AUTODUMPSTART: Specifying when automatic dump is to start

Explanation: AUTODUMPSTART(hhmm1 hhmm2 hhmm3) is an optional parameter specifying the time when automatic dump can start. The first time you specify (hhmm1) is the time you plan for DFSMShsm to start automatic dump. The second time you specify (hhmm2) is the latest time DFSMShsm can start automatic dump. The third time you specify (hhmm3) is the time after which DFSMShsm will not start automatic dump on additional volumes.

If DFSMShsm does not start automatic dump on volumes by the hhmm2 time, no automatic dumping is performed that day. Volumes being processed when the hhmm3 time is reached are not affected.

For hhmm1, substitute the planned time for DFSMShsm to start automatic dump. If you specify hhmm1 as zero, DFSMShsm does not start automatic dump.

Note: Time is based on the 24-hour clock and is expressed as a four-digit decimal number in the format hhmm. The hour is represented by hh and the minutes by mm. For example, 1:15 p.m. is 1315 and midnight is 2400. The maximum value you can specify for hh is 24, the maximum value you can specify for mm is 59, and the maximum value you can specify for hhmm is 2400.

For hhmm2, substitute the latest time DFSMShsm can start automatic dump. If hhmm2 is set to zero, this is the same as not including the hhmm2 parameter and DFSMShsm runs automatic dump processing until all volumes have been dumped. If you want automatic dump to begin after midnight, the value for the latest start time can be smaller than the planned start time. For example, you can specify 2330 for hhmm1 and 0100 for hhmm2.

For hhmm3, substitute the time after which DFSMShsm can no longer start the automatic dumping of additional volumes. If hhmm3 is set to zero, this is the same as not including the hhmm3 parameter. If you do not specify hhmm3, DFSMShsm runs automatic dump processing until all volumes have been dumped.

If you want automatic dumping to begin after midnight, hhmm2, the latest start time, can be smaller than hhmm1, the planned start time. As an example, you can specify 2330 for hhmm1, 0100 for hhmm2, and 0330 for hhmm3. DFSMShsm assumes that hhmm2 is a later time than hhmm1 and hhmm3 is a later time than hhmm2.

SMS relationship: Parameter has the same meaning when applied to SMS-managed or non-SMS-managed DASD volumes or data sets.

SETSYS default: If you do not specify a value for hhmm2, the SETSYS default is 2400.

DFSMShsm default: If you do not specify this parameter on any SETSYS command, the default is no automatic dump.

Note:
  1. If you do not specify a nonzero value for hhmm1 during this start up of DFSMShsm, DFSMShsm does not do automatic dumping.
  2. The maximum value you can specify for mm is 59, and the maximum value you can specify for hhmm1, hhmm2, or hhmm3 is 2400.
  3. You use the DUMPCYCLE parameter of the DEFINE command to specify on which days DFSMShsm is to run automatic dump. The AUTODUMPSTART parameter specifies the time when automatic dump can start. If automatic dump does not start before the latest start time, DFSMShsm does not start automatic dump until the next day in the cycle that automatic dump is scheduled to run. If automatic dump did not start today, you can use AUTODUMPSTART to change the planned and latest start times.
  4. AUTODUMPSTART has no meaning unless the BACKUP parameter is specified on a SETSYS command during this DFSMShsm startup.
  5. An explicit command must be issued to halt the automatic dump process before normal completion.
  6. If you want the operator to decide whether DFSMShsm should start automatic dump, specify the REQUEST parameter and the AUTODUMPSTART parameter.
  7. As with automatic backup, DFSMShsm serializes access to data sets and volumes for a short period of time. Therefore, select a time for automatic dump when the computing system is not very active and there is not much interactive user activity (usually at night).
  8. Automatic dump usually starts at the planned start time. Assume, however, that DFSMShsm is not running at the planned start time or the operating system is lost while automatic dump is running. When DFSMShsm restarts, it checks whether the latest start time has passed. If it has not passed, DFSMShsm restarts automatic dump. If the time has passed and you want automatic dump to run today, you can use this parameter to respecify the time when automatic dump can start.
  9. If you specify hhmm3 as zero, automatic dump processes all eligible primary volumes.
  10. The SETSYS command will fail if hhmm1 and hhmm2 are equal.
  11. DFSMShsm can run automatic dump multiple times a day in a test environment. If automatic dump runs to completion and you want to start automatic dump again, use the following procedure:
    1. Issue the SETSYS AUTODUMPSTART command to define a new start window.
    2. Specify a start window that has a planned start time after the time that automatic dump last ended.
    3. Do not confuse the time that automatic dump last ended with the specified latest start time.

    Automatic dump starts immediately if the current time is in the new start window. If the current time is not in the new start window, automatic dump starts automatically when the planned start time occurs.

Parent topic: Optional parameters of the SETSYS command