IBM® Spectrum Protect (formerly Tivoli® Storage Manager or in short TSM) for Space Management® and HSM for Windows® FAQ

Answer

This FAQ applies to 6.3 or higher for IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management and IBM Spectrum Protect HSM for Windows.


Questions applying to
- both IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management and IBM Spectrum Protect HSM for Windows
- IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management
- IBM Spectrum Protect HSM for Windows
- IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management on IBM Spectrum Scale (formerly GPFS)

Questions applying to both IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management and IBM Spectrum Protect HSM for Windows:

1. Where do I find documentation about the products?
   IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management:
   - General information: http://www.ibm.com/software/tivoli/products/storage-mgr-space/
   - Support information:
   http://www.ibm.com/support/entry/portal/Overview/Software/Tivoli/Tivoli_Storage_Manager_for_Space_Management
   - Product documentation: http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSR2R/welcome
   - Hardware and software requirements: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21321200
   - Overview of available field guides: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21599862
   
   IBM Spectrum Protect HSM for Windows:
   - General information: http://www.ibm.com/software/tivoli/products/storage-mgr-hsm/
   - Support information: http://www.ibm.com/support/entry/portal/Overview/Software/Tivoli/Tivoli_Storage_Manager_HSM_for_Windows
   - Product documentation: http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSATMW/welcome
   - Hardware and software requirements: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21319299
   
2. Is there a GUI for the HSM available?
   Yes.
   The HSM for Windows client has a GUI, which is deployed as part of the standard install procedure.
   
3. Is there a notification back to the application that the recall might take some time?
   No, due to technical reasons the recalling application is blocked and does not receive any notification. If a user access a migrated file via a file browser, he will see a clock symbol with the mouse pointer until the recall is completed.
   
4. Is there a time-out for recalls?
   For HSM for Windows you may use the HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ithsmdrv\Parameters\Timeout parameter to send time-outs to the recalling application (see product documentation for details).
   If you access a GPFS file system via NFS you can use the dmapiEventTimeout option of GPFS for a time out. (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSFKCN_4.1.0/com.ibm.cluster.gpfs.v4r1.gpfs400.doc/bl1dmp_chndfs.htm)
   Other recall time-outs are not available.
   
5. How can I adjust the stub file size?
   You can adjust the stub file size for UNIX/Linux using the STUBSIZE option with the dsmmigfs command (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSR2R_7.1.2/com.ibm.itsm.hsmul.doc/r_cmd_dsmmigfs_add.html).
   It is not possible to adjust the stub size with HSM for Windows.
   
6. Is HSM replacing regular backups or do I still need to protect my data with backups?
   The IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management client and the IBM Spectrum Protect HSM for Windows client are no backup tools. To prevent any data loss in case of failure, you need to have a backup of the files. This can only be done by the IBM Spectrum Protect Backup-Archive client. On UNIX with the option “migration requires backup”, files are only migrated, if they have a valid backup (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSGSG7_7.1.1/com.ibm.itsm.srv.ref.doc/r_cmd_mgmtclass_define.html). On Windows with the option “backup before migration”, the HSM client will trigger a backup before it migrates a file, if this is required (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSATMW_7.1.2/com.ibm.itsm.hsmwin.doc/t_def_mig_jobs.html).
   
7. Are the IBM Spectrum Protect HSM clients working with backup products of other vendors?
   The IBM Spectrum Protect Backup-Archive client is able to properly backup and protect the HSM stub files due to the integration with the HSM product. The behavior of other backup products is unknown.
   
8. How is HSM licensed?
   IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management can be licensed Processor Value Unit based (PVU) or as part of the Spectrum Protect Suite for Unified Recovery (SUR). The terra byte based licensing via SUR has the two flavors front end and back end. Whereby the front end capacity approach counts the data pre/migrated in the file system and the back end licensing approach counts the data stored in the space management storage pool in the IBM Spectrum Protect Server.
   The HSM for Windows client is licensed based on the storage used (TB) on the IBM Spectrum Protect server. This includes primary HSM disk storage pool size combined with the amount of utilized HSM removable media storage pool. Storage used for copy storage pools are not included in the calculation.
   For details see the Announcement Letters.
   
9. May I use one IBM Spectrum Protect server instance for multiple different HSM clients?
   Yes, there are no restrictions.
   
10. May I use any storage pool or device on the IBM Spectrum Protect Server for HSM?
    Yes, you can exploit all supported storage devices and pools as target storage pool for migration.
    
11. Do I need a disc pool on the IBM Spectrum Protect server or can I migrate directly to tape?
    Any storage device that is supported by the IBM Spectrum Protect server may be used as target for migration. You may migrate directly to tape. Consider before migrating a file to tape or recalling a file from tape the library needs to mount the tape in a free tape drive and seek to the right offset. This is usually causing a longer delay in the processing compared to operating with a disk type storage pool.
    
