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IBM Spectrum Protect 8.1.16 Server Requirements and Support for Linux on Power Systems (little endian)

Detailed System Requirements


Abstract

IBM Spectrum Protect 8.1.16 for Linux on Power Systems (little endian) Server requirements and support.

Content

Minimum Hardware and Software Requirements
This document describes the minimum hardware and software required to install and run the IBM Spectrum Protect 8.1.16 server on Linux on Power Systems (little endian).
Hardware requirements
Type of hardware Hardware requirements
General A Linux on Power Systems (little endian) server on an IBM system, such as one listed on the Linux on IBM Power Systems website1: http://www.ibm.com/systems/power/software/linux/about/index.html
Disk space
The following minimum disk space:
  • 7.5 GB for the installation directory
  • 2.5 GB for the /var directory
  • 4 GB for the /tmp directory
  • 128 MB in the home directory for the root user.
  • 2 GB for the shared resources area
In case a problem arises and any diagnosis is needed, it is optimal to have temporary or other space available on the system for a first failure data capture (FFDC) log or for other temporary uses such as for collecting trace logs.
Notes:
1. For servers running on POWER10 processors, the only supported tape devices are IBM LTO, IBM 3592, and compatible tape devices that use the IBM lin_tape device driver.  Tape devices that require a different device driver, including devices that use the IBM Spectrum Protect tape device driver, are not supported on POWER10.

Significant additional disk space is required for database and log files. The size of the database depends on the number of client files to be stored and the method by which the server manages them. The default active log space is 16 GB, the minimum that is needed for most workloads and configurations. When you create the active log, you need at least 64 GB to run replication. If replication and data deduplication are both being used, create an active log of 128 GB. Allocate at least three times the default active log space for the archive log (48 GB). Ensure that you have sufficient resources if you are using data deduplication or expect a heavy client workload.
For optimal performance and to facilitate I/O, specify at least two equally sized containers or Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs) for the database. In addition, each active log and archive log needs its own container or LUN.
Memory The following minimum values for memory:
  • 16 GB for standard server operations without data deduplication and node replication
  • 24 GB for data deduplication or node replication
  • 32 GB for node replication with data deduplication
For more specific memory requirements for larger databases and higher ingestion capability, see the IBM Spectrum Protect server memory tuning table.
For more specific memory requirements when you are using data deduplication, see the IBM Spectrum Protect Blueprint for your operating system.
Software requirements
Type of software Minimum software requirements
Operating System
The IBM Spectrum Protect server on Linux on Power Systems (little endian) requires one of the following operating systems:
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.1 or later RHEL 8 levels
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.6 or later RHEL 7 levels
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15, SP1 or later SLES 15 levels
  • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12, SP4 or later SLES 12 levels
  • Ubuntu Server LTS 18.04 or later Ubuntu Server 18.04 levels.
  • Ubuntu Server LTS 20.04 or later Ubuntu Server 20.04 levels.
Restrictions:
  • The storage area network (SAN) discovery feature is not supported on Ubuntu Server LTS
Libraries
GNU C libraries, Version 2.4-31.30 and later.
  • libaio.so.1 (32-bit and 64-bit packages)
  • libnuma.so.1
Restriction: SELinux must be disabled for IBM Spectrum Protect installations and upgrades. To determine if SELinux is installed and in enforcing mode, take one of the following actions:
  • Check the /etc/sysconfig/selinux file.
  • Run the sestatus operating system command.
  • Check the /var/log/messages file for SELinux notices.
To disable SELinux, complete one of the following tasks:
  • Set permissive mode by issuing the setenforce 0 command as a superuser.
  • Modify the /etc/sysconfig/selinux file and restart the machine.
Communication protocol
  • TCP/IP Version 4 or Version 6, which is standard with Linux
  • Shared memory protocol (with IBM Spectrum Protect Linux on Power Systems (little endian) client)
Processing Asynchronous I/O must be enabled. On Linux kernels at 2.6 or later, install the libaio library to enable asynchronous I/O.
Device drivers
The IBM Spectrum Protect passthru device driver is used for non-IBM devices.  It uses the SCSI passthru interface to communicate with tape devices and tape libraries. The Linux SCSI Generic (sg) device driver is required for tape drives and tape libraries. The IBM Spectrum Protect device driver package contains device driver tools and ACSLS daemons.

For the IBM 3590, 3592, or the Ultrium tape library or drives, the IBM device drivers are required. Install the most current device drivers. You can locate IBM driver packages at Fix Central.

Configure the device drivers before you use the IBM Spectrum Protect server with tape devices.
Other software
  • Korn Shell (ksh)
  • To authenticate IBM Spectrum Protect users with a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server, you must use one of the following directory servers:
    • Microsoft Active Directory (Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019)
    • IBM Security Directory Server V6.3.1
    • IBM Security Directory Server V6.4

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Document Information

Modified date:
16 September 2022

UID

ibm16616687

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