RE: Backing up to CD

Joe, we do something like this, too. SAVCHGOBJ for libraries, SAVCHGDLO for QDLS, and SAVCHG for the rest of IFS, to SAVFs. We use the output options for putting save info into physical or IFS (stream) files, possibly spooled files first. The saves are based on a date and time (beginning of previous backup run), which seems to have the best consistency across the various commands.

We use "gzip" to compress the SAVFs - comes in the GNU Utilities free download from IBM (Application Factory or some such). Compressed form is often less than 10% the size of original SAVFs.

Sometimes a test data library comes in at extreme sizes - I have to decide sometimes whether to burn things to the CD.

Finding an object or source member could be a daunting task, but the trail is preserved on the CDs. I have thoughts of writing something to manage this, but who has time for details? <g>

Actually, I use the packet form of writing to CD (Roxio calls it CD), so that the CD is treated as if it were a hard drive. This allows putting small things on it, at different times, until it's full.

This process is scheduled nightly on development box, weekly on demo/test box. There's probably more room for automation, but this is working for now.

Could not find anything, on short notice, in BRMS to save to SAVFs.

If SAVFs still come out larger than 650 MB, check out the "split" utility in QShell, along with the "cat" utility to recombine.

This is based on having full system saves from time on tape.

HTH

Vern

At 04:28 PM 1/17/03 -0600, you wrote:

> From: York, Albert
>
> I have been asked to look into what it would take to do our
> backups from the
> AS/400 onto CD rather than tape. Does anyone have any experience
> with this?

Albert, I LOVE CDs for development backup.  Since source is relatively
small, it's very easy to have daily (or even more frequent!) backups of
source to CD, and at a nickel a disc or less, it's a wonderful way to have
archival history.

On the other hand, backing up critical data might be more problematic.
Multi-volume backups are more difficult - you can just store more data on
tape.

Joe