Add Client

When you register a client, it is defined to the IBM Spectrum Protect server. Before an application or system client can back up data, additional configuration is required. If you are configuring a system or application client, complete the following tasks:

Install the IBM Spectrum Protect client software on the client system.
Connect the client to the IBM Spectrum Protect server by configuring an options file on the client system.

These tasks can be completed before or after you register the client.

Restrictions: You can use the Add Client wizard to register most types of clients, except for the following restrictions:

You cannot register virtual machines by using the Add Client wizard. For information about adding virtual machines, see the IBM Spectrum Protect for Virtual Environments documentation. If you plan to use the backup-archive client to protect a virtual machine, see the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.
You cannot register NAS file servers by using the Add Client wizard. To register a NAS file server, issue the REGISTER NODE command with the TYPE=NAS parameter. For information on this command and on registering NAS clients, see the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.

The following pages are shown in the wizard. Some pages and options are shown only for certain client types.

Type page

By using the wizard, you can register the following types of clients:

System or Application Clients: System clients include backup-archive and API clients. Application clients include applications such as IBM Spectrum Protect for Databases and IBM Spectrum Protect for Mail.
Object Clients: An object client is an application that accesses the server by making S3 requests to store and retrieve objects. A software agent, called the object agent, receives the S3 requests from the object client and communicates with the server to complete the request. IBM Spectrum Protect Plus is the only exploiter of this client type. All object clients represent an IBM Spectrum Protect Plus server.

Server and Authentication page

The following configuration items are available on the page:

Replication

Select Enable if data that belongs to the client is ready to be replicated.

This option is available only if you are registering the client on a source server that is configured to replicate data to a target server. The client is automatically registered on the target server when replication occurs for the first time.

SSL

If you select Always use, the client must always use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt all communications with the IBM Spectrum Protect server.

If you do not select this option, the encryption requirements depend on the server version:

For V8.1.2 or later: TLS 1.2 encryption is always used to authenticate clients. Encryption is not used for data transfer.
For V8.1.1 or earlier: By default encryption is required only for a client that uses an LDAP directory server for password authentication. Encryption is not required for a client that uses local authentication, which is managed by the IBM Spectrum Protect server.

You can specify additional authentication options by using the UPDATE NODE command.

Additional configuration is required to use SSL or TLS. For more information, search for Operations Center SSL in the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.

Identity page

The following configuration items are available on the page:

Authentication

Specify the method that is used to authenticate the client password. You can select one of the following authentication methods:

Local

Specifies that the local IBM Spectrum Protect server database is used to authenticate the client.

LDAP

Specifies that a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server is used to authenticate the client.

If this option is selected, the Client name field must specify a user or account ID that can log on to the LDAP server. The ID must have an associated LDAP password. Passwords that are authenticated with the LDAP server can provide enhanced system security.

This option is available only if the IBM Spectrum Protect server is configured to authenticate passwords with an LDAP server. For configuration instructions, see Authenticating IBM Spectrum Protect users by using an LDAP server in the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.

Remote access URL

If you specify a URL, you can connect to the client from the Remote Access page of the Operations Center (Clients > Details > Remote Access). From the Remote Access page, you can open the File Restore web user interface of the client. By using the File Restore web user interface, you can remotely restore files on behalf of a user. You can also use the File Restore web user interface to download system logs for the client.

The URL must be formatted as a standard web address. The web address must include the DNS name or IP address of the client, and the port number and path for the File Restore web user interface. The DNS or IP address and the port number must be separated by a colon, and the path to the web user interface is /bagui.

For example, http://client.mycorp.com:9081/bagui.

To use the web user interface, the client must be running Version 8.1.7 or later, and the server must be running Version 8.1.2 or later. To connect to the web user interface, it must be configured on the client system.

Tip: You must log on to the File Restore web user interface by using an administrator ID that has authority to access the client data, and to perform the file-restore operations. For example, to use an existing administrator ID, issue the following command on the server to which the client is registered:

GRANT AUTHORITY administrator_name CLASS=NODE NODE=client_name

For more information about configuring the web user interface on the client, search for web user interface or file-restore operations in the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.

Client-side deduplication

Select Enable to allow data that is stored by the client to be deduplicated on either the client or the server.

For data deduplication to occur on the client, you must also specify a value of YES for the DEDUPLICATION client option. You can specify this value in the options file on the client system or in a client option set on the IBM Spectrum Protect server.

If you do not select this option, data that is stored by the client can be deduplicated on the server only.

Configuration page

Before the new client can back up data, you must connect the client to the IBM Spectrum Protect server by configuring an options file on the client system.

The options file must include the information that is shown on the Client Configuration page, and you can also specify additional options.

For more information about configuring the client or setting up SSL communication, see the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.

Tip: For UNIX and Linux® clients, options are specified in the client system-options file (dsm.sys). Clients on other platforms use an options file named dsm.opt.

Policy Domain page

Each client is assigned to one policy domain, which defines the rules that control the backup services that the server provides to the clients in the domain.

For system or application clients, you can select an existing policy domain. You can also create a policy domain by using the DEFINE DOMAIN command.

For object clients, you can select an existing object policy domain, or create an object policy domain. Only object policy domains can include the management class definitions that enable object clients to send standard data to container storage pools and cold data to cold-data-cache storage pools. Because only object policy domains can have the necessary management class definitions, only object policy domains are shown when you are defining an object client. If no object policy domains are defined on the server, the wizard prompts you for the storage pool destinations for standard and cold data. From the destinations you provide, the wizard creates an object policy domain. You can also create an object policy domain by using the DEFINE OBJECTDOMAIN command.

If you are enabling replication for the client, the wizard also registers the client on the target replication server as the target of replication data. On the target replication server, the client is assigned to the same policy domain as the source replication server. The policy domain must exist on the target replication server. You cannot select a policy domain that does not exist on the target replication server.

Schedule page

Client operations are usually automated by using schedules. IBM Spectrum Protect provides a central scheduling facility, but you can also use operating system utilities or other scheduling tools.

You can create schedules before or after you register clients by using the Add icon Schedule action on the Client Schedules page.

Tip: For an IBM Spectrum Protect schedule to run, the client computer must be turned on. The client must also run the client scheduler or must allow the client acceptor daemon to start the scheduler.

Option Set page

Client options can be used to customize backup and archive operations and the schedules for these operations. You can define these options in an options file on the client system.

You can also manage client options from the IBM Spectrum Protect server by using option sets. Option sets specify additional processing options that might not be included in a client’s options file.

To create an option set, use the DEFINE CLOPTSET and DEFINE CLIENTOPT commands.

Set At Risk page

By default, the at-risk settings that are specified on the Settings page in the Operations Center apply for all the clients.

You can, optionally, customize the individual at-risk settings for one or more clients. For example, to reduce the number of false risk indications, you can bypass clients that are no longer associated with backup schedules.

You can select one of the following at-risk modes:

Default: The client uses the at-risk settings that are specified on the Settings page. Any future changes to these settings are applied to the client.
Bypass: The Operations Center does not show the client as being at risk.
Custom: The client is shown as being at risk if it does not back up during the time interval that you specify. This setting overrides the default settings for the client.

After you complete the wizard, you can change client settings or specify additional options by using the UPDATE NODE command. You can also change some settings on the Properties page for the client (Clients > Details > Properties).

For more information about using IBM Spectrum Protect commands, see the IBM Spectrum Protect documentation.