Binding associates a file with a management class.
When you back up a file for the first time, Tivoli® Storage Manager binds it to either the default management class or the management class specified in your include-exclude list.
If the backup copy group for the management class specifies keeping multiple backup versions of the file, and you request multiple backups, the server always has one active backup version (the current version) and one or more inactive backup versions of the file. All backup versions of a file are bound to the same management class and are managed based on the attributes in the backup copy group.
When you archive a file for the first time, Tivoli Storage Manager binds it to the default management class, to the management class specified in your include-exclude list, or to a management class you specify when modifying your archive options during an archive.
Archived files are never rebound to a different management class. If you change the management class for a file using an include.archive statement, the archmc option, or through a Tivoli Storage Manager GUI, any previous copies of the file that you archived remain bound to the management class specified when you archived them.
If a file is deleted on the client system then that inactive objects of the file are not rebound.
Refer to the IBM® Tivoli Storage Manager Administrator's Guide for your operating system, for more information on how files and directories are associated with management classes.