tsm File Paths

Certain tsm commands read files from or write files to default locations. These default locations are determined by basefilepath configuration keys defined for each command. You can use tsm to view the current value of the keys, and to change the locations.

NetworkService system account

In some organizations, security policies are implemented that restrict file access from system accounts, such as the NetworkService account. If you change tsm file paths, then you should verify that the NetworkService system account has full permission (with permissions inheritance enabled) to the resulting path. In addition, if you change a file path that was originally in the *\data\tabsvc\* path, you must maintain the NetworkService permissions to the original path. This permission must be maintained because the NetworkService system account handles operations by Tableau Server Administration Controller, Tableau Server Client File Service, and Tableau Server Coordination Service.

Permissions for the backup/restore file location

Required permissions for the backup/restore file location:

NetworkService: read/write/execute permission

Run As service account: read/write/execute permission

Default locations for files

During the tsm maintenance backup, restore, send-logs, and ziplogs processes, and the tsm sites export and sites import processes, Tableau Server uses default locations for the files created or used by these commands.

For details on disk space requirements for backing up Tableau Server, see Disk Space Usage for Backup.

By default:

tsm maintenance commands:
- backup—The backup .tsbak file is created in a temporary location in the data directory on the initial node and then saved in:
  
  <install drive>:<install\path>\data\tabsvc\files\backups
  
  By default this is:
  
  C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\backups\
  
  But if you installed Tableau to a non-default location this will be different. For example, if you installed to D:\Tableau Server the backup will be saved in:
  
  D:\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\backups
  
  Note: The tsm maintenance backup command does not support Microsoft Windows UNC (Universal Naming Convention) file paths, also known as "network paths" ( \\<computer name>\<folder>\<file name>) as the path to the location where backup files are written. Instead, use local file system paths (<drive letter>:\<folder name\<file name>).
- restore—The restore process restores a backup file from:
  
  <install drive>:<install\path>\data\tabsvc\files\backups
  
  By default this is:
  
  C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\backups\
  
  But if you installed Tableau to a non-default location this will be different. For example, if you installed to D:\Tableau Server the restore process will use a backup in:
  
  D:\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\backups
- send-logs—The send-logs sends the logs file from:
  
  <install drive>:<install\path>\data\tabsvc\files\backups
  
  By default this is:
  
  C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\backups\
  
  But if you installed Tableau to a non-default location this will be different. For example, if you installed to D:\Tableau Server the send-logs process will sent log files from:
  
  D:\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\backups
- ziplogs—The ziplogs file is generated in:
  
  <install drive>:<install\path>\data\tabsvc\files\log-archives
  
  By default this is:
  
  C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\log-archives
  
  But if you installed Tableau to a non-default location this will be different. For example, if you installed to D:\Tableau Server the ziplogs file is generated in:
  
  D:\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\log-archives
tsm sites
- export—The export .zip file is generated to the following directory:
  
  <install drive>:<install\path>\data\tabsvc\files\siteexports
  
  By default this is:
  
  C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\siteexports
  
  But if you installed Tableau to a non-default location this will be different. For example, if you installed to D:\Tableau Server the export .zip file is generated in:
  
  D:\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\siteexports
- import—During the import process, Tableau Server looks for files in:
  
  <install drive>:<install\path>\data\tabsvc\files\siteimports
  
  By default this is:
  
  C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\siteimports
  
  But if you installed Tableau to a non-default location this will be different. For example, if you installed to D:\Tableau Server the import process looks for files in:
  
  D:\Tableau Server\data\tabsvc\files\siteimports

Get the current file location

You can see the current file location for a specific command using tsm configuration get:

For tsm maintenance commands:
- backup, restore, and send-logs:
  
  tsm configuration get -k basefilepath.backuprestore
- ziplogs:
  
  tsm configuration get -k basefilepath.log_archive
For tsm sites commands:
- export
  
  tsm configuration get -k basefilepath.site_export.exports
- import
  
  tsm configuration get -k basefilepath.site_import.exports

Change the current file location

You can change the expected file locations using the tsm configuration set command to update the basefilepath variables. For details about specific base file paths, see tsm configuration set Options.

Changing a basefilepath variable does not move existing files from the original directory to the new directory. If you want existing backup, restore, log files, or site export or import files to reside in the new directory you specify, you must move them manually. You are responsible for creating the new location and for setting the correct permissions to allow tsm access to any files that will be placed there, and to the directory structure containing those files. If you change the backup/restore base file path, you should run the tsm maintenance validate-backup-basefilepath command (available in version 2022.1 and later) to verify the permissions are properly set.

The tsm maintenance backup command assembles the backup in a temporary location in the data directory before saving the backup file to the location specified by the basefilepath.backuprestore variable. Changing the basefilepath does not impact where the tsm maintenance backup command assembles the backup file.

You cannot specify a basefilepath.backuprestore location at the root of a drive. It must be in a folder.

For tsm maintenance commands:
- To change the backup, restore, or send-logs directory, run the following command:
  
  tsm configuration set -k basefilepath.backuprestore -v "<drive>:\new\directory\path"
- To change the ziplogs directory:
  
  tsm configuration set -k basefilepath.log_archive -v "<drive>:\new\directory\path"
For tsm sites commands:
- To change the sites export directory:
  
  tsm configuration set -k basefilepath.site_export.exports -v "<drive>:\new\directory\path"
- To change the sites import directory:
  
  tsm configuration set -k basefilepath.site_import.exports -v "<drive>:\new\directory\path"

After you change a default file location you need to do the following:

Apply pending changes:

tsm pending-changes apply

If the pending changes require a server restart, the pending-changes apply command will display a prompt to let you know a restart will occur. This prompt displays even if the server is stopped, but in that case there is no restart. You can suppress the prompt using the --ignore-prompt option, but this does not change the restart behavior. If the changes do not require a restart, the changes are applied without a prompt. For more information, see tsm pending-changes apply.
Stop Tableau Server:

tsm stop
Restart the TSM Controller:

net stop tabadmincontroller_0

net start tabadmincontroller_0
Wait several minutes for the controller to restart. You can confirm the controller has restarted with this command:

tsm status -v

When you can run that command and the Tableau Server Administration Controller is listed as 'running' the controller has restarted.
Start Tableau Server:

tsm start

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