Further Client Configuration

1. Start the GUI client by running "Backup-Archive GUI" from the IBM Spectrum Protect or Tivoli Storage Manager (depending on version installed) program group.
   
   
   
   
2. Enter the password for your node if prompted.
   
   
   
   
3. Edit your preferences: Edit -> Client Preferences

• The options are organized under tabs on the left size of the screen. Some tabs will be skipped because no changes are needed.
• If the option is not mentioned then the defaults are recommended for most users
  

General tab:

• Optional: Automatic Client Deployment (default: Yes)
  
• The Bucky Backup team may offer to automatically deploy client upgrades
• Selecting "No" will not allow automatic client deployments
• Recommended: "Yes, if no reboot is required."
• Recommended: Error Log (default: not pruned)
  
• This setting allows the client to truncate the error log by pruning entries older than X number of days. The defaults will allow the file to grow indefinitely.
  
• Recommended: Default file name
• Recommended: "Prune old entries" checked
• Recommended: 30 days

Backup tab:

• Compression Settings
  
• See also: Bucky Backup - Compression in TSM
  
• Compressing your backups saves on costs.
  
• Compressing data that's already compressed can result in the file growing larger than the original size.
• Files can be excluded from compression. See KB 25685 and 25684. 
  

• Recommended: "Compress objects" checked
  
• Optional: "Continue compressing if object grows" (default: unchecked)
• Unchecked will cause the client to stop sending a file if it detects that compression caused it to grow. This may save on costs, but may cause backup times to increase.
• Checked will cause the client to continue sending even if the object grows during compression.
• Domain for Backup
• Allows users to choose which file systems to backup
  
• Required: Backup type should be "Incremental".
  
• Recommended: Most users should check the box for "Back up all local file systems".
  
• Optional: If you have local file systems that you want to exclude or mounted network file systems you want to include, uncheck the box and select them in the list.

Snapshot tab:

• Using snapshots helps to prevent backup errors due to open and changing files
  
• Image Snapshot Preferences
• Enable snapshot based online image backup using: (default: Do not use a snapshot)
  
• Recommended: VSS
• Enable snapshot based file backup/archive using: (default: Do not use a snapshot)
• Recommended: VSS

Scheduler tab:

• Schedule Mode (default: Prompted)
  
• Required: Polling
• Recommended: Query Schedule Interval: 12 hours
• Error Log (default: not pruned)
  
• This setting allows the client to truncate the schedule log by pruning entries older than X number of days. The defaults will allow the file to grow indefinitely.
  
• Recommended: Default file name
• Recommended: "Prune old entries" checked
• Recommended: 30 days

Authorization Tab

• Password Access (default: Password Prompt)
  
• Password Generate allows the client to save the password to allow automatic backups.
  
• Password Generate will also automatically generate and change a password that has expired. Bucky Backup may be required to automatically expire passwords.
  
• Required: Password Generate
• Encryption Key (default: Save)
  
• See also: Bucky Backup - Encryption 
• Recommended: "Generate encryption key password"
• Encryption Type (default: 128-bit AES)
• Recommended: "256-bit AES)

Web Client tab

• The Spectrum Protect client includes a feature that allows remote access via a self-contained web server, which was useful before remote desktop access was widely available in Windows.
  
• This feature was not widely used and has had frequent security vulnerabilities, so we recommend disabling it.
  
• IBM has plans to remove the feature from future client versions. 
• Managed Services Options
  
• Recommended: Scheduler
• This allows only the client acceptor daemon to run as a managed service

Deduplication tab

• The Spectrum Protect client support deduplication of data from the client side.
  
• Deduplication happens on a server level regardless of this setting and indirectly lowers costs for customers because it reduces the amount of storage required to store backup data. 
  
• Duplicate data chunks are removed and only stored once.
• Client side deduplication has two benefits

1. Less data is sent over the network
2. The server ingests less data during the backup windows, which helps with performance

• Recommended: Enable Deduplication checked