Product features

SNAPSHOT UPGRADE FEATURE for IMS

The SUF for IMS component is provided with the Image Copy utility as a no-cost feature. SUF supports the Snapshot Copy function and the Instant Snapshot function of the Image Copy utility. For more information, see SNAPSHOT UPGRADE FEATURE for IMS.

SUF for IMS provides a subset of the functions of the EXTENDED BUFFER MANAGER for IMS (XBM for IMS) product. If you have XBM for IMS installed, it supports the Snapshot Copy and Instant Snapshot functions. In addition to including SUF for IMS functionality, XBM for IMS can exploit the IBM System z Integrated Information Processor (zIIP), exploits operating system expanded storage, reduces physical I/Os for IMS read requests, ranks cached data by user-specified priority and allocation size, generates performance statistics, and provides other features and benefits that are related to buffer management and improving database performance. The Image Copy utility works with XBM for IMS in the same way that it works with SUF for IMS. For more information about XBM for IMS, see SNAPSHOT UPGRADE FEATURE for IMS.

Snapshot Copy function

The Snapshot Copy function of the Image Copy utility creates a batch image copy while updates are in progress on the database. If the database is located on an intelligent storage device, SUF works with the device to track the updates.

If an intelligent storage device is unavailable, the software cache is used. The Snapshot Copy function is supported across a sysplex environment.

For automatic handling of batch message processing (BMP) programs during the Snapshot Copy process, you can use the suspend-and-resume interface of the BMC AMI Application Restart Control for IMS product.

Instant Snapshot function

The Instant Snapshot function of the Image Copy utility uses SUF to create a physical duplicate of a database in seconds by exploiting the technology available with intelligent storage devices.

The Instant Snapshot copy process is nearly instantaneous, regardless of the size of the data set. An Instant Snapshot copy can also be restored in seconds. The BMC Recovery utility of BMC AMI Backup and Recovery for IMS and the BMC RECOVERY PLUS for IMS product recognizes Instant Snapshot copies and restores them automatically and nearly instantaneously during the database recovery process.

zIIP enablement component

BMC Image Copy, Change Accumulation, and Recovery utilities can use the zIIP enablement component of XBM and SUF.

With this component, the utilities can use enclave service request blocks (SRBs) to enable zIIP processing while running jobs. If a zIIP is available, XBM attempts to offload eligible processing to the zIIP. If the zIIP is busy or not available, normal processing continues on a general-purpose processor.

Automatic Restart

The Automatic Restart feature is useful when the utility is processing multiple database data sets (or partitions) or Fast Path areas during a single job step.

The utility processes each data set or area in a separate task. If the job step fails or any of the image copy tasks fails after one or more tasks--but not all tasks--have completed successfully, the Automatic Restart feature allows you simply to resubmit the failed job step. The Automatic Restart feature detects that one or more tasks did not complete during the previous execution of the job step and automatically reprocesses only the uncompleted tasks. The uncompleted tasks start over from the beginning, but the previously completed tasks are not reprocessed. At restart, no changes to the JCL or control statements are needed.

The Automatic Restart feature can save substantial elapsed time and processing resources for a utility job step by preventing reprocessing of completed work when the job step fails. This feature can also be especially useful in environments in which you are using SUF. The utility can obtain a consistent timestamp for all image copies, including those that are performed during restart. Hardware mirror splits and software cache preimages are retained across the restart. The online database is made unavailable (by performing the /DBR command) only once; the restarted job step does not require exclusive access to the online database.

Dynamic allocation and dynamic allocation models

The Image Copy utility dynamically allocates input and output data sets.

Through dynamic allocation, you can implicitly create image copies for all data set groups and areas of a given database. You do not need to identify the data set name in the JCL or identify the data set group and area on the control statements.

To simplify and reduce the specification and maintenance requirements for the parameters that are associated with dynamically allocated output data sets, you can set up and refer to dynamic allocation models. Models allow complete control over the data set name, device type, and other allocation parameters to be used for an individual output data set. They are especially helpful when you have requested that the utility produce multiple copies of an output data set and you want to use different parameters for each copy. For example, one copy can be allocated to a disk device while another copy is stacked on a tape device with other output data sets. The Automatic Restart feature supports the use of models.

For the Image Copy utility, you can define a model matrix that determines the model to be used when the Image Copy utility creates an image copy data set, based on the size of the input data set.

Conditional image copies

You can use the Conditional Image Copy feature to bypass a scheduled stand-alone batch image copy task for an object (a database, partition, or area) if the object has not been updated since the last image copy was performed and if an image copy is not required.

The purpose of the feature is to avoid taking unnecessary and extraneous image copies, saving processing and data storage resources with no compromise to data integrity.

The Conditional Image Copy feature works with the stand-alone batch image copy function of the BMC Image Copy utility and the Advisor components in the Database Management console. It requires a license for the BMC AMI Backup and Recovery for IMS product.

The Conditional Image Copy Simulation utility scans an IMS RECON data set (or a VSAM copy of the RECON) and identifies all data set groups that have not been updated since the last image copy. You can use this utility to estimate the extent to which the Conditional Image Copy feature can benefit your organization.

For more information about the feature and the utility, see Database Products for IMS Advisors and Toolkit User Guide.

Image copies triggered by change accumulation

You can use the IC Triggering by CA feature to balance change accumulation (CA) and image copy (IC) processing for one or more CA groups.

The feature manages the size of the CA data set for a CA group through automated IC processing of the objects in the group. This automation ensures that the CA data set does not grow too large to be processed effectively during database recovery.

