Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM), now known as IBM Storage Protect, is an enterprise solution for data protection widely used by businesses and institutions for automating data backup and recovery operations. This solution utilizes the TSM client or TSM Backup/Archive (B/A) client to create selective or incremental backups of data on LTO tapes or use them for data recovery.
TSM works on virtual models consisting of rewritable disk volumes (removable) and magnetic tape media to protect data. It creates a data storage pool of homogenous storage media (disk pool and magnetic tape pool) and arranges them in a hierarchy. Based on the policies defined, the platform manages the type of data to be stored in each storage pool. For example, removable media is mainly used for storing DB2 archived log files, application group data, and migrated index data. On the other hand, LTO tapes are used for archiving data for extended durations.
Sometimes, you face a situation where the LTO tape media becomes inaccessible, leading to a data loss situation. This might happen due to varied reasons, such as backup configuration issues, tape drive failure, incompatible tape parser, and others. If your LTO tape, backed up using TSM, becomes inaccessible, then read this post to know how to effectively recover data from LTO tape drive.
Recover Data from LTO Tape backed up using Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM)
Every platform uses specific format and block structure to store data on LTO tape drives. So, it is not easy to recover data from LTO tape drives with standard methods. However, you can use specialized LTO tape data recovery software that can recover data from LTO tapes backed up using different backup applications or platforms. Stellar Data Recovery for Tape Toolkit is one such powerful tape data recovery tool that can help you retrieve data from LTO tape backed up using Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM).
The software lets you recover all types of data archived on a tape, including SQL database, MySQL database, Exchange database, Oracle database, accounting documents, and other files, like documents, photos, videos, etc., with ease.
This advanced tape data recovery software supports widely used tape data parsers, like Veritas (.BKF and compressed .BKF), Tivoli Storage Manager (B/A Client), Symantec, Symantec Compressed Backup, and more. It can recover data from all LTO tape generations, including LTO-1, LTO-2, LTO-3, LTO-4, LTO-5, LTO-6, LTO-7, LTO-8, and LTO-9.
Now, let’s see how to recover data from an LTO tape using Stellar Data Recovery for Tape Toolkit:
- Purchase and install Stellar Data Recovery for Tape Toolkit on PC running on Windows/Windows Server OS.
- Connect the tape drive (from which you want to recover the data) to the PC. It should be compatible with the tape cartridge.
- Launch the software.
- Click on Create Image and click Next.
- Click on Browse to select the location where you wish to save the tape drive image.
- Next, choose Auto from the dropdown list in the Block Size field. This will select the pre-defined block size and ensure faster processing and image creation.
- Click Create to initiate the tape drive image creation process.
- The software will show the progress of image creation process. Wait for the process to complete.
- After the image is successfully created, click on Scan to scan it.
- After scanning the tape image, the software will display all the recoverable files in a preview window. Select a file to preview it.
- Now, click on Save in the ribbon.
- The Save dialog box will appear. Choose either the Default Path or User Defined Path to save the data.
- After selecting the destination path, click on Save. The software will start saving the recovered tape backup data at the selected location.
- You will see the Process Complete dialog box once the saving process is complete.
The recovered files will be saved at the selected destination.
Conclusion
If you have lost data from LTO tape backed up using Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM), then the best option is to use a powerful LTO tape data recovery software. Stellar Data Recovery for Tape Toolkit is one such software that can help you recover the lost data from LTO tape drives backed up using different backup applications or data parsers. This software can easily read the files and folders archived on magnetic tape media and recover them. It supports tape drives of all makes and models, and brands including IBM, Quantum, HP, and Oracle.
