I have tried to back up spool files (to tape) using your method, however, nothing gets backed up. I want to back up one spool file to test it out before I expand it to all of the spool files. What should I check to make the back up is effective?
My method is to use BRMS.
I'll review how this is set up on my V5R2 system. I know it works, because I run it all the time.
You will need to have the following definitions in BRMS for a Spool file Archive to be successful:
1. System Policy
2. Archive Policy
3. Media Policy
4. Archive List
5. Archive Control Group
In my example, I'll describe how I backup my personal the *OUTQ's.
Note: Backing up Spool Files is an "Archive" function in BRMS -- not a "backup" function.
From the main BRMS menu select "Option 3 Archive" followed by "Option 1 Archive Planning".
You will need to define an "Archive List". So select "Option 3 Work with Archive Lists".
Here is the list I created. The list name is KENNETH:
Display Spooled File List S02
Use . . . . . . . . . : *ARC
List name . . . . . . : KENNETH
Text . . . . . . . . : Archive Kenneth Graap's Spool Files
*INC/
Seq Library Outq File Job User User data *EXC
10 KENNETH HOLD *ALL *ALL *ALL *ALL *EXC
20 KENNETH KENNETH *ALL *ALL *ALL *ALL *EXC
30 KENNETH *ALL *ALL *ALL *ALL *ALL *INC
40 QGPL QPFROUTQ *ALL *ALL *ALL *ALL *INC
50 QGPL ISSYSSERV *ALL *ALL *ALL *ALL *INC
60 STATUS STATUS *ALL *ALL *ALL *ALL *INC
As you can see, I've "excluded" 2 queues and included 4. I now have the "spool file archive" instructions in a list.
Next I created an "Archive Control" group, named KENNETH.
Display Archive Control Group Entries S02
Group . . . . . . . . . . : KENSPOOL
Default activity . . . . : *ARCPCY
Text . . . . . . . . . . : Archive Kenneth Graap's spool files to *SAVF's
Weekly
Archive List Activity
Seq Items Type SMTWTFS
10 KENNETH *SPL *DFTACT
20 *EXIT *DFTACT
Hitting F11 will show you the *EXIT commands... My *EXIT just sends a completion message.
Display Archive Control Group Entries S02
Group . . . . . . . . . . : KENSPOOL
Default activity . . . . : *ARCPCY
Text . . . . . . . . . . : Archive Kenneth Graap's spool files to *SAVF's
Archive
Seq Items Exit command
10 KENNETH
20 *EXIT SNDMSG MSG('Archive of Spool Files for Kenneth Graap')
Next you need to set the "Attributes for this control group. BRMS allows you to make reference to a general "Archive Policy" and from within the "Archive Policy" the "System Policy", when creating a control group. This is specified using the special value *ARCPCY or *SYSPCY. Here are the Archive and System Policies defined on my system:
Change Archive Policy S02
Type choices, press Enter.
Media policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPARCH01 Name, F4 for list
Archive devices . . . . . . . . . . . . *MEDCLS Name, F4 for list
Include:
ASP storage threshold . . . . . . . . 0 *ASP, 0-99 %
Date type for archival . . . . . . . . *BOTH *BOTH, *CHANGE, *USE
Inactivity limit . . . . . . . . . . 30 0-9999 days
Object size greater than . . . . . . . 0 0-999999 MB
Objects able to be freed . . . . . . . *YES *YES, *NO
Retain object description . . . . . *NO *YES, *NO
Objects not able to be freed . . . . . *YES *YES, *NO
Days used (per month) less than. . . . 0 0-31
Default weekly activity . . . . . . . . ******* SMTWTFS(*)
Sign off interactive users . . . . . . . *NO *YES, *NO, *SYSPCY
Sign off limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 0-999 minutes, *SYSPCY
Save access paths . . . . . . . . . . . *YES *YES, *NO
Save contents of save files . . . . . . *YES *YES, *NO
Data compression . . . . . . . . . . . . *DEV *DEV, *YES, *NO
Data compaction . . . . . . . . . . . . *DEV *DEV, *NO
Target release . . . . . . . . . . . . . *CURRENT *CURRENT, *PRV
Clear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *NONE *NONE, *ALL, *AFTER
Append to media . . . . . . . . . . . . *YES *YES, *NO
End of tape option . . . . . . . . . . . *UNLOAD *UNLOAD, *REWIND, *LEAVE
Use optimum block size . . . . . . . . . *DEV *DEV, *YES, *NO
IPL after archive . . . . . . . . . . . *SYSPCY *YES, *NO, *SYSPCY
How to end . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *SYSPCY *CNTRLD, *IMMED, *SYSPCY
Delay time, if *CNTRLD . . . . . . . . *SYSPCY Seconds, *NOLIMIT
Restart after power down . . . . . . . *SYSPCY *YES, *NO, *SYSPCY
IPL source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *SYSPCY *PANEL, A, B, *SYSPCY
Retrieved object retention . . . . . . . *NOMAX 0-9999, *NOMAX
V5R2M0 Change System Policy S02
Type choices, press Enter.
