IBM Spectrum Protect Admin cheat sheet
IBM Spectrum Protect Admin · Keep the key ideas within reach.
Architecture, planning, and installation
The IBM Spectrum Protect server runs as the dsmserv process; the administrative client is dsmadmc and the backup-archive client is dsmc.
A server instance requires a database, a recovery log with active and archive log portions, and at least one storage pool volume for client data.
The default server TCP/IP port is 1500; the Operations Center default port is 11090.
Server options are stored in dsmserv.opt in the instance directory; client options are stored in dsm.opt on Windows and dsm.sys plus dsm.opt on UNIX/Linux.
The dsmserv format command initializes a new server instance; the instance directory contains dsmserv.opt, database, recovery log, and volume history files.
The storage agent (dsmsta) enables LAN-free data movement over a SAN and requires matching server and client definitions.
Database and recovery log placement on separate physical devices is a planning requirement for performance and recovery; active log size is set at format time.
Database backup and volume history are required for server recovery; BACKUP DB creates a database backup.
Server-to-server functions such as EXPORT/IMPORT and virtual volumes use TCP/IP and require server definitions.
Server and client configuration
REGISTER NODE DOMAIN= creates a client node; UPDATE NODE changes its domain, policy set, or password settings.
Client options include TCPSERVERADDRESS, TCPPORT, NODENAME, DOMAIN, PASSWORDACCESS, MANAGEMENTCLASS, and INCLUDE/EXCLUDE statements.
PASSWORDACCESS GENERATE stores an encrypted password in PASSWORDDIR; it avoids interactive password prompts for scheduled operations.
On UNIX/Linux, dsm.sys contains SERVERNAME stanzas and dsm.opt selects a stanza; on Windows, dsm.opt holds the client options.
Common server options include COMMMETHOD TCPIP, TCPPORT 1500, MAXSESSIONS, EXPINTERVAL, and DIRMC.
The client acceptor (dsmcad) and scheduler service enable server-initiated client schedules; SCHEDMODE can be POLLING or PROMPTED.
INCLUDE and EXCLUDE statements are evaluated in order, and the first matching statement determines whether an object is backed up.
The STANDARD policy domain is the default domain for nodes registered without DOMAIN=; the DEFAULT management class is used when none is specified.
Policy domains, management classes, and copy groups
A policy domain contains policy sets; exactly one policy set is active, and client nodes in the domain use that active set.
A policy set contains management classes; each management class contains one backup copy group and one archive copy group.
The default management class is named DEFAULT; if a client does not specify a management class, DEFAULT applies.
Backup copy group parameters include VEREXISTS, VERDELETED, RETEXTRA, RETONLY, DESTINATION, MODE, and SERIALIZATION.
VEREXISTS controls retained versions for files that still exist; VERDELETED controls versions for deleted files.
RETEXTRA is the number of days an inactive backup version is kept after a newer version is created; RETONLY is the number of days the last version is kept after the file is deleted.
Archive copy group RETVER sets the number of days archived files are retained; DESTINATION sets the target storage pool.
VALIDATE POLICYSET checks a policy set; ACTIVATE POLICYSET makes it active; the active policy set cannot be deleted.
Copy group DESTINATION must be a primary storage pool; backup data can be copied to copy pools with BACKUP STGPOOL.
Storage pools, volumes, and data movement
DEFINE STGPOOL POOLTYPE=PRIMARY|COPY creates a storage pool; DEFINE VOLUME adds volumes to it.
Device classes include DISK, FILE, TAPE, and SERVER; FILE pools use directories and TAPE pools use tape libraries.
Migration moves data from a pool to its NEXTSTGPOOL when the high threshold is reached and stops at the low threshold; defaults are 90 and 70.
Reclamation copies remaining data from sequential volumes whose reclaimable space exceeds the reclaim threshold, default 60 percent.
COLLOCATE=NODE, FILESYSTEM, or GROUP controls how data is grouped on volumes and affects restore performance.
Volume statuses include EMPTY, FILLING, FULL, PENDING, UNAVAILABLE, ONLINE, OFFLINE, and READONLY.
