DB backups seems to work ok and I have run them alongside clients sessions. This how I understand it works, similar to and Oracle backup really.
The DB backup seems to 'freeze' database activity even if client sessions are active and generates its image to backup. While the database activity is frozen and the database backup running the transactions generated by the client are written to the Logvolumes instead of Database volumes. When the backup complete these Log volume transactions are sync'd back binto the database. Some considerations to here are that your DB backup is out of date as soon as it completes if it backed up while clients were active. Should you need to recover your DB you will be losing data straight away. Roll forward recovery mode may be an option here plus the various ways of running incrementals etc so you could look into that option. You must have sufficient recovery log space available to take all the client transactions whilst the backup is running. You can monitor how much log is used between dbbackups by reset log consumption statistics. John "Sam Sheppard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent by: "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 06-Nov-2002 17:08 Please respond to "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: ADSM-L cc: Subject: Safe to backup DB while c ---------------------------- Top of message ---------------------------- >>--> 11-06-02 09:06 S.SHEPPARD (SHS) Safe to backup DB while c I have never heard of or seen any restrictions or problems with backing up the DB while backups are running. Sam Sheppard San Diego Data Processing Corp. (858)-581-9668 -----------------------------------------------------------------------` ---------------------------- Top of message ---------------------------- >>--> 11-06-02 07:48 ..NETMAIL (001) Safe to backup DB while c Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2002 10:40:17 -0500 From: "Matt Simpson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Safe to backup DB while client backups running? To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _________________________________Top_of_Message_________________________________ We're trying, usually in vain, to get our TSM environment under control. We have daily scripts that perform backups of our database, one onsite and one offsite. The scripts check to see if any backup sessions are active, and if they are, they reschedule themselves to try again in 10 minutes. It's getting more and more difficult to find any time during the day when backups aren't running. We keep spreading backup schedules out to try to get stuff to run successfully. Our offsite tapes are supposed to be sent offsite by 8 AM, but sometimes they're not getting completed until mid-afternoon. Ideally, I know it would be safer to backup the database when it's not being updated by backup processes. But it seems like there's no way we're going to be able to reach Nirvana. If I want my DB backups to run at any kind of predictable time, it looks like we're going to have to allow them to run while client backups are running. Am I setting myself up for major trouble if I do that? Actually, I'm not 100% sure it's not already happening. I know we don't start the database backup if any client backup sessions are active. But I'm not sure if there's anything in place that prevents a client backup from starting after the DB backup starts. If that's true, are we just wasting time spinning our wheels waiting for a window when no backups are running to start the DB backup? -- Matt Simpson -- OS/390 Support 219 McVey Hall -- (859) 257-2900 x300 University Of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506 <mailto:msimpson@;uky.edu> mainframe -- An obsolete device still used by thousands of obsolete companies serving billions of obsolete customers and making huge obsolete profits for their obsolete shareholders. And this year's run twice as fast as last year's. -----------------------------------------------------------------------`