This section describes what has to be done or observed to ensure safe and consistent tape processing in conjunction with MAREN, HSMS/ARCHIVE, ROBAR, and BS2000 on the local system and the systems