Media policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FULL Name, F4 for list
Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TAP04 Name, F4 for list
TAP05
Home location for media . . . . . . . . *HOME Name, F4 for list
Media class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FMT3590E Name, F4 for list
Sign off interactive users . . . . . . . *NO *YES, *NO
Sign off limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 0-999 minutes
Output queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PRT02 Name, *PRTF
Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . QUSRSYS Name, *LIBL
Day start time . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0:00:00 Time
Media monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . *YES *YES, *NO
Shared inventory delay . . . . . . . . . 60 30-9999 seconds
Auto enroll media . . . . . . . . . . . *NO *NO, *YES
Trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *NO *NO, *YES
Default usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . *YES *NO, *YES
The "Control Group Attributes" also reference a "Media Policy". In this example the "Media Policy" is called KENARCHIVE. It defines where the backup will be stored and how long it will be retained by BRMS before being expired.
Display Media Policy
Media policy . . . . . . . . . . : KENARCHIVE
Retention type . . . . . . . . . : 2 1=Date, 2=Days,
3=Versions, 4=Permanent
Retain media . . . . . . . . . : 366
Move policy . . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Media class . . . . . . . . . . : *NONE
Storage location . . . . . . . . : *HOME
Save to save file . . . . . . . : *YES
ASP for save files . . . . . . : ASP3
Save file retention type . . . : 2 1=Date, 2=Days,
3=Permanent, 4=None
Retain save files . . . . . : 366
ASP storage limit . . . . . . : 96
Secure media . . . . . . . . . . . *NO
Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Media Policy for Kenneth Graap's archive
Required volumes . . . . . . . . : *NONE *NONE, 1-9999
Mark volumes for duplication . . : *NO *NO, *YES
The "attributes" for this control group are then defined to create a *SAVF backup containing any of the selected spool files OLDER than 31 days... and as specified in the "Media Policy", storing them in ASP3 for 366 days:
Change Archive Control Group Attributes
Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : KENSPOOL
Type information, press Enter.
Media policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KENARCHIVE Name, F4 for list
Archive devices . . . . . . . . . . . . *NONE Name, F4 for list
Parallel device resources:
Minimum resources . . . . . . . . . . *NONE 1-32, *NONE, *AVAIL
Maximum resources . . . . . . . . . . 1-32, *AVAIL, *MIN
Include:
ASP low storage threshold . . . . . . *ARCPCY *ASP, 0-99%, *ARCPCY
Date type for archival . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *BOTH, *CHANGE, *USE...
Inactivity limit . . . . . . . . . . 31 0-9999 days, *ARCPCY
Object size greater than . . . . . . . *ARCPCY 0-999999 MB, *ARCPCY
Objects able to be freed . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *YES, *NO, *ARCPCY
Retain object description . . . . . *ARCPCY *YES, *NO, *ARCPCY
Objects not able to be freed . . . . . *ARCPCY *YES, *NO, *ARCPCY
Days used (per month) less than. . . . *ARCPCY 0-31, *ARCPCY
Default weekly activity . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY SMTWTFS(*), *ARCPCY
Sign off interactive users . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *YES, *NO, *ARCPCY
Sign off limit . . . . . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY 0-999 minutes, *ARCPCY
Save access paths . . . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *YES, *NO, *ARCPCY
Save contents of save files . . . . . . *ARCPCY *YES, *NO, *ARCPCY
Data compression . . . . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *DEV, *YES, *NO, *ARCPCY
Data compaction . . . . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *DEV, *NO, *ARCPCY
Target release . . . . . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *CURRENT, *PRV, *ARCPCY
Clear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *NONE, *ALL, *AFTER
Append to media . . . . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *YES, *NO, *ARCPCY
End of tape option . . . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *UNLOAD, *REWIND, *LEAVE
Use optimum block size . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *ARCPCY, *DEV, *YES, *NO
Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Archive Kenneth Graap's spool files to
*SAVF's
IPL after archive . . . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *YES, *NO, *ARCPCY
How to end . . . . . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *CNTRLD, *IMMED, *ARCPCY
Delay time, if *CNTRLD . . . . . . . *ARCPCY Seconds, *NOLIMIT
Restart after power down . . . . . . *ARCPCY *YES, *NO, *ARCPCY
IPL source . . . . . . . . . . . . . *ARCPCY *PANEL, A, B, *ARCPCY
Retrieved object retention . . . . . . . *ARCPCY 0-9999, *NOMAX, *ARCPCY
Now that I have a "list" and a "Control Group", I can execute this Archive using the STRARCBRM command, as follows:
Start Archive using BRM (STRARCBRM)
Type choices, press Enter.
Control group . . . . . . . . . CTLGRP > KENSPOOL
Run option . . . . . . . . . . . OPTION > *ARCHIVE
Schedule time . . . . . . . . . SCDTIME *IMMED
Submit to batch . . . . . . . . SBMJOB *YES
In review, you will need to define the following:
1. System Policy
2. Archive Policy
3. Media Policy
4. Archive List
5. Archive Control Group
... and then execute the 'Archive control Group'...
See how simple this is! <smile>
I hope this example will help you figure out why your Spool file Archive won't run.
Good Luck!
Kenneth
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This was first published in April 2005