Backup and recovery planning

Save and restore commands, journal management, commitment control, user

auxiliary storage pools, access path journaling, mirrored, and device parity and
dual systems are all powerful tools that perform valuable functions.

To ensure that the system is adequately protected from disk failure, site loss,
human error, and power or system failure, all of these tools must be integrated
properly into a comprehensive backup and recovery plan.

© Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

Course materials may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the prior written permission of IBM.
 Unit objectives
• Compare the availability options that are available and their impact on
the recovery process
• Describe simple, medium, and complex save strategies
• Describe a disaster recovery plan

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Topic 1: The environment

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Balance costs of backup and recovery

Cost of implementing Cost of failure

availability features multiplied by
and backing up probability of failure

The cost of implementing availability features must be offset by the cost of failure multiplied by probability of failure.

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Can your business still function?
If you were to lose a key application, for example order entry,
could you recover it and how long would it take to recover?

IBM i

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Backup and recovery plan evaluation The timeline for backup and recovery
begins when you save the information
and ends when your system is fully
Point 1 Recovery timeline: recovered after a failure.
Known point (last save)
Activity occurs on system
Point 2
Failure occurs
Hardware repair or IPL
Point 3
Hardware available
Information is restored from
backup
Point 4
System recovered to
known point 1 Transactions from point 1 to
point 2 are recovered
Point 5
System recovered to
failure point 2 Business activity from failure
point 2 to recovery point 5
is recovered
Point 6
Your strategies for saving and
System is current availability determine these things:
1. Can your plan complete each step?
Use the timeline to 2. How long will it take to complete each step?
develop specific examples.
Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017
 What to save and how often? (1 of 3)
• Frequent changes = save frequently (daily):
▪ Security information
▪ Configuration objects in QSYS
▪ QGPL, QUSRSYS (IBM supplied libraries with user data)
▪ User libraries
▪ Folders and documents
▪ Distributions
▪ Directories
• Infrequent changes = Save infrequently (weekly):
▪ System: LIC, QSYS, QHLPSYS, QUSRTOOL
▪ Licensed program libraries (RPG, COBOL, and so on), folders, directories

QSYS - System Parent Library

QSYS2 - System Library for CPI's (Characters Per Inch)
QHLPSYS - Online Documentation Library for Users
QTCP - TCP Connectivity Utilities
QAFP - Advanced Function Printing
QGPL - General Purpose Library
QTEMP - Job specific temporary Library (deleted when the job ends)

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 What to save and how often? (2 of 3)
Backup Basics: Saving Your Data and Your Job

You need a backup strategy to test your company's disaster recovery plan and, despite its
reputation for reliability, administrators still need to back up their IBM i. A sound backup strategy
should also restore individual user objects to account for human error. Seven save commands are
required to successfully back up your system: SAVSYS, SAVCFG, SAVSECDTA, SAVLIB,
SAVCHGOBJ, SAVDLO, and SAV.

Make backup a snap by familiarizing yourself with these save commands and optimal frequency.

Save Commands for Your System

The Save System (SAVSYS) command is used to back up licensed internal code, operating
system, profiles, configuration objects, and authorities to objects, and must be run in a restricted
state. SAVSYS is best done after hours or on weekends, usually once a month or after a major
operating system upgrade, after installing licensed programs, or after installing program temporary
fixes (PTFs).

Save Configuration (SAVCFG) and Save Security Data (SAVSECDTA) back up the dynamic part of
the operating system. Both commands can be executed with users on the system. SAVCFG backs
up configuration objects, such as lines, controllers, and devices. SAVSECDTA backs up profiles and
the authorities that profiles have to objects.

It's a good idea to run these commands nightly, especially on a system with many users and
devices.

