Backup services

Configure mksysb backup

To save space on the backup medium, /etc/exclude.rootvg lists filesystems not to be backed up, for example: 
   ^./u/
   ^./nfs/
   ^./usr/lpp/LoadL/  # ATTENTION: remove this entry for the loadl host (currently biops5z)
   ^./s/
   ^./d/
   ^./slocal/
   ^./scratch/
   ^./data.local
   ^./scratch.local
   ^./datalxg0110
   ^./datalxg0113
   ^./datalxg0115
When using 
smit[ty] - Backup the system
toggle the appropriate switch.
Note, however, that for AIX <= 5.2, a tape "boot record" must be smaller than about 24k 512byte-blocks in order to allow standalone booting from that tape. Prior to backup, boot records can be shrinked by removing unnecessary driver software (ATM adapters, unused GXTxxxx adapters, etc.). If this is not possible, restoring from tape will require booting from AIX installation media into maintenance mode first. From there, restoring from tape may be initiated.
Note further, that backups from mirrored rootvgs can only be restored (with reasonable effort) to target systems which are mirrored as well, i.e. have enough disks. At restore time, all target disks which are necessary to restore the mirrored rootvg must be selected.

Configure the ADSM/TSM backup client (GSI only)

  1. The machine name must be known to the TSM server (M.Imhof@gsi.de).
  2. The client/server setup is controlled via one of the files: which should look like: 
       * until July-2009:
   Servername           ADSM
     TCPServeraddress   ADSM
     TCPPort            1500

   * since July-2009:
   Servername           AIXTSM2
     TCPServeraddress   AIXTSM2
     TCPPort            1530
     PasswordAccess     Generate
     COMPression        OFF
   * for 32-bit:
     Inclexcl           /usr/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin/archive.excl
   * for 64-bit:
   * Inclexcl           /usr/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin64/archive.excl
     SCHEDLOGNAME       /var/adsm/dsmsched.log
     SCHEDMODE          prompted
     TCPBuffsize        32
     TCPWindowsize      24
   *  TXNByte            25600
     SLOWINCREMENTAL    OFF
   *
   * since March-2013, for TSM client 6.x:
   *
     ERRORLOGNAME       /var/adsm/dsmerror.log
   * SLOWINCREMENTAL    OFF
   * allow 7-day log rotation:
     schedlogretention 7
     errorlogretention 7

   *
   * more than one server may be necessary to fetch back older archives:
   *  
   Servername           CLRI6B
     TCPServeraddress   slxtsm2.gsi.de
     TCPPort            1500
     nodename           clri6b
     PasswordAccess     Generate
     COMPression        OFF
   * for 32-bit:
     Inclexcl           /usr/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin/archive.excl
   * for 64-bit:
   * Inclexcl           /usr/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin/archive.excl
     SCHEDLOGNAME       /var/adsm/dsmsched.log
     SCHEDMODE          prompted
     TCPBuffsize        32
     TCPWindowsize      24
     SLOWINCREMENTAL    OFF

   * since March-2013, for TSM client 6.x:
     ERRORLOGNAME       /var/adsm/dsmerror.log
   * SLOWINCREMENTAL    OFF
  3. One of the files: tells what to backup, for example: 
       * until July-2009:
   Servername           ADSM

   * since July-2009:
   Servername           AIXTSM2
    tapeprompt      no
    followsymbolic  no
   *uselargebuffers no
   *Errorlogretention 90,s
   *tracefile       trace.out
   *traceflags      incr
   * filesystems common to all machines
    domain         /
    domain         /var
    domain         /opt
   * file server(s) only: 
    domain         /userfs/userb01  
    domain         /userfs/userb02
    domain         /userfs/userb03
    domain         /userfs/userb04
   * application server only: 
    domain         /applfs/applb00

   * other servers: 
   * ...

   * biori6y only, legacy:
    domain         /apps
  4. One of the files: tells what to exclude, for example: 
       exclude /.../core
   exclude /.../.netscape/cache/.../*
   exclude /.../.netscape-cache/*
   exclude /.../*.bak
   exclude /.../smit.*
  5. TSM messages are kept in logfiles specified via the entries SCHEDLOGNAME and ERRORLOGNAME, respectively, in the dsm.sys control file. Their parent directory must exist, e.g.: 
       mkdir /var/adsm
    In order to save space in the /var filesystem, log rotation should be enabled, specified via the entries errorlogretention and schedlogretention, respectively, in the dsm.sys control file.
    Alternatively, for TSM version <6, one may use a cron job scheduled e.g. at 3 a.m. to rename the log file by appending a version number running from 0 through 5. This way the last week's logs are kept. I.e. 
       crontab -e
    should have something like 
       # 0 3 * * * /local/bin/newdsmlog                       >/dev/null # obsolete
   5 3 * * * /opt/bin/logrotate.sh /var/adsm/dsmsched.log >/dev/null
    with the home grown script /opt/bin/logrotate.sh which restarts the syslog daemon. This restart is honoured by TSM version <6, but seemingly not by later versions.
  6. in /etc/rc.local specify startup of the local backup client:
    For TSM: 
       # 32-bit:
   /usr/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin/dsmc sched -verbose > /dev/null 2>&1 &
   # 64-bit:
   /usr/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin64/dsmc sched -verbose > /dev/null 2>&1 &
   # legacy ADSM:
   /usr/lpp/adsm/bin/dsmc sched > /dev/null 2>&1 &
  7. To check if a backup was performed enter 
       dsmc q file
    This is also needed once after a fresh installation to assign a password. Usually it's the nodename itself (w/o "gsi.de")
    In such a case stop the dsm process (via kill) and restart with one of the versions shown above: 
       nohup ... dsmc ...
Last update: 9-May-2013, M.Kraemer

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