IBM Support

Linux x86/x86_64 Client Requirements

Troubleshooting


Problem

Hardware and Software Requirements for IBM Spectrum Protect Linux® x86_64 backup-archive client and API

Cause

Tip: The product now known as IBM Spectrum Protect was named IBM Tivoli Storage Manager in releases earlier than Version 7.1.3. To learn more about the rebranding transition, see Tivoli Storage Manager branding transition to IBM Spectrum Protect.
 

Resolving The Problem


Hardware and Software Requirements
 

The following requirement tables detail the minimum supported levels. In general, backup-archive client and API support all operating system service packs and maintenance levels. The tables list any exceptions.

This document is divided into linked sections for ease of navigation. Use the following links to jump to the section of the document that you require:



 

Version 8.1

Hardware
System Systems based on the X86 64-bit processor architecture such as Intel-64 or AMD64
Disk Space 1.5 GB disk space required to install the client, and all language packs.
Note: using the web user interface require minimum 4.4 GB disk space (preferred 9 GB disk space)
Memory
 		 No extra Random-Access Memory (RAM) required for product installation. RAM requirements for running the product vary widely and depend on your environment, configuration, and tasks that you perform. More RAM might be required to run the product.
Note: using the web user interface require minimum 4 GB RAM (preferred 8 GB RAM)
Software
Communication Protocol
  • Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), which comes standard with Linux
  • Shared Memory (only with Linux x86_64 IBM Spectrum Protect server)
Operating system
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 (including SLES 11 level in Novell OES 11 and OES 2015 details)
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) 11
  • SLES 12
  • SLES15 (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.6)
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6 for Servers and Desktop editions
  • RHEL 7 for Servers and Desktop editions
  • RHEL 8 for Servers and Desktop editions (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.9)
  • Ubuntu 14.04
  • Ubuntu 16.04
  • Ubuntu 18.04 (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.6)
Note: See also Linux backup-archive client "best effort" supported distributions
File system For supported file systems, see: File system and ACL support

Supported IBM Spectrum Scale (previously known as GPFS) versions:
  • IBM Spectrum Scale V4.2.1 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.0) on operating systems
    - SLES 12.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    - RHEL 7.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
  • IBM Spectrum Scale V4.2.2 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.0) on operating systems
    - SLES 12.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    - RHEL 7.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
  • IBM Spectrum Scale V4.2.3 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.2) on operating systems
    - SLES 12.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    - RHEL 7.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
  • IBM Spectrum Scale V5.0.0 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.4) on operating systems
    - SLES 12.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    - RHEL 7.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
  • IBM Spectrum Scale V5.0.1 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.6) on operating systems
    - SLES 12.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    - RHEL 7.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
  • IBM Spectrum Scale V5.0.2 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.6) on operating systems
    - SLES 12.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    - RHEL 7.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
  • IBM Spectrum Scale V5.0.3 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.7) on operating systems
    - SLES 12.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    - SLES 15 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    - RHEL 7.1 or later service pack and maintenance levels
  • IBM Spectrum Scale V5.0.4 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.8) on operating systems
    - SLES 15 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    - RHEL 8 or later service pack and maintenance levels (Beginning with backup-archive client V8.1.9)
Additional Software
The Java™ GUI and Web backup-archive client require Java: JRE 7 or JRE 8
Note:
  • Backup-archive client V8.1.0: web client is supported when it is running in a Mozilla Firefox browser.
  • Backup-archive client V8.1.2-V8.1.6.x, you can no longer use the web client to connect to the IBM Spectrum Protect V8.1.2 or later V8 server or the V7.1.8 or later V7 server. For more information, see Using the web client in the new security environment
  • Backup-archive client V8.1.7 and later: a new web user interface for file-restore operations is supported when it is running in a Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome browsers. Web user interface supported on RHEL and SLES distributions. Be aware web user interface requires IBM Spectrum Protect V8.1.2 or later V8 server or the V7.1.8 or later V7 server. For more information, see: 8.1.7 backup-archive client New features and updates
For EXT2/EXT3/XFS access control list (ACL) support, you need the acl package.
The image backup and restore functions for LVM2 volumes require libdevmapper.so v1.01 or later. If the library is at a lower level than required or it is not available, image backups for LVM2 volumes fail.
The libdevmapper.so library is distributed with the device mapper packages. On RHEL, the package is called device-mapper-libs and on SLES it is called device-mapper.
Novell Storage Services (NSS) supported by this client. For NetApp Data ONTAP support, see Backup-archive client supported levels of NetApp Data ONTAP
IBM Spectrum Scale - Scale Out Backup and Restore (SOBAR) supported.
Note:
  • On IBM Spectrum Scale V4.2.3, you need at least IBM Spectrum Scale V4.2.3.5 fix pack.
  • Installation of IBM Spectrum Protect backup-archive client and IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management client in the same (matching) release level required.
  • For IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management client requirements, see: Linux x86 HSM requirements
No automatic client deployment support on:
  • Ubuntu 14.04
  • Ubuntu 16.04
  • Ubuntu 18.04
No IBM Spectrum Scale (previously known as GPFS) support on:
  • Ubuntu 14.04
  • Ubuntu 16.04
  • Ubuntu 18.04


