Scheduling automatic backups of TSM with Windows 7

Transcription

1 Scheduling automatic backups of TSM with Windows 7 It is highly recommended that regular backups are conducted for TSM files; there are two methods for achieving this, the manual method or scheduling automatic backups with the Task Scheduler feature within Windows 7 which will be discussed in this guide. The first thing that should be done before this process is started is to select the location for the backup. Log into TSM and select Backup/Restore from the Utilities menu as displayed below. The screen below will be displayed where the user will be able to specify the location of the backup.

2 Manually enter the preferred location in the space provided or browse for it by clicking the button to the right of the entry field.(take note of this location as the backup will need to be confirmed later) After the appropriate backup location has been entered click Exit. Now open the Start Menu and select control panel, select System Security then Administrative Tools the screen below should now be displayed. Double click on the shortcut Task Scheduler (highlighted in the previous screenshot) and the following screen should be displayed.

3 This console allows the user to enter various scheduled events for a Windows machine. Click on Create Task on the right hand side of the window. The following screen should now be displayed. Enter a name for the schedule task (i.e. TSM Backup Schedule) and a description if one is required. Now select the checkbox that has been highlighted in red in the screenshot above. Below is a completed version of this screen.

4 Now select the Triggers tab at the top of the window and click the New button, the following screen should now be displayed.

5 This dialog box controls how often and when the scheduled task will run, it is strongly recommended scheduling weekly backups at times when no users will be using the system (such as early morning) so there is minimal disruption while still ensuring frequent backed up data. Select the appropriate settings for the company s backup requirements and click Ok, an example of the settings for a weekly backup are displayed below. Once the settings are entered click Ok, now select the Actions tab and click the New button. The following screen will be displayed.

6 Click on the Browse and browse to the install directory of TSM (in most cases this will be C:\Program files\tsm or C:\Program files(x86)\tsm) and select tsm.exe and click Ok. Now in the Add arguments (optional) field enter backup and in the Start in (optional) field enter the location of the install folder for TSM, i.e. C:\Program files\tsm. Below is an example of what would be entered into this dialog box.

7 Once this has been completed; click Ok and confirm all settings are correct and then click Ok again, the schedule has now been created. It is recommended that a test is conducted on the newly created schedule, to do this select the schedule from the list, right click and select Run as displayed below. If the backup schedule has been completed successfully the following screen should be displayed.

8 Ensuring backup has completed After the first backup has finished it is important to confirm that the files have been successfully written to the correct location. Browse to the location that was noted earlier towards the start of this guide, the folder should look somewhat similar to this: There should be at least one compressed file, this indicates that at least one backup has been completed. Ensure that the date modified is today s time and date because it is possible that a backup from an earlier time could be in this directory.

9 Notes All copies of TSM must be closed before the backup to ensure no clashes. If TSM is still running whilst the backups are being conducted there is a high possibility that the backups will be incomplete, missing several vital files. If work is being conducted during the backup process it will be interrupted. The computer running TSM must be switched on during the schedules specified time or the process won t begin.

10 Troubleshooting If the backup does not complete when the schedule is run automatically or when launched manually, then a schedule may need to be entered to close TSM automatically before the backup commences. Follow the steps below to achieve this. 1. Reopen the Task Scheduler used in previous steps 2. Select the Action menu and then select Create Task 3. Enter a name, description and check the box next to Run with the highest privileges as explained earlier in the guide 4. Select the Trigger tab and click on the New button and enter a time that is before the scheduled backup(ensure that no users relaunch TSM during the period between this schedule and the backup schedule) 5. Select the Action tab and click on the New button. Click on the Browse button and select the install location of TSM and find tsm.exe. Type shutimmediate into the Add arguments (optional) field and enter the file location in the Start in (optional) field. Below is an example of how the screen should appear after all fields have been completed

11 6. After all these steps have been completed click Ok and test run the schedule to ensure it works, the following warning message should appear if done correctly If the backup still fails, open task manager (ctrl+shift+esc) and click on the processes tab and look for tsm.exe as displayed below.

12 Select it and click End Process. Try running the backup schedule again, the backup should now successfully complete.