Operation, commands and options of Spectrum Protect
ISP can be operated via two user interfaces:
- the command line interface (CLI):
* command dsmc - the graphical user interface (GUI):
* Command dsm (Windows)
* command dsmj (UNIX/Linux)
Use of the command interface
All functions of ISP can be called with commands, so that they can also be used in scripts. One of the two following modes can be used:
- one uses the shell command dsmc and gives it all additional information as parameters:
dsmc query backup "*" - one calls the shell command dsmc once without parameters and is then asked for the subcommands:
dsmc
dsmc> query backup "*"
dsmc> quit
The two possibilities look very similar, but they are not: in the first case the shell interprets the command and therefore replaces the shell variable, in the second case TSM interprets the command and does not provide this service.
So in many cases the first variant is more convenient to use. Therefore it is always assumed in the examples.
The second option is advantageous if a large number of commands are to be issued, since otherwise a separate connection to the server is called for each call of dsmc .
Each command starts with a command name (in the example above query ) , sometimes followed by an object (in the example archive). This may be followed by further parameters (e.g. the names of the files to be processed) and options. Command name, object, and options may be set off.
Where file names are required, simple wildcards may be used: * stands for any substring (unlike in Unix, there is no special rule for file names beginning with .) and ? for single characters. In this case, the whole parameter must always be enclosed in double quotes.
Unlike in Unix, wildcards are only allowed at the very end of file names, but not in the names of directories. Description of the most important commands and options in German (DEU) and English (ENU).
| Command | Function | Client version V 8.1.12 |
| dsmc help | Table of contents of the help | DEU ENU |
| dsmc query filespace | Displaying a list of filespaces | DEU ENU |
| dsmc query inclexcl | Display list of include/exclude statements | DEU ENU |
| dsmc query options | Display the client options | DEU ENU |
| dsmc query schedule | Display the backup times of the client | DEU ENU |
| dsmc query session | Display information about the running TSM session | DEU ENU |
| dsmc set password | Change the TSM password | DEU ENU |
| Commands for backup operations | ||
| dsmc incremental | Start incremental backup | DEU ENU |
| dsmc preview backup | Simulation of a backup command | ENU ENU |
| dsmc query backup | Displaying a list of backup versions of the files in backup | DEU ENU |
| dsmc restore | Restore files from backup | DEU ENU |
| dsmc query restore | Display a list of restores that can be restarted | DEU ENU |
| dsmc restart restore | Start a restartable restore | DEU ENU |
| dsmc cancel restore | Delete a restartable restore | DEU ENU |
| Commands for archive operations | ||
| dsmc archive | Archiving files | DEU ENU |
| dsmc preview archive | Simulation of an archiving command | DEU ENU |
| dsmc query archive | Display a list of files in the archive | DEU ENU |
| dsmc retrieve | Retrieve files from the archive | DEU ENU |
| dsmc delete archive | Delete files from archive | DEU ENU |
| Option | Function | Client version V8.1.12 |
| archmc | Specification of a management class (archiving) | DEU ENU |
| description | Description of a file (archiving) | DEU ENU |
| encryptiontype | Selection of the algorithm for data encryption | DEU ENU |
| encryptkey | Handling of the encryption key password | DEU ENU |
| fromdate | Start date to search for backup or archive copies of files | DEU ENU |
| fromtime | Start time to search for backup or archive copies of files | DEU ENU |
| ifnewer | Replacing a file with a more recent backup version | DEU ENU |
| inactive | Display active and inactive objects | DEU ENU |
| latest | Replace a file with the latest backup version | DEU ENU |
| pick | Creation of a list of backup versions or archiving copies | DEU ENU |
| pitdate | Time (date) for displaying/restoring the last backup version | DEU ENU |
| pittime | Time (clock) for displaying/restoring the last backup version | DEU ENU |
| preservepath | Specification of how much of the source path is to be restored as part of the target path | DEU ENU |
| querysummary | Provide statistics on files, directories, and objects | DEU ENU |
| replace | Handling of overwriting existing files | DEU ENU |
| todate | End date to search for backup or archive copies of files | DEU ENU |
| totime | End time to search for backup or archive copies of files | DEU ENU |
| v2archive | Archiving of files without consideration of directories | DEU ENU |
Graphical interface
If you call dsm or dsmj instead of dsmc , a new window for interaction of the TSM client with the TSM server will appear; precondition for the command dsm is that an X-Window server is running. Behind the call of dsmj there is a Java program. With it you can select the files to archive as well as the files to restore with the mouse, which can be more comfortable than the command interface. A few tips:
- The graphical interface knows much less about working directories or symbolic links than the command interface. That's why you always have to specify the whole path when asked for a file path, e.g. /what/is/then/my/path.
At the very end you may use wildcards again, but only there. - Be very careful when the offer by directory tree appears in a menu. There all directories are offered for selection and clicking; even if there are thousands.
Otherwise, the graphical user interface is self-describing. Of the directories offered in the left part of the window, only the File Level directory is normally important. Under this directory you should find the saved filespaces of your computer.