/

where nw2 is the node name for another NetWare server, servb\sys:home/proj/* indicates the name of the server and the files you want to restore, and serva\sys:home/proj/ indicates where you want to place the files you are restoring. You must specify a destination, or TSM attempts to restore the files to the server from which the files were backed up.

You can retrieve archived files in the same way, using the retrieve command.

For more information about using the fromnode option, see Restore.

Restoring or Retrieving Your Files to Another Client Node

TSM lets you restore files you backed up or retrieve files you archived from your own NetWare server when you are using a different NetWare server. You must enter your node name, because your backups and archives are stored according to your node, not your specific machine. Your TSM password protects your data.

To restore or retrieve files to another NetWare server, use the nodename option to specify the node name of the NetWare server from which you backed up or archived the files. You can either use the nodename option when starting TSM or update the client options file on the NetWare server. (If you are using someone else's machine, you can avoid changing their configuration by using the nodename option on the load dsmc command.)

For example, enter the following:

   load dsmc res -nodename=nw1 serva\sys:home/proj/* servb\sys:home/proj/

where nw1 is the node name for the NetWare server from which you backed up the files, serva\sys:home/proj/* identifies the server and the files you want to restore, and servb\sys:home/proj/ indicates where you want to place the files you are restoring. You must specify a destination, or TSM attempts to restore the files to the node from which the files were backed up.

You can enter the password option with the restore or retrieve command, or allow TSM to prompt you for the TSM password for the client node you specified with the nodename option.

Restoring a Disk In Case of Disk Loss

TSM can only recover your files if you can run the client. If the disk that contains the client is lost, you must reinstall the client before you can recover your files. If you also lose the disk that contains the operating system and communication software, you must recover them before you can connect to the server.

To protect yourself against these kinds of losses, put together a set of diskettes that you can use to restore your system to a state that permits you to contact the server and begin recovering data. These diskettes should contain:

  1. A bootable operating system that permits you to perform basic functions.
  2. A correctly configured communication program that will allow you to establish communications with the server.
  3. A client with an appropriately customized options file.

The exact files you need differ depending on the communication package you use. Consult your operating system and communication software manuals for help in setting up these diskettes

Performing Large Restore Operations

If you need to restore a large number of files, you can improve performance by issuing multiple restore commands at one time.

For example, to restore all the files in your sys:user file space, you could enter:

   load dsmc restore sys:user/ -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no

However, if you issue multiple commands for directories in your sys:user file space, TSM can restore the files faster.

For example, you could issue these commands:

   load dsmc restore sys:user/jones/ -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no
   load dsmc restore sys:user/smith/ -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no
   load dsmc restore sys:user/brown/ -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no

Or, if you need to restore multiple volumes, you could issue a restore command for each volume. For example:

   load dsmc restore sys:*  -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no
   load dsmc restore app:*  -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no
   load dsmc restore data:* -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no
Note:If you already have the appropriate values set for the subdir, replace and tapeprompt options in your client options file, you do not need to include those options in the commands.

When you issue multiple commands to restore your files, you must specify a unique part of the file space in each restore command. Be sure that you do not use any overlapping file specifications in the commands.

To display a list of the root directories in a file space, use the query backup command. For example:

   load dsmc query backup -dirsonly -subdir=no

As a general rule, you can issue from two to four restore commands at one time. The maximum number you can run at one time without degrading performance depends on factors such as how much memory you have and network utilization.

The speed at which TSM can restore the files also depends on how many tape drives are available, and whether your administrator is using collocation to keep file spaces assigned to as few volumes as possible.

For example, if sys:user/jones and sys:user/smith are on the same tape, the restore for sys:user/smith must wait until the restore for sys:user/jones is complete. However, if sys:user/brown is on a different tape, and there are at least two tape drives available, the restore for sys:user/brown can begin at the same time as the restore for sys:user/jones.

If your administrator is using collocation, the number of sequential access media mounts required for restore operations is also reduced.

Other options you can choose to use in multiple restore commands are:

quiet
The advantage of using this option is that messages are not printed to your screen, and processing is faster. The disadvantage is that you do not receive information about individual files that are processed. TSM records only summary information.

errorlogname
You can use this option to specify a different error log file for each restore command. Be sure to keep track of which command goes with each log file. [<

Deleting File Spaces

If your administrator gives you backdelete authority, you can delete entire file spaces from the server. When you delete a file space, you delete all the files, both backup versions and archive copies, that are contained within the file space.

Carefully consider what you are doing before you attempt to delete a file space.

You cannot delete individual backup versions kept on the server.

If you decide you do not need the file space, use the delete file space command. See Delete Filespace for more information.


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