IBM Support

Linux zSeries Client Requirements

Troubleshooting


Problem

Hardware and software requirements for IBM Spectrum Protect Linux® zSeries backup-archive client and API

Cause


 

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. Use the following links to go to the section of the document that you require.



 

Release 8.1

Hardware
System Any z system, as supported by Linux distribution in 64-bit mode
Disk Space 500 MB disk space required to install the client
Note: using the web user interface requires 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 fulfill. More RAM might be required to run the product.
Note: using the web user interface requires minimum 4 GB RAM (preferred 8 GB RAM)
Software
Communication Protocol
  • Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), which comes standard with Linux
  • Shared Memory (with zSeries Linux IBM Spectrum Protect server only)
Operating systems
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11
  • SLES 12
  • SLES 15 (Beginning with 8.1.6)
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6
  • RHEL 7
  • RHEL 8 (Beginning with 8.1.9)
Attention: The operating system kernel in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) versions 7.8 and 8.2 is incompatible with the IBM Spectrum Protect backup-archive client journal-based backup kernel extension. If you are running an earlier version of RHEL with journal-based backups, and then you upgrade to RHEL 7.8 or later, or 8.2 or later, then journal-based backup no longer works. This issue is fixed in the backup-archive client version 7.1.8.9 and 8.1.11 on all Linux platforms, see also APAR IT33132
File system For supported file systems, see: File system and ACL support

Supported IBM Spectrum Scale (previously known as GPFS) versions:
  • IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2.1 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.0) 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 4.2.2 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.0) 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 4.2.3 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.2) 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 5.0.0 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.4) 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 5.0.1 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.6) 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 5.0.2 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.6) 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 5.0.3 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.7) 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 5.0.4 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.8) on operating systems
    • SLES 15 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    • RHEL 8 or later service pack and maintenance levels (Beginning with 8.1.9)
  • IBM Spectrum Scale 5.0.5 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.9) on operating systems
    • SLES 15 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    • RHEL 7.8 or later service pack and maintenance levels (with IBM Spectrum Scale 5.0.5.1 or later)
    • RHEL 8 or later service pack and maintenance levels
  • IBM Spectrum Scale 5.1.0 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.11) on operating systems
    • SLES 15.2 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    • RHEL 7.9 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    • RHEL 8.2 or later service pack and maintenance levels
  • IBM Spectrum Scale 5.1.1 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.12) on operating systems
    • SLES 15.2 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    • RHEL 7.9 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    • RHEL 8.3 or later service pack and maintenance levels
  • IBM Spectrum Scale 5.1.2.1 or later fix pack (Beginning with 8.1.13) on operating systems
    • SLES 15.3 or later service pack and maintenance levels
    • RHEL 8.4 or later service pack and maintenance levels
Attention: Upgrade to IBM Spectrum Protect backup-archive client 8.1.11 before you upgrade to IBM Spectrum Scale 5.0.5 or later. See Flash: (Linux only) Upgrade to IBM Spectrum Protect backup-archive client 8.1.11 before you upgrade to IBM Spectrum Scale 5.0.5 or later.
More Software
The web backup-archive client requires Java™: JRE 7 or JRE 8
Note:
  • Backup-archive client 8.1.0: web client is supported when it is running in a Mozilla Firefox browser.
  • Backup-archive client 8.1.2-8.1.7: you can no longer use the web client to connect to the IBM Spectrum Protect 8.1.2 or later 8.1 server or the 7.1.8 or later 7.1 server. For more information, see Using the web client in the new security environment
  • Backup-archive client 8.1.8 and later: a new web user interface is supported when it is running in a Mozilla Firefox browser.
    Note: The web user interface requires IBM Spectrum Protect 8.1.2 or later 8.1 server or the 7.1.8 or later 7.1 server.
For EXT2/EXT3/XFS access control list (ACL) support, you need the ACL package.
Linux kernel 5.2 or later introduces the Ext 4 casefold feature. This feature is not supported for backup and restore operations with the 8.1 backup-archive client.
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.
IBM Spectrum Scale - Scale Out backup and restore (SOBAR) supported.
Note:
  • On IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2.3, you need at least IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2.3.5 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.
  • There is no IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management client 8.1.4, use the 8.1.2.1 client (both IBM Spectrum Protect backup-archive and IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management) if SOBAR function is needed.
  • For IBM Spectrum Protect for Space Management client requirements, see: Linux z Systems HSM requirements
The function mmbackup in the IBM Spectrum Scale 5.0.4 or earlier does not work in combination with the IBM Spectrum Protect backup-archive client 8.1.10. For IBM Spectrum Scale 5.0.4 see APAR IJ22017,  for IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2.3 see APAR IJ22035.
The IBM Global Security Kit (GSKit) provides libraries and utilities for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or the Transport Layer Security (TLS) communication, which is used by IBM Spectrum Protect product components. The GSKit levels included in IBM Spectrum Protect are listed in GSKit levels distributed by IBM Spectrum Protect



 

Release 7.1

Tip: The product now known as IBM Spectrum Protect was named IBM Tivoli Storage Manager in releases earlier than 7.1.3. To learn more about the rebranding transition, see Tivoli Storage Manager branding transition to IBM Spectrum Protect.
 