 



 

Version 7.1

Hardware
System Systems based on the X86 64-bit processor architecture such as Intel-64 or AMD64
Disk Space 1.5 GB disk space required to install the client, and all language packs.
Memory No extra RAM required for product installation. RAM requirements for running the product vary widely and depend on your environment, configuration, and tasks that you perform. More RAM might be required to run the product.
Software
Communication Protocol
  • TCP/IP, which comes standard with Linux
  • Shared Memory (only with Linux x86_64 IBM Spectrum Protect server)
Operating system
 
  • SLES 11 (including SLES 11 level in Novell OES 11 and OES 2015 details)
  • SLED 11
  • SLES 12 (Beginning with backup-archive client V7.1.2)
  • RHEL 5 for Servers and Desktop editions
  • RHEL 6 for Servers and Desktop editions
  • RHEL 7 for Servers and Desktop editions (Beginning with backup-archive client V7.1.1)
  • Ubuntu 14.04 (Beginning with backup-archive client V7.1.2)
  • Ubuntu 16.04 (Beginning with backup-archive client V7.1.6.3)
Note: See also: Linux backup-archive client "best effort" supported distributions
File system

 		 For supported file systems, see: File system and ACL support

Supported GPFS versions:
  • GPFS V3.5.0 or later fix pack
  • GPFS V4.1.0 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V7.1.1)
    Note: RHEL 7 requires GPFS V4.1.0.10 (TL1) or later fix pack levels
  • GPFS V4.1.1 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V7.1.3)
    Note: SLES 12 requires GPFS V4.1.1 or later fix pack levels
  • GPFS V4.2.0 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V7.1.4.4)
  • GPFS V4.2.1 or later fix pack (Beginning with backup-archive client V7.1.6)

Note: As in APAR IT12256
Backup-archive client V7.1.0 supported GPFS V3.4.0.4.  With backup-archive client V7.1.1 and later, this GPFS version is no longer supported because of technical reasons. GPFS V3.4 reached End of Support (EOS) in April 2015.
Additional Software
Java GUI and Web backup-archive client require:
  • Before V7.1.2.1: Java GUI requires Java: JRE 7. The Web client requires the Java plug-in included in JRE 7
  • Beginning with V7.1.2.1: Java GUI requires Java: JRE 7 or JRE 8. The Web client requires the Java plug-in included in JRE 7 or JRE 8.
Note: The client is supported when it is running in a Firefox browser with the required plug-in.
For EXT2/EXT3/XFS ACL support, you need the acl package.
The image backup and restore functions for LVM2 volumes require libdevmapper.so V1.01 or later. If the library is at a lower level than required or it is not available, image backups for LVM2 volumes fail.
The libdevmapper.so library is distributed with the device mapper packages. On RHEL, the package is called device-mapper-libs and on SLES it is called device-mapper.
Before backup-archive client V7.1.3: to use the Common Inventory Technology components in a pure 64-bit Linux environment, install the following 32-bit runtime support packages:
Install the following packages to use the backup-archive client for backup or restore VMware virtual machines:
  • On a SUSE Linux system, the libfuse.so.2 shared object library must be installed. Install the libfuse version 2 package.
  • On RHEL system, the libfuse.so2, libxml2.so, and libexpat.so shared object libraries must be installed. Install fuselibs version 2 package.
Novell NSS supported by this client. For NetApp Data ONTAP support, see Backup-archive client supported levels of NetApp Data ONTAP
Journal-Based Backup (JBB) supported on:
  • RHEL 7 and SLES 12, in addition to previously supported distributions (Beginning with backup-archive client V7.1.2)
  • RHEL 7.1 (Beginning with backup-archive client V7.1.4)
IBM Spectrum Scale SOBAR supported.
Note:
  • Requires GPFS V3.5 TL 3 or later fix pack
  • IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management of the same version as the backup-archive client also required
  • For IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management client requirements, see: Linux x86 HSM requirements
No automatic client deployment support on:
  • Ubuntu 14.04
  • Ubuntu 16.04
No GPFS file system support on:
  • Ubuntu 14.04
  • Ubuntu 16.04


 



 

Versions past End of Support (EOS)



 

Note:

  • The LAN-free client also requires IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for Storage Area Networks (5608-SAN).
  • HSM client also requires IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for Space Management. See this page for HSM client requirements: Linux x86 HSM requirements



 

Client Components Offered

Administrative Backup-archive HSM API
Command line interface Graphical user interface Command line interface Web browser interface Graphical user interface
(Beginning with V7.1.1)		 Command line interface Interface
yes yes yes yes yes yes yes


 



 

Related URL

IBM Spectrum Protect Downloads - Latest Fix Packs and Interim FixesNote: includ…

Overview - IBM Spectrum Protect Supported Operating Systems

IBM Support Overview - Tivoli Storage Manager Supported Operating Systems

Featured Documents for IBM Spectrum Protect and Tivoli Storage Manager

IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management (HSM) - All Requirements Documents

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Document Information

Modified date:
19 November 2019

UID

swg21052223