Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) Interview Questions and Answers

IBM spectrum Protect formerly known as Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) interview questions are posted below. These are the common interview questions asked in L1 and L2 level TSM administration job interviews. These questions will be helpful to crack the interview for the people  who are trying to enter into TSM backup technology.

Also Read: IBM Spectrum Protect (TSM) Basic Free Tutorials

TSM Interview Questions:

1.     What is policy management?
Ans. It tells us about how to treat the client data to be backup(in simple words set of rules for backup data).

2.     Policy management hierarichy?
Ans. domain, policy set, management class, copygroup.

3.      Is it possible to create multiple policysets under a single domain?
Ans:  YES, but at a time only one policyset can be active.

4.      Is it possible to create multiple Managementclass under a single policyset?
Ans. Yes,  but one should be default mgmtclass

5.      Tell me bout TSM copygroup parameters ?
Ans.  Version Exist---------How many copies to maintain the client data.
          Veresion Delete ---- How many copies to maintain the client data after it is deleted                                                        from the client machine.
          Retention Extra------How long we need to maintain the inactive data.
          Retention Only------How long we need to maintain the last version of the client data                                                     after it has been deleted from the client machine.
6.      What is TSM Versioning?
Ans.  The client data which is backedup are managed according to versions. The latest backup is called           Active version and all the previous versions are called Inactive versions

7.  What are your Daily Activities ?

     Health Checking of TSM Server by running these commands
                Check Q DB, Q LOG, Q SYSTEM,
                Check for Scratch Volumes.
                Check Missed, failed Backups - Q Event * *   
           
Also Read: Storage Area Network (SAN) Basic Free Tutorials

8.  What are the different types of privileges in TSM Server ?
    1. System
    2. Storage
    3. Operater
    4. Policy
    5. Analyst
    6. Node
   System Previlage Have all TSM server tasks.
   
9.  How to Check in library volumes ?

     CHECKIN LIBVOL <LIBARY NAME> <VOLUME NAME> SEARCH=BULK/YES STATYS=PRIVATE/SCRATCH

10. What are the different DRM Stages?
        mount
        notmountable
       courier
       vault
       vault retreive
       courier retrieve
       onsite rereive

11. How to change DRM state from vault to vaultretrieve ?

    move drm * wherest=vault tostate=vaultret
   
12.  How to define a tape Libaray in TSM ?

     Def libaray <lib name> libtype=scsi

    def path <server Name> <dest name> Sourcetype=server desttype=libary lib=<libraryname> device=lb1.0.0.0

     def drive <librayname> <drivename> online=yes

    def path <server Name> <dest name> Sourcetype=server desttype=drive lib=<libraryname> device=mt1.0.0.0


Also Read: Tape Library related Interview Questions

13.  How to Restore client data ?

    Log on to client machine. Then give cmd Q FILESPACE and Q BACKUP
        then give restore cmd with fully qualified path and destination path.        
  
14.  Basic AIX CMDs used for TSM maintenance ?
    >ls
    >ls lpp| grep -i tivoli
    >cat
    >df -gt
    >bootinfo -r/-a
    >lsdev -Cc tape

15. What is reclamation?
    Consolidating the remaining data from many sequential volumes to fewer volumes.(within the same stg pool) by using reclaim threshold parameters.

16.  What is Audit library ?
    Synchronizing between the Tapa Library volumess and TSM database inventory.

5 Responses to "Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) Interview Questions and Answers"

  1. Q11.vault to valetretrive is an automatic process right...I thick we no need to move

    ReplyDelete
  2. what is the use of tape library sharing ?

    ReplyDelete
  3. what is the use of tape library sharing

    ReplyDelete