You might have files in your file systems that you do not want to back up. These files might be core files, local caches of network file systems, operating system or application files that could be easily recovered by reinstalling the program, or any other files that you could easily rebuild.
You can use the exclude and include options in your include-exclude options list to specify which files to exclude from backup processing.
Use the include and exclude options in dsm.sys to define which files to include or exclude from incremental or selective backup processing. A file is eligible for backup unless excluded by an exclude option. It is not necessary to use an include option to include specific files for backup unless those files are in a directory containing other files you want to exclude.
Tivoli® Storage Manager 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 is either a default chosen for you, or one you assign to the file using the include option in the include-exclude list. If you assign a management class, it must contain a backup copy group for the file to be backed up.