Define the ABR Protect Lists and Restore Allocation List

New installations

If you have ABR, review the functions of the ABR Protect Lists and Restore Allocation List described below. If necessary, define the lists as shown.

Existing installations:

If you have ABR, the ABR lists can be copied in this dialog (the COPY option), or you may have already copied then with the COPY option on panel A.I.4. In either case, you may want to review and update them.

Like other FDR options, the ABR lists are stored as load modules in the FDR program library; as distributed they can hold a limited number of entries (100 entries or statement lines). The source code for the Protect Lists and Restore Allocation Control List is supplied in the FDR FDRSAMP installation library. You may change the source code to allow more entries and then assemble and linkedit the module.

Panel A.I.6 – ABR Protect Lists and Restore Allocation List

Select option 6 on the FDR Installation Options Menu that brings you to this panel.

ABR Protect Lists and Restore Allocation List – Panel A.I.6

ABR lists

The five ABR lists (the Restore Allocation List and the four Protect Lists) are listed here. To use a given list, you must both activate it and define it. The lists are activated by changing the NO to the right of each list to a “YES” (these activation options are saved in FDROPT, the main FDR options module).

You must now define the lists that you have activated (or intend to activate later). The list numbers (1 through 5) must be entered one at a time next to OPTION on the top of the screen. For example, enter “1” to define the Restore Allocation List. Any list that is activated but not defined is empty.

FDR program library data set

If the name of the FDR program library is not correct, correct it (optionally you can specify the volume serial if it is not cataloged for some reason). This is the library where the ABR lists are stored; it must already contain a copy of the module FDROPT (to store the activation options), and modules FDRALLOC, FDRPROTA, FDRPROTD, FDRPROTR, and FDRPROTS (depending on the lists you are updating).

Refreshing the lists in LLA

If the FDR program library is in the system link list, even though you save the updated lists, the LLA facility of the operating system may still have a back-level version of the list modules. However, if you execute FDRSTART (the FDR dynamic exit installation program), it will also refresh the LLA copies of all of the FDR lists and tables. FDRSTART can be executed using the “REFRESH” command on the FDR Installation Options Menu (panel A.I.4, see Set-FDR-Global-Options).

Panel A.I.6.1 restore allocation list

The ABR Restore Allocation List gives you the capability to specify to ABR where specific data sets are restored if they cannot be restored to their target volume (usually the original volume). This is used primarily with archived data sets, where the original volume may no longer exist or may have no room for the data set. The list distributed by BMC is empty, but the sample list below has some entries filled in as examples. It is stored in module FDRALLOC in the FDR program library.

If the LXCONUSE option is set to “YES” and the LXCONVOL option is set to a non-existent volume serial on panel A.I.4.11.3, then automatic recalls do not default to the original volume and use the Restore Allocation List instead.

Restore Allocation List Example

Basic line commands (I – insert; D – delete; R – repeat) are used to add and delete entries in the list. Each entry must begin with an ALLOCATE command as shown above. Each ALLOCATE statement specifies the data sets to which it applies (by original name, original volume serial, or both) and then gives alternate volumes where the data sets may be restored. ALLOCATE supports these operands:

DSN=

Specifies a fully-qualified data set name (up to 44 characters) or a filter to be used for generic data set selection, as described in Generic-Data-Set-Name-Selection.

ALLDSN

Specifies that all data sets are managed by this ALLOCATE statement (usually qualified by VOL= or VOLG=.

VOL=

Specifies one or more DASD volume serials (multiple serials are enclosed in parenthesis, separated by commas, for example, “VOL=(ABC123,XYZ321)”). Only those data sets that were backed up from the volumes indicated are managed by this ALLOCATE statement.

VOLG=

Specifies a DASD volume serial prefix, for example, VOLG=ABC indicates all volumes beginning with ABC. Only those data sets that were backed up from a volume starting with that prefix are managed by this ALLOCATE statement.

NVOL=

Specifies one or more DASD volume serials (multiple serials are enclosed in parenthesis, separated by commas), giving alternate output volumes as described below. NVOL= can also specify a volume prefix (for example, NVOL=ABC*, which is equivalent to NVOLG=ABC), multiple prefixes (for example, NVOL=(ABC*,XYZ*)) or a combination (for example, NVOL=(ABC*,XYZ123))

NVOLG=

Specifies a DASD volume prefix, for example, VOLG=XYZ indicates all volumes beginning with XYZ, giving alternate output volumes as described below. NVOLG=ABC is equivalent to NVOL=ABC*.

On the COMMAND line, enter “SAVE” to save the updated list, “RESET” to reset it to an empty list, and “COPY” to copy the list from a previous release.

Restore allocate list operation

Every restore selects a target volume for each data set being restored. The rules for target volume selection are detailed in ABR Data Set Restore Procedure in Set-RESTORE-Statement (for restore from backup) and Archive Restore Procedure in Archive-RESTORE-statement (for restore from archive); additional rules for auto-recalls are shown in ABR Auto-Recall – Introduction.