Note: IBM Spectrum Protect and IBM Tivoli Storage Manager 7.1 reached end of support (EOS) at 31 December 2021.
 
Hardware
System Any z system, as supported by Linux distribution in 64-bit mode
Disk Space 500 MB disk space required to install the client, and all language packs.
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 fulfill. More RAM might be required to run the product.
Software
Communication Protocol
  • TCP/IP, which comes standard with Linux
  • Shared Memory (with zSeries Linux IBM Spectrum Protect server only)
Operating systems
 
  • SLES 11
  • SLES 12 (Beginning with 7.1.2)
  • RHEL 5
  • RHEL 6
  • RHEL 7 (Beginning with 7.1.1)
Note: The operating system kernel in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) version 7.8 is incompatible with the IBM Spectrum Protect backup-archive client journal-based backup kernel extension. If you are running an earlier version of RHEL with journal-based backups, and then you upgrade to RHEL 7.8 or later, then journal-based backup no longer works. This issue is fixed in the backup-archive client 7.1.8.9 and 8.1.11 on all Linux platforms, see also APAR IT33132

Note: Due to security reasons, the backup-archive client 7.1.8.13 and later packages have been built to support SHA256 digest. On RHEL 5.x, whose support ended on November 30, 2020, those rpm packages are not installable. Therefore, beginning with IBM Spectrum Protect backup-archive client level 7.1.8.13, the operating system RHEL 5 is no longer supported. 
 
Note: Starting with 7.1.8, due to technical reasons, two RHEL packages are being delivered for the Linux on System z client -- one general package, and one special package for RHEL 5 support. Use the latter package only for the RHEL5 operating system. The special package for RHEL 5 is available on the FTP server. See download page: IBM Spectrum Protect Client 7.1.8 Downloads and readme files
File system

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

The following GPFS versions are supported on SLES 12 and RHEL 7.1:
  • GPFS 4.2.0 or later fix pack levels (Beginning with 7.1.4)
  • GPFS 4.2.1 or later fix pack levels (Beginning with 7.1.6)
Note: GPFS and IBM Spectrum Protect use GSKit library and both include GSKit library in their packages. The GSKit library included in the IBM Spectrum Protect backup-archive client 7.1.8.5 and later packages is not compatible with the GSKit library that is included in the GPFS versions supported by IBM Spectrum Protect backup-archive client 7.1. To reset the library path before GPFS commands start IBM Spectrum Protect backup-archive client commands, and run the manual steps described in APAR IJ03770.
More Software
Web backup-archive client requires:
  • Before 7.1.2.1: the Java plug-in included in JRE 7
  • Beginning with 7.1.2.1: 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 requires 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.
To use the Common Inventory Technology components in a pure 64-bit Linux environment, the following 32-bit runtime support packages must be installed:
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 fuse-libs version 2 package.
Journal-Based backup (JBB) supported on:
  • RHEL 7 and SLES 12, in addition to previously supported distributions (Beginning with 7.1.2)
  • RHEL 7.1 (Beginning with 7.1.4)
IBM Spectrum Scale SOBAR supported.
Note:
  • Requires IBM Spectrum Scale 4.2 (previously known as GPFS) or later
  • 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 z Systems HSM requirements
The IBM Global Security Kit (GSKit) provides libraries and utilities for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or the Transport Layer Security (TLS) communication, which is used by IBM Spectrum Protect product components. The GSKit levels included in IBM Spectrum Protect are listed in GSKit levels distributed by IBM Spectrum Protect



 

End of Support (EOS) releases

Note:

  • The LAN-free client also requires IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for Storage Area Networks (5608-SAN).



 

Client Components Offered

Administrative Backup-archive client Space management client (HSM)
(Beginning with 7.1.4)		 API client
Command line interface Graphical user interface
(Beginning with 8.1.10)		 Command line interface Web browser interface Graphical user interface Command line interface Interface
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Document Information

Modified date:
26 January 2022

UID

swg21066436

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