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What's new in BRMS for V5R4

BRMS for V5R4M0 continues to extend existing capability and provide new functions for improving automation, minimizing backup windows, and providing additional backup, recovery, and media management flexibility.

VIRTUAL TCP/IP INTERFACE(VIPA) SUPPORT FOR RESTRICTED STATE BACKUP

BRMS will start multiple TCP/IP interfaces during a restricted state backup. This will allow SAVSYS and other saves to be performed from control group to 3494 Tape libraries while in restricted state.

WORM (WRITE ONCE READ MANY) DEVICE SUPPORT

A new media class attribute now lets you specify write once media type. File sequences on the WORM media cannot be reused. Only new file sequences can be added to the WORM media until the volume is filled.

FLASH COPY

BRMS integration with SAN for FlashCopy solution will provide a way to copy your system data from the production system to another system and have that system perform the backup as if the production system had done the backup.


BACKUP

  • Backup and recovery of spooled files has been updated to use native save/restore operations. Saving spooled files is now faster, has no size restrictions, and preserves fidelity. A new backup spooled file list attribute lets you set an expiration date on the saved spooled files.
  • Parallel save and restore capability has been extended to the Integrated File System (IFS) enabling faster saves. Control groups using parallel resources are no longer restricted to the type of backup or archive items. Control groups using parallel resources and containing nonparallel saved items will automatically switch from parallel to serial as needed.
  • A new backup item lets you save a subset of the system information without requiring the system to be in restricted state.
  • Backup object lists have been enhanced so they can be used as library lists if the list entries specify all objects and all object types. Library lists can improve save performance because list entries are grouped for a single save command. Library lists can also be used to assure the libraries in the list are being saved using the same save while active attributes.
  • A new backup control group attribute allows you to force a full backup when saving changed objects if a specified number of days has elapsed since the last backup.
  • A backup control group option now lets you create missed object policies. Missed object policies can be used either to identify objects not saved in a control group, or to attempt a re-save of the missed objects.
  • A backup item exit provides you operational access during backup control group processing. Using this exit, you can retrieve and analyze messages for the current backup item and specify error recovery actions you want BRMS to run.

RECOVERY

  • The recovery report detail has been improved with new steps. New attention notices help identify problems that could affect a successful recovery.
  • User recovery information can be added to the report prolog or to any step in the report.
  • Lotus server on-line backups are more clearly identified on the report and displays.
  • Additional recovery item options allow you to select saved items by volume, set of volumes, all save file, or all TSM saves.
  • Recovery of parallel saved items has been enhanced in several ways:
    • The number of parallel devices used for a saved item is clearly displayed.
    • The beginning volume of parallel media sets is shown on the report.
    • Saved items can be selected and recovered by media set.
    • Concurrent recovery helps you manage the parallel recovery by minimizing device and volume switches, and maintaining a common view of items remaining in the recovery.
  • New recovery defaults allow parent directories to be created automatically if the parent directories do not exist.

MEDIA MANAGEMENT

  • You can mark saved item history for duplication. Duplicating the history reduces duplication time by allowing you to duplicate only the save items appended to active volumes instead of duplicating the entire volume.
  • Enhanced duplication error recovery allows you to restart duplication operations from the point of failure. Restarting duplication is as simple as specifying a key identifying the failed operation and requesting the duplication to be resumed.
  • All BRMS save, restore, and duplication operations have been updated to use virtual tape media and virtual tape devices.
  • TSM server devices can now be IBM Data Retention DR450 and DR550 servers. Saving to the retention protected servers prevents BRMS history from being deleted until the objects expire on the TSM servers.

NETWORK FEATURE

  • A system status column on the network display shows the online or offline status of each network system relative to the current system. It is now easier to determine whether communication has been lost with other systems in the network.
  • You can send Backup and Recovery Log messages electronically using an e-mail address to receive remote notification of critical operation status.

BRMS IBM i NAVIGATOR CLIENT

  • Archive control groups have been ported to the client as Archive Policies. You can now create, modify, and run archive policies, manage archive lists, and view archive policy reports using the graphical interface.
  • Container and container group management has been added and integrated with the existing Move Policy support.
  • New tasks have been added for updating the properties of disk pools, or creating and managing disk pools groups.
  • New Global Policy Properties enable the following new client functions:
    • Messages you want filtered from the BRMS Log
    • Messages you want distributed electronically to an e-mail address.
    • Online or offline status of other systems in the network
    • Restricted state interfaces to start
  • Virtual devices, virtual media, and user-defined media libraries have been added.
  • New backup control group attributes have been incorporated into the Backup Policies.
  • There is more help and it provides better detail.

V5R4 USAGE NOTES:

Restore operations using the Navigator client: *MEDCLS processing on restore operations using Operations Navigator on V5R4M0 have been changed to provide more flexibility when the user inserts the desired cartridges into standalone devices. We will no longer restrict the location of the standalones to the location of the volume, and will always check the mounted volumes on standalones first. However, as this might become a performance issue in some customer configurations, the standalone check can be disabled. If the data area "QUSRBRM/Q1ANOMNTCK" exists we will skip the standalone check.

Virtual tape support: The first time a virtual tape is duplicated to a physical tape, the virtual tape will become the duplicate and the physcial tape will become the original. When saving and restoring online Domino databases to Virtual Tape, the user profile QNOTES needs to have authority to the image catalogs which contains the entries used by BRMS during the operation. QNOTES should have *USE or *CHANGE authority to the image catalog.

Remote duplication: When using the remote DUPMEDBRM function the system that is doing the duplication for another system, has to be equal to or less than the release of the system which owns the media and data being duplicated or the customer will recieve a CPF9898.

INZBRM *MERGE function: Merging BRMS data to a Target System with Existing BRMS will not merge save file history because of possible naming collisions on the target system. When consolidating systems and removing the source system from the BRMS network, if the target system is not changed to own the media and history from the source system by running the INZBRM *CHGSYSNAM function, then history will be removed during a run of maintenance. BRMS does not allow history from another system on the local system if the systems are not networked.

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