Question & Answer
Question
Use of iSCSI initiator within a VMware guest for individual file recovery from a full VM image on an unsupported platform is provided on a minimal support basis as defined in this technote.
Cause
Link to Data Protection for VMware software requirements: Requirements Documents: IBM Storage Protect for Virtual Environments.
Note: The product now known as IBM Storage Protect was named IBM Spectrum Protect in levels earlier than 8.1.19. To learn more about the brand change, see IBM Spectrum brand change to IBM Storage.
Note: IBM Spectrum Protect and IBM Tivoli Storage Manager 7.1 reached end of support (EOS) at 31 December 2021. See also IBM Spectrum Protect and Tivoli Storage Manager 7.1 products End of Support 31 December 2021.
Answer
"MINIMAL SUPPORT" DEFINITION
- IBM Support accepts calls from customers that use the mount component of the Data Protection for VMware Windows recovery agent with an iSCSI initiator to perform file-level recovery from a full VM image backup on the operating systems, distributions, and release levels listed in the following sections. This support applies only when you use the iSCSI initiator inside a Linux virtual machine guest to establish a connection to the recovery agent. It does not apply to using with a mount proxy to perform mount operations via the Data Protection for VMware user interface or to perform file recovery operations via the File Recovery portal
- IBM Support does not requires that the customer re-create the problem on an officially supported Microsoft Windows or Linux operating system before you call in for support
- IBM Support does cease problem determination if the problem is determined to be unique to the operating systems, distributions, or release levels listed in the following sections. The problem must then be pursued with that distribution's provider or community.
Minimal support with Data Protection for VMware 8.1:
Operating systems, distribution, and release levels eligible for minimal support with IBM Storage Protect for Virtual Environments Data Protection for VMware 8.1:
- Linux - CentOS 6 and 7
- Linux - Debian 7 and 8
- Linux - Fedora 24 and 25
- Linux - OpenSUSE 13 and 42
- Linux - Scientific Linux 6 and 7
- Linux - Ubuntu 14.04 and 16.04
Support considerations
- The iSCSI initiator is used with the Mount component of the Data Protection for VMware Windows recovery agent to achieve individual file recovery from full VM backup images; the Windows Mount acts as the iSCSI target and exposes (or presents) a snapshot of a backup copy of a disk to the iSCSI initiator, which in turn can read data from the exposed disk. The Data Protection for Windows recovery agent must be deployed on an officially supported platform.
- This support statement is only pertinent to the use of an iSCSI initiator with the Mount component of the Data Protection for VMware Windows recovery agent as an iSCSI target. This support statement does not pertain to the use of the Data Protection for VMware Linux Mount product.
- The iSCSI initiator and required open-iscsi administration utility, iscsiadm, are a prerequisite software requirement on all Linux distributions. As is the case with the officially supported distributions, support for installation of prerequisite software is outside of the scope of the minimal support outlined in this document.
- No IBM Tivoli Storage Manager components need to be installed in the virtual machine guest, which is the target of a file recovery operation (that is, the machine hosting the iSCSI initiator).
- The iSCSI protocol allows the user to expose a disk over the TCP/IP protocol; in this specific case in order to expose a backup of a VMware virtual machine disk to a guest operating system running Linux or Microsoft Windows. Once the disk is exposed by using the iSCSI protocol, the process of mounting the logical partitions contained on the exposed disk to the operating system is outside of the scope of the supported outlined in this document. This includes partitions hosted on GUID Partition Table (GPT) disk partitions, partitions hosted on Windows dynamic disks, Linux Logical Volume Manager (LVM) managed partitions, and partitions managed by any other type of Microsoft Windows or Linux volume managers.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For more technical information about using an iSCSI initiator with the Data Protection for VMware Windows recovery agent to achieve individual file recovery from full VM backup images, see iSCSI initiator with Tivoli Storage Manager Data Protection for VMware to perform individual file recovery.
Related Information
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Document Information
Modified date:
07 February 2024
UID
swg21474116