Nonstandard image copy data sets

For example, you can use the IBM® Device Support Facilities (ICKDSF) product to make a copy of the volume on which a DBDS resides.

If you do not use one of the IMS utilities to make image copies, you must keep track of the data set names of the image copies and the tools that are used to make the copies because IMS does not track this information about nonstandard image copies.

Failure to copy the data set correctly can result in the failure of the database recovery process. For a KSDS, any utility which preserves the KSDS data content can be used to create the copy (IMS accesses a KSDS by key, and therefore has no dependency upon RBA sequence within the KSDS). For all other data set types, the physical sequence of the content of the data set must be preserved. Be sure to use only utilities that copy the data set correctly, or use the IMS provided Image Copy utilities to create a standard image copy.

DBRC does not automatically record the existence of nonstandard image copy data sets in the RECON data set; you must do so by using the NOTIFY.UIC command. If you do not record this information in the RECON data set, DBRC might misinterpret subsequent information about changes to the DBDS. The NOTIFY.UIC command supports both batch and concurrent nonstandard image copies.

Before you recover a DBDS or DEDB area by using a nonstandard clean image copy data set, you must restore the DBDS or DEDB area from the nonstandard image copy data set. However, the process for completing recovery varies depending on whether the nonstandard image copy is a batch image copy or a concurrent image copy.