Checking the HFS Spectrum Protect scheduler

The Spectrum Protect scheduler writes to the following log files, each holding information going back for the last 30 days.

  • dsmsched.log - the log for all information about scheduled backups.  This file lists the details of each file processed during a scheduled backup, summary results, and the time of the next scheduled backup (which it checks every twelve hours).
  • dsmerror.log - this file lists any errors encountered during manual or scheduled backups.

The Spectrum Protect scheduler will contact the Spectrum Protect server at twelve-hour intervals for the next schedule window and count down to that.  If the next schedule window is more than twelve hours away then the scheduler will contact the Spectrum Protect server again after that period has elapsed.  You can check that the scheduler is running by examining the latest entry in dsmsched.log, which should look similar to the output shown below.

Windows

For Windows systems, the Spectrum Protect scheduler writes log files to C:\Program Files\tivoli\tsm\baclient.

22-09-2023 09:57:00 --- SCHEDULEREC QUERY BEGIN
22-09-2023 09:57:00 --- SCHEDULEREC QUERY END
22-09-2023 09:57:00 Next operation scheduled:
22-09-2023 09:57:00 ------------------------------------------------------------
22-09-2023 09:57:00 Schedule Name:         DAILY_0000
22-09-2023 09:57:00 Action:                Incremental
22-09-2023 09:57:00 Objects:               
22-09-2023 09:57:00 Options:               -subdir=yes
22-09-2023 09:57:00 Server Window Start:   00:00:00 on 23-09-2023
22-09-2023 09:57:00 ------------------------------------------------------------
22-09-2023 09:57:00 Scheduler has been stopped.

These lines show a query for the next scheduled backup window.

To check the status of the service, select the Windows Start menu, type Services, run the Services app, then locate the "TSM Client Acceptor" and "TSM Client Scheduler" in the list of services.

  • "TSM Client Acceptor" - should be running all the time
  • "TSM Client Scheduler" - should be running only when querying for the next backup schedule or running a backup

To start or restart an existing scheduler service, please highlight TSM Client Acceptor in the list, right-click on it and select Start or Restart.

macOS

For macOS systems, the Spectrum Protect scheduler writes log files to /Library/Logs/tivoli/tsm.

08-10-2023 09:51:46 --- SCHEDULEREC QUERY BEGIN
08-10-2023 09:51:46 --- SCHEDULEREC QUERY END
08-10-2023 09:51:46 Next operation scheduled:
08-10-2023 09:51:46 ------------------------------------------------------------
08-10-2023 09:51:46 Schedule Name:         DAILY_0000
08-10-2023 09:51:46 Action:                Incremental
08-10-2023 09:51:46 Objects:               
08-10-2023 09:51:46 Options:               
08-10-2023 09:51:46 Server Window Start:   00:00:00 on 09-10-2023
08-10-2023 09:51:46 ------------------------------------------------------------
08-10-2023 09:51:46 Schedule will be refreshed in 12 hours.

These lines show a query for the next scheduled backup window.

If dsmsched.log is not present, or no new entries have yet appeared, but at least two minutes have now passed since you started the Spectrum Protect scheduler service, run Applications Utilities Terminal and enter the following text:

ps -ef | grep 'dsmc sched'

If a Spectrum Protect scheduler is running then you will see output that includes a line like the following:

  0  5508     1   0  2:40pm ??         0:00.13 /usr/bin/dsmc sched

If the terminal returns you to a prompt without listing any /usr/bin/dsmc sched service, then you do not have a Spectrum Protect scheduler running.  In this case please see our page on restarting the Spectrum Protect scheduler.

Linux

For Linux systems, the Spectrum Protect scheduler writes log files to /var/log (unless the variable DSM_LOG is set at run time to specify an alternative location).

23-10-2023 08:44:04 --- SCHEDULEREC QUERY BEGIN
23-10-2023 08:44:04 --- SCHEDULEREC QUERY END
23-10-2023 08:44:04 Next operation scheduled:
23-10-2023 08:44:04 ------------------------------------------------------------
23-10-2023 08:44:04 Schedule Name:         DAILY_2000
23-10-2023 08:44:04 Action:                Incremental
23-10-2023 08:44:04 Objects:
23-10-2023 08:44:04 Options:               -subdir=yes
23-10-2023 08:44:04 Server Window Start:   20:00:00 on 23-10-2023
23-10-2023 08:44:04 ------------------------------------------------------------
23-10-2023 08:44:04 Scheduler has been stopped.

These lines show a query for the next scheduled backup window.

If dsmsched.log is not present, or no new entries have yet appeared, but at least two minutes have now passed since you started the Spectrum Protect scheduler service, run the following on the command line:

ps -ef | grep 'dsmc sched'

If a Spectrum Protect scheduler is running then you will see output that includes a line like the following:

root     30122     1  0 15:06 ?        00:00:00 /opt/tivoli/tsm/client/ba/bin/dsmc sched

If the terminal returns you to a prompt without listing any dsmc sched service, then you do not have a Spectrum Protect scheduler running. In this case please see our page on restarting the Spectrum Protect scheduler.

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