Check these prerequisites before installing Tivoli Storage Manager server in AIX

Before Installing Tivoli Storage Manager 6.3.4 on AIX, it is important to check if your system meets the minimum requirements. Below are the requirements for TSM 6.3.4 installation on AIX Operating System.

Space requirements for AIX

2413 MB of disk space to store the downloadable part.

 5732 MB of disk space to unpack the part.
 2701 MB of disk space for the installed product:
 2147 MB in /opt
 5 MB in /var
 209 MB in /tmp,
 340 MB in /usr

Hardware Requirements

• An appropriately configured POWER4, POWER5, POWER6, POWER7 systems computer (64-bit). 

• Significant additional disk space is required for database and log files. The size of the database depends on the number of client files to be stored and the method by which the server manages them. The default active log space is 16 GB, the minimum that is needed for most workloads and configurations. Allocate at least three times the active log space for the archive log (48 GB). Ensure that you have sufficient resources if you are using data deduplication or expect a heavy client workload.

• For optimal performance and to facilitate I/O, specify at least two equally sized containers or Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs) for the database. See Optimizing Performance for more information about the configuration of directories for the database. In addition, each active log and archive log should have its own container or LUN.

• 12 GB Memory (RAM).

•  16 GB if you are using data deduplication.

• At least 32 GB for heavily used servers. Using 32 GB or more of memory enhances performance of the Tivoli Storage Manager server database inventory.

•  Node replication with data deduplication requires a minimum of 64 GB of memory.

Also Read: Why is it important to use DIRMC option during backups ?

Operating System Requirements

AIX 6.1 running in a 64-bit kernel environment with the following additional requirements:

•  AIX 6.1 TL 2.

• POWER7 systems require AIX 6.1 TL 4. 

• Minimum C++ runtime level with the xlC.rte 11.1.0.1 and xlC.aix61.rte   11.1.0.1 or later file sets. These file sets are included in the June 2008 fix pack package for IBM C++ Runtime Environment Components for AIX.

AIX 7.1 running in a 64-bit kernel environment.

•  Minimum C++ runtime level requires the xlC.rte 11.1.0.1 and xlC.aix61.rte 11.1.0.1 or later file sets. These file sets are included in the April 2010 IBM C++ Runtime Environment Components for AIX V11.1 package. 

Drivers Requirements

Install the most current Tivoli Storage Manager device driver. The driver must be configured before using the Tivoli Storage Manager server with tape devices. Generally TSM on AIX requires Atape Device Drivers. You can locate IBM device drivers at the Fix Central website.

1. Go to the Fix Central website: http://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/.
2. Select Storage Systems for the Product Group.
3. Select Tape Systems for the Product Family.
4. Select Tape device drivers and software for the Product Type.
5. Select Tape device drivers for the Product.
6. Select your operating system for the Platform

Other Requirements

• IOCP (Input Output Completion Port) must be in available state for DB2. 

• On VM's AIX doesnt show GUI based installation. 

• Allow approximately 30 - 45 minutes to install a Tivoli Storage Manager Version 6.3 or later server, using this guide.

• An upgrade from V6.1.x, V6.2.x, or V6.3.x to V6.3 or later takes approximately 20 - 50 minutes. Your environment might produce different results than that obtained in the labs.

Also Read: How TSM Server determines the eligibility of files during different types of backup ?

Extracting the TSM Server Package

1. Login as root user.
2. Go the directory where you saved the TSM Server package and extract the package. If it is a binary package do it as below.
3. In this case the software package was saved in /tsmsoft.

# cd /tsmsoft

# ./tsm6.3aix.bin

TSM 6.3 Prerequisite Checking on AIX

Now go the directory where the software package is extracted and run the prequisite checker to check if your system met the TSM 6.3.4 requirements by using command.

#./prereqcheck.bin -i console

Select the required language number(2) and press enter. Default is English

Next, read the message about directory permissions and do it if you haven't done it yet. Then press enter

Finally, after 2-3 minutes, the process gets completed with results. If everything is okay, then it should show like below screenshot. In below screenshot, it says the overall Prerequisite checking is done and it is OKAY to install TSM 6.3.4 on this machine.

Also Read: Full vs Differential vs Incremental vs Progressive Incremental Backups

The above message will tell you if you have to do some modifications on your server configurations. You should only start installing TSM 6.3 if prerequisite checking is successful to avoid future problems.

NEXT STEP: How to Install TSM 6.3 Server Components on AIX