IBM ProtecTier Implementation and Best Practices Guide

228 IBM ProtecTIER Implementation and Best Practices Guide

Configuring a parallel save with BRMS

You can configure a parallel save by specifying the number of parallel device resources in the

BRMS control backup control group attributes, as shown in Figure 17-3.

Figure 17-3 Example of configuring parallel saves with BRMS

17.4 Deploying ProtecTIER with BRMS for disaster recovery

In this section, we describe various scenarios for replication and performing disaster recovery

(DR) using ProtecTIER with BRMS. The first scenario describes how to recover an IBM i

production system with BRMS, where BRMS is installed on both the production site and the

DR server in one BRMS network. The second scenario describes how to recover an IBM i

production system with BRMS installed on the production system, and there is no BRMS

installed at the DR site.

17.4.1 BRMS available at the production site and DR site

In this scenario, both the production and DR sites have an IBM i server with a ProtecTIER

server connected. BRMS is installed on both the production and DR server in one BRMS

network, and the information about the media, devices, and so on, is synchronized between

two BRMS systems.

The production IBM i performs backups to a locally attached ProtecTIER system with local

BRMS. Replication is established from the production ProtecTIER system to the DR

ProtecTIER system.

Chapter 17. IBM i and Backup, Recovery, and Media Services 229

Replication setup

To set up replication, complete the following steps:

1. Configure the ProtecTIER replication policy with the destination as the VTL of the

DR ProtecTIER server.

2. Configure a move policy for these virtual cartridges so that the virtual cartridges can be

moved to the shelf after they are ejected from production. Then the replica cartridges are

moved from the shelf to the IO station (import/export slots) of the selected VTL at the DR

site when BRMS movement is run using MOVMEDBRM or STRMNTBRM

MOVMED(*YES) commands.

3. As soon as the replica cartridges are moved to the VTL at the DR site, the cartridge is on

the shelf of the production system and in the IO station on the target

Disaster at the production site

If there is a disaster at the production site, complete the following steps:

1. Enter DR mode from the DR ProtecTIER server.

2. Generate a ProtecTIER replication statistic (.csv report) that includes statistics for all

replica cartridges, including sync time, to determine the last set of full backup and

incremental backups.

3. Review the .csv report to determine if the cartridges you want to restore have consistent

data. If they do not contain consistent data, consider restoring from an earlier set of

backups, as described in “Assessing the cartridge status and synchronizing with the

catalog” on page 388 and “Recovering the data” on page 388.

4. Restore the IBM i system from the consistent replicas of cartridges in the DR

ProtecTIER server.

5. You may perform daily saves to the DR ProtecTIER server during the outage of the

production system.

Failback

After the production system is running and connected to the production ProtecTIER server,

complete the following steps:

1. Create a failback policy to replicate all the cartridges or just the ones that were written

during the outage to the production ProtecTIER server.

2. When all the needed virtual cartridges are replicated to the production ProtecTIER server,

terminate the failback replication by leaving DR mode from the DR ProtecTIER Manager.

You can now resume the daily saves from the production system.

17.4.2 No BRMS at the DR site

In this scenario, the production IBM i performs backups to a locally attached ProtecTIER

system with BRMS. Replication is established from the production ProtecTIER system to the

DR ProtecTIER system. There is no BRMS installed at the DR site.

If necessary, a Fibre Channel link from a local ProtecTIER server to the DR ProtecTIER

server is established for restoration from the DR site tapes.