Omitting Data From BRMS Backups

In BRMS, it is possible to omit data from been saved in multiple ways.

• BRMS Backup Policy

  • In addition to the special values *IBM, *ALLUSR, *SAVSYS, *ALLDLO, and *ASPnn, you can also specify *ALL in the Type field. *ALL instructs BRMS not to save a library when you specify a special or generic value in a control group or a SAVLIBBRM command. Other things to consider when using the Work with Items to Omit option are:

    • You cannot include the special values *ALLPROD and *ALLTEST in a list of items to omit. If you omit a library from an *ALLUSR group, then BRMS automatically omits it from an *ALLPROD group if it uses a PROD type. Similarly, BRMS also omits the library from an *ALLTEST group if it uses a TEST type.

    • The *SYSTEM backup control group ignores any Items to omit from backup that may be specified in the backup policy. If you need to omit libraries from your backup you need to use an alternate backup control group.

    • You can specify the *SECDATA, *USRASPAUT, and *CFG special values as items to omit with the *SAVSYS special value in the Type field.

    • You can specify the *USRASPAUT special value as an item to omit with the *SECDATA special value in the Type field.

    • You can omit up to a maximum of 300 items.

    • Be aware that if you omit a library from a control group, BRMS will omit that library from all control groups with the same name until you reenter it into the control group. For example, if you omit a library from the *ALLUSR control group, BRMS will omit that library from all saves of that control group, even from the *BKUGRP control group, until you reenter it. To avoid this situation, you may want to save the library in a different control group.

• Command line parameter

  • SAVLIBBRM OMITOBJ()

  • SAVOBJBRM OMITOBJ()

  • SAVBRM OBJ(('/test') ('/test/*.log' *OMIT))

  • SAVSYSBRM OMIT()

  • SAVDLOBRM OMITFLR()

• APIs

  • Using BRMS supplied APIs to add object level omits to items in a control group

• Object Lists  ( IBM i 7.2 and above only)

  • BRMS object lists can be used to backup sets of objects or libraries. Use the Work with Lists using BRM (WRKLBRM) command to create object lists for backups or archives.  Object lists contain entries that will be used to do backup the following items:

    • Individual objects

    • Groups of objects using combinations of:

      • generic name

      • object type

      • object attributes

    • Entire libraries

      • Entries that contain a library name (including generic library names or special values) and *ALL for all other fields in the entry are called library entries.  Full backups of library entries will use the Save Library (SAVLIB) command.  Incremental backups of library entries will use the Save Changed Objects (SAVCHGOBJ) command. 

      • When library entries are adjacent in the object list, they will be specified on the same SAVLIB or SAVCHGOBJ command.  Therefore, when save-while-active is used with adjacent library entries, one checkpoint message will be issued for all the libraries.

      • If attempting to do an incremental backup and a new library is added to the object list or there are no active full saves in the BRMS saved item history for a library in the object list, BRMS will use a separate SAVLIB command for the new library and a CPF378A message will be posted.

    • *ALLUSR - In release IBM i 7.2 and later, the special value *ALLUSR can be used to save all user libraries.  Refer to the Special Values table for the Save Library (SAVLIB) Command in the Saving Libraries section of the IBM i Backup and Recovery book for a list of libraries included and excluded when using this special value. 

    • *ALLUSR provides individual library save timestamps instead of the same timestamp for each library saved. 

      • Notes:

        • In release IBM i 7.2, to allow *ALLUSR to be specified, the following PTF or superseding PTF is required:

          • 7.2 SI53306

        • The Object, Type, Attribute, and Member fields must be *ALL and the Inc/Exc must be *INC.

        • Libraries QGPL, QUSRSYS and QUSRBRM  will be omitted in an *ALLUSR save to a TSM (ADSM) server.                            

    • Considerations when using object lists

      • In release IBM i 7.2 and later, objects can be excluded from backups that are done using an object list by specifying *EXC for the Inc/Exc field on an object list entry.

        • Notes:

          • In release IBM i 7.2, to enable the Inc/Exc field,  the following PTF or superseding PTF is required:

            • 7.2 SI53306     

      • An exclude in the *OBJ list will be treated the same as an omit defined in the GUI.

      • The STRBKUBRM command parameter OMITS(*IGNORE) does not apply to *OBJ lists. The omits always are applied in *OBJ lists.

  • Single Command support

    In release IBM i 7.2,one command will be issued for the whole object list if :

    • FULL save and it is a library list - produces SAVLIB cmd save to tape.

    • FULL save and it is an object list - produces SAVOBJ cmd save to tape.

    • Same library name (non generics) and it is a library list - produces SAVLIB cmd - good for tape, save file, TSM, and FULL/CUML/INCR.

    • Same library name (non generics) and it is an object list- produces SAVOBJ cmd - good for tape, save file, TSM and FULL/CUML/INCR.

    • Otherwise each object entry is a separate SAVOBJ command.

•  QUSRBRM Considerations

  • QUSRBRM should not be listed as the first library to save in a list of libraries in a control group.

  • QUSRBRM should not be listed to save in a list of libraries in an object list in a control group. 

  • If QUSRBRM is omitted from any backup, and the library needs to be saved, add it as a separate sequence in the control group.