Creating and modifying the client options file

The client options file is an editable text file that contains configuration information for the backup-archive client.

About this task

The first time that you start the Windows Backup-Archive Client GUI, the installation program searches for an existing client options file, called dsm.opt. If this file is not detected, a client options file configuration wizard starts and prompts you to specify initial client configuration settings. When the wizard completes, it saves the information that you specified in the dsm.opt file. By default, the dsm.opt file is saved to C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient.

The options file must contain the following information to communicate with the server:

The host name or IP address of the Tivoli® Storage Manager server.
The port number that the server listens on for client communications. A default port number is configured by the client options file configuration wizard. You do not need to override this default port number unless your server is configured to listen on a different port.
Your client node name. The node name is a name that uniquely identifies your client node. The node name defaults to the short host name of the computer that the client is installed on.

Additional client options can be specified, as needed.

Note: Client options can also be set on the server in a client option set. Client options that are defined on the server in a client option set override client options that are set in the client options file.

A sample options file is copied to your disk when you install the backup-archive client. The file is called dsm.smp. By default, the dsm.smp file is copied to C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\config\. You can view the contents of this file to see examples of different options and how they are specified. The file also contains comments that explain syntax conventions for include lists, exclude lists, and wildcard use. You can also use this file as a template for your client options file by editing it and saving it as dsm.opt in the C:\Program Files\Tivoli\TSM\baclient directory.

After the initial client options file is created, you can modify the client options by adding or changing the options as needed. You can modify the dsm.opt file in any of the following ways:

By running the client options file configuration setup wizard
By using the client preferences editor
By editing the dsm.opt file with a text editor program, such as Notepad

Perform the following steps to modify the client options:

Procedure

Select a method to modify the file.

Option	Description
Setup wizard	Click Start > All Programs > Tivoli Storage Manager > Backup-Archive GUI. Select Utilities > Setup Wizard > Help me configure the TSM Client Options File. On-screen text and online help is available to provide guidance as you navigate through the wizard panels. This client options file configuration wizard offers limited choices and configures only the most basic options.
Preferences editor	Click Start > All Programs > Tivoli Storage Manager > Backup-Archive GUI. Select Edit > Client Preferences. Select the tabs in the preferences editor to set client options. Specify the options in the dialog boxes, drop down lists, and other controls. Online help is provided. Click the question mark (?) icon to display the help topics for the online help for the tab that you are editing. You can set more options in the preferences editor than you can set in the setup wizard.
Edit the dsm.opt file	Edit the dsm.opt file by using a plain text editor. Each of the options is described in detail in the documentation in Client options reference. This method is the most versatile way to set client options because not all options can be set in the client options file configuration wizard or in the preferences editor. To comment out a setting, insert an asterisk (*) as the first character on the line that you want to comment out. Remove the asterisk to make the commented option active.

Save the changes.
1. Changes made in the client options file configuration wizard and in the preferences editor are saved and recognized by the client when the wizard completes, or when you exit the preferences editor.
2. If you edit the client options file with a text editor while the client is running, you must save the file and restart the client so the changes are detected.