Collecting Data for IBM Spectrum Protect: Client Backup and Restore

Collecting troubleshooting data early, even before opening the case, helps IBM® Support quickly determine if:
Symptoms match known problems (rediscovery).
There is a non-defect problem that can be identified and resolved.
There is a defect that identifies a workaround to reduce severity.
Locating root cause can speed development of a code fix.

Collecting Data: Table of contents:

	Gathering general information
	Manually Gathering General Information
	Gathering Client Backup and Restore Problem Information
	Submitting Information to IBM Support
	Online Self-Help Resources
	Related Information

 

Gathering General Information

Entering general information into an electronically-opened Problem Case (previously called PMRs) eliminates waiting on the phone to provide general information to support. 
 

Manually Gathering General Information

IBM Spectrum Protect can gather general information about the configuration into a file called dsminfo.txt by running the following IBM Spectrum Protect client command:
QUERY SYSTEMINFO
ex: dsmc query systeminfo -optfile=<path and filename of option file>

If you can not gather dsminfo.txt file generated with QUERY SYSTEMINFO, manually gather the following:

• Complete IBM Spectrum Protect client level to 6 digits - example 8.1.5.101
• IBM Spectrum Protect client options file used when the backup or restore problem occurs - dsm.opt or the value specified with OPTFILE parameter
• IBM Spectrum Protect client error log - dsmerror.log or the value specified as ERRORLOGNAME parameter
• IBM Spectrum Protect client schedule log - dsmsched.log or the value specified as SCHEDLOGNAME parameter, if the backup or restore operation involves the IBM Spectrum Protect scheduler
• IBM Spectrum Protect client web log - dsmwebcl.log, if the backup or restore operation involves the IBM Spectrum Protect CAD managed scheduler or web client interface
• IBM Spectrum Protect journal configuration file - tsmjbbd.ini for Windows and AIX, if the backup or restore operation involves the IBM Spectrum Protect journal daemon

The above IBM Spectrum Protect Client files can be found in the installation file path. The default installation path is:
Windows: C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient
Mac: /Library/Preferences/Tivoli Storage Manager and /Users/user1/logs
Netware: sys:\tivoli\tsm\client\ba
AIX: /usr/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin
HP/Linux/Solaris: /opt/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin

In addition, provide a copy of the Windows system event log and application event log (saved in .evt format from Windows Event Viewer).

 

Manually Gathering Client Backup and Restore Problem Specific Information

Review/Answer the following questions and provide those responses to IBM support:
1. When exactly did the problem first begin to occur?

• Ex: During daily evening scheduled backups on XX/XX/XXXX
  Ex: When attempting to restore data today for a user

2. Is the problem activity and symptoms easily re-creatable?

• Ex: Yes, the scheduled backup fails consistently every evening with the same error
  Ex: No, the restore operation fails intermittently, and for different users/files

3. Have other operations from this client been successful?

• Ex: If the scheduled backup fails, does a manual backup succeed?
  Ex: If the restore to location A fails, does a restore to alternate location B succeed?
  Ex: If the action was attempted from the web client, does the traditional GUI or command line work?

4. Were there any specific changes to applications or patches applied that could be contributing to the behavior?

• Ex: Windows update applied patches X and Y
  Ex: Application X was recently upgraded from version X to version Y
  Ex: IBM Spectrum Protect was recently uninstalled and reinstalled because of reason X

5. Have you researched the ANS message responses that result from the operation on the support home web page for potential solutions (and what technotes did you find/use)?
6. If the problem is believed to be associated with a known APAR based on research from step 5 and the problem still exists after the upgrade, did any of the conditions around the failure change (and if so, how)?
7. If applications that perform similar activities as IBM Spectrum Protect are present on the system, does the IBM Spectrum Protect operation still fail after turning off those applications?

• Ex: St. Bernard OFS, HSM products, Disk management or file duplication utilities

8. Are there any other attributes of the system or network environment that make this problem unique from other systems that are not affected?

Submitting Information to IBM Support

After a Case is open, you can submit diagnostic troubleshooting data to IBM.

When data is uploaded to the Case, the status will be automatically be updated to acknowledge that data has been received. If you are still working with older Problem Management Records, you will want to update the PMR to indicate that you have sent the data.

 

Online Self-Help Resources

• Review up-to-date product information at the IBM Spectrum Protect page.

• Sign into your account on the Spectrum Protect Product page, to access additional resources or to open a Case with the Support team.

 

Related Information

• Exchanging information with IBM Technical Support
• Latest Server and Client Downloads - Fixpacks and Fixtests