EXPORT POLICY (Export policy information)

Use this command to export policy information from an IBM Spectrum Protect server to sequential media or directly to another server for immediate import. When a policy is exported by using the EXPORT POLICY command, the active data pool information in the domain is not exported.

The server exports policy information, such as:

  • Policy domain definitions
  • Policy set definitions, including the active policy set
  • Management class definitions, including the default management class
  • Backup copy group and archive copy group definitions
  • Schedule definitions for each policy domain
  • Client node associations, if the client node exists on the target server

You can use the QUERY ACTLOG command to view the status of the export operation. You can also view this information from the server console.

This command generates a background process that can be canceled with the CANCEL PROCESS command. If you export policy information to sequential media and the background process is canceled, the sequential media that is holding the exported data is incomplete and must not be used to import data. If a server-to-server export background process is canceled, a partial import might result. Evaluate any imported data on the target server to determine whether you want to keep or delete the imported data. Review the import messages for details. To display information about background processes, use the QUERY PROCESS command.

The following restrictions apply to the export function:
  • Export operations from a later version and release to an earlier version and release is not supported.
  • Export operations between servers that are at the same version and release but with different fix packs might fail. For example, you cannot export from a V7.1.3 server to a V7.1.1 or earlier server.
  • Exported data from a server with retention protection enabled is not protected by retention when it is imported to another server.
  • Export processing excludes nodes of type network-attached storage (NAS).
  • Exporting data to a Centera device class or importing data from a Centera device class is not supported. However, files that are stored in Centera storage pools can be exported and files that must be imported can be stored on a Centera storage device.
Limitation: The IBM Spectrum Protect server does not convert code pages during export, import, and node replication operations. If servers are running in different locales, some information in databases or system output might become unreadable. Invalid characters might be displayed, for example, in the contact information for the administrator and client nodes, and in descriptions of policy domains. Any field that is stored in the server character set and that includes extended ASCII characters can be affected. To resolve the issue after the import or node replication operation, update the fields with the appropriate UPDATE commands. This server limitation does not affect client data. Any client data that was exported, imported, or replicated can be restored, retrieved, and recalled.

The EXPORT POLICY command takes two forms: Export directly to another server on the network, or export to sequential media. The syntax and parameters for each form are defined separately.

Table 1. Commands related to EXPORT POLICY
Command Description
CANCEL PROCESS Cancels a background server process.
EXPORT ADMIN Copies administrative information to external media or directly to another server.
EXPORT NODE Copies client node information to external media or directly to another server.
EXPORT SERVER Copies all or part of the server to external media or directly to another server.
IMPORT POLICY Restores policy information from external media.
QUERY ACTLOG Displays messages from the server activity log.
QUERY PROCESS Displays information about background processes.