|
Description
Archive Backup Client ä (ABC) enables users on OpenVMS systems to make use of the network
storage services provided by IBM's ADSTAR Distributed Storage Manager (ADSM).
Users can backup, archive, restore, query and manage OpenVMS files stored on ADSM servers
as a logical extension to the on-line OpenVMS ODS-2 filesystem. If your datacenter has an
ADSM server, you can use it now to backup your OpenVMS systems. If you are looking for a
reliable multi-platform network backup and archive solution that will also handle OpenVMS,
then ADSM with ABC is your most cost-effective answer.
OpenVMS users and system managers can backup and archive files without concern for the
vagaries of the long-term media or storage libraries involved.
A significant feature of ABC is its ability to correctly backup and restore disks with
complex directory structures, including alias files and directories. This is especially
important on an OpenVMS system disk, where there are many alias directories. The
technology ABC uses to manage alias files and directories is SSSI’s AliasWise
technology.
Major features in ABC Version 1.1
& 1.2
ABC features include:
Data safety
Full user authentication
Unattended, scheduled backup and archive operations
Easy to use and flexible command line interface
Ad-hoc backup and archive requests
AliasWise (Patent pending) handling of complex alias file structures
Full integration with the ADSM server software
New features in Version 1.1 & 1.2:
Point-in-time restore — you can restore any set of files to a particular date
Logical or physical file space naming — you can name file spaces after either the
physical or logical name of the device
Restore entire volumes without first initializing the output volume
ODS-2 Volume Set Support
Enhanced logging capabilities
Enhanced summary output
Open Files can be archived
Data Safety
Backup and Archive operations are performed using the ADSM server’s database
transaction capabilities. The operation is not committed or logged until the data is
stored at the server’s destination. ABC enforces strict checks on the backup or
archive copies to ensure they are consistent with the on-line copies of the data. In
addition, ABC provides logging capabilities that enable tracing of all operations. Log
information may be displayed or written to a file for later examination.
ABC also ensures security of the backed up and archived data through the use of full user
authentication. Users are allowed to retrieve and restore files if they could have read
the file while it was available in the on-line file system.
Thus, ABC extends the normal file protections afforded OpenVMS users to ADSM storage.
Scheduled Backups
Scheduled backups are accomplished in a number of ways:
OpenVMS Scheduling Mechanisms - Using OpenVMS batch queues, or POLYCENTER Scheduler, ABC
can be scheduled to run at specified times.
Third Party Scheduling products - Numerous scheduling tools exist within the OpenVMS
marketplace. Any tool allowing the execution of DCL commands will work with ABC.
User Interface
Saving and restoring files is easy with ABC's command line interface. All backup and
archive operations can be expressed with these four commands:
Archive: Saves a copy of the file in the ADSM archive area.
Backup: Saves a version of the file in the ADSM backup area.
Restore: Restores a backup copy of the file.
Retrieve: Retrieves an archive copy of the file.
Use the archive command to save files in their current state in the ADSM archive area.
Possible candidates for archiving include financial records from various years, old
versions of programs or program sources, and so forth.
Use the backup command to make on-demand or incremental backup copies of files for
disaster recovery. (The INCREMENTAL command can additionally
The restore and retrieve commands fetch the specified files from backup or archive
storage. Because ABC knows where files were originally located, it can automatically place
restored and retrieved files in the correct location. Users are free to override this
default behavior by specifying explicit restore destinations.
In addition to these commands, ABC provides numerous SET/SHOW commands to tailor the
overall ADSM environment. User tailorable files are provided to configure the environment.
ABC provides extensive on-line help for all commands.
Backup and Archive Sharing
Files backed up and archived by ABC on one client node are accessible to ABC on other
nodes if the user has the ADSM client password and the proper VMS privileges.
Users can also allow access to their stored files by other users. Access is allowed from
any node running ABC.
AliasWise
A significant feature of ABC is its ability to correctly backup and restore disks with
complex directory structures, including alias files and directories. This is especially
important on an OpenVMS system disk, where there are many alias directories. The
technology ABC uses to manage alias files and directories is SSSI’s AliasWise ä
technology.
Hardware Requirements
Processors Supported:
VAX:
Any valid VAX system configuration supported by and running OpenVMS VAX V5.5-2 or higher.
Alpha:
Any valid Alpha system configuration supported by and running OpenVMS Alpha V6.1 or
higher.
Disk space required:
During installation: 5000 blocks
Permanent: 2500 blocks
These counts refer to the disk space required on the system disk. The sizes are
approximate; actual sizes may vary depending on the user's system environment,
configuration, and software options.
Cluster Environment
ABC is fully supported in any valid and licensed OpenVMScluster configuration. A separate
software license must be purchased for EACH node in the cluster which wishes to use ABC.
ABC on any node can be used to backup and restore files on any shared disk in an
OpenVMScluster, including MSCP served disks. The ABC Installation Guide, and ABC
User’s Guide describes OpenVMScluster operation.
Software Requirements
Operating System:
On VAX systems, OpenVMS VAX V5.5-2 or higher
On Alpha systems, OpenVMS Alpha V6.1 or higher
Network:
TCP/IP network stack
ABC and the ADSM API have been tested and qualified using the following TCP/IP
Implementations:
DEC TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS
Process Software TCPware
TGV MultiNet
Wollongong PathWays
Any TCP/IP implementation which implements C sockets as specified in the DEC C Run-Time
Library for OpenVMS Systems, V5.0 or later, is acceptable.
ADSM Server Requirements
Any valid licensed ADSM server which supports the ADSM Client API V2L1R2 or higher, and
which uses TCP/IP as a supported network protocol. Server support is available on AIX,
MVS, HP-UX, Sun, Windows NT Server, and other platforms.
In addition, client connect licenses must be purchased for each client which wishes
to use an ADSM server.
[ previous
page ] [ main
page ]
|