Setting automatic backup deregistration criteria

Using the CICS® VR panel interface, you can specify retention criteria for all logical backups that are registered in the CICS VR RCDS.

A backup is registered in the CICS VR RCDS when CICS VR is notified that a backup has been created for a VSAM data set. See Understanding CICS VR backup support for more information about backup registration.

You can set retention criteria for registered backups by carrying out the following steps:

Call the CICS VR panel interface.
Select option 4, Automatic deregister criteria, from the CICS VR main menu and press Enter; the CICS VR automatic deregister criteria menu opens.
Select option 2, Automatic backup deregister, and press Enter. The CICS VR automatic backup deregister secondary window opens:

Figure 1. CICS VR automatic backup deregister secondary window with default values

                     CICSVR automatic backup deregister                      
                                                                             
 Turn automatic deregistration for backups ON by specifying a value for 
 Backup retention period, Use log retention period and Use catalog
 information, then press Enter. Turn automatic deregistration for backups 
 OFF by leaving all fields blank, then press Enter.                                                                      
                                                                             
   Automatic backup deregister  . . . . . : OFF                              
                                                                             
   Backup retention period  . . . . . . . . _    (Number of days)        

   Use log retention period . . : (005) . . _    (1=Yes, 2=No)            
                                                                             
   Use catalog information  . . . . . . . . _    (1=Yes, 2=No) 

   Uncatalog and delete . . . . . . . . . . _    (1=Yes, 2=No)               
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                                             
 Command ===> ____________________________________________________________   
  F1=Help    F12=Cancel

The default values for the automatic backup deregistration settings are blank. Therefore, automatic backup deregistration is initially turned off. While the automatic backup deregister setting remains OFF, no information about registered backups is automatically deregistered periodically by CICS VR. You can change the automatic backup deregister setting to ON by specifying values for the input fields to select at least one of the following deregistration criteria and pressing enter:

Backup Retention period: An integer between 0 and 999 entered in the Backup retention field specifies the number of days CICS VR keeps information about backups in the RCDS. CICS VR deregisters a backup after it has existed longer than the value of Backup retention period. CICS VR uses the backup creation date, not backup registration date, when performing the comparison.
Use log retention period: A value of 1, Yes, specifies that CICS VR deregisters the backup from the RCDS when coinciding log data that is also deregistered by the CICS VR automatic log stream deregistration function. All backups that are older than the largest value of the specified log stream and log stream copy retention period settings, if both are specified, are deregistered from the RCDS. The integer enclosed in the brackets shows the largest of the specified retention periods for log stream blocks and log stream copies, or blank if the Automatic log stream deregister function is turned off.
Use catalog information: A value of 1, Yes, specifies that CICS VR deregisters the backup from the RCDS when an entry for the backup is not returned from the ICF catalog. This option does not apply to registered DFSMShsm backups.

Automatic backup deregistration function is set on, if at least one of the following conditions is met:

An integer between 0 and 999 is specified for the Backup retention period field.
The value of 1, YES, is specified for the Use log retention period field.
The value of 1, YES, is specified for the Use catalog information field.

To set Automatic backup deregister ON, you can specify any combination of those values. For example, to specify an integer for Backup retention period and 1 for Use catalog information means that CICS VR applies both criteria for deregistration backups, that is, all backups older than number of days specified, or not cataloged, is deregistered.