Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager Virtualization Support

Content

This document explains the virtualization support available with IBM Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager.

Note: Not all platforms and components are supported with all levels of the FlashCopy Manager product, or with all releases of the product.
To determine which platforms and components are supported in each FlashCopy Manager release, please refer to the HW & SW Requirements documents related to the release that you are using in your environment. Links to HW & SW requirements information is available via this link: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21427692

This document is divided into linked sections for ease of navigation. You may use the links below to jump to the desired section of the document.

Physical and Virtual Partitions
IBM PowerVM Hypervisor
VMware ESX Guest OS
VMware vSphere Support
Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) Guest OS
Microsoft Windows Hyper-V Guest OS
Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager HW & SW Requirements

Physical and Virtual Partitions

All FlashCopy Manager components are supported on physical machines that have been physically or virtually partitioned such that each partition is provisioned with dedicated, discrete resources (CPU, memory, I/O).

Some examples of such supported physical or virtual partitions:

• IBM Logical Partitions (LPAR)
• IBM Dynamic Logical Partitions (DLPAR)
• Sun Dynamic System Domains (DSD)

If other virtualization technologies are used in conjunction with the physical or virtual partitions, such that the resources are then purely virtual (not dedicated) and/or are not discrete, you must use the support tables below for that virtualization technology to determine whether FlashCopy Manager components are supported in that environment.


IBM PowerVM Hypervisor

The following table details the support position for FlashCopy Manager component in relation to the IBM PowerVM hypervisor which is integrated into the POWER hardware architecture which runs both AIX and Linux.

FlashCopy Manager Component Name	Platforms Applicable to this Component	Supports VM Guest OS Instances?	Comments / Restrictions
FlashCopy MMC Snapin and Base System Services Note: This component includes the File System and Custom Application support feature for Windows added in V3.1.	Windows	N/A	This component only supports Windows. Therefore, this virtualization technology is not applicable to this component.
FlashCopy Manager VSS Requestor	Windows	N/A	This component only supports Windows. Therefore, this virtualization technology is not applicable to this component.
FlashCopy Manager for Microsoft Exchange	Windows	N/A	This component only supports Windows. Therefore, this virtualization technology is not applicable to this component.
FlashCopy Manager for Microsoft SQL Server	Windows	N/A	This component only supports Windows. Therefore, this virtualization technology is not applicable to this component.
FlashCopy Manager for DB2	AIX, Unix, Linux	Yes	Supported with AIX OS instances only
FlashCopy Manager for Oracle	AIX, Unix, Linux	Yes	Supported with AIX OS instances only
FlashCopy Manager for Oracle with SAP® environments	AIX, Unix, Linux	Yes	Supported with AIX OS instances only
FlashCopy Manager for Custom Applications	AIX, Unix, Linux	Yes	Supported with AIX OS instances only
FlashCopy Manager for VMware	Linux	N/A	This component is designed to support VMware environments specifically. Therefore, this virtualization technology is not applicable to this component.

VMware ESX Guest OS

The following table details the support position for FlashCopy Manager component operations when running inside of a VMware ESX virtual guest OS instance. This includes all versions of ESX and ESXi currently supported by VMware.

Note: The FlashCopy Manager product supports third-party products and is only supported in this virtualized environment when the requisite third-party components are also supported by the virtualized environment.

FlashCopy Manager Component Name	Platforms Applicable to this Component	Supports VM Guest OS Instances?	Comments / Restrictions
FlashCopy MMC Snapin and Base System Services Note: This component includes the File System and Custom Application support feature for Windows added in V3.1.	Windows	Yes
FlashCopy Manager VSS Requestor	Windows	Yes	No support for LAN-Free data movement Supports Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS)-based backups Instant restore and off-loaded (transportable) backups must be supported by the VSS hardware provider
FlashCopy Manager for Microsoft Exchange	Windows	Yes
FlashCopy Manager for Microsoft SQL Server	Windows	Yes
FlashCopy Manager for DB2	AIX, Unix, Linux	Varies	See Notes that immediately follow this table.
FlashCopy Manager for Oracle	AIX, Unix, Linux	Varies	See Notes that immediately follow this table.
FlashCopy Manager for Oracle with SAP® environments	AIX, Unix, Linux	Varies	See Notes that immediately follow this table.
FlashCopy Manager for Custom Applications	AIX, Unix, Linux	Varies	See Notes that immediately follow this table.
FlashCopy Manager for VMware	Linux	Yes	FlashCopy Manager for VMware is intended to operate at a VMware datastore level from outside of the VM Guest OS. It is not needed to be installed inside of the VM Guest OS. However, this component can be installed into a Guest OS instance so that you can use this instance to backup/restore your whole VMware vCenter. Note: You must exclude this Guest OS instance, where FlashCopy Manager is installed, from the VM backup.

VMware ESX guest OS support Notes:

1. With Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager 3.1.x, and 3.2.x, the following components are not supported when running inside of a VMware ESX virtual guest OS instance:

• FlashCopy Manager for DB2
• FlashCopy Manager for Oracle
• FlashCopy Manager for Oracle with SAP® environments
• FlashCopy Manager for Custom Applications

2. Starting with Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager 4.1, the following components are supported when running inside of a VMware ESX virtual guest OS instance:

• FlashCopy Manager for DB2
• FlashCopy Manager for Oracle
• FlashCopy Manager for Oracle with SAP® environments
• FlashCopy Manager for Custom Applications

3. Please refer to one of the following information resources:

• Section 1.1.7 of the Preinstallation Checklist attached to: Hardware and Software Requirements: Version 4.1 FlashCopy® Manager - All Unix Components http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21650875
• Section 1.1.7 of the Preinstallation Checklist attached to: Hardware and Software Requirements: Version 4.1.1 FlashCopy® Manager - All Unix Components http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21684506
• Section 1.1.7 of the Preinstallation Checklist attached to: Hardware and Software Requirements: Version 4.1.3 FlashCopy® Manager - All Unix Components http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21963353
• The "Virtualized Environments" section of the "Known Issues and Limitations: Version 4.1 Tivoli Storage FlashCopy® Manager - all Unix Components http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21650880

for additional details, and limitations, associated with this support.



VMware vSphere

The following table details the support position for FlashCopy Manager components that operate at a VMware datastore level from outside the VM Guest OS.

FlashCopy Manager Component Name	Platforms Applicable to this Component	Supported?	Comments / Restrictions
FlashCopy MMC Snapin and Base System Services Note: This component includes the File System and Custom Application support feature for Windows added in V3.1.	Windows	No
FlashCopy Manager VSS Requestor	Windows	No
FlashCopy Manager for Microsoft Exchange	Windows	No
FlashCopy Manager for Microsoft SQL Server	Windows	No
FlashCopy Manager for DB2	AIX, Unix, Linux	No
FlashCopy Manager for Oracle	AIX, Unix, Linux	No
FlashCopy Manager for Oracle with SAP® environments	AIX, Unix, Linux	No
FlashCopy Manager for Custom Applications	AIX, Unix, Linux	No
FlashCopy Manager for VMware	Linux	Yes	FlashCopy Manager for VMware operates at a VMware datastore level from outside the VM Guest OS.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) Guest OS

The following table details the support position for FlashCopy Manager component operations when running inside of a Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) guest OS.

Note: The FlashCopy Manager product supports third-party products and is only supported in this virtualized environment when the requisite third-party components are also supported by the virtualized environment.

FlashCopy Manager Component Name	Platforms Applicable to this Component	Supports VM Guest OS Instances?	Comments / Restrictions
FlashCopy MMC Snapin and Base System Services Note: This component includes the File System and Custom Application support feature for Windows added in V3.1.	Windows	Yes
FlashCopy Manager VSS Requestor	Windows	Yes	No support for LAN-Free data movement Supports Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS)-based backups Instant restore and off-loaded (transportable) backups must be supported by the VSS hardware provider
FlashCopy Manager for Microsoft Exchange	Windows	Yes
FlashCopy Manager for Microsoft SQL Server	Windows	Yes
FlashCopy Manager for DB2	AIX, Unix, Linux	Varies	See Notes that immediately follow this table.
FlashCopy Manager for Oracle	AIX, Unix, Linux	Varies	See Notes that immediately follow this table.
FlashCopy Manager for Oracle with SAP® environments	AIX, Unix, Linux	Varies	See Notes that immediately follow this table.
FlashCopy Manager for Custom Applications	AIX, Unix, Linux	Varies	See Notes that immediately follow this table.
FlashCopy Manager for VMware	Linux	No	This component is designed to support VMware environments specifically. Therefore, this virtualization technology is not applicable to this component.

KVM guest OS support Notes:

1. With Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager 3.1.x, and 3.2.x, the following components are not supported when running inside of a KVM virtual guest OS instance:
• FlashCopy Manager for DB2
• FlashCopy Manager for Oracle
• FlashCopy Manager for Oracle with SAP® environments
• FlashCopy Manager for Custom Applications

2. Starting with Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager 4.1, the following components are supported when running inside of a KVM virtual guest OS instance:
• FlashCopy Manager for DB2
• FlashCopy Manager for Oracle
• FlashCopy Manager for Oracle with SAP® environments
• FlashCopy Manager for Custom Applications

3. Please refer to one of the following information resources:
• Section 1.1.8 of the Preinstallation Checklist attached to: Hardware and Software Requirements: Version 4.1 FlashCopy® Manager - All Unix Components http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21650875
• Section 1.1.8 of the Preinstallation Checklist attached to: Hardware and Software Requirements: Version 4.1.1 FlashCopy® Manager - All Unix Components http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21684506
• Section 1.1.8 of the Preinstallation Checklist attached to: Hardware and Software Requirements: Version 4.1.3 FlashCopy® Manager - All Unix Components
  http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21963353
• The "Virtualized Environments" section of the "Known Issues and Limitations: Version 4.1 Tivoli Storage FlashCopy® Manager - all Unix Components http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21650880
for additional details, and limitations, associated with this support.

Microsoft Windows Hyper-V Guest OS

The following table details the support position for FlashCopy Manager component operations when running inside of a Microsoft Windows Hyper-V guest OS instance.

FlashCopy Manager Component Name	Platforms Applicable to this Component	Supports VM Guest OS Instances?	Comments / Restrictions
FlashCopy MMC Snapin and Base System Services Note: This component includes the File System and Custom Application support feature for Windows added in V3.1.	Windows	Yes
FlashCopy Manager VSS Requestor	Windows	Yes	No support for LAN-Free data movement Supports Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS)-based backups Instant restore and off-loaded (transportable) backups must be supported by the VSS hardware provider
FlashCopy Manager for Microsoft Exchange	Windows	Yes
FlashCopy Manager for Microsoft SQL Server	Windows	Yes
FlashCopy Manager for DB2	AIX, Unix, Linux	No	This component only supports AIX, Unix, and Linux. Therefore, this virtualization technology is not applicable to this component.
FlashCopy Manager for Oracle	AIX, Unix, Linux	No	This component only supports AIX, Unix, and Linux. Therefore, this virtualization technology is not applicable to this component.
FlashCopy Manager for Oracle with SAP® environments	AIX, Unix, Linux	No	This component only supports AIX, Unix, and Linux. Therefore, this virtualization technology is not applicable to this component.
FlashCopy Manager for Custom Applications	AIX, Unix, Linux	No	This component only supports AIX, Unix, and Linux. Therefore, this virtualization technology is not applicable to this component.
FlashCopy Manager for VMware	Linux	No	This component is designed to support VMware environments specifically. Therefore, this virtualization technology is not applicable to this component.

Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager HW & SW Requirements
Detailed HW & SW Requirements for all supported Tivoli Storage FlashCopy Manager releases are available via the "All Requirements Doc" located at: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21427692