TSM 4.2 server errors. File name too long...

[ggitlin]

Hello,

I am getting a lot of the following error messages while backing up an AIX 4.3.3 client to TSM 4.2 server (also running on AIX 4.3.3 platform):

Error processing "file name" : file name too long

The manuals explain that as:
Explanation: The file name specified is too long to be handled by TSM.

User Response: See the appropriate Using the Backup-Archive Client book for the particular operating system, for the file names that are handled by TSM.

Is there such a setting as "maximum file name length"? I couldn't find in the client options.

We are on AIX 4.3.3 ML9.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[gileb]

are you doing a kind of command like "dsmc *" ?

 

[Yegolev]

I must say I have never seen this and we have some large stuff. Put up your command you use. IBM Certified -- AIX 4.3 Administration
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[ggitlin]

The backup is incremental and is started by a schedule running on the TSM server.
The command is "dsmc incremental"

 

[Guest_imported]

Hi

We work with

dsmc inc /data/*
dsmc sel /data/*

And so on

I think when you give only "/" or "*" the Parameter list is to long ( like the AIX grep )

 

[gileb]

please put the * between ' ' or " ", then its not the ksh that gives the error.

 

[Yegolev]

That is what we do for incrementals, so I suspect perhaps you are hitting a line-length limit for full pathnames that we do not. IBM Certified -- AIX 4.3 Obfuscation

 

[ggitlin]

Thanks to everyone.

The backup is started by the server - so there is no backup script running a dsmc * command from the client.

 

[ggitlin]

I tried extracting one of the "problem" file names and backing it up manually via
dsmc backup "file name". Worked fine! Is this a ghost in the machine or what!

 

[Yegolev]

You mean you are using the scheduler to do the backup? Our scheduler runs a local script... what command do you see from `dsmc q sched`? Just curious. If you can do it via `dsmc incr ...` on the command line, I am not sure where the issue is unless it is with the scheduler's command. IBM Certified -- AIX 4.3 Obfuscation

 

[gileb]

I really mean it when you have to put * between "" because its the shell (ksh) that encounters the limit. I don't know how to set it via the scheduler but i think this is your pb.

 

[ggitlin]

Our other servers run the same command, as the problem server, without any issues.

 

[gileb]

I understand that, but i think you must have a directory on the failing system where you have a LOT of files, and the dsmc command fails on this one. You would have the same result with a grep aaa *.

 

[ggitlin]

Problem ended up being "software related". According to Tivoli Technical Support, it is a known bug with 4.2.2.0 client for AUX, SUN and some other UNIX flavors. The problem is addressed in 4.2.2.1. I installed it and it works OK.
Thanks for everyone's help on the subject.

 

[AIXSPadmin]

I think the limit is 256 characters in a filename. We are using the same version of TSM and have about 150 AIX/Solaris clients, but to my knowledge we haven't run into that problem, just numerous others.