How to centralize TSM client options

Managing TSM client options can be quite challenging when they are stored on the TSM client end, such as “/opt/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin/dsm.sys” for Unix/Linux or “C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient\dsm.opt” for Windows. This configuration is common in many TSM environments as the default setup. However, in case you need to exclude specific folders or files from backups on Windows machines and apply this change universally across all systems during the scheduled backup, it becomes very burdensome to manually log in via RDP to each Windows machine and update the dsm.opt file. This task becomes even more complex when dealing with hundreds of Windows servers. The dispersed nature of TSM client options makes it challenging to control and visualize.

To address this issue, the following steps outline how to centrally manage TSM client options on the TSM server, providing a more efficient and streamlined approach.

How to centralize TSM client option, set TSM client option on TSM server, query cloptset define cloptset, define clientopt, query cloptset
Step 1. Create the Option Set

Create TSM Client Option Set. Have a good name of Option Set that the similar TSM clients can be grouped and share the TSM Client option. Here in this example, I named UNIX_STANDARD. This can be the Option Set for any UNIX and Linux TSM client have the general and similar settings where there is no specific requirement.

Protect: my_tsmsvr01>

Protect: my_tsmsvr01> define cloptset  UNIX_STANDARD
ANR2046I DEFINE CLOPTSET: Optionset UNIX_STANDARD defined.
Step 2. Add TSM Client Options to the Option Set that just created

Below the commands are how to add TSM client options to Option Set in this example UNIX_STANDARD. Note the lines in blue these are actual TSM client options that can usually be configured on TSM client end. But now these are registered onto TSM server under the name of Option Set UNIX_STANDARD. Later, you can bind this TSM Client Option Set to TSM client node.

define clientopt UNIX_STANDARD CHANGINGRETRIES  4     seqnumber=101 force=yes
define clientopt UNIX_STANDARD COMPRESSION  off   seqnumber=105 force=yes
define clientopt UNIX_STANDARD DIRMC  DIRMC01   seqnumber=111 force=yes
define clientopt UNIX_STANDARD DOMAIN  "/myfs01 /myfs02 all-auto-nfs"           seqnumber=115 force=yes
define clientopt UNIX_STANDARD INCLEXCL "INCLUDE /data1/data2/*  My_MGMTCLASS01" seqnumber=121 force=yes
define clientopt UNIX_STANDARD INCLEXCL "EXCLUDE /data9/.../* "                  seqnumber=125 force=yes
define clientopt UNIX_STANDARD MAXCMDRETRIES   8   seqnumber=131 force=yes
define clientopt UNIX_STANDARD RESOURCEUTILIZATION  5   seqnumber=135 force=yes
define clientopt UNIX_STANDARD RETRYPERIOD   15  seqnumber=141 force=yes
define clientopt UNIX_STANDARD SCHEDMODE   prompted   seqnumber=145 force=yes
define clientopt UNIX_STANDARD TXNBYTELIMIT   25600    seqnumber=151 force=yes

Note the two options at the end of the command define clientopt

Seqnumber=nnn
 This is optional. But it's recommended to better align the TSM client options in certain order sequence. Most TSM client options okay without the certain order sequence but Include and Exclude options should carefully be aligned. When backup initiated, TSM client reads Client Option file  dsm.sys(Unix/Linux) or dsm.opt(Windows) starting from bottom to top. Depending on how you to align Include Exclude options, result may be different than what you think. The same rule applies here in Client Option Set from bottom to top.  

force=yes
 This is optional. When you configured differently for the same option at both TSM client end and TSM Client Option Set. This option tells TSM which one it should take. From TSM Client? or TSM Client Option Set on TSM server?  Having force=yes, TSM Client Option Set becomes a winner. For example, you configured SCHEMODE Polling on TSM client dsm.sys and SCHEDMODE prompted on TSM client option set with force=yes, TSM processes SCHEMODE in prompted manner. 
Step 3. View TSM Client Option Set

Run query cloptset to see all TSM client options properly listed under Client Option Set.

Protect: my_tsmsvr01>query cloptset UNIX_STANDARD

Optionset                     Description                   Last Update by      Managing profile         Replica Option
                                                            (administrator)                              Set
-------------------------     -------------------------     ---------------     --------------------     ---------------
UNIX_STANDARD                                                 ADMIN                                        No

Option                        Sequenc-     Use Optio-     Option Value
                              e number         n Set
                                               Value
                                              (FORCE)
-------------------------     --------     ----------     ------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGINGRETRIES                    101            Yes     4
COMPRESSION                        105            Yes     off
DIRMC                              111            Yes     DIRMC01
DOMAIN                             115            Yes     /myfs01 /myfs02 all-auto-nfs
INCLEXCL                           121            Yes     INCLUDE /data1/data2/*  My_MGMTCLASS01
INCLEXCL                           125            Yes     EXCLUDE /data9/.../*
MAXCMDRETRIES                      131            Yes     8
RESOURCEUTILIZATION                135            Yes     5
RETRYPERIOD                        141            Yes     15
SCHEDMODE                          145            Yes     prompted
TXNBYTELIMIT                       151            Yes     25600

Protect: my_tsmsvr01>
Step 4. Update TSM Client Node to use TSM client option set

Below is how to bind TSM client option set to TSM client node

Protect: my_tsmsvr01> update node my_tsmclnt01 cloptset=UNIX_STANDARD
ANR2063I Node MY_TSMCLNT01 updated.

Protect: my_tsmsvr01> select node_name,option_set from nodes where node_name='MY_TSMCLNT01'

 NODE_NAME: MY_TSMCLNT01
OPTION_SET: UNIX_STANDARD

NOTE! Not all TSM client options can be configured on TSM servers Client Option Set. Below is the list of TSM client options can be added to TSM client Option Set. For more details, Refer to the link –> https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/tsm/7.1.1?topic=uoc-client-options-that-can-be-set-by-tivoli-storage-manager-server

Changingretries
Collocatebyfilespec
Compressalways
Compression
Deduplication
Dirmc
Disablenqr
Diskcachelocation
Domain
Domain
Domain.image
Domain.nas
Encryptiontype
Encryptkey
Inclexcl
maxcandprocs
maxmigrators
Memoryefficientbackup
Postschedulecmd/Postnschedulecmd
Postsnapshotcmd
Preschedulecmd/Prenschedulecmd
Preservelastaccessdate
Presnapshotcmd
Queryschedperiod
Quiet
Resetarchiveattribute
Resourceutilization
Retryperiod
Schedmode
Scrolllines
Scrollprompt
Snapshotcachesize
Snapshotproviderfs
Snapshotproviderimage
Subdir
Tapeprompt
Txnbytelimit
Verbose
Vmchost
Vmcpw
Vmcuser
Vmlist
Vmprocessvmwithindependent
Vmprocessvmwithprdm

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