How do I retrieve data on a Virtual Tape from a disaster recovery test?

Products

• Vtape Virtual Tape System

Issue/Introduction

We have Vtape installed at our home site and bring it up at our disaster recovery site. Occasionally we write data to virtual tape at DR that we want to bring back home with us. What is the best way to do this?

 

 

Environment

Component: Vtape

Resolution

Define a range of VOLSERs for your normal production usage and one for disaster recovery (DR) test usage in the tape management system. In the Vtape VTPOOLS parmlib member, define two scratch pools, one for the production VOLSER range and one for the DR test VOLSER range. In the Vtape VTGROUP parmlib member, set the VolumePool parameter in each group definition section to the production pool number. At your home site, the production pool will be used to satisfy normal scratch mounts and the DR range will be ignored.

When you go to the DR site for a test, update the VTGROUP member to set the VolumePool parameter in each group definition section to the DR test pool number. Scratch mounts will then be satisfied from the DR test pool.

Before returning home, scratch the DR test Virtual Volumes you do not need. When only the needed Virtual Volumes are left, release the Backstore Subgroup Queues to allow Vtape to stack the remaining Virtual Volumes on physical tapes compatible with your home site physical tape drives. Return these tapes to your home site.

At your home site, map the returned physical tapes and update the tape management system with the physical tape information so they are not foreign tapes. Use the following IDCAMS commands to catalog the stacked Virtual Volumes:

   DEFINE NONVSAM(NAME(prefix.VVE.Vvirtualvolser.PRIMARY) -   
   VOL(physical.volser) -   
   DEVT(physical.device.type) FSEQN(nnnn))  

After successfully cataloging the stacked versions of the Virtual Volumes, you can run jobs to mount the Virtual Volumes and Vtape VTS will automatically recall them to cache and allow you to read them.