TSM server upgrade procedure on Solaris

I hope this posts will help people using TSM to go by with some of more complex activities. One of them is upgrade of TSM server when you are running on Solaris. 


Software versions used for during this procedure:


Solaris 10
TSM Server Solaris 5.5.1.4 to TSM Server Solaris 5.5.3.0


Depending on how big your TSM server is, you can expect that an upgrade procedure will take between an hour and a couple of hours if you run into problems. 
This procedure will present the steps required to install the TSM license package as an optional step. This is only required if you are upgrading between major versions of TSM (5.3 to 5.4 or 5.5) 


Preparation before upgrade


- Command lines to delete and create all the paths and drives. This is required because we are upgrading the Device Manager (TIVsmSdev package), and this might remap the OS paths to the library drives. It will be handy to have the scripts in hand so you don't spend time creating the commands during the upgrade. If you are doing the upgrade on a library client / library manager configuration, and you are upgrading the client then you only need to delete the paths for the server you are upgrading. If you are upgrading a library manager, then all the paths, and all the drives might need be deleted, even that the path from library clients to drives do not change. The reason to delete them is to remap the drives IDs. 
- If you have drives that are offline before the upgrade, or they are left for "history" purpose, make sure they are still available at OS level. If the drive remap happens at OS level, you might have problems mapping the right TSM drives to the right devices. 
- Also because of the above, all drives should be clear of any process or session, as the drives will not delete if they are in use. 
- If you delete the drives and you are using ACSLS, make note of the DriveId format that is needed to recreate the drives. 

- Command lines to run full TSM database backups. If you have special ways of doing the backups (I know I do) then make sure you have them at hand.

Upgrade steps


1. Login on the TSM server as root.
2. Add to dsmserv.opt :

Disablescheds yes (this stops client and server schedule to be run)
NOMIGRRECL  (will prevent reclamation and migration start during upgrade)

3. Ensure that no TSM processes are running. Stop processes if running.
4. Ensure that no tapes are mounted. Use the DISMOUNT VOLUME volume_name to dismount.Dismount will work only if the tape is in status IDLE.
5. Cancel all remaining sessions. issue
DISAble SESSions CLIent
DISAble SESSions SERVer (optional only if you have other servers connecting)

6. Perform a TSM Database full backup from TSM console:
backup db type=full devclass=tape_or_disk_dev_class
7. Perform a Device configuration backup from TSM console:
backup devconfig filenames=path\devconfig.bkp
8. Perform a Volume history backup from TSM console:
backup volhistory filenames=path\volhistory.bkp
9. Make note of the tape the backup was done to. If TSM does not come back, and you dont know the tape used, check the volhostiry.bkp file, the last entry should be the backup tape.
10. (Optional) If you are doing an OS upgrade as well, then it is a good time to move the following files to a safe (different box) the following files: devconfig.bkp, volhistory.bkp, dsmserv.opt (from /opt/tivoli/tsm/server/bin). A DRM plan would be helpfull as well if you get in the situation where your box does not start any more, and you need to build your TSM server on a new box.
11. Ensure that no TSM processes are running. Stop processes if running. Use cancel process process_number
12. Ensure that no tapes are mounted. Use the DISMOUNT VOLUME to dismount.
13. Halt the TSM server. Issue HALT on the server console. If you use svcadm to start your TSM server issue " svcadm disable dsmserv " . This should stop the TSM server.
14. Once TSM server is down, remove privious version from server:
pkgrm TIVsmS
pkgrm TIVsmSdev
15. (Optional) Remove the license package if you are doing an upgrade between major TSM version.
pkgrm TIVsmlic
16. Extract TSM version 5.5.3.0 from package:
gunzip 5.5.3.0-TIV-TSMSRV-Solaris.tar.Z
tar -xvf 5.5.3.0-TIV-TSMSRV-Solaris.tar
17. (Optional) Extract TSM version 5.5.0.0 for the license package.
18. Install binaries for new version 5.5.3.0
pkgadd TIVsmlic
pkgadd TIVsmSdev
pkgadd TIVsmS
19. Start TSM server in console mode. Go to /opt/tivoli/tsm/server/bin and run ./dsmserv . This will start the console, and you can see all the messages. Pay attention to any error.
20. On the server or on library manager, delete all the paths from the server you are upgrading to the drives it has access to. If you upgrade the library manager, delete all the paths and all the drives.
21. Once all the necessary paths are deleted, login as root on the server you are upgrading and execute: /opt/tivoli/tsm/devices/bin/autoconf (this will recreate the devices and make sure everything is mapped). Make sure that the steps autoconf does finished with return code 0.
22. Run ls -l /dev/rmt/*mt. This script will print you the WWN of the tape drives OS sees. At this point you should know based on WWN, which tape drive is which. Modify your drive and path define scripts from the current server to the library. If you do more than one server at the time, execute the ls command on each server, and create the define path scripts based on each server output. If the define path scripts execute without error, then the server was able to communicate with each drive.
23. Ensure that the server is started. Run command from TSM console:
q path (to see if the paths are online)
q drive f=d (to see if drives are online, and if tapes are mounted)
q mount (to see status of mounted tapes)
q pro (to see TSM processes are running)
24. Remove from dsmserv.opt :
NOMIGRRECL
DISABLESCHEDS
25. HALT TSM and exit console mode.
26. if you use svcadm , issue svcadm enable dsmserv
26. Issue command :
Enable SESSions CLIent
Enable SESSions SERVer

Post upgrade steps:

1. Execute a TSM server backup. It is a good way to see if server to library communication is working. Check if the drive and path remain online. 

2. Start migration, or other processes that use tape drives. Note if the tape are getting mounted in the right drive, and that no errors are present in the library manager or library client regarding mounts. 

3. Copy the installation packages to somewhere safe on the server. You might need them in the future. 

4. Monitor the server for errors and issues. Also monitor administrative and client schedules (check again if you removed the dsmserv options, if you didnt, restart the server). 

Hope the above helps people that want to upgrade the TSM server on Solaris. 

Come again, I will post more procedures like this in the future. 

Regards, 

Liviu Dunaev