RE: Long running backups to a 3590-B11

Hi Al,
        thanks for your time.  We have already installed the save/restore
group-ptf package; it did much to improve the backup time, an estimated 30+
hours for the *nonsys we never let it complete, down to 17 hours after the
ptfs were applied for the *nonsys we managed to get completed today, but we
need another huge improvement to get back down to < 12 hours.  We are up to
our eyes in ptfs, the IBM CE has just run diagnostics on the 3590-drive - ok
there; there are no error messages in any of the logs;  assist/400 are
wallowing with not much to go on;  we do have 6900+ libraries on the system,
many contain only a few objects - I wonder if this is a part of my problem?

Regards,
        Jeff Bull.

-----Original Message-----
From: Al Barsa, Jr. [mailto:barsa2@ibm.net]
Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2000 2:12 PM
To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject: Re: Long running backups to a 3590-B11


At 10:58 AM 04/06/2000 +0100, you wrote:
>Has anyone else had a similar problem -
>
>I have a system with 102GB of DASD, running at about 80% used.  It has
>regularly taken between 11 to 13 hours to do a full system backup each
>weekend (SAVSYS + NONSYS + SAVDLO + SAV (ifs)).  All of a sudden, the
>backups started taking 15/16 hours.  I have recently upgraded to v4r3 (from
>v4r1), initiallly the backups jumped to 28 hours!!  IBM recommended we
apply
>additional PTFs, a series of group-ptf packages, this cut the 28 to 18 but
>this is still very painful to system availablility, as you can imagine.
>
>I am liaising with IBM and with the CE; I've stopped saving access paths,
>I'm getting staff to delete old/redundant data, what more can I do?  Has
>anyone had similar experiences or have some advice ?

First of all, go back to saving access paths.  On a system with 102 GB of 
DASD, if you had to rebuild them you would a very unhappy puppy.

Secondly, you need to understand that IBM did a very stupid thing in the 
middle of V4R4, which was to upgrade the database via PTF (i.e.: without a 
version/release/modification change).  I told them not to do this, but they 
didn't listen.

Because this upgrade failed to go through the normal release testing 
process, and because IBM is attempting to act in a mode that is *CHEAP, 
this caused lots of bugs to fall through the cracks.  Every legitimate bug 
leads to a PTF (*VERYEXPENSIVE [You wouldn't think so, but nevertheless 
this is what IBM claims.]).

Ultimately PTF's get into a "Cumulative PTF Package", which gets a good 
amount of testing.

However because of database changes, tape changes and Y2K changes, IBM has 
instituted a new set of PTF's called "group PTF's".  "Group PTF's" are not 
as extensively tested, to say the least.  (They resemble doing business 
like Micro$oft, but nevertheless this is what IBM is providing.)  I would 
recommend that all customers at V4R4 have the "group PTF's" for both 
database and Y2K.  In addition if you are running a 3570 or 3590, you need 
the "group PTF's" for save/restore.  There are other sets of "group PTF's" 
for the net, and things like that.

Al





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Al Barsa, Jr. - Account for Midrange-L
Barsa Consulting, LLC.  
400 > 390

Phone:          914-251-1234
Fax:            914-251-9406
http://www.barsaconsulting.com
http://www.taatool.com

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