Options for restoring data to a prior point in time

TOCOPY, TOLOGPOINT, TOLASTCOPY, TORBA, and TOLASTFULLCOPY are options of the RECOVER utility. These RECOVER utility options recover data to a prior time, not to the present time. Therefore, RECOVER utility jobs that use these options result in what are referred to as point-in-time recoveries.

The TOCOPY, TOLASTCOPY, and TOLASTFULLCOPY options identify an image copy as the point in time to which to recover. With these options, the RECOVER utility restores objects to the value of a specified image copy and does not apply subsequent changes from the log. If the image copy that is specified in one of these options cannot be applied, the RECOVER utility uses an earlier full image copy and applies the changes in the log up to the point-in-time at which the specified image copy was taken.

If the image copy data set is cataloged when the image copy is made, the entry for that copy in SYSIBM.SYSCOPY does not record the volume serial numbers of the data set. You can identify that copy by its name by using TOCOPY data set name. If the image copy data set was not cataloged when it was created, you can identify the copy by its volume serial identifier by using TOVOLUME volser.

With TOLOGPOINT, the RECOVER utility restores the object from the most recent of either a full image copy or system-level backup taken prior to the recovery point. If a full image copy is restored, the most recent set of incremental copies that occur before the specified log point are restored. The logged changes are applied up to, and including, the record that contains the log point. If no full image copy or system-level backup exists before the chosen log point, recovery is attempted entirely from the log. The log is applied from the log point at which the page set was created or the last LOAD or REORG TABLESPACE utility was run to a log point that you specify. You can apply the log only if you have not used the MODIFY RECOVERY utility to delete the SYSIBM.SYSLGRNX records for the log range your recovery requires.

Uncommitted transactions running at the recover point-in-time are automatically detected and the changes on the recovered objects are rolled back leaving them in a transactionally consistent state.

You can use the TOLOGPOINT option in both data sharing and non-data-sharing environments. In a non-data-sharing environment, TOLOGPOINT and TORBA are interchangeable keywords that identify an RBA on the log at which recovery is to stop. TORBA can be used in a data sharing environment only if the TORBA value is before the point at which data sharing was enabled.

Note: The default behavior for a RECOVER utility job with the TOLOGPOINT option or the TORBA option is to skip unnecessary recoveries. See the SCOPE option in Syntax and options of the RECOVER control statement.