Back Up a DB2 Database using Tivoli Storage Manager

March 30, 2004

In my last article "DB2 Database and Tivoli Storage Manager," we prepared an entire backup system for performing a first TSM database backup.

This article examines the procedure for making a database backup using Tivoli Storage Manager, (TSM).

This article covers:

• Performing Database Backup using TSM
• DB2 Backup Control
• DB2 Archive Logs Control
• Conclusion

Performing Database Backup using TSM

In general, all Tivoli Storage Manager Client versions work with every version of DB2. In our setup we have DB2 UDB V7.1 and Tivoli Storage Manager Client API V4.2.2.1. A short remainder on the existing setup:

A DB2 database is delivered with several utilities and database configuration parameters for TSM support. The DB configuration parameters, related to the TSM Server are as follows:

$db2 get db cfg for artist | grep TSM

TSM management class                 (TSM_MGMTCLASS) =
TSM node name                        (TSM_NODENAME) =
TSM owner                            (TSM_OWNER) =
TSM password                         (TSM_PASSWORD) =

The presented database configuration parameters should not be configured. The database settings for the TSM management class, TSM node name, TSM owner and TSM password is taken from the TSM API environment configuration files. In the IBM documentation, IBM emphasized that database TSM parameters are designed in the first place for redirected database restore. Nevertheless, I have seen many installations where some or all TSM database parameters were used, overriding settings provided over TSM API configuration.

The DB2 database backup is being saved directly to the TSM server backup medium, without storing an intermediate copy on the local server, which results in a decline of storage costs and easy handle of large databases. Generated database backups are TSM backup objects. Every TSM backup object is transformed between 4 different states:

• Active backup - backup is needed for recovery, actual on the TSM
• Inactive backup - backup is deleted from database history file, has inactive status on the TSM, retention period for this backup has been started
• Expired backup - retention period has elapsed and backup can be physically deleted
• Deleted backup - backup is deleted from the TSM storage

Each new backup has a unique name and newly created database backup do not deactivate previous backups. Manual action is needed, using the db2adutl command in order to change backup status from active to the inactive. The predefined management class is the control hold period for every database backup.

Producing an online database backup using TSM, for the test DB2 database ARTIST:

db2 => backup db ARTIST online use tsm (open 4 sessions with 8 buffers buffer 1024 parallelism 2)
Backup successful. The timestamp for this backup image is : 20040112104447

Producing an offline database backup using TSM, for the test DB2 database ARTIST:

db2 => backup db ARTIST use tsm (open 4 sessions with 8 buffers buffer 1024 parallelism 2)
Backup successful. The timestamp for this backup image is : 20040112132311

Additional backup parameters used in performing backup (sessions, buffers, parallelism), are useful for tuning backup execution time. Backup buffers are allocated on demand, on backup start and deallocated at the backup end. Backup buffers are taken from the utility heap (util_heap_size) database manager memory area.

$ db2 get dbm cfg | grep BUFSZ 

Backup buffer default size (4KB)            (BACKBUFSZ) = 1024
Restore buffer default size (4KB)           (RESTBUFSZ) = 1024

Each system needs some control mechanism. Use the command line TSM client or the graphical TSM client to
check for the presence and size of the DB2 database backups and archive log
files. Before starting work with the TSM server, ask your TSM administrator for the proper account on the TSM server. Without a TSM server account, you cannot check or restore backup copies and archived log files directly on the TSM server without use the DB2 database utilities.

$  dsmc q fil
Tivoli Storage Manager
Command Line Backup Client Interface - Version 4, Release 2, Level 2.1 
(C) Copyright IBM Corporation, 1990, 2001, All Rights Reserved.
 ANS1216E Not authorized to run TSM.  See the administrator for your system

It would be helpful to obtain one additional right from the TSM administrator--the right to use a graphical TSM console, for a quick and informative summary of the TSM server backup content.

The status for the current, active TSM connection and ongoing backup progress is managed by tracking changes in the TSM server log file. An instance of the TSM log file content:

root@ARTIST:/home/adsm/adsmconf/logs
# tail dsmserv.log

1020916-050916:  ANR0406I Session 5711 started for node ARTIST_DB2 (DB2) 
	(Tcp/Iroot@ARTIST:/home/adsm/adsmconf/logs
1020916-060056:  ANR4554I Backed up 8736 of 11705 database pages.
1020916-060100:  ANR4554I Backed up 10192 of 11705 database pages.
1020916-060104:  ANR4554I Backed up 11648 of 11705 database pages.
1020916-060105:  ANR1361I Output volume 04EDB0 closed.
1020916-060105:  ANR4550I Full database backup (process 847) complete, 11705 pages copied.
1020916-060105:  ANR0985I Process 847 for DATABASE BACKUP running in the BACKGROUND completed
1020916-060105:  with completion state SUCCESS at 06:01:05.
1020916-060109:  ANR8336I Verifying label of 3570 volume 04EDB0 in drive RMT0 (/dev/rmt0).
1020916-060126:  ANR8468I 3570 volume 04EDB0 dismounted from drive RMT0 (/dev/rmt0) in library
1020916-060126:  MAGSTARMP.