12. Which versions of IBM Spectrum Protect Server may be used with the HSM clients?
    Any supported combination of server and client may be used. Details are documented here: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21053218 .
    
13. Is migration state lost after installing a new version of HSM?
    No, the state of a file will not get lost in case of HSM upgrade and the files will be still accessible.
    
14. Can I use copy storage pool?
    Yes, copy storage pools can be defined for the HSM data in the same way as for the backup data.
    
15. Does IBM Spectrum Protect deduplication work for with HSM data?
    Yes.
    
    

1. May I manually select files for migration?
   Yes, you can run dsmmigrate command to migrate files or list of files manually (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSR2R_7.1.2/com.ibm.itsm.hsmul.doc/r_cmd_dsmmigrate.html).
   
2. What is the advantage of premigrated files?
   Premigrated files are local files in a HSM managed file system, which do have already an identical copy (migrated file) in the storage pool on the IBM Spectrum Protect Server. In case that the high threshold of HSM managed file system is exceeded, those premigrated files in local file system can very fast be converted to a stub file (migrated file). This frees up space in the file system in a very fast way.
   
3. How can I set age weight / size weight?
   The scout daemon automatically calculates the weight of a file based on the average file size and age in the file system.
   In case the HSM client is running on GPFS it is recommended to use the GPFS policies to identify migration candidates (see section Questions applying to IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management on IBM Spectrum Scale (formerly GPFS))
   
4. What is the size of a stub file?
   On Unix you can set stub size as multiplier of the block size. See the STUBSIZE option of the "dsmmigfs" command (http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSR2R_7.1.2/com.ibm.itsm.hsmul.doc/r_cmd_dsmmigfs_add.html)
   
5. May I just recall parts of a migrated file based on the needs of my applications?
   With the partial recall mode only those parts of files are recalled that are accessed by an application. For further details of Partial File Recall, check the IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management manuals (see the MINPARTIALRECALLSIZE of the dsmmigfs command http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSR2R_7.1.2/com.ibm.itsm.hsmul.doc/r_cmd_dsmmigfs_add.html).
   
6. Which recall modes are available for the Space Management client?
   The following recall mode options are available:
   - Transparent and selective Recall (on all supported Unix HSM platforms)
   - Streaming Recall (on GPFS and JFS2)
   - Partial File Recall (on GPFS)
   Recalls can be triggered transparently or selectively and can be optimized for tape.
   Please see IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management for details. (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSR2R_7.1.2/com.ibm.itsm.hsmul.doc/c_recall_migs_ovw.html).
   In a GPFS cluster environment recalls might also be distributed between the different HSM client nodes (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSR2R_7.1.2/com.ibm.itsm.hsmul.doc/r_opt_hsmdistributedrecall.html).
   
7. What happens if only the header of the file is read and this header is smaller then the stub size?
   In this case no recall will occur. You may use the PREViewsize option to modify this behavior (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSR2R_7.1.2/com.ibm.itsm.hsmul.doc/r_cmd_dsmmigfs_add.html)
   
8. Are migrated files recalled during backup operations?
   Usually migrated files are not recalled during backup. Instead the data is directly cloned on the IBM Spectrum Protect server from the space management copy.
   It is best practice to migrate only old files, which already have a valid backup copy. Having an existing backup copy can also be enforced with the option MIGREQUIRESBkup in the MGMT class definition. By default this option is set to YES (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSGSG7_7.1.1/com.ibm.itsm.srv.ref.doc/r_cmd_mgmtclass_define.html).
   
9. What is the difference between stub restore and dsmmigundelete?
   Stub restore is a function of the Backup-Archive client, while dsmmigundelete is a function of the UNIX HSM client. The B/A client will restore stubs, if the active versions is restored, there are no ACL's or EA's and the restore location is identical to the original location. IBM Spectrum Protect server must be same server stanza for HSM and B/A and the file system type must be identical. Stub restore using the Backup-Archive client may restore individual stubs.
   The HSM dsmmigundelete will recreate stubs, if the directory structure is already available. No ACL's or EA's will be recreated. The name of the stub will be the name at the time of the migration. Only migrated files can be recreated. All stubs in all existing directories will be recreated.
   For disaster recovery on GPFS you also have the option to use the Scale Out Backup and Restore (SOBAR) functionality (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSFKCN_4.1.0/com.ibm.cluster.gpfs.v4r1.gpfs200.doc/bl1adv_sobar.htm)
   
10. What happens if a stub is deleted in a HSM managed file system?
    With next reconcile run, this file will get an expiration flag on the server. After the expiration time has elapsed, the file will be deleted on the IBM Spectrum Protect Server. (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSR2R_7.1.2/com.ibm.itsm.hsmul.doc/r_opt_migfileexpiration.html)
    
11. What happens if recall of files fills the file system to 100 %?
    The monitor daemon permanently watches the file system filling level. If high threshold is exceeded, the automigration process will start migration of old and unused files. On GPFS it is recommended to configure GPFS policies so that the GPFS daemon monitors the thresholds and starts the migrations (see Section „Questions applying to IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management on GPFS“).
    