BACKUP STGPOOL copies primary pool data to a copy pool; copy pools support restore when the primary pool is unavailable.
A storage pool can point to another primary pool as NEXTSTGPOOL; the final pool in the hierarchy has no next pool.
MAXSCRATCH limits how many scratch volumes a storage pool can use from a tape library.
Backup, archive, restore, and retrieve operations
Client backup is incremental by default: only new or changed files are sent, and versions are managed by the backup copy group.
RESTORE recovers backup versions; RETRIEVE recovers archived files, which are retained according to archive copy group RETVER.
RESTORE with PITDATE or PITTIME restores files to a point in time; FROMNODE restores data belonging to another node when access is granted.
Archive copies are created with ARCHIVE and are retrieved by archive date or description; they do not use backup versioning.
The active version plus inactive versions allowed by VEREXISTS determine how many backup versions are available for restore.
A backup set is generated with GENERATE BACKUPSET and restored with the client RESTORE BACKUPSET command.
EXPIRE INVENTORY removes expired backup versions and archive copies from the server database and storage pools.
BACKUP NODE and RESTORE NODE are administrative commands that start backup or restore processing for a client node.
If the primary storage pool is unavailable, restore can use a copy pool that contains a copy of the data.
Scheduling, automation, and event logging
DEFINE SCHEDULE TYPE=CLIENT ACTION=BACKUP sets a client backup schedule; TYPE=ADMIN schedules server commands.
Client schedules apply to nodes in the policy domain; the client acceptor or scheduler service must be running for the server to start them.
Schedule parameters include STARTDATE, STARTTIME, DURATION, PERIOD, DAYS, and EXPIRATION.
QUERY EVENT displays schedule and server events with statuses such as PENDING, STARTED, COMPLETED, FAILED, and MISSED.
Server scripts are defined with DEFINE SCRIPT and run with RUN SCRIPT; administrative schedules can run scripts automatically.
SCHEDMODE=POLLING makes the client poll the server for scheduled work; PROMPTED mode prompts the user.
The server activity log is queried with QUERY ACTLOG; event records are stored in the server database.
MAXSCHEDSESSIONS limits the number of concurrent client schedule sessions on the server.
UPDATE SCHEDULE changes an existing schedule; DELETE SCHEDULE removes it.
Monitoring, problem determination, and troubleshooting
QUERY SESSION shows active client and administrative sessions; QUERY PROCESS shows server processes such as migration or reclamation.
QUERY ACTLOG displays recent server activity and can filter by date, time, message number, and severity.
QUERY STATUS shows current server parameters and settings; QUERY SYSTEM shows server platform and capacity information.
QUERY DB and QUERY LOG report database and recovery log capacity and utilization; EXTEND DB and EXTEND LOG add space.
IBM Spectrum Protect server messages begin with ANR; client messages typically begin with ANS.
Client diagnostics include dsmerror.log, dsmsched.log, and trace output controlled by TRACEFILE and TRACEFLAGS.
A connection refused error usually indicates a port mismatch, server not listening, firewall blocking, or incorrect TCPSERVERADDRESS.
BACKUP DB and RESTORE DB protect and recover the server database; volume history records are needed for recovery.
The HALT command stops the server; dsmserv starts it again using the instance directory.
Security, authentication, and authorization
REGISTER ADMIN creates an administrator; REGISTER NODE creates a client node; these identities are separate.
Administrative authority classes are SYSTEM, POLICY, STORAGE, OPERATOR, and ANALYST; SYSTEM includes all administrative functions.
GRANT AUTHORITY assigns authority classes to an administrator; REVOKE AUTHORITY removes them.
PASSEXP sets password expiration in days for nodes and administrators; PASSEXP=0 disables expiration.
PASSWORDACCESS GENERATE stores an encrypted client password locally and is the usual setting for scheduled backups.
Client-side encryption uses ENCRYPTIONTYPE and ENCRYPTKEY; encrypted data cannot be deduplicated by the server.
SSL/TLS can protect client-server and administrative connections when enabled on both server and client.
SET SERVERPASSWORD and SET DBPASSWORD protect privileged server utility operations.
The ANALYST authority provides read-only access to server information; OPERATOR authority covers session and process control.