Extended Functions features and benefits

By using IMS Database Recovery Facility Extended Functions, you can save time and resources by detecting and correcting problems that can affect database recoveries before you need to recover your databases.

Extended Functions helps you perform database recoveries at the local and disaster recovery site by assisting you in many aspects of IMS database recovery tasks by providing the following features:

  • IMS Command Interface
  • Health Checker
  • Recovery Point Creation
  • Recovery Point Identification
  • Verify Recovery Assets
  • RECON Data Set Clean up
  • IMS Database Recovery Facility JCL Generation

The tool also provides a process for creating a copy of your live RECON data sets. The copied data sets are accessed instead of your live RECON data sets, which eliminates I/O against your live RECON data sets.

IMS Command interface

The IMS command interface (IMSCMD) allows you to execute IMS type 1 AOI commands in a batch environment. IMSCMD uses the IMS Tools Online System Interface for entering commands and must first be installed in each IMS control region in which commands are issued. IMSCMD can be used in conjunction with other functions of the tool. The output of the commands is written to a report for viewing.

Health Checker

The Health Checker function (HCHECK) analyzes information in the RECON data sets and identifies problems which could impact IMS database recovery.

HCHECK currently checks for over 20 different conditions which could impact IMS database recovery. Health Check uses information from the RECON data sets and the z/OS® catalog when looking for potential problems.

If IMS Recovery Expert is installed, Health Check also uses information from the Recovery Expert repository to include System Level Backups in its analysis and verification.

Recovery Point Creation

The Recovery Point Creation function (RPCR) provides the ability to create recovery points for one or more databases by deallocating the database using /DBR or /DBD command.

This process causes the allocation records in the RECON data sets to be updated, indicating a period of time when the database is not allocated by any IMS subsystem, thus creating a valid recovery point.

When complete, RPCR also optionally restarts the databases to bring them back into their original state. RPCR also has the ability to issue a /SWI LOG command across connected IMS systems to create archived logs that are associated with the RPCR time.

Recovery Point Identification

The Recovery Point Identification function (RPID) analyzes records in the RECON data sets and locates valid recovery time spans for one or more databases.

A Recovery Time Span (RTS) is a period of time within which a database is not allocated and may be recovered. RPID analyzes database allocation records in the RECON data sets to identify RTSs to which one or more databases can be recovered using timestamp recovery (TSR).

RPID also analyzes database recovery records in the RECONs to identify Recovery Point timestamps to which individual databases can be recovered using TSR. These recovery points include times when a database was the object of:

  • A batch IC run
  • Online IC run (in cases where the databases are not truly allocated)
  • A complete CA run
  • A recovery run (full or partial)
  • An offline reorganization run

All recovery points are recorded in RECON recovery records.

Run times of HALDB online reorganizations and IMS Online Reorganization Facility are also analyzed; for these RPID indicates whether the databases were truly allocated and thus whether the run time is a valid TSR recovery point.

Verify Recovery Assets

The Verify Recovery Assets function (VERIFY) examines the RECON data sets and the IMS Recovery Expert repository to identify the recovery assets that are required to recover one or more databases.

If IMS Recovery Expert is installed, VERIFY also examines the Recovery Expert repository to identify and verify System Level Backups.

VERIFY ensures that the necessary assets exist and that they are valid before performing a recovery. Specifically, the VERIFY function performs one or all of the following functions:

  • Lists the recovery assets that are required to recover the specified databases
  • Allocates all recovery assets in order to ensure that they exist
  • Opens all recovery assets to ensure that they are valid

RECON Data Set Clean up

The RECON Data Set Clean up function (RCU) is used to prepare a set of RECON data sets for your disaster recovery environment.

RCU uses a copy of your RECON data sets and alters them to match the recovery environment at the disaster recovery site. These RECONs can then be used for a disaster recovery test or in the event of an actual disaster.

IMS Database Recovery Facility JCL Generation

The IMS Database Recovery Facility JCL generation function allows you to easily create and run IMS Database Recovery Facility JCL for performing IMS database recoveries and creating incremental image copies.

This function parses the information from the Recovery Point Identification report and presents it in an easy to use ISPF interface.