Create the Archive Control File

New installations

If you are installing ABR and intend to do archiving, you must create at least one common Archive Control File.

Existing installations

Use your existing Archive Control File.

The archive control file

When executing the Archive option of ABR (DUMP TYPE=ARC), ABR can BACKUP, SCRATCH, and UNCATALOG data sets that match user selection criteria. When a data set is removed from the DASD volumes, ABR must note the volume it came from, where the backup files were created, the DCB attributes, and the space the data set occupied. ABR uses the Archive Control File to contain pointers to the archived data sets

The Archive Control File must reside on a single DASD volume that has been initialized for ABR processing as described in the previous section; its data set name must include an index level starting with “ARCHIVE” as any level other than the high-level index. The remaining characters are up to you. All DCB attributes are supplied by FDRABR or FDRARCH and it is accessed both directly (DSORG=DA) and sequentially (DSORG=PS).

There may be many Archive Control Files in an installation. Generally, there is one common Archive Control File for normal ARCHIVing and AUTO-RECALL; if ARCHIVing or AUTO-RECALL is done from more than one CPU in an installation, this Control File should be shared across all the CPUs. However, there may be other ARCHIVE Control Files for special purposes.

Auto recall and dynamic allocation

The FDR Global Options contains the name of the Archive Control File that is dynamically allocated by the DYNARC option during ARCHIVE dumps and restores. This is set on panel A.I.4.5 (see “ARCDSN” in ABR-Options). This Archive Control File name is used for AUTO-RECALL by the ABR Catalog Locate exit and Data Set Not Found exit, by the ABR ISPF panels, and by any ARCHIVE DUMP or RESTORE that specifies DYNARC. Since there can only be one such file named, one common Archive Control File should be used for all normal archived data sets including all those set up for AUTO-RECALL (RECALL=YES specified or defaulted).

The default name is FDRABR.ARCHIVE. If you choose a different name, be sure to change it on Panel A.I.4.5 – Set FDR Global Data Set Name Options in ABR-Options; the name chosen must contain an index level of “ARCHIVE” anywhere but the first level.

Archive control file allocation

The ABR utility program, FDRARCH, initializes the Archive Control File. It is described in FDRARCH-FORMAT-Statement. The ISPF dialog in this section generates an FDRARCH job stream to initialize a Control File. At the default half-track blocking, the Archive Control File can hold 348 data sets per track on a 3390 DASD.

Important

Multi-volume data sets require one entry per volume, and VSAM clusters require one cluster entry and one entry for each component, on each volume.

Each entry in the Archive Control File is retained for one year, by default. If the default retention period is used, there should be enough space allocated to the Archive Control File to accommodate one year of archive activity. You must estimate the ARCHIVE activity within your own environment (the FDRQUERY program, described in FDRQUERY-Query-ABR-Statistics, may help).

Important

All ARCHIVE Control Files need to be periodically reorganized using the REORG function of FDRARCH (FDRARCH-REORG-Statement), in order to eliminate expired and obsolete entries.

Panel A.I.9 – ABR Archive File Initialization

Select option 9 (BLDARC) on the FDR Installation Options Menu that brings you to this panel.

ABR Archive File Initialization – Panel A.I.9

ABRINARC - FDR INSTALLATION -- ABR ARCHIVE FILE INITIALIZATION ----------------
COMMAND ===>


EDIT - EDIT ARCINIT JCL SUBMIT - SUBMIT JOB CANCEL - EXIT IMMEDIATELY


ARCHIVE DATA SET NAME ===> FDRABR.ARCHIVE
STANDARD DATA SET NAME ===> YES
MAX DATA SET ENTRIES ===> 10000
BLOCKS PER TRACK ===> 2


VOLUME SERIAL NUMBER ===>


FDR PROGRAM LIBRARY NAME ===> 'IDP.MODFDR54'
VOLUME SERIAL ===>


SYSPRINT SYSOUT CLASS ===> *


JOB STATEMENT INFORMATION:
===> //useridA JOB (ACCOUNT),'NAME'
===> //*
===> //*
===> //*

Archive control file parameters

ARCHIVE DATA SET NAME

Specify the fully-qualified data set name of the Archive Control File to be created.

STANDARD DATA SET NAME

If set to “YES”, the data set name must contain an index level of “ARCHIVE”. We recommend that you do not change this.

MAX DATA SET ENTRIES

Specify the maximum number of data set entries that you expect will need to be stored in the Control File, up to 22.8 million (22806180). This is used to calculate the DASD space required.

Important

The panel allows you to specify up to 22.8 million, but the actual maximum is less if the device type is not 3390 or the blocks per track is not 2; the formatting program gives an error message with the actual maximum if exceeded.

BLOCKS PER TRACK

Specify the blocking factor (from 1 to 5).

Tip

“2” is recommended.

VOLUME SERIAL NUMBER

Specify the DASD volume where the Control File is to be allocated; multi-volume allocation of an ACF is not supported. Direct SMS allocation is not supported, but if SMS directs the allocation to an SMS-managed volume this will work. Extended Format is not supported.

FDR program library data set

If the name of the FDR program library is not correct, correct it (optionally, the volume serial can be specified if it is not cataloged for some reason).

JCL information

Since a batch job stream is generated to execute FDRARCH, specify SYSOUT CLASS and JOB STATEMENT information appropriate for running the job.

Submitting the job

Once you have made any required changes to the parameters displayed, enter “SUBMIT” or “EDIT” on the COMMAND line to submit or edit the batch job that is generated.

 

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