The announcement letter for Backup and Restore Manager for z/VM V1.2.0 describes enhancements and new functions available in V1.2.0.
IBM Backup and Restore Manager for z/VM provides z/VM system administrators and operators the ability to efficiently and effectively backup and restore files and data on z/VM systems as well as images of non-z/VM guest systems, such as Linux. Source files and data can be CMS and non-CMS format and the target media can be DASD or tape. Compression services are provided for customers backing up data to DASD. In addition, optional exit points are provided for encryption of backup data before it is written to tape or disk.
Backup and Restore Manager's full flexibility is apparent in its ability to do full physical and logical backup and restore operations with support for inclusion and exclusion of files, user IDs, and so on.
Controlling access to backup functions
Administration functions of Backup and Restore Manager are divided into three levels of authorization: Administrator, Operator, and Tape Operator. Each of these user types can be defined with different authorizations and scope. For example, the Administrator might install and configure Backup and Restore Manager, define backup jobs, and select resources for backup;
the Operator might schedule and initiate backup processing for routine operations; and the Tape Operator might receive media mount requests and deal with other tape media status information.
Backup and Restore Manager includes both an easy-to-use full screen interface, to support ad-hoc backups as needed, and a command interface that allows administrators to automate the process of daily backups. Both backup and restore processing preserves all file metadata (time stamps, file mode number, and so on).
Using data handlers for optimum efficiency and flexibility
As backups are performed for each data type, an appropriate data handler (a Backup and Restore Manager routine to package (dump) data for backup and to restore (load) previously packaged data) is automatically called for each file or set of files to create the "backup stream." The backup stream is then dumped to the target storage media. For each supported data type, a pair of data handlers is provided: one to dump source data to storage media and one to load packaged data to a target media type. The backup stream created by the data handlers is in a "media agnostic" format, conceptually similar to "ZIP" or "tar" format. Currently, Backup and Restore Manager provides data handlers to support three z/VM source data types:
CMS minidisk (EDF) file systems
CMS SFS file systems
Image dumps of CKD media
In addition, files can be restored to a virtual reader. This design, based on data handlers, allows the data packaging to be optimized for each data type.
Backing up SFS filespaces
Support for SFS includes a filespace-by-filespace backup and restore of all SFS object types: filespaces, directories, base files, aliases, and external objects. All object metadata (ownership, access permissions, and multiple time stamps) is also preserved. SFS object selection can be based on directory path, file name, file type, and file mode number and includes wildcard support. Backup and Restore Manager provides increased flexibility by allowing SFS objects that have been backed up to be restored to their original file pools or to other locations, such as:
Alternate file pools and/or file spaces
A CMS minidisk (base files only, without the original access permissions)
The virtual reader (without the original access permissions)
If errors are detected during backup processing, fail-over options include the ability to switch from dumping CMS files to dumping an image of the CKD media.
Using media drivers for device flexibility
Moving the backup stream to the target media or restoring it from the target media is also done by separate media drivers, depending on the storage media. Thus, CMS files can be copied to tape just as easily as CKD images can be copied to DASD, or vice versa. Supported target media include:
Any tape device supported by CMS that supports a block size of 65,535 bytes.
Tape duplexing, which is similar to the tape support above, but generates tapes as logically identical pairs. This provides convenient production of duplicate backup tape sets (for example, one for on-site retention, one for off-site storage).
A CMS file on any currently accessed CMS minidisk or SFS directory, regardless of the underlying media, such as CKD or FBA DASD.
Including and excluding files, disks, and filespaces
As part of the backup job definition, a set of definitions can be specified that include or exclude files based on a variety of criteria, including:
Filename, filetype, or filemode number
For minidisk-resident data:
For SFS data:
File pool name
File space (owner) name
Directory path
Integration with IBM Tape Manager for z/VM
Backup and Restore Manager provides basic tape support using the CMS native tape I/O subsystem, thus supporting any tape device supported by z/VM. A standard VOL1 label is required on all tapes used for backup and restore. For those customers who have a significant dependency on tape-based backup, IBM Tape Manager for z/VM should be used in
conjunction with Backup and Restore Manager to provide comprehensive tape management facilities for z/VM systems. Tapes created during backup operations can be managed more effectively using Tape Manager, including access control. In addition, Tape Manager can help you:
Managing DASD with additional utilities
In addition to the data handlers and media drivers, Backup and Restore Manager includes utility routines that provide rapid copy and comparison of duplicated CMS minidisks and full-volume DASD extents. These routines allow the systems programmer or administrator to copy data from one extent to another, with post-copy verification, from the command prompt or from within a REXX routine.
