How to Configure TSM Library Manager and TSM Library Clients in SAN Environment

Using Single Tape Library for multiple TSM Servers in a SAN environment will allow efficient use of Tape Library resources. Single tape library can perform the backup/restore requests for multiple TSM servers if it is configured properly by meeting all the requirements. The functionality of sharing tape library is split into two components  the Library Manager and the Library Client. You can know more about library manager, library client and it operations in this page What is TSM Library Manager and Library clients.

The Library manager receives the requests from the library clients and physically controls the library operations like mount/dismount, checkin/checkout and labelling tape volumes. The Library Manager has the ability to control the status, ownership and location of all the tape volumes inside the tape library.

To send requests from the library client to the library manager, and to send the response from the manager to the client, the server-to-server communication protocol is used. That means that a TCP/IP connection is necessary and the two Tivoli Storage Manager servers must be configured to each other

Follow these steps to share a tape library between multiple TSM servers in a SAN:

• Ensure the server that will be defined as the library manager is at the same or higher version as the TSM servers that will be defined as library clients.

• Set up server-to-server communications between Library clients and Library Manager.

• Configure the library on the Tivoli Storage Manager server that is going to act as the library manager.

• Configure the library on the Tivoli Storage Manager servers that are going to act as the library clients.

Also Read: 15 tips to efficiently use the tape drive resources

In this example I have taken 2 TSM Servers (PROD & DEV) where PROD acts as Library Manager and DEV acts as Library client. You should make sure that Library manager is having same or higher version compared to all the library clients.

1) Setup Server-to Server Communication

• First, we have to set the Server name and server password for communication on the PROD Server & DEV server separately by using set server commands as below.

On PROD Server

set servername PROD

Set serverpassword PASSWORD

set serverhladdress 192.168.0.240

set serverlladdress 1864

Set crossdefine

similarly on DEV Server

set servername DEV

Set serverpassword PASSWORD

set serverhladdress 192.168.0.243

set serverlladdress 1864

• Now we have to define all the library clients as servers in Library manager. In our case we have only one library client.

define server DEV serverpassword=PASSWORD hladdress=192.168.0.243 lladdress=1864 crossdefine=yes

Also Read: Problem and Solutions for commonly seen TSM Server DB related issues

2) Configure Tape Library on TSM Server which will be a Library Manager:

1. To configure any library to a TSM server, you have to follow these prerequisites.

• Physically attach the devices to the SAN.

• On each server system that will access the library and drives, install and configure the appropriate device drivers for the devices.

•  Determine the device names that are needed to define the devices to Tivoli Storage Manager

2. Now, configure the library on a TSM server which acts as a Library Manager. In our case PROD Server is our desired library manager.

• Define a shared SCSI library named TSMLIB

                       define library TSMLIB libtype=scsi shared=yes

• Define a path from the server to the library

              define path PROD TSMLIB srctype=server desttype=library device=/dev/smc0

• Define the drives in the library

                      define drive TSMLIB Drive01

                     define drive TSMLIB Drive02

• Define a path from the server to each drive

          define path PROD Drive01 srctype=server desttype=drive library=TSMLIB                                 device=/dev/rmt0

         define path PROD Drive02 srctype=server desttype=drive library=TSMLIB                                 device=/dev/rmt1

• Define all the device classes that are associated with the shared library.

                   define devclass LTO4 library=TSMLIB devtype=LTO

• Check in the library inventory. Check in volumes that are already labeled:

          checkin libvolume TSMLIB search=yes status=scratch checklabel=barcode

• Label and check in volumes:

           label libvolume TSMLIB search=yes labelsource=barcode checkin=scratch

•  Define required storage pools for the shared library with a maximum number of scratch volumes.

                    define stgpool tapepool LTO4 maxscratch=77

3) Configure Tape Library on TSM Server which will be a Library Client

• Define the server that is the library manager:

    define server PROD serverpassword=PASSWORD hladdress=192.168.0.240                             lladdress=1864 crossdefine=yes

• Define the shared library named TSMLIB, and identify the library manager server's name as the primary library manager.

          define library TSMLIB libtype=shared primarylibmanager=PROD

Perform this step from the library manager

Define a path from the library client server to each drive that the library client server will be allowed to access. The device name should reflect the way the library client system sees the device. it is best practice for any library sharing setup to have all drive path definitions created for the library manager also created for each library client.

define path DEV Drive01 srctype=server desttype=drive library=TSMLIB device=/dev/rmt4

define path DEV Drive02 srctype=server desttype=drive library=TSMLIB device=/dev/rmt5

You have to do this step similarly for all the library clients 

Return to the library client for the remaining steps.

• Define all the device classes that are associated with the shared library.

            define devclass LTO4 library=TSMLIB devtype=LTO

•  Define the storage pool, tapepool, which will use the shared library.

               define stgpool tapepool LTO4 maxscratch=77

Similarly, Repeat this procedure to define additional servers as library clients.

Set the parameters for the device class the same on the library client as on the library manager. A good practice is to make the device class names the same on both servers, but this is not required.

Also Read: Use these 2 TSM server options to prevent network issues during backup schedules

If you want to define seperate device classes on library clients, then follow these steps.

1. Create an additional device class on the library manager server. Specify the parameter settings you want the library client to use.
2. Create a device class on the library client with the same name and device type as the new device class you created on the library server.

After doing all these steps, you can store the clients data by either of these two procedures. 

1. Have clients back up data directly to tape.
2. Have clients back up data to disk and then migrate it to tape

TSM Library Manager, TSM Library Clients and Storage Agent Compatibilities

TSM Server (Library Manager) Versions	TSM Library Clients and Storage Agent Versions
6.3	6.3, 6.2, 6.1 and 5.5 *
6.2	6.2, 6.1 and 5.5
6.1	6.1 and 5.5
5.5	5.5
* = Tivoli Storage Manager 5.5 Storage Agent and Library Client will be supported with Tivoli Storage Manager 6.3.x servers during the upgrade of Tivoli Storage Manager 5.5 servers to Tivoli Storage Manager 6.3.x.