The IC Triggering by CA feature works with the BMC Image Copy utility, the BMC Change Accumulation utility, and the Advisor components in the Database Management console. It requires a license for the BMC AMI Backup and Recovery for IMS product.

For more information, see Database Products for IMS Advisors and Toolkit User Guide.

Encrypted image copies

The Image Copy utility, the Change Accumulation utility, and the Recovery utility of the BMC AMI Backup and Recovery for IMS product can write and read image copy data sets in encrypted format.

Business continuity plans usually involve sending an organization’s important data to a remote recovery site. Transmission and storage of offsite data increase the probability that this data could be lost or stolen. As more organizations implement disaster recovery plans, incidents involving data security breaches are increasingly frequent. These incidents are also increasingly costly in the harm that they cause to organizations and their customers, clients, and associates. Even if the data is not misused, the potential for harm is costly because of the notification, alerts, and other measures that must be taken in the aftermath of a breach.

By encrypting image copy data sets that are sent offsite, you reduce the possibility of unauthorized access to sensitive information. If the data set is lost or stolen, it is unusable without the key and the means to use the key.

Automated creation, registry, and use of additional recovery assets

Your backup and recovery strategy might call for the production of additional copies of recovery assets. You might need more copies of an image copy data set beyond the two copies that DBRC supports and more copies of a change accumulation data set than the one copy that DBRC supports.

Perhaps you need to maintain two copies on DASD for local recovery and send a third and fourth copy on tape offsite for disaster recovery. It is easy and efficient to produce additional copies of output data sets with the BMC Backup and Recovery utilities.

The Backup and Recovery utilities can work with the Recovery Extensions feature to record and maintain information about additional copies in the Recovery Manager (RMGR) repository. The Recovery Extensions feature provides automated access to additional image copy data sets and change accumulation data sets during processing of the following utility functions:

• The Recovery function of the Recovery utility
• The Incremental Image Copy function of the Image Copy utility and Change Accumulation utility
• The Change Accumulation function of the Change Accumulation utility

For more information about the Recovery Extensions feature, see Recovery Extensions feature documentation.

Consistent timestamps

The Image Copy utility can use the same timestamp for all output image copy data sets for a group of databases. This consistent timestamp helps you to recover an application or other related group of databases to the same point in time.

Automated operator interface and IMS command entry

The Image Copy utility can interact with the operating system console operator, the IMS master terminal operator, and the IMS or DBCTL system during database authorization and allocation.

Asynchronous processing

The functions of the Image Copy utility can be processed concurrently to decrease elapsed processing time.

Several commands and keywords allow you to control the asynchronous processes.

Compressed image copies

The Image Copy utility can reduce the number of tape volumes that are required by compressing the image copy records written to the image copy data sets.

The records are automatically expanded when the data set is used as input to any BMC product. The compressed data set can also be read by a non-BMC program through the BMC Database Utilities Subsystem (DBUSS), which is provided at no extra cost.

Database group processing

The Image Copy utility can process all data set groups and areas that are defined to DBRC within a change accumulation group, a database data set group, or a recovery group.

The utility can also process Recovery Manager (RMGR) groups similarly to the way that it processes change accumulation groups. RMGR groups are available through the Recovery Extensions feature. For more information about the Recovery Extensions feature, see Recovery Extensions feature documentation.

DBRC interface

The Image Copy utility provides an interface to the Database Recovery Control utility (DBRC) and provides options for tailoring the interface.

High performance access methods

The Image Copy utility can read the database at high speeds with the start I/O access method, which is provided at no extra cost, or with an EXCP-level access method.

Native SAM and VSAM access methods are also available. The utility can process tape data sets using either SAM or a high-speed EXCP-level access method.

Image copy by volume

The Image Copy utility can concurrently create image copies of multivolume data sets on a volume-by-volume basis.

Monitoring and reporting options

In addition to listing status messages about program processing, the Image Copy utility can issue messages at specified intervals to inform you about the number of records that have been read.

You can control whether free space analysis information is printed and how many generations of reports are saved in a history file. You can also control the job step termination code based on a specific message number or message text.

Pointer checking

Depending on the other utilities that are available in your environment, you can request pointer checking to verify database validity as part of an image copy task. Pointer checking with the Hash Checking technique is integrated into BMC AMI Backup and Recovery for IMS; no additional products are required. If you have IMAGE COPY PLUS product, you can obtain pointer checking for full-function databases with the BMC AMI Pointer Checker for IMS product or one of the MAXM solution products; for DEDBs, you can obtain pointer checking with the Fast Path Analyzer/EP product. Pointer checking can be performed without creating an output image copy. This feature may be useful if you want to check pointers in indexes at the same time that the utility is performing an image copy of the source database.

Self-optimizing block and buffer pool sizes

The Image Copy utility can dynamically allocate the optimum block size and buffer pool size for the physical device and access method that is being used to read or write a data set.

Stacked output data sets

The Image Copy utility can automatically minimize the number of tape volumes required by stacking multiple output data sets onto a single tape volume.

Virtual image copies

Depending on the other utilities that are available in your environment, you can request virtual image copies of primary and secondary indexes.

A virtual image copy is recorded in DBRC, but no physical data set is created. If the index is damaged or lost, it is rebuilt from the database rather than recovered. The Virtual Image Copy feature is integrated into BMC AMI Backup and Recovery for IMS; no additional products are required. To provide the Virtual Image Copy feature, IMAGE COPY PLUS requires the BMC SECONDARY INDEX UTILITY/EP (or SECONDARY INDEX UTILITY) product or one of the MAXM solution products.