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 What to save and how often? (3 of 3)
Save Commands for Your Business Data

The Save Library (SAVLIB) and Save Changed Objects (SAVCHGOBJ) commands back up the
data in the library file system. Use these two commands together to provide complete backups of
your libraries. SAVLIB backs up an entire library while SAVCHGOBJ backs up only the objects that
have changed since the last SAVLIB. How often you run these commands depends on how often a
library changes. Best practice is to do a SAVCHGOBJ against data, source, and program libraries on
a daily basis, and to save all libraries completely using the SAVLIB command once a week.

With the Save Document Object (SAVDLO) command, you can back up the entire set or specific
documents and folders --often office documents and PC files --stored in the library QDOC or QDLS
directory. This command also backs up only documents and folders that have changed since the
last full SAVDLO. How often you run a SAVDLO depends on how frequently the documents and
folders change. While best practice used to be a daily run, in recent years QDOC and QDLS have
become the least used areas for storing data, so you may be able to get away with backing up once
a week.

The Save Object (SAV) command is used to back up directories on the IBM i. Even for savvy IBM i
veterans, the SAV command can cause some confusion because it uses UNIX/Windows syntax
when referring to objects such as tape drives. Use the SAV operation weekly against any IBM i
directory to back up this data, daily if IFS directories change often in your environment. The
directories can be used to store images, PDFs, scanned-in documents, UNIX file systems, and
more. This is a very important area that needs to be part of your daily plan. It supports many of
the same parameters the other save commands do.

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Save window/save strategy
• Save window
To
▪ simplify
System your recovery,
and data you
at need
knownto save when your system is at a known point and
point
do it while your data is not changing.
▪ Not changing for period of time
The save window is the amount of time that your system can be unavailable to users
while you perform your save operations.

Save window Save strategy

If you have a long save window, 8 to 12 hours available
8 - 12 hours with no
daily with no system activity including batch work, then
implementing a simple save strategy is the best option. Simple
system activity
If you have a shorter block of time, 4 to 6 hours available
4 - 6 hours with no
with no system activity during this time, then
implementing a medium save strategy is the best option. Medium
system activity
You have a short save window, which means that there is little or no time
when your system is not being used for interactive or batch work, then
0 - minimal down time
implementing a complex save strategy is the best option.
Complex
Based on the size of your save window, you will choose one of these save strategies.
Then, reevaluate your decision based on how your save strategy positions you for a recovery.

Being Realistic, when you run the save procedures, how you run your save procedures and what you save, all of these
things depend on the size of your save window.
Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017
 Simple save strategy
• Save everything nightly.
▪ Issue GO SAVE; then select option 21 (Entire system).
The simplest save strategy is to save everything every night or during the off-shift hours.

Or

• Save everything once per week and save all user data nightly.
▪ Issue GO SAVE; then select option 23 (All user data).

You can still employ a simple strategy:

• Daily: Save everything that changes often.

• Weekly: Save the things that do not change often.

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Perhaps you run large batch jobs on your system at night. Or, you have very
large files that take a long time to save.
Medium save strategy
If this is the case, you might need to develop a medium save strategy, which
means that the complexity for saving and for recovery is medium.

Weekly: Save everything weekly.

Daily: Save all user data mid-week.

Or
Daily: Save journal receivers.

Or
Save changed objects
Daily:
(SAVCHGOBJ, SAVDLO, SAV).

Or
Save groups of libraries, folders, and
Daily:
directories (simplified with BACKUP menu).

When developing a medium save strategy apply this principle: the more often
the data changes, the more often you should save that data.

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Complex save strategy
• Complex save strategy:
▪ This is similar to a medium save strategy.
▪ Daily saves might be at specific times.
▪ Save-while-active might be necessary.
− Available on SAVLIB, SAVOBJ, SAVCHGOBJ, SAVDLO, SAV
▪ Use external storage + Full System Copy Services Manager +BRMS
Complex Strategy: You will use the same tools
and techniques that are described for a medium
save strategy but you will be implementing these
strategies at a greater level of detail.

- If you use save-while-active support, you can significantly reduce the

amount of time that files are made unavailable.

