Creating backup RACF databases

If you have active backup RACF® databases, you increase the amount of processing performed for updates to RACF databases. However, you also reduce the amount of time it takes to recover if a database error occurs.

To create a backup RACF database, copy the current RACF database and specify the new database configuration and backup options to RACF. To keep your backup database identical with your primary database, do not make any further updates to the primary database before you activate the backup database. Create and activate the backup database when no other users or jobs are active in the system.

There are two utilities you can use to create a backup database:

IRRUT200 serializes on the RACF database and creates an exact, block-by-block copy of it.
This exact copy can help performance when you are maintaining statistics on your backup database. IRRUT200 can be used only if you are creating a backup database that is the same size and on the same device type as the input database. If you specify PARM=ACTIVATE in your JCL, IRRUT200 activates the backup copy without allowing the RACF database to be updated between the copy and activate operations, keeping the backup and primary data sets synchronized. For more information, see RACF database verification utility program (IRRUT200).
IRRUT400 creates a copy of your database and can be used to change its size.
IRRUT400 also reorganizes the contents of the output RACF database. Use this utility if you are copying between different device types. You can also use IRRUT400 to extend the RACF database before it becomes full. For more information, see RACF database split/merge/extend utility program (IRRUT400).

It is important to use the RACF-provided utilities when copying an active RACF database, because they serialize to protect the data in your database. If, however, your database is inactive, you can use other block copy utilities, such as IEBGENER.