Setting up the environment to support SLB image copies

The IMS Recovery Expert System Level Backup (SLB) API activation utility is used to activate, deactivate, or list the dynamic API environments that exist on an z/OS® system.

This API allows IMS Database Recovery Facility and IMS Database Recovery Facility Extended Functions jobs to use any existing IMS Recovery Expert SLBs when performing functions that access image copies. The API identifies the IMS Recovery Expert environment and eliminates the need to change the job JCL.

The API requires information relating to the IMS Recovery Expert environment. This information includes the names of the IMS Recovery Expert repository data sets and the execution load libraries.

This information is provided in one of two ways:

• Modify the IMS Database Recovery Facility JCL to include DD statements for each of these data sets.
• Run the SLB API utility to dynamically build the API environment that allows IMS Database Recovery Facility jobs to access the required information without the need for JCL changes.

The SLB API activation utility should be enabled after each IPL on any z/OS system where IMS Database Recovery Facility and IMS Database Recovery Facility Extended Functions jobs can run. Once activated, the API remains active until the next IPL or until it is removed or deactivated through the API activation utility.

If the SLB API activation utility is executed multiple times to activate different environments, only the last environment activated is used. All previous environments remain defined but are inactive.

Changes are not allowed to the dynamic API environments if the utility detects that there are active users of the API interface.

The recommended method is to use the dynamic SLB API activation utility so that IMS Database Recovery Facility JCL does not have to be changed.

Sample JCL

The sample JCL for activating, deactivating, and listing the API environments can be found in SBSYSAMP(BSY#UTIL). Customize this job to your environment and set it up to run after each IPL on any LPAR where IMS Database Recovery Facility and IMS Database Recovery Facility Extended Functions jobs need to run.

The EMCLOAD and FDRLOAD DDs are required if either tool is used for data movement.

The BSYGROUP DD is required only if the combined SLB feature is active.

All other DDs should match the data sets specified in your IMS Recovery Solution Pack CLIST, which invokes the IMS Recovery Expert ISPF interface.