ABR Auto-Recall – Customization Options
This section describes customization options for Auto-Recall via the Catalog Locate and Data Set Not Found exits. They cannot be overridden for individual recalls. The following options affect only the ABR Catalog Locate exit, unless the description of the option mentions that it affects the Data Set Not Found exit also.
Setting options
The Auto-Recall options are stored in the FDR Global Options (FDROPT) and can be changed using the ABR ISPF panels (A.I.4.11.2 and A.I.4.11.3, as described in Operating-System-Exit-Options-for-FDRABR-and-FDRREORG). During dynamic installation of the ABR exits the current copy of FDROPT is also loaded into memory; the exits always use that in-memory copy to determine what options are set, so options stored in FDROPT can be changed but does not become active until you reIPL or refresh the in-memory copy (see Step 8: Changing Options in Dynamic-Exit-Installation-Procedure).
The topic Output Volume Selection in ABR Auto-Recall – Customization Options discusses the interaction among the various options that affect the chosen target volume, namely:
These options are displayed in the order that they appear on ISPF panels A.I.4.11.2 and A.I.4.11.3.
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit will ask a TSO user to confirm the recall of an archived data set. This option has no effect if LXDFREST and LXUNCAT are both set to “NO”.
Do not issue message FDRW71; the TSO user is not asked to confirm or deny the recall; the recall is forced. If LXDFREST is set to a single restore type, and LXNEWVOL is set to “NO”, the recall begins immediately with no user interaction except a message confirming that the recall has started.
Issue message FDRW71 asking the TSO user to confirm or deny the recall. The format of message FDRW71 can be changed by option LXALTMSG.
Default: YES.
LXFGSYNBG
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit is to convert all TSO foreground recall requests to synchronous external recalls.
TSO foreground recalls are executed in the address space of the TSO user.
TSO foreground recalls are done as synchronous external recalls. This might be useful if TSO users do not have tape mount authority. The user's terminal is locked until the recall completes. This option can also be invoked for specific users by allocating the ABRSYNCH ddname (see ABRSYNCH and ABRASYNC DD Statements in ABR-Auto-Recall-Operation).
Specifies the restore types that are available for Auto-Recalls by TSO users under the ABR Catalog Locate exit. The values that may be specified are NO or any combination of FG, BG, and RQ. If more than one restore type is specified, the TSO user is prompted to choose which restore type to use. If only one restore type is specified, that restore type is used automatically, and the TSO user is not prompted. The restore types are described in TSO in ABR-Auto-Recall-Operation.
Background recalls are available.
Foreground recalls are available.
Auto-Recall is not available for TSO users.
Remote queue recalls are available.
Default: FG,BG,RQ. That is, all of the restore types are available, and the user is prompted to choose one.
LXFGERR
Specifies whether a recall should be retried in the background or via the remote queue, if it fails in the TSO foreground. This option has no effect unless option LXDFREST includes FG as an available restore type.
A failed foreground recall is retried as a background recall.
A failed foreground recall is not retried.
A failed foreground recall is retried as a remote queue recall.
Default: NO.
LXFGERR is an important option in the environment where data sets are archived to DASD with a short retention and to tape with a longer retention, and the TSO users do not have MOUNT privileges. As long as an archived data set is available on DASD, it can be quickly recalled in the foreground. After the DASD copy expires, ABR automatically tries to restore from the tape copy, but the dynamic allocation fails because the user does not have MOUNT privileges. If LXFGERR is set to “BG” or “RQ”, the recall is automatically sent to the background or the remote queue, where the tape can be mounted.
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit issues or suppresses messages FDRW70 and FDRW79, when the exit finds that the user has referenced a data set that is archived for recall, but the installation does not allow Auto-Recalls for TSO users. This option has no effect unless LXDFREST and LXUNCAT are both set to “NO”.
Issue messages FDRW70 and FDRW79 to inform the user that the data set was archived, in case they want to restore it manually.
Suppress the messages. The user will not be informed that the data set was archived.
Default: NO.
LXNEWVOL
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit will permit a TSO user to designate a new output volume to which to restore an archived data set.