12. Do I have to reboot after installation of the IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management?
    You do not need to reboot the system for installing HSM.
    
13. Are virtual mount points supported with the IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management?
    No, this is not supported.
    
14. What is the size of CFI (complete file index)?
    The size of the CFI depends on the maximum number of files that can be stored in the file system. The number of possible files in a file system depends on the file system type. You may adjust the number of files the CFI can handle by setting the MAXFILES option of the dsmmigfs command (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSSR2R_7.1.2/com.ibm.itsm.hsmul.doc/c_mig_max_fl_size.html).
    
15. What is the interface used by HSM to manage the file system?
    The Space Management client is using the Data Storage Management (XDSM) API (see https://www2.opengroup.org/ogsys/jsp/publications/PublicationDetails.jsp?publicationid=11201).

Questions applying to IBM Spectrum Protect HSM for Windows:

1. Which File Systems are supported by HSM for Windows?
   The HSM for Windows client supports local fixed NTFS and ReFS file systems. That includes MSCS cluster volumes, if they are formatted in NTFS or ReFS. Windows FAT partitions, CIFS shared folders, NAS drives, and other file systems are not supported.
   
2. Is it possible to set age and size option with the HSM for Windows client?
   For migration jobs and threshold migration it is possible to define minimal age and size.
   
3. May other application changing access time?
   Yes, usually applications like Anti Virus SW may change the access time. This might have an impact on the migration criteria. For the IBM Spectrum Protect Backup-Archive client you may set the option PRESERVLASTACCESSDATE to yes. This prevents that the access time is modified during backup operations.
   
4. What happens if Windows goes down during migration is running?
   This is no problem. The file will stay resident until the migration is completely finished.
   
5. Is it possible to exclude files from migration?
   Yes. It is possible with exclude lists for migration jobs. Threshold migration only excludes based on size and age.
   
6. What file size is displayed in the Windows Explorer for migrated files?
   It is the logical size of the file. In File properties panel both, the logical file size as well as the size on disk are displayed.
   
7. What IBM Spectrum Protect Server Storage Pool does the HSM for Windows client use to migrate data?
   The HSM for Windows client stores the data in the storage pool as defined in the archive copy group of the MGMT class selected for the migration job or for threshold migration. Be sure to have the right retention settings (see http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21330160).
   
8. May I use a scheduler for HSM for Windows jobs?
   Yes, you can use any scheduler to start the migration via the command line tool dsmclc (see http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSATMW_7.1.2/com.ibm.itsm.hsmwin.doc/r_dsmclc_migrate.html).
   
9. Can I re-use the migration jobs on a different file server?
   You may re-use them, but you need to manually adopt them and set the correct hostname in the job file by replacing the hostname in a text editor.
   
10. Is it possible to change stub size of migrated files on HSM for Windows client?
    No, the stub size is always 1 cluster (usually 4k on NTFS and 64k on ReFS).
    
11. Will a recall during an Anti Virus Scan fail if recall quota exceeded?
    Yes.
    
12. Is Partial File Recall available on HSM for Windows?
    No, this is only available for the Unix HSM client on some platforms.
    
13. Does the HSM Recall Service always need to run?
    Yes. If it is not running recalls are not possible.
    
14. Does recall of files with HSM for Windows client lead to error if no space is available?
    Yes
    
15. How can I determine the migration status of backed up files on the IBM Spectrum Protect server?
    The Backup-Archive client command “dsmc query backup” is displaying the migration state when started with the testflag SHOWHSMWINMIGSTATE. In the result list a copy of a migrated file is marked with “(m)” and a copy of a resident file is marked with “(r)”. The “(m)” also indicates that this object is bound to a copy of a resident file and that this file can be either restored as migrated or resident file.
    
16. Does the HSM for Windows client use the same Storage Pool on the IBM Spectrum Protect Server as the Space Management client?
    Yes, you can store file migrated by the UNIX and the HSM for Windows client in the same storage pool. This is defined in the management class and archive copy group, respectively.
    
