Target Service Agent (TSAFSGW) for Linux and NetWare

TSAFSGW, the latest version of the GroupWise Target Service Agent, operates much the same as the existing GroupWise TSA (GWTSA).  It supports the same home switch command line syntax as the GWTSA and provides the same high-level GroupWise objects (domains and post offices) to 3rd party backup software.

It differs in that it is not a stand-alone tsa like the GWTSA, but instead works through (and is therefore dependent on) the Groupwise-enabled file system tsa (tsafs)  to back up and restore GroupWise data.

Obtaining and Installing SMS components (including TSAFS)

The GroupWise-enabled TSAFS is available as part of the novell-sms package on the Novell Open Enterprise Server Linux platform.  The novell-sms package will also be available as a stand-alone rpm for installation on other Linux platforms.

To install the sms rpm, log in as root and type the following at the console:

rpm -ivh novell-sms-1.0.0-xx.i586.rpm

Then start the smdr daemon:

/etc/init.d/smdrd start

Verify that the smdrd daemon is running:

/opt/novell/sms/bin/smsconfig -t

The GroupWise-enabled TSAFS NLM ships with current versions of NetWare and it's service packs.  SMS updates (which include the GroupWise-enabled TSAFS) can occur between NetWare service packs.  These updates can be downloaded from the Novell Support website.  Search for 'tsa5up??.exe' (include the question mark wildcard characters).

The GroupWise enhancements build into the TSAFS must be enabled manually by way of the EnableGW command line switch.

EnableGW (NetWare)

To enable the GroupWise enhancements, type the following at the command line:

MYSERVER:unload TSAFS

Module TSAFS.NLM unloaded

MYSERVER:TSAFS /EnableGW=yes

To disable the GroupWise enhancements, type the following at the command line:

MYSERVER:unload TSAFS

Module TSAFS.NLM unloaded

MYSERVER:TSAFS /EnableGW=no

Once enabled, the GroupWise functionality will remain enabled until explicitly disabled.  To determine the state of the of the EnableGW switch, simply type 'TSAFS' at the command line while the TSAFS is loaded.  Hit any key to scroll down until the EnableGW status appears on the screen.

See the Tid10095203 for more information on the GroupWise-enabled TSAFS.

EnableGW (Linux)

open a terminal window and log in as root.

cd /opt/novell/sms/bin

Unload the TSAFS by typing

./smsconfig -u TSAFS

Reload the TSAFS with the --EnableGW switch by typing the following:

./smsconfig -l TSAFS --EnableGW

In order to make this change permanent, edit the /etc/opt/novell/sms/smdrd.conf file.  In the smdrd.conf file, modify TSAFS autoload line:

change autoload:TSAFS

to

autoload:TSAFS --EnableGW

Loading TSAFSGW on NetWare

Follow the same steps for loading the TSAFSGW on NetWare as you would for loading the GWTSA.  The GWTSA and TSAFSGW may not load simultaneously.

Loading TSAFSGW on Linux

If not already present, copy the libtsafsgw.so.<version> file into the /opt/novell/lib directory.  If already present, create a symbolic link to the libtsafsgw.so.<version> file.

While logged in as root, execute the following:

cd /opt/novell/lib

in -s libtsafs.so.<ver> libtsafsgw.so

You should now be able to load the TSAFSGW.

As root, execute the following:

cd /opt/novell/sms/bin

smsconfig -l TSAFSGW -home /yourDomainPath -home /yourPostOffice Path

You can also use smsconfig to display a list of loaded TSAs.

As root, execute the following:

/opt/novell/sms/bin/smsconfig -t

smsconfig will output a list of loaded TSAs:

The loaded TSAs are:

TSAFS --EnableGW

TSAFSGW - home/yourDomainPath -home /yourPostOfficePath

If you would like the TSAFSGW to load automatically, add an 'autoload' line to the smdrd.conf file.  Edit /etc/opt/novell/sms/smdrd.conf and find the TSAFS autoload line.

autoload:TSAFS --EnableGW

add the TSAFSGW autoload line after the TSAFS autload line:

autoload:TSAFSGW -home /yourDomainPath -home /yourPostOfficePath

GroupWise Database Caching

The TSAFSGW makes a temporary copy of the GroupWise database on disk during the backup process.  This minimizes the time that the backup process locks the live GroupWise databases so that the GroupWise agents will continue to run smoothly during backup.  The default location for the temporary files on NetWare is in the SYS:SYSTEM\TSA\TEMP directory.  The default location for the temporary files on Linux is in the /tmp directory.  The user may specify an alternate location via the \u201ctempdir\u201d command line switch.  The syntax of the 'tempdir' switch is the same as that of the 'home' switch.

Known issues:

1.  The 'home' and 'tempdir' switches are the only command line switches are the only command line switches supported by the current version of the TSAFSGW.  Since the TSAFSGW works through the TSAFS, backup performance is tuned by adjusting the TSAFS command line switches.

2.  The current version of the TSAFSGW does not automatically exclude unnecessary files.  See TID10095203 for a list of files that may be manually excluded in order to prevent spurious error messages during backup.

3.  The current version of the TSAFSGW does not automatically list document storage areas.  In a default GroupWise installation this is not an issue because they are placed in the post office directory and are backed up as part of the post office.  Where document storage areas are outside of the post office directory, manually add a /home switch to the TSAFSGW command line parameters.

4.  In it's default configuration, the TSAFS caches multiple files simultaneously to increase backup performance.  This can have a detrimental effect on the GroupWise agents, since the TSAFS can retain database locks long enough for the GroupWise agents to time out.  The TSAFSGW automatically disables the TSAFS' caching mode for all TSAFSGW backups.  There is no longer a need to add the /NoCachingMode switch to the TSAFS startup parameters.

5.  A full backup of the top level object \u201cGroupWise System\u201d will backup all 'home' switch directories, including [TMP] directories.

6.  On NetWare, the OES version of the TSAFS is required to restore.  Otherwise, files in the root directory of the backup are restored to the wrong place.

7.  The user logged in to the TSAFSGW must have Write permissions to the database files.  Otherwise, the database lock operation will time out, and the databases will be skipped with an 0xFFFDFFF5 (NWSMTS_DATA_SET_IN_USE) error.