RE: Save While Active

["Graap, Ken" <keg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>>quiecesing - thats a word that rings a bell - but what is it really ?

By "quiesce" I mean, bring the system down to the point where system objects
can be saved, but not all the way to a restrictive state... There is a very
important difference between quiesced and restrictive states too. For
example, if I don't have to go into a restrictive state, I can still run my
backup process as an unattended batch job.

Prior to starting my unattended backup process I end the following
subsystems:

QINTER, QSPL, QHTTPSVR, QSNADS, QSVCDRCTR, QSERVER and QUSRWRK.

I then end the Mail Server Framework via the ENDMSF command.

I'm now in what I call a "quiesced state".... Note, my backup process is
still running in the QBATCH subsystem.

I then backup the following system libraries: QUSRSYS and QGPL...

Then I start up 3 Save_While_Active backup processes against my production
application libraries and when the synchronization check point is reached, I
restart all the subsystem I had ended earlier and also restart the Mail
Server Framework using the STRMSF command. My backups continue while users
have full access to the production applications.

Total down time, about 15-20 minutes. Most of that time being used to arrive
at the Save_While_Active synchronization point.

Using SWA without quiecesing is, as Al puts it "Doing it the hard way"... If
you are not quiecesing your system to do a BU, there is a very good
possibility that you are not saving all objects in QUSRSYS. If you don't
quiesce, there will be locks on some objects that prevent them from being
saved.

The system is unavailable to users for a brief time. However, we have
convinced them of how important a "complete" backup is. Giving up 15 minutes
a night, at 2AM, was considered a small price to pay for being able to
completely recover our system in the event of a total system loss.

Kenneth

****************************************
Kenneth E. Graap
IBM Certified Specialist
AS/400e Professional System Administrator
NW Natural (Gas Services)
keg@nwnatural.com
Phone: 503-226-4211 x5537
FAX:    603-849-0591
****************************************


-----Original Message-----
From: Mike.Barton@pinkroccade.co.uk
[mailto:Mike.Barton@pinkroccade.co.uk]
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2002 8:48 AM
To: midrange-l@midrange.com
Subject: Re: Save While Active