Reliant is a family of product components that when
used together, provide dataset protection for your shops
VSAM datasets. Reliant is comprised of three components:
RECOV - Provides VSAM dataset recovery
JMASTER -
Provides automatic journal switching and backup of your
CICS and CICS/TS journals
JOURNAL - Provides VSAM journaling for batch programs.
RECOV
RECOV is a system designed to recover VSAM files updated
by CICS or batch applications, if VSAM changes are journaled.
Journal files created by CICS (SMF or standard format)
or JOURNAL, the VSAM Batch Journaling system from CSI,
can be used as input to RECOV. This system can be used
to recreate a file's condition prior to a disk failure,
or file deletion, using a file backup and the appropriate
journals.
RECOV can also be used to manage DL/I journal records.
DL/I journal records from your CICS System Journal and
batch DL/I journal logs from batch DL/I programs can
be combined with VSAM journal records and maintained
on a single journal backup file until such time as a
DL/I recovery or "change-accum" process is
required. RECOV can then generate a single DL/I log
dataset that can be input to your standard DL/I utilities.
Benefits of RECOV
• You do not have to code custom recovery routines.
RECOV will recreate any VSAM file, provided that a current
backup and journal are available.
• Users will not have to re-enter data after a
failure.
• The application programmers need not include
specialized "change-log" logic in their CICS
programs if the IBM-supplied automatic journaling feature
of CICS is used. This feature, along with RECOV, is all
that is needed to provide VSAM file recovery.
In summary, RECOV can save your company time and money
when a VSAM dataset is lost or damaged. Recovery can
be a manageable process--when it is planned for--and
RECOV makes the process easy.
What is Recovery?
Recovery is a process that restores a damaged file to
the state it was in prior to the point of damage.
Damage may be caused by hardware or software failure,
or by human error, and the extent of the file damage
can vary from a single record in one file to many files
in several systems. Accordingly, the recovery process
could be different each time a failure occurs.
What part is provided by CICS?
CICS provides the facility to record file change data
in separate datasets called journals.
JMASTER can be used to provide automatic backup, and
overwrite protection for your CICS journals.
What part is provided by JOURNAL?
JOURNAL provides a batch journaling facility that is
analogous to CICS journaling. It allows you to recover
the VSAM updates made in a batch environment without
re-running the batch jobs.
What part is provided by RECOV?
CICS will not use its own journal records to re-apply
changes when a file has been destroyed. This is where
RECOV comes in. After you have restored the VSAM file
(or files) from the latest backup tape, RECOV will re-apply
changes made since the latest backup.
What part is provided by DL/I?
RECOV/VSE can be used to backup and manage journal records
generated by DL/I. However, RECOV/VSE does not perform
the actual recovery of your DL/I datasets. You still
use the standard DL/I recovery utilities. When a DL/I
recovery is required, you use RECOV/VSE to extract the
required DL/I journal records from your RECOV/VSE Journal
Backup dataset to a separate DL/I log dataset that can
be used by your DL/I recovery and/or "change-accum" utilities.
Will the process work when I need it?
After you have installed RECOV it may be a long time
before you need to use it, if ever, and you may therefore
not get around to testing RECOV or the CICS journaling
process. To help you verify that the entire recovery
process will work, verification software and procedures
are included with RECOV that will ensure the correct
execution of all the steps involved in this recovery
process: the CICS journaling, your backup and restore
system, and the RECOV software.
Features of RECOV
• Single program execution for all RECOV functions
• Any number of CICS journals or journal backups
can be input to RECOV--Sorting requirements can be specified
for any combination of inputs.
• The sort is invoked from within RECOV reducing
I/O to journal files
• Any or all input journal records can be printed,
written to journal backup file(s) or used to recover
VSAM datasets during a single execution of RECOV
• RECOV provides comprehensive journal management
support, including: printing, copying, merging, and automatic
aging/purging of journal records
• Multiple journal records for the same VSAM key
are logically combined during recovery to reduce I/O
to your VSAM datasets
• CICS journals can be in standard or SMF format;
if SMF format is used, the CICS release and APPLID will
automatically be extracted by RECOV
• Backward or 'BACKOUT' recovery can be specified
to replace the 'before' images on your VSAM datasets
• A 'NOUPDATE' mode can be used to simulate a recovery
without actually updating your VSAM datasets
• Forward, Backout and No update recovery can all
be performed against different VSAM datasets during a
single execution
• All types of VSAM datasets can be processed--KSDS,
RRDS, ESDS--including empty files
• Complete selection control over which journal
records will be processed
• Journal records generated by DL/I can be backed
up and managed by RECOV/VSE--When a DL/I recovery or "change-accum" is
required, a DL/I log dataset can be generated by RECOV/VSE
to be used by your standard DL/I recovery utilities.
