Introduction
In managing a large-scale IBM TSM (Tivoli Storage Manager) backup environment, efficiency and quick insights are critical. As the TSM environment in my organization is enterprise-class, consisting of 20+ TSM servers and over 6,000+ TSM clients, it demands precise monitoring and real-time reporting to ensure smooth operation. To optimize this process, I developed a comprehensive Linux shell script that runs on Linux server with access to all my TSM servers via dsmadmc. This script automates the generation of daily backup reports, which are then sent out as email report to the TSM administrator. By leveraging the power of shell scripting, I significantly reduced the time spent analyzing backup logs, enabling me to quickly identify any failed TSM client backups and other potential issues. This automation not only streamlined my daily tasks but also allowed me to focus more on resolving critical issues, ultimately enhancing the overall performance and reliability of the TSM environment. This version incorporates the functionality of your script and how it integrates into your workflow!
Sample Reports
Below are two sample email reports generated by the script. The first screenshot showcases the consolidated daily backup status, providing an overview of all backups for the day. The second screenshot highlights failed TSM client backups, allowing for quick identification and troubleshooting of issues. My TSM engineers primarily focus on the second report, as it only displays failed or missed backups, enabling them to start troubleshooting immediately. Meanwhile, they use the first report, which provides an overall backup status, for auditing and tracking purposes. These reports offer a clear and actionable view of the backup environment, enhancing efficiency and responsiveness in managing the TSM infrastructure. By including these screenshots, we ensure alignment with the narrative and effectively illustrate the impact of your automation!
👉 This is a sample daily backup report that I created using Linux shell scripting. If you’re interested in implementing a similar reporting system for your environment, I can share my script as part of consulting work. Feel free to reach out!
TSM Reporting Challenges
TSM has long been notorious for its limited reporting capabilities, as it lacks a graphical user interface (GUI) for comprehensive data access. Administrators are forced to rely on the dsmadmc command line to gather detailed insights. For example, running a simple query event * * command provides only a limited view of scheduled backup results, with very little detail. To obtain more comprehensive output, administrators must repeatedly run query actlog and read through thousands of lines of logs, manually searching for each client’s backup report. This process is time-consuming, inefficient, and prone to errors. The report I’ve developed streamlines this process by offering a comprehensive, easy-to-read daily summary, delivered directly to the TSM administrator via email. This automation improves efficiency, allows for faster identification of issues, and ultimately enhances the overall management of the TSM environment.
Key Components of the TSM Daily Backup Report
- Success Ratio in the Title:
- The title prominently displays the overall success rate of the daily backup operations. This provides an immediate indication of the backup health.
- Brief Summary Section:
- This section includes key statistics such as:
- Total Success Nodes: Number of clients that successfully completed their backup.
- Failed Nodes: Clients that experienced backup failures.
- Missed Nodes: Clients that did not run backups within the expected timeframe.
- Running Nodes: Clients that are still in progress at the time of reporting.
- Additionally, it provides details on total data copied, incremental backup size, and the average backup speed in GB/hour.
- This section includes key statistics such as:
- Failure Weight Threshold:
- The Failure Weight Threshold is a concept I developed to improve the accuracy of the TSM daily backup report. In the native TSM report generated from “Query Event,” even a single failed file—often due to being open—can cause TSM to mark the entire backup as partial completed. This leads to a high likelihood of false positives, significantly lowering the reported daily backup success rate. This issue is especially common with Windows system files that cannot be read and are not excluded through include/exclude lists. Based on my decades of experience with TSM, I determined that a 5% threshold is a reasonable balance to minimize false positives while maintaining accurate reporting. You can adjust this gauge within the report script to customize it for your environment—the higher the threshold, the more stringent the reporting; the lower it is, the more lenient but with a better success ratio.
- A key feature of this report is the Failure Weight, which is currently set at 5%.
- If the failed objects are less than 5% of the total, the report marks the node as Completed.
- This threshold is adjustable based on the organization’s tolerance for backup failures.
- For near zero-tolerance environments, the threshold can be lowered (e.g., 2%), but this may result in a lower reported backup success rate.
- Detailed Backup Status for Each Node:
- The report includes per-client backup statistics, such as:
- Inspected Objects: The total number of objects assessed for backup.
- Backed-Up Objects: The number of successfully backed-up files.
- Failed Copies: The number of objects that failed to back up.
- Elapsed Time: The duration taken for each backup operation.
- Status Columns: Displays success/failure for each backup operation.
- This detailed breakdown helps in pinpointing specific client nodes with backup issues and provides a way to analyze failure trends.
- The report includes per-client backup statistics, such as:
- SystemState Backups for Windows Clients:
- For Windows servers, the report also includes the SystemState backup status.
- This ensures that critical OS components and registry settings are successfully backed up, which is crucial for disaster recovery.
Why This Report Matters
- Single Pane of Glass Monitoring: Provides a consolidated view of all TSM client backups in a single report.
- Proactive Failure Analysis: Helps identify problem areas before they impact business continuity.
- Customizable Failure Thresholds: Allows fine-tuning of reporting criteria based on business needs.
- Efficient Troubleshooting: Enables administrators to focus on failed backups and resolve issues quickly.
- Performance Tracking: Helps measure backup speed and efficiency over time.
Conclusion
The Daily Backup Report is an essential tool for IBM TSM administrators. By leveraging this report, IT teams can ensure a more reliable, efficient, and proactive backup management strategy. The flexibility of the failure weight threshold and the detailed breakdown of backup performance make it a powerful asset in enterprise backup monitoring.
👉 This is a sample daily backup report that I created using Linux shell scripting. If you’re interested in implementing a similar reporting system for your environment, I can share my script as part of consulting work. Feel free to reach out!