Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Import/Export Question!

Can someone explain to me why moving data (exporting/importing) from one TSM server to another TSM server is such a pain in the neck? Here is my scenario, I have some servers that moved from one location to another, network wise, and they now need to backup to a different TSM server. Both servers use the same media type (LTO-3). So why is it I have to either copy all the data across the network to the new server as it creates new tapes, or dump it all to tape(s) and then rewrite it to new tape(s) when imported? My question is this - why can’t I just export the DB info and pointers for the already existing tape to the new TSM server from the old? Why can’t the old server “hand-over” the tape to the new TSM server?  It seems like a lot of wasted work to constantly have to copy the data (server to server export/import) or dump it to tape and then write the data to new tapes. I think the developers ought to work on a way of doing this.  I would also think that this process could be done on a DB level so you could in a sense reorg the DB without the long DB Dump/Load and audit process, and the tapes would be handed over to the new TSM server. No rewrites necessary.

3 comments:

  1. It should depend on what information's actually written to the tapes except for the raw data. Is for example the object's ID written to the tape together with the object? If that's the case you should be out of luck.

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  2. You're absolutely right.
    I asked the IBM support, but they replied there are only two ways: via the network or tape.
    It's not a problem when the whole data size is about 1G BUT when you try to export 10T or more it is very, very painful.

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  3. Data needs to be exported and then reimported to a new DB. This way there is no conflict between 2 DB's on who owns what tape. Each DB needs to have it's own set of tapes. AC 2006

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