- When the system has established a checkpoint for all objects being saved,
the objects can be made available for use.

- Save-while-active support can be used in combination with journaling and

commitment control to simplify the recovery procedure.

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Availability options

Attribute Physical file journaling Mirrored protection Device parity protection

Data loss after single Minimal loss to file data if good

None of the data is lost None of the data is lost
disk failure backups are available

Recovery time after

Potentially many hours None to a few hours None to a few hours
single disk failure

Performance impact Minimal to significant Minimal Minimal

Planning complexity:
- Hardware Minimal Careful planning Careful planning
- Software Significant Minimal Minimal

Setup complexity and

Minimal Minimal Minimal
time

Operational and
management Average Minimal Minimal
complexity

Possibly more disk and Double the disk; possibly One or two disk units per
Additional hardware
separate ASPs more controllers parity set

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Availability options by failure type: Recovery time
Has this relative impact on the recovery time for these failure types:
Program
This save or availability option: DASD System Power loss Program failure Site loss

Save operations + + + + +

File journaling ++ ++ ++ +

Access path protection ++ ++ ++

Uninterruptible power supply +++

User ASPs ++

The number of plus signs (+) in a column indicates that

Device parity protection +++ option's impact compared to the other options, where an
option with more pluses has greater relative impact.
Mirrored protection +++

Redundancy +++ ++ ++

HA/DR solutions +++ +++ +++ +++

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017
 Topic 2: Creating a disaster
recovery plan

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Disaster recovery plan: Major goals
• Minimize interruptions to normal operations.
• Limit extent of disruption and damage.
• Minimize economic impact of the interruption.
• Establish alternative means of operation in advance.
• Train staff with emergency procedures.
• Provide smooth and rapid restoration of service.

The objective of a disaster recovery plan is to ensure that you can respond to a disaster or other
emergency that affects information systems and minimize the effect on the operation of the
business.

Then you have prepared the information described in this topic collection, store your document in
a safe.

- A location that is off-site that is easily and readily accessible and ideally, this would be a
fireproof safe.

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Disaster recovery plan Disaster recovery plan
( IBM knowledge center ).

• Personnel https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/
▪ Data processing ssw_ibm_i_73/rzaj1/rzaj1disastr.htm
▪ Organizational chart
▪ Positions, address, telephone number, email address
• Application profile: How critical, when it runs, manufacturer
• Inventory profile: Manufacturer, description, model, serial number, owner, cost
• Information services backup procedures
▪ IBM i
▪ Personal computers
• Disaster recovery procedures
▪ Emergency response procedures to protect lives and limit damage
▪ Backup operational procedures to conduct essential tasks
▪ Recovery and restoration of data processing system
▪ Disaster action checklist (before beginning recovery)
▪ Recovery start up procedures (notify people and outside companies involved)
• Recovery plan at mobile site
• Recovery plan at hot site
• Restoring entire system
• Plan and start to rebuild data processing site
• Test the disaster recovery plan
Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017
 Review questions
1. True or false: Information that changes frequently is
something that should be saved on a weekly basis.

2. True or false: The LIC and all of the Q libraries should be

saved on a daily basis.

3. Which of the following is not one of the save strategies that

was covered in the lecture?
a. Simple
b. Medium
c. Full
d. Complex

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Review answers
1. True or false: Information that changes frequently is
something that should be saved on a weekly basis.
The answer is false.

2. True or false: The LIC and all of the Q libraries should be

saved on a daily basis.
The answer is false.

3. Which of the following is not one of the save strategies that

was covered in the lecture?
a. Simple
b. Medium
c. Full
d. Complex
The answer is full.

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017

 Unit summary
• Compare the availability options that are available and their impact on
the recovery process
• Describe simple, medium, and complex save strategies
• Describe a disaster recovery plan
Suggested Reading:

Systems Management - Backing up your system

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_73/rzaiu/rzaiupdf.pdf

Backup and recovery planning © Copyright IBM Corporation 1995, 2017