17. Can the HSM for Windows client be installed on VMWARE?
    Yes, that is possible. See "IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) guest support for Virtual Machines and Virtualization" (http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21239546)
    
18. Is there a need to use the same IBM Spectrum Protect Server for Backup and HSM for Windows client?
    No
    
19. Which services are running on HSM for Windows?
    Recall service (hsmservice.exe), which is handling the file recalls, and monitor service (hsmmonitor.exe), which is handling threshold migration and reconcile. Further more there is task service for handling move actions (hsmtasks.exe).
    
20. Where can I find error logs?
    Each HSM application is writing its own error log. The names are <application-name>-admin.log and it is by default located in C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\hsmclient\logs. These files contain ANS messages for errors and warnings. The default location may be changed in the HSM GUI under Tools > Trace Preferences... > Path Configuration.
    
21. What access rights do you need for the execution of HSM commands?
    You need administrative rights.

Questions applying to IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management on IBM Spectrum Scale (formerly GPFS):

1. Where do I find detailed information about integration of IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management into GPFS?
   - Tivoli Field Guide - Performance of GPFS/HSM - Tivoli Storage Manager for Space Management: Part 1: Automigration
   http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27020987
   - Tivoli Field Guide - Tivoli Storage Manager for Space Management for UNIX-GPFS Integration: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27018848
   
2. Where do I find detailed information about usage of TSM for Space Management in a mixed UNIX/Windows GPFS Cluster?
   Tivoli Field Guide - TSM for Space Management in a mixed GPFS cluster environment: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27028178
   
3. Where do I find recommendations about backing up petascale HSM file systems?
   The "Petascale Data Protection" white paper provides configuration guidance for setting up and running data protection processes in this environment (see
   https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/wikis/home?lang=en#!/wiki/Tivoli%20Storage%20Manager/page/Petascale%20Data%20Protection).
   
4. Is it possible to run the dsmmigrate command on all HSM nodes in GPFS cluster?
   Yes, you can run the dsmmigrate command from all nodes in the GPFS cluster on which the HSM client is installed.
   
5. Is it possible to handle billions of files on GPFS with the IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management?
   Yes, this is possible. For big environments you should setup GPFS driven migration. See Field Guide for GPFS integration.
   
6. To which GPFS Storage pool is a migrated file recalled to?
   The file is always recalled to the GPFS storage pool where the stub is currently located.
   
7. Can HSM and Backup-Archive client run on different GPFS nodes in a cluster?
   You need to install the HSM and Backup-Archive client on the same nodes in the cluster, but you can start the Backup-Archive client backup also on another GPFS cluster node. This must not be the HSM file system owner node. Nodes used for backup and for HSM have to be of the type (for example all AIX).
   
8. Is it possible to run the IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management JFS2 client and GPFS client in parallel on one system?
   No, this is not possible. You can either run the HSM client for the JFS2 or for the GPFS file system.
   
9. Is it possible to use multiple IBM Spectrum Protect Server in one GPFS cluster?
   Yes, starting with 6.3 the HSM client can use more than one IBM Spectrum Protect server as migration target for files from the same GPFS file system.
   
10. Is there an alternative to "dsmls" available that provides a higher performance and a decreased resource utilization for large systems?
    The TSM for Space Management CLI command "dsmls" shows the migration state of all files in a file system. In very huge GPFS environments with tens of millions of files this command consumes much kernel memory and has a long run time.
    The GPFS policy engine can be used to create the same result. You can implement a simple rule file that provides a listing of all resident / premigrated / migrated files in the file system. For example the policy file can be defined as follows:
    
    define(is_premigrated,(MISC_ATTRIBUTES LIKE '%M%' AND MISC_ATTRIBUTES NOT LIKE '%V%'))
    define(is_migrated,(MISC_ATTRIBUTES LIKE '%V%'))
    define(is_resident,(MISC_ATTRIBUTES NOT LIKE '%M%'))
    
    RULE EXTERNAL LIST 'r' EXEC ''
    RULE EXTERNAL LIST 'p' EXEC ''
    RULE EXTERNAL LIST 'm' EXEC ''
    
    RULE 'r_files' LIST 'r' WHERE (is_resident)
    RULE 'p_files' LIST 'p' WHERE (is_premigrated)
    RULE 'm_files' LIST 'm' WHERE (is_migrated)
    
    Write this policy in a file (e.g. policy.file) and use the GPFS CLI command "mmapplypolicy" to run the policy engine. You can use the following command:
    
    mmapplypolicy gpfs -P policy.file -f policy.scan.out -I defer
    
    The policy engine will generate three output files that cover the listings:
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root system 320 Aug 15 14:53 policy.scan.out.list.m
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root system 339 Aug 15 14:53 policy.scan.out.list.p
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root system 1544 Aug 15 14:53 policy.scan.out.list.r