If you are already using Operational Assistant or iSeries™ Navigator Backup for your backups, and would like to switch to BRMS because of the advantages it offers, you could easily migrate your backup strategy to BRMS.
One of the great advantages of BRMS is that it manages your media for you. Therefore, before you can use BRMS to do a backup, you have to add media to the BRMS media inventory. The Add Media wizard enables you to add backup media to the pool of media that is already being used by Backup, Recovery and Media Services. It also enables you to prepare the media for use. To add media, follow these steps:
Operational Assistant and iSeries Navigator Backup allow you to create three policies: one for daily backups, one for weekly backups, and one for monthly backups. In iSeries Navigator Backup, there are default values for each of these policies. Use the following information to set up BRMS to emulate the defaults in the iSeries Navigator Backup:
| Policy | What iSeries Navigator Backup does | How to achieve the same result using BRMS |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | Backs up all libraries, folders, and directories. Also backs up security data and configuration data. | Run the *System policy that is shipped with BRMS. |
| Weekly | Backs up all libraries, folders, and directories. | Run the *Bkugrp policy that is shipped with BRMS. |
| Daily | Backs up any changes since the last full backup of libraries and folders that you specify. Also backs up changes to all IFS directories. | Create a policy that includes the items you want to back up, and indicate that the policy should back up only the changes since the last full backup. |
In Operational Assistant, there are no default values for each of the policies. Use the following information to set up BRMS to emulate the options in Operational Assistant:
| What is backed up | To what extent is it backed up | How to achieve the same result using BRMS |
|---|---|---|
| Libraries, folders, directories, security data, configuration data | All - full system backup | Run the *System policy that is shipped with BRMS. |
| User libraries | All user libraries | Run the *Bkugrp policy that is shipped with BRMS. |
| Selected user libraries | Create a policy that includes the items you want to back up. | |
| Folders | All folders | Run the *Bkugrp policy that is shipped with BRMS. |
| Selected folders | Create a policy that includes the items you want to back up. | |
| Directories | All directories | Run the *Bkugrp policy that is shipped with BRMS. |
| Security data | All security data | Run the *Bkugrp policy that is shipped with BRMS. |
| Configuration data | All configuration data | Run the *Bkugrp policy that is shipped with BRMS. |
When you use BRMS, you can do backups, restores, and media moves without having to be nearby when they occur. For example, you have a four hour save window every Saturday night when you could do a full system backup. With BRMS, you can schedule the full system backup for Saturday night, but you don't have to be onsite for the backup to occur. When you use the New Backup Policy wizard, you are given the option to schedule the backup when you complete the wizard. To schedule a backup policy to run other than when you create it, follow these steps:
When you schedule a policy to run, keep in mind that only the items that are scheduled to be backed up on the day you run the policy will be backed up. For example, you have a backup policy that includes the library MYLIB. In the policy properties, you have MYLIB scheduled to be backed up every Thursday. If you schedule the policy to run on Thursday, MYLIB will be backed up. If you schedule the same policy on any other day, MYLIB will not be backed up.
Also, be aware that some operations (such as a full system backup) require that your system be in a restricted state when they run. In BRMS, the interactive console monitor allows you to submit a backup job, either scheduled or directly, to the interactive session running on the system console. A system operator can use the interactive system console session to monitor the progress of the backup and respond to tape mount messages. When you schedule a backup using the interactive console monitor, you will see the instructions for how to start the console monitor.
If you choose not to use the interactive console monitor and no one will be present to process commands as the backup runs, then you must ensure that your backup can run without intervention. A restricted state backup not using the interactive console monitor can also be scheduled as long as the backup can run unattended.