Batch DL/I logs can be standard sequential, VSAM-managed-SAM,
or VSAM ESDS datasets.
• RECOV provides extensive statistical and error
reporting for all of its Journal Management and VSAM
Recovery functions
• RECOV can generate a "reduced" Journal
Backup format containing only the data changed in the "before" and "after" image
journal records--This feature is intended to improve
journal transmission efficiency for off-site archiving,
or simply to save disk space.
• A complete verification system is supplied with
RECOV to test your CICS journaling installation and VSAM
file Backup/Restore processing--It will give you the
confidence that recovery WILL work when it is needed.
• Step-by-step instructions are provided in the
RECOV documentation to assist you in adding journaling
support to your CICS systems
JMASTER
JMASTER provides an automated mechanism for backing
up CICS Journals as they are filled by CICS, and protecting
the CICS Journals from being reused before the backups
have been completed.
JMASTER manages and protects your CICS Journals by
using the CICS Journal open/close exits that became available
with CICS release 1.7, and a "Journal Control File" that
you create and maintain with a utility program supplied
with JMASTER.
The Journal Control File defines which CICS Journals
in each of your CICS Systems are to be protected
by JMASTER. The file also contains the JCL that will
be submitted to perform the backups.
Features and Benefits of JMASTER
• Your CICS Journals are protected against reuse
by CICS until a backup can be made.
• JMASTER can be used on any CICS Journal, including
the System Log.
• The CICS "pause" messages at journal
switch are eliminated. This allows the journal switch
to occur without waiting for an operator response.
• An "event history" is automatically
maintained for each CICS Journal, showing when each journal
has been opened, closed, and backed up.
• The size of journal files can be reduced (if two
extents are being used), saving valuable DASD space.
Since the journal backups are automatically submitted
without CICS being held, you don't need to be concerned
about having journals large enough to prevent them from
filling up.
• If the journal backups are made to DASD files,
the entire process can be performed without operator
intervention.
• The journal backup JCL is submitted by JMASTER,
but you can use any utility you desire for the actual
backup.
• Automatic journal switches can be scheduled to
occur whenever you need them using the JMASTER Automatic
Journal Switching Facility.
JOURNAL
JOURNAL is a system designed to provide your batch programs
with the type of journaling support for VSAM datasets
that is provided by CICS for your on-line programs. This
is a companion system to CSI's CICS VSAM recovery system
RECOV. The journals created by JOURNAL can be input to
RECOV along with CICS created journals to provide total
recovery for your on-line and batch systems.
Benefits of JOURNAL
• You do not have to modify or re-compile your
application programs to get batch journaling support
when you use JOURNAL.
• You will not have to re-run batch jobs because
an on-line VSAM dataset has to be recovered. Batch updates
can be merged with on-line updates for dataset recovery,
archival or reporting purposes.
• Any number of VSAM datasets can be journaled concurrently
to one or more batch journals, which simplifies JCL and
reduces storage requirements.
• Journal datasets can be dynamically allocated
by JOURNAL/VSE, eliminating the need to change job streams.
• Journaling messages can be generated to provide
visual assurance that the journaling process is working
properly.
• You won't get to the end of a job before finding
out that no journal has been created.
• A single Option Table controls batch journaling.
You have complete control over which VSAM datasets are
journaled, and when and where they are journaled.
Features of JOURNAL
• All types of VSAM datasets can be processed:
KSDS, RRDS, ESDS
• Complete selection control over which VSAM datasets
will be journaled from which programs
• No modifications required to any application programs
• Journals can be created on Disk or Tape. Disk
journals can be SAM or VSAM Managed SAM.
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