But if the allocation of the output data set on the target volume fails for any reason, including volume not online, no space, security, and so on, ABR uses the Restore Allocation List (if active and defined) to choose one or more alternate volumes. It scans the list looking for the first statement where the DSN= (or ALLDSN) matches the original data set name, and the VOL= or VOLG= (if present) matches the volume serial of the volume from which the data set was originally backed up. Once such a ALLOCATE statement is found, the NVOL= or NVOLG= operands are used to select an alternate output volume or volumes.

For a manual restore, if an NVOL= operand is specified on the SELECT statement, and the allocation fails on the first volume specified, an ALLOCATE statement is chosen based on the original volume serial, not the volume where the failure occurred. The remaining volumes specified on the SELECT NVOL= and the volumes given by NVOL/NVOLG on the matching ALLOCATE statement is merged in UCB order to create the list of additional target volumes.

For the example Restore Allocate List shown in the panel above, the operation of that list would be:

ALLOCATE ALLDSN,VOL=TEST23,NVOL=TEST25

All data sets originally backed up from volume TEST23 are allocated on TEST25. This might be used when volume TEST23 no longer exists, so that data sets archived from that volume can be recalled.

ALLOCATE ALLDSN,VOLG=PROD,NVOLG=PROD

All data sets originally backed up from any DASD volume starting with PROD are restored to any volume starting with PROD. This allows the PROD volumes to be used as a pool, so that any data set from that pool can be restored to any volume in the pool.

ALLOCATE DSN=SYS2.**,VOL=(SYS123,SYS124),NVOL=SYS456

All SYS2 data sets backed up from volume SYS123 or SYS124 are allocated on SYS456. This might be used when the SYS2 data sets have been moved to a new volume, so that any recalled data sets will go to the correct volume. You would need to keep the ALLOCATE statement in the Restore Allocate List as long as any data sets that were archived from the original volumes remain in the Archive Control File.

ALLOCATE DSN=SYS3.**,NVOL=SYS*

All SYS3 data sets are restored to any volume beginning with SYS.

ALLOCATE ALLDSN,NVOL=(POOL1*,POOL2*)

This is a “catchall” that says that any data set that was not directed to a new volume by the preceding statements, be allocated to one of a set of volumes starting with POOL1 or POOL2. A similar statement should usually be last in the Restore Allocate List to avoid restore failures for data sets not covered by preceding ALLOCATE statements.

Restore Allocate List errors

If your Restore Allocate List does not seem to be working correctly, check these things:

• Is the syntax and spelling correct on all statements?
• Is the order of the ALLOCATE statements appropriate (as described above)?
• Have you specified the original data set names and volume serials (not the current target names and serials)?
• Is the Restore Allocate List active? (If so, a batch ABR restore from ARCHIVE lists the ALLOCATE statements right after your RESTORE statement).

ABR Protect Lists

ABR has four (4) Protect Lists, stored as modules in the FDR program library:

• The ARCHIVE Protect List protects data sets from being archived (DUMP TYPE=ARC) stored as module FDRPROTA.
• The BACKUP Protect List protects data sets against incremental backup (DUMP TYPE=ABR, AUTO, or DSF) stored as module FDRPROTD.

• The RESTORE Protect List protects against all types of ABR restores, including restore from backup and archive, stored as module FDRPROTR. Such data sets can only be restored by a full-volume restore.
• The SCRATCH Protect List protects against ABR Superscratch (DUMP TYPE=SCR), stored as module FDRPROTS.

Panel A.I.4.6.2 – Archive Protection List

The format of all four lists is identical, as is the format of the ISPF panels used to maintain them, so only the ARCHIVE protect list panel is shown as an example. The lists distributed by BMC are empty, but the sample list below has a few entries as examples.

Archive Protection List – Panel A.I.4.6.2

Basic line commands (I – insert; D – delete; R – repeat) are used to add and delete entries in the list.

On each line, indicate whether the data set name is a fully-qualified name (DSN) or a data set name prefix (DSG), then enter the data set name or prefix. In either case, the name may also be a data set name mask, as described in Generic-Data-Set-Name-Selection. For example “DSN **.LIST” protects all data sets ending in LIST. DSG entries have an implied “.**” at the end.

A volume serial (VOL) or volume serial prefix (VOLG) can optionally be specified; only those data sets matching the data set name on the volumes named are protected. If omitted, those data sets are protected on all volumes where they are found.

All data sets on a given volume or group of volumes can be protected by specifying “ALLDSN” for the data set name (the DSN/DSG column must be blank). A volume serial or volume serial prefix should be used with ALLDSN (otherwise, all data sets in your installation would be protected, which rarely makes sense).

On the COMMAND line, enter “SAVE” to save the updated list, “RESET” to reset it to an empty list, and “COPY” to copy the list from a previous release.

Protect List errors

If one or more of your Protect Lists does not seem to be working correctly, check these things:

• Is the syntax and spelling correct on all statements?
• Is the Protect List active? (If so, a batch ABR job of the appropriate type will list the Protect List contents right after your DUMP or RESTORE statement).