DB2 enabled Notes database backup

Concepts that are associated with Data Protection for IBM® Domino® backups of Domino DB2® enabled Notes® databases are presented.

The following list provides a brief overview of key DB2 enabled Notes database backup features:
  • The entire Domino DB2 database or separate DB2 Groups can be backed up.
  • The backup can be restored to an alternative database.
  • In a disaster recovery situation, the backup can be restored to the original Domino DB2 database.
  • Individual DB2 enabled Notes databases are copied from the alternative DB2 database to the Domino DB2 database.

DB2 enabled Notes databases are stored in a DB2 database and managed by a DB2 server. Using Data Protection for HCL Domino you can back up the Domino 8 DB2 database and DB2 Groups (table space). Online and DB2 Group backups are only available when the Domino DB2 database is enabled for rollforward recovery. When rollforward recovery is not enabled, the backup is run offline.

Note, a DB2 enabled Notes backup is different from an NSF backup. An NSF database is backed up directly. A DB2 enabled Notes database is backed up indirectly as a DB2 Group. A DB2 Group (or DB2 table space) is really a collection of one or more DB2 enabled Notes databases.

The table space is the smallest entity that can be backed up in DB2 applications. Since it is possible for a table space (DB2 Group) to contain more than one DB2 enabled Notes database, it is not possible to back up and restore a single DB2 enabled Notes database unless there is only one DB2 enabled Notes database in a table space (DB2 Group). A single DB2 enabled Notes database can be copied from a restored table space to the original table space. Alternatively, it can be restored to a new table space with the Domino FastCopy feature. FastCopy can be used to restore only a single DB2 enabled Notes database when a DB2 redirected restore is used. Note, a DB2 redirected restore, and Domino FastCopy are only possible when DB2 is configured with federation enabled.

DB2 enabled Notes databases, NSF databases that are created and stored in DB2 databases, are represented in the Domino Data directory as regular files and are similar to Domino database link and directory link files. They contain the {DB2} text string to identify that the database is stored in a DB2 database. The DB2 enabled Notes link files are not backed up by Data Protection for HCL Domino. Only the full DB2 database or the DB2 Groups (that contain DB2 enabled Notes databases) are backed up by Data Protection for HCL Domino.

DB2 IBM Storage Protect Agent

DB2 provides a IBM Storage Protect Agent and utility program, db2adutl, that interfaces with the DB2 Recovery API. This interface helps you to manage IBM Storage Protect objects that are created on the DB2 server. Data Protection for HCL Domino uses the DB2 IBM Storage Protect Agent through the DB2 Recovery API to back up and restore the Domino DB2 database and DB2 Groups (table space). These IBM Storage Protect objects that are associated with DB2 backups are unique and there is only one IBM Storage Protect object that is created for each backup operation per session. The db2adutl program, for example, can be used to expire these objects.

Data Protection for HCL Domino and the DB2 API

Data Protection for HCL Domino uses the DB2 Recovery API to communicate with the DB2 IBM Storage Protect Agent to back up DB2 data to the IBM Storage Protect server. Configure the DB2 IBM Storage Protect Agent to use the same IBM Storage Protect nodename and to access the same IBM Storage Protect server as Data Protection for HCL Domino. The IBM Storage Protect objects that are created by the DB2 Recovery API belong to the same IBM Storage Protect node as the objects created by Data Protection for HCL Domino NSF databases. Specify the options file with the adsmoptfile parameter.

Types of DB2 backups

Data Protection for HCL Domino provides three types of database backups:
DB2 database Backup
Data Protection for HCL Domino DB2 database backups create a selective backup image that can be used for disaster recovery of the Domino 8 DB2 database or for restoring individual DB2 enabled Notes databases. Only selective backup db2selective is provided for DB2 enabled Notes databases.
DB2 Group (table space) Backup
Data Protection for HCL Domino DB2 Group backups create a selective table space backup image. This type of backup can be run only after the DB2 database is enabled for rollforward recovery.
Full DB2 database and NSF database Backup
Data Protection for HCL Domino can run a selective NSF database backup and a full Domino DB2 database backup in a single operation.