Messages FDRW76 and FDRW77 will not be issued, and the TSO user will not have the option to override the chosen volume serial. You may want to set NO if you use the ABR RESTORE ALLOCATION LIST to direct restores to volumes, or if most recalled data sets are SMS-managed.
YES
Issue messages FDRW76 and FDRW77, telling the TSO user the volume that is designated as the output volume for the restore, and permitting a different volume to be specified.
Default: YES.
LXREISSU
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit re-displays the designated volume and give the TSO user another chance to change it; after the user has designated a new output volume to which to restore an archived data set (see LXNEWVOL in ABR Auto-Recall – Customization Options). This option has no effect if either LXDFREST or LXNEWVOL is set to “NO”.
NO
The TSO user has only one chance to designate a new output volume to which to restore the data set.
YES
When the user has replied to message FDRW77 by designating a new output volume to which to restore the data set, the ABR Catalog Locate exit reissues messages FDRW76 and FDRW77. Message FDRW76 re-displays the new volume that the user has designated, and message FDRW77 gives the user another chance to change it.
Default: NO.
LXSYNPROC
Specifies the name of the cataloged procedure (proc) that is invoked by the ABR Catalog Locate exit to perform external recalls as described in ABR Catalog Locate Exit in ABR-Auto-Recall-Introduction. The exit issues an internal “START procname” to start the recall task, passing parameters identifying the data sets to be recalled.
Default: SYNRECAL.
LXCHKSEC
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit itself performs security checking before recalling an archived data set. This is in addition to security checking that may be done by FDRABR during the restore or by FDRABRUT during the remote queue update. Security Considerations in ABR-Auto-Recall-Securitygives further details. This option has no effect if FDR Global Options ALLCALL and SECEXIT are both set to NO (this option does not yet support the FDR.NOALLCALL security profile).
The ABR Catalog Locate exit does not perform security checking but FDRABR or FDRABRUT may do so.
The exit performs security checking. In addition, if the LXCHKSEC and SECEXIT options are both set to “YES”, the FDR Data Set Security exit may designate a new volume as the output volume for the restore, also as detailed in Output Volume Selection in ABR Auto-Recall – Customization Options.
Default: NO.
LXBYPSEC
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit and the Data Set Not Found exit cause security checking to be bypassed during the recall. This option is separate from the LXCHKSEC and LXEXIT options, which control security checking that may be done by the ABR Catalog Locate exit itself. Security Considerations in ABR-Auto-Recall-Security gives further details.
Normal security checking is performed by FDRABR and FDRABRUT. This may mean that users are not able to recall data sets unless they have the authority to allocate them.
Inhibit all security checking done by FDRABRUT to add the restore request to the remote queue (Locate Exit only), or by FDRABR to perform the recall. The bypass is effective for IBM RACF, CA TOP SECRET, CA ACF2, and other security systems. The bypass applies both to security checking that FDRABR and FDRABRUT perform explicitly, and to security checking performed by Operating System routines that FDRABR and FDRABRUT invoke.
Default: NO.
LXEXIT
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit will invoke a special security exit. Security Considerations in ABR-Auto-Recall-Security gives further details.
No special security exit is called.
A special Auto-Recall security exit is called, detailed in Output Volume Selection in ABR Auto-Recall – Customization Options. The name of the exit must be specified in the LXEXIT … EXIT NAME option. In addition to checking security, the LXEXIT exit may designate a new volume as the output volume for the restore.
Default: NO. There is no default for the name of the exit; if you activate the exit you must specify its name.
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit will give a 'not cataloged' return code to LOCATE, when a TSO user references a data set that has been archived for recall, and specifies that the data set should not be recalled. This option has no effect if options LXDFREST and LXUNCAT are both set to “NO”.
LOCATE will receive a normal (zero) return code when a TSO user denies the recall request.
LOCATE will receive a 'not cataloged' return code when a TSO user denies the recall request.
Default: YES.
LXCONUSE
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit initially designates the constant new volume serial specified by the LXCONVOL option as the output volume for Auto-Recall.
The original volume serial (or MIGRAT) from the Auto-Recall catalog entry is passed.
The value of LXCONVOL is passed as the output volume serial for all recalls.
Default: NO.
The usual use of the LXCONUSE and LXCONVOL options are to designate a non-existent volume in order to force ABR to select a volume using only the RESTORE ALLOCATION LIST, which must be enabled for non SMS-managed data sets. You may want to set LXNEWVOL to “NO” so that users cannot override the constant volume.
LXCONVOL
Specifies the constant volume serial that the ABR Catalog Locate exit will specify as the output volume for Auto-Recall, if LXCONUSE is set to “YES”.
Default: NEWVOL.
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit uses an alternate format for message FDRW71, when asking a TSO user whether an archived data set should be recalled, so as to require a positive action (keying in “YES” instead of just pressing “Enter”) to cause an archived data set to be recalled. This option has no effect if options LXDFREST and LXUNCAT are both set to “NO”, or if option LXFOREST is set to “NO”.
The message is:
FDRW71 TYPE 'END' TO BYPASS THE RESTORE OR PRESS 'ENTER' TO CONTINUE
The message is:
Default: NO.
Specifies whether the ABR Catalog Locate exit offers a TSO user the choice of uncataloging an archived data set instead of recalling it. If option LXFOREST is set to NO, then option LXUNCAT is ignored.
It does not offer the choice of uncataloging the data set
It offers the choice of uncataloging the data set. If the user chooses to uncatalog, the data set will no longer be eligible for Auto-Recall by the ABR Catalog Locate exit. The LOCATE SVC gets a “not found” return code.
Default: NO.
LXMAXSTC
LXMAXREC
Specifies the maximum number of started tasks for external recalls (LXMAXSTC) or total concurrent recalls (LXMAXREC) that the ABR Catalog Locate exit will allow to be running in the system at one time. Each may be from 1 to 255. If both are specified, then LXMAXSTC must be less than or equal to LXMAXREC.
If either limit is reached, then:
- If a batch job is requesting the recall, the ABR Catalog Locate exit will issue a message to the console operator, and will go into a wait for one minute at a time, until the number of started tasks or total recalls falls below the limit. The console operator can cancel the job while it is waiting.
- If a TSO user is requesting the recall, the ABR Catalog Locate exit will issue a message to the TSO terminal, asking the user whether he wants to wait, or to terminate the current operation and perhaps try again later. If the TSO user chooses to wait, then the ABR Catalog Locate exit will go into a wait for one minute at a time, until the number of started tasks or total recalls falls below the limit. The TSO user can use the Attention (PA1) key to terminate the wait if he changes his mind.
Default: For LXMAXREC is NONE so that there is no limit on the number of total recalls that the ABR Catalog Locate exit will allow to be running in the system at one time. However, the default for LXMAXSTC is 100, which limits the number of external recall started tasks to 100.
When ABR Auto-Recall is used under JES3, the ABR Catalog Locate exit is invoked during batch job scheduling, but it may not be on the system where the job eventually runs, so the recall cannot be done at that time; data sets are recalled when the job actually runs. The exit returns a DASD volume serial so that JES3 thinks the data set is on that volume, but if the volume returned is not online to all systems in the JES3 complex, JES3 may not be able to schedule the job on the proper system, or may fail it. For JES3 users only, these options identify the volume serial (LXDIRVOL) and device type such as 3390 (LXDIRTYP) to be passed during JES3 scheduling. It must be a DASD volume online to all systems in the JES3 complex.
Options for auto recall from cloud storage
Data sets can be Archived to cloud storage. Ordinarily, auto recall from cloud storage does not have any special considerations. ABR finds the entry for the Archived data set in the Archive Control File; the entry points to the backup control file that was created during the Archive operation; the backup control file specifies the cloud name, container name, and object name for the Archived data set; and ABR restores the data set from that location in the cloud.
This depends on the backup control file still being on disk at the time of the recall. It is desirable that the backup control file remain on disk for as long as the archives are retained. However, the backup control file is also backed up to the cloud; if it is deleted from disk, then it can be restored from the cloud in order for ABR to be able to restore the Archived data sets. A procedure for users to do this restore is in Restoring-a-TCT-Backup-Control-File-From-the-Cloud. However, for auto recall, ABR restores the backup control file automatically. This process depends on certain options in the FDR Global Options (FDROPT). These options are on ABR ISPF panel A.I.4.15 and are also discussed in Set-FDRCLOUD-Options.
Ordinarily, ABR obtains the name of the cloud from the backup control file. When the backup control file itself is being restored automatically for auto recall, ABR obtains the name of the cloud from the CLOUDNAME option.
If the CLOUDNAME option has not been specified in the option table, ABR defaults to the first cloud name listed in the Network Connection section (option S) of the IBM ISMF dialog. If this is not the right cloud, the restore of the backup control file fails and the auto recall fails.
Ordinarily, ABR obtains the name of the container from the backup control file. When the backup control file itself is being restored automatically for auto recall, ABR obtains the name of the container from the CLOUDCNA option. The default for this option is FDR.ABR.ARCHIVE.
Ordinarily, for a data set being restored from the cloud, ABR obtains the data class, storage class, and management class, if any, from the backup control file. When the backup control file itself is being restored automatically for auto recall, ABR obtains the data class, storage class, and management class from the CLOUDDC, CLOUDSC, and CLOUDMC options, respectively. These options do not have defaults. If these options have not been specified in the option table, ABR does not pass any SMS class names to SMS when allocating space for the backup control file. If the backup control file was not SMS-managed, then it did not have class names, and allocation proceeds normally. If the backup control file was SMS-managed, then the installation's ACS routines may assign appropriate classes, and the allocation may proceed normally. If not, the backup control file may be allocated on an undesired volume, or the allocation may fail (in which case the recall would fail).
Output volume selection
Whenever the ABR Catalog Locate exit initiates a recall of an archived data set, using any restore type, it designates a target output volume to which the data set should be restored. The default is that the designated volume is the volume to which the data set is cataloged, which is either the volume from which the data set was archived or 'MIGRAT' if the MIGRAT option was in effect when the data set was archived.
The following explains the interaction among the various options that may change the designated output volume. These options are LXCONUSE, LXCONVOL, LXCHKSEC, LXEXIT, LXNEWVOL, and LXREISSU.
- First, the exit sets the default of the volume to which the data set is cataloged.
- However, if the LXCONUSE option is set to YES, the volume specified by the LXCONVOL option is set.
- If the LXEXIT option is set to YES, the ABR Catalog Locate exit calls the user-written Auto-Recall exit named by the LXEXIT … EXIT NAME option. The LXEXIT exit may designate a new volume as the output volume for the restore, as discussed in the Security Considerations in ABR-Auto-Recall-Security.
- If the LXCHKSEC and SECEXIT options are both set to YES, the ABR Catalog Locate exit calls the FDR Data Set Security exit, using the name specified by the SECEXIT … EXIT NAME option. The Data Set Security exit may designate a new volume as the output volume for the restore, as discussed in the Security Considerations in ABR-Auto-Recall-Security.
- If the archived data set was referenced by a TSO user, and the LXNEWVOL option is set to YES, the ABR Catalog Locate exit issues messages FDRW76 and FDRW77, telling the TSO user the volume that is currently designated as the output volume for the restore, and allowing the TSO user to designate a new volume. If the LXREISSU option is also set to YES, the exit reissues messages FDRW76 and FDRW77, re-displaying the new volume that the just entered, and allowing the user to change the designated volume again; this continues until the user presses ENTER without changing the volume serial number again.
It is unusual to have all of the above options set to YES at the same installation. For example, if an installation uses an LXEXIT exit or a Data Set Security exit (LXCHKSEC and SECEXIT options) to designate the output volume for the restore, that installation probably wants to set the LXNEWVOL option to NO so that the TSO user could not override the designated volume.
For multi-volume data sets, the above rules only affect the first volume of the data set. Additional pieces of the data set will get a target volume of the original volume serial. Only the RESTORE ALLOCATION LIST or SMS can override that volume.