VSS Options

Use the VSS Options property page to configure preferences that are used during VSS backup and restore operations.

Default Backup Destination
Select the default storage location for data backups.
Tip: You must have the IBM Spectrum Protect Snapshot license to use the IBM Spectrum Protect software. If you have only the Data Protection license, only the IBM Spectrum Protect option is enabled.
You can select from the following storage locations:
IBM Spectrum Protect server
The backup is stored only on IBM Spectrum Protect server storage. Select this option for workloads that are configured with IBM Spectrum Protect server. For Exchange Server and SQL Server, IBM Spectrum Protect server is the default backup destination.
Local
The backup is stored only on a local disk. For custom application and file system data, a local backup is the default backup destination.
Both
The backup is stored on IBM Spectrum Protect server storage and on a local disk. Select this option for workloads that are configured with IBM Spectrum Protect server.

For IBM Spectrum Protect configurations, the backups can be stored on a local disk, but managed on the IBM Spectrum Protect server. The IBM Spectrum Protect server maintains the metadata, that is, the information about where the local snapshot is stored.

Local DSMAGENT Node name
Specify the node name for the DSM Agent node of the local client system that creates the VSS backups.
Remote DSMAGENT Node name
Specify the node name of the system that moves the VSS data to IBM Spectrum Protect server storage during offloaded backups. If you do not use offloaded backups, you can leave this field blank.

If you are running offloaded backups, a dedicated (and unique) remote DSM agent node must exist for each local DSM agent node.

Import VSS snapshots only when needed
Select the check box to have IBM Spectrum Protect Snapshot import VSS snapshots to the Windows system where the snapshots are created. The check box is selected by default. During backup processing, transportable snapshots are automatically created and imported to storage systems when the snapshots are required.
Ensure that the check box is selected if you want to take the following actions:
  • Run instant restore operations on some IBM® and non-IBM storage systems by enabling the storage system to create transportable snapshots during backups
  • Import the VSS snapshots to a local server
  • Keep more than 100 backup versions
  • Extend the number of LUNs that the server can use, for example, in a VMWare environment
    Tip: If you work in a VMware environment and want to use VMware vMotion, ensure that the LUNs are correctly zoned to the ESX hosts. The import process maps the VSS snapshot to the ESX host where the Windows virtual machine is running.

Clear the check box if you do not want to create transportable VSS snapshots during backup processing and automatically import the snapshot to storage systems after the backup is completed.

During Instant Restore, automatically stop and restart necessary Microsoft Exchange services
When this option is selected, during instant restore operations, the following Microsoft Exchange services are, as necessary, automatically stopped and restarted:
  • (DAG environments only) Exchange Replication Service
  • (Exchange 2013, 2016, and 2019 only) Exchange Search Host Controller Service
Mount read only
Select the check box to specify that backups are to be mounted as read-only VSS snapshots by default. However, at mount time, you can override this value and do a read/write mount. If you change the default, the corresponding update is made in your configuration file automatically.
Mount read/write (modifies backup, applies to COPY backups only)
Select the check box to specify that backups are to be mounted as read/write VSS snapshots by default. You can mount only COPY backups as read/write and after mounting, the original backup is modified and can no longer be used as a restore point in future database restore operations. However, at mount time, you can override this value and do a read-only mount.
Mount read/write (without modifying backup)
Select this check box to specify that backups are to be mounted as read/write copies of the backup by default. With this option, you can mount both FULL and COPY backup types as read/write. After mounting, the original backup is not modified and you can use it again in future database restore operations. However, at mount time you can override this value and do a read-only mount.
This mount option is only available for the following devices:
  • SAN Volume Controller (SVC) devices, which requires IBM System Storage® Support for Microsoft Virtual Disk and Volume Shadow Copy Services version 4.12 or later. Dynamic target allocation is not supported.
  • XIV® system devices, which requires IBM Spectrum Accelerate Family Provider for Microsoft Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service version 2.9 or later.
You must allocate extra target volumes on your SVC storage device to accommodate the number of concurrent read/write mounts you want to do. An extra target volume that matches the size of the volume to be mounted is needed for each concurrent read/write mount of that volume.