Scheduling automated backup tasks

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Scheduling and automating backup and archive operations helps to ensure that data is backed up regularly at a specified time. Products that are used to schedule backup operations can be used to automate these operations.

SAP scheduler
The SAP Computer Center Management System (CCMS) provides a scheduler for database administration and backup planning on a single database server. The scheduler can be started from the SAP GUI command line (transaction code db13) or with the SAP GUI menu function Tools > CCMS > DB administration > DBA scheduling.
Crontab (Linux™)
Automating backups at the database server level is available by using the crontab command.
Scheduler (Windows™) or Crontab (UNIX™ or Linux)
Automating backups at the database server level is available by using either the Schedule Services feature (on Windows) or the crontab command (for UNIX or Linux).
IBM Storage Protect™ scheduler
IBM Storage Protect also provides a scheduler function for all of its clients. As a result, automation can be set for multiple database servers. The IBM Storage Protect administrative client GUI provides an easy-to-use wizard for defining schedules. Information about how to define IBM Storage Protect schedules can be found in the IBM Storage Protect Administrator's Reference.
Sample IBM Storage Protect schedule

This sample procedure is flexible because you can define a command file with any set of commands you choose. This allows you to use the same command file to define schedules on other IBM Storage Protect servers.

  1. Enter the following command on the server console or from an administrative client to define the schedule. The administrative client does not have to be running on the same system as the IBM Storage Protect server.
    def sched PolicyDB daily_db_bkup desc="Daily Online DB Backup"
  action=command objects="/home/admin/sched/schedbkdb.scr"
  starttime=21:00 duration=15 duru=minutes period=1 perunits=day
  dayofweek=any
    IBM Storage Protect displays this message:
    ANR2500I Schedule daily_db_bkup defined in policy domain PolicyDB.
  2. To associate Data Protection for SAP to this backup schedule, issue the following command:
    define association PolicyDB daily_db_bkup NodeA1
    IBM Storage Protect displays this message:
    ANR2510I Node NodeA1 associated with schedule
 daily_db_bkup in policy domain PolicyDB.
A backup event (schedule) is now defined on the IBM Storage Protect server. The schedule runs a command file called schedbkdb.scr located in the /home/admin/sched directory. The backup starts around 9:00 PM., runs once a day, and can start on any day of the week. Use the IBM Storage Protect administrative commands query schedule or query association to confirm that you set the schedule and association correctly.
IBM® Workload Scheduler
The IBM Workload Scheduler provides event-driven automation, monitoring, and job control for both local and remote systems.

Sample backup strategy for daily backup processing

This figure illustrates the sequence of backup operations to consider for a daily backup schedule.
Figure 1. Production Backup Example

The graphic shows an example of backup activities that would be required for a strategy with daily backups. Over a period of 28 hours it lists what updates are to be done in which sequence and how long they might take. After online users are no longer busy and batch updates are done, the backup window opens from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. These 4 hours are filled with 3 hours for DB backup with 1 hour for DB backup logging (duration several seconds), log file migration to tape (duration several minutes), SAP system file backup (duration about 15 minutes) and IBM Storage Protect database backup (duration about 30 minutes). The example spans more than 24 hours to show that next day schedules might be different.

The automated backup example shown in the graphic displays these common tasks:
  • A full database backup (offline or without application load) runs each night.
  • Offline log files are backed up to disk during online hours. This action has the advantage of eliminating the need for extra tape mounts for relatively small files.
  • Offline redo logs are backed up to disk during online hours. This action has the advantage of eliminating the need for extra tape mounts for relatively small files.
  • The IBM Storage Protect server moves archived log files from disk to tape after the full database backup.
  • SAP system files are backed up incrementally with the IBM Storage Protect backup-archive client.
  • The last backup in the daily cycle is the backup of the IBM Storage Protect database. This backup must always be done.
Backups can be moved to disk storage and to tape media. The IBM Storage Protect server manages the data regardless of the storage media. However, backing up the SAP database directly to tape is the preferred media.