Creating a Backup Profile

A Backup Profile is the identifier of a set of customized features and supporting configuration data that provides for the storage and retrieval of user data. The most direct method of creating a backup profile is to utilize the FDR/UPSTREAM TSO/ISPF Interface. You can enter this interface via the supplied USTALLOC CLIST or a menu option that your systems programmer has supplied via one of your installations primary ISPF menus.

In the following example we will construct a Backup Profile with the following important attributes:

• Its name will be TEST.
• It will allow DASD and TAPE type backups and specify where they should be placed.
• It will utilize GDGs to store the data and provide for retention control.

To get started, enter the FDR/UPSTREAM TSO/ISPF Interface via your installation defined method. From the main menu specify option number 5, “PROFILE”, and press ENTER.

Backup Profile - Selecting the PROFILE Definition Option

The next menu to appear requires you to specify the input and output configuration dataset and member names for the configuration operations you are going to perform. The input dataset and member name specified must previously exist. The output dataset must previously exist but the member will be created if it does not already exist. It is generally suggested that you “update in place” by specifying the input and output names as the same. This makes configuration management easier since you must inform the FDR/UPSTREAM Started Task about updated output members. Since the dataset and member names are hard-coded in the Started Task JCL, this makes it difficult to change profiles easily.

You can also specify a Profile Name or Profile Mask on this panel to limit the list of Profiles to be display on the subsequent menu. A Profile Mask is zero to seven initial characters followed by the asterisk (“*”) character. An example would be UST* to list all the Profile Names that start with the three characters “UST”.

When you have completed entering all the fields on this menu press the ENTER key.

Backup Profile - Configuration File Specification Menu

The next menu to appear allows you to perform the following actions:

ADD - Add an entirely new profile from scratch or by using an existing Profile as a template. In order to add a new profile from scratch, type “ADD” on the “COMMAND” line of the panel and press the ENTER KEY. To add a new Profile but utilize an existing Profile as a template, type “ADD” in the command prefix column adjacent to the Profile you wish to utilize as a template.

COMPRESS - This allows you to run the IEBCOPY utility program in the TSO foreground to compress the previously specified output configuration dataset. This is useful if you are attempting to update a configuration dataset member but the PDS dataset has filled up.

L - Displays the USTLOG output from the USTCONFG configuration program execution. This is a debugging feature that may be utilized to get additional problem determination information about errors encountered in updating the configuration dataset via the menus.

In our example here we will be adding a new Profile from scratch. Enter the “ADD” keyword on the command line and press the ENTER key to proceed to the next panel.

Backup Profile - List of Profiles Menu

The next menu to appear contains the actual Profile options that can be specified. The following text provides a brief description of each field that needs to be specified for the sample profile we want to build. Additional information on these options and the other options not covered here are described in “USTCONFG Profile Options Parameter Reference” beginning on page 300.

PROFILE

Specifies the profile name to be defined. It may be 1-8 characters, and it must start with an alphabetic or national character (the remainder may be any alphanumeric or national characters). Every remote system which will communicate with FDR/UPSTREAM should be assigned a unique profile name. All backups and restores in FDR/UPSTREAM are keyed to this profile name.

In our example we will set this to “TEST”.

PREFIX

This option indicates that this Profile is a prefix type profile. When enabled, the parameters specified for this profile will be used when the exact profile name specified in an FDR/UPSTREAM operation does not exist in the configuration but yet matches all characters  specified for this Profile’s name.

In our example we will specify “NO”.

TAPE

Specifies that this profile will be permitted to perform backups directly to MVS sequential tape (BSAM) datasets. When enabled for a given profile, the TAPEPREF and the TUNIT or TAPESTORCLAS options must also be enabled.

In our example we will specify “YES”.

IDRC

This option only applies to 3480/3490 cartridge drives and causes FDR/UPSTREAM to specify the TRTCH=COMP parameter when dynamically allocating the tape backup to request hardware (IDRC) compaction of the tape dataset. IDRC compaction may be used even if compaction is your system default.

In our example we will specify “YES”.

TAPEGDG

Applies to profiles where TAPE backups are enabled, and specifies that any backup datasets are to be allocated as new generations of a GDG. TAPEGDG is recommended since GDG processing will automatically delete old generations. GDG bases must be predefined in the appropriate system catalog before they can be used by FDR/UPSTREAM-MVS. Be sure you define sufficient generations in the GDG base to retain all required backups.

In our example we will specify “YES”.

TAPEPREF

Specifies the high level qualifiers of the dataset name to be used for sequential tape backups if the TAPE option is enabled. See the DASDPREF= description for details of the dataset name that will be created by FDR/UPSTREAM for these backups. Specially reserved profiles: USTCATLG, USTFILEI, USTFILEC, USTARCH, USTMIGxx, and USTVLTxx have specific values that need to be entered for this field. Refer to the section entitled “Reserved Profiles” beginning on page 105.

In our example we will specify “UPSTREAM.TEST.COPY?”.

TUNIT

Specifies an MVS tape unit name for the datasets specified by this profile to be dynamically allocated on.

In our example we will specify “TAPE”.

EXPDT

Specifies the Julian format expiration date of the datasets created when using this profile. The meaning of this value is identical to the JCL parameters EXPDT. EXPDT only accepts a 2-digit year number. Year values less than 70 are assumed to be in the 21st century (20xx). This parameter is mutually exclusive with RETPD.

In our example we will specify “99000” to indicate catalog retention control by the tape management system.

NEWTAPEF

Specifies if a new MVS dataset should be created on a new tape volume when processing FIRST TIME FULL or FULL MERGE backups. This option only applies to backups to sequential tape.

In our example we will specify “YES”.

NEWTAPEI

Specifies if a new MVS dataset should be created on a new tape volume when processing INCREMENTAL MERGE type backups. This option only applies to backups to sequential tape.

In our example we will specify “NO”.

DASD

Specifies that this profile will be permitted to perform backups directly to MVS sequential disk (BSAM) datasets. When DASD is enabled for a given profile, the DASDPREF and one of the DUNIT, VOL, or STORCLAS options must also be specified.

In our example we will specify “YES”.

DASDBLK

Applies only to profiles where DASD ( sequential disk) backups are enabled, and specifies the blocksize to be used when allocating those backups. It is not used as the actual blocksize of the backup data set but in performing space allocation calculations. In our example we will leave this field blank and the system use the value specified in the DASDBLK systemwide options keyword.

DASDGDG

Specifies that any DASD datasets that are created with this profile are to be allocated as new generations of a GDG. DASDGDG is recommended since GDG processing will automatically delete old generations. GDG bases must be predefined in the appropriate system catalog before they can be used by FDR/UPSTREAM-MVS. Be sure you define sufficient generations in the GDG base to retain all required backups.

In our example we will specify “YES”.

DASDPREF

Specifies the high level qualifiers of the dataset name to be used for sequential DASD backups if the DASD option is enabled. Specially reserved profiles: USTCATLG, USTFILEI, USTFILEC, USTARCH, USTMIGxx, and USTVLTxx have specific values that need to be entered for this field. Refer to the section entitled “Reserved Profiles” beginning on page 105 for additional information. For the exact coding details of this field refer to the “USTCONFG Profile Options Parameter Reference“ section describing the DASDPREF keyword in more detail on page 300.

In our example we will specify “UPSTREAM.TEST.COPY?”.

DUNIT

Specifies the MVS disk unit name to be used when dynamically allocating the DASD datasets associated with this profile. Either DUNIT, VOL, or STORCLAS is required when the DASD option is enabled. DUNIT and VOL cannot both be specified on the same profile.

In our example we will specify “SYSDA” as the esoteric unit name for newly allocated DASD datasets created by this profile.

MERGE

MERGE=YES specifies that this profile is enabled for MERGE BACKUP processing. The profile must also be enabled for DASD (sequential disk) or TAPE (sequential tape) backups. MERGE=NO indicates that this profile can NOT be used for MERGE processing. MERGE=DEFER enables the profile for MERGE BACKUPs but indicates that those backups will be performed with the "deferred merge" processing option.

In our example we will specify “YES” to enable this feature.

COPYINCR

For profiles that only specify the MERGE=YES option, COPYINCR will cause a FULL MERGE backup to copy all incremental backups that are stored in separate locations to the full backup dataset. Incremental backups that are already on the same tape as the full backup will not be copied, but incrementals that are on different tapes or on DASD will be copied. Incrementals that are successfully copied will be deleted and uncataloged. All FDR/UPSTREAM database records of their location will be updated to point to the new full backup dataset.

In our example we will specify “NO” to disable this feature.

VAULT

Specifies if this profile is enabled for the vaulting facility. If this option is enabled, special dataset naming requirements take effect. See the TAPEPREF and DASDPREF fields for additional information.

In our example we will specify “YES” to enable the creation of alternate copies of backup datasets.

Backup Profile - Configure Profile Options Menu

Once you have entered all these options into the menu, type “SAVE” on the command line and press the ENTER key. You have now created and saved a new FDR/UPSTREAM Backup Profile. The menu pictured below will reappear and contain your newly defined profile in the list of system profiles.

Backup Profile - List of Profiles Menu

You should now refer to the section “Activating a New or Modified Profile” on page 103 for the steps necessary to enable your newly created Backup Profile. This step must be performed before using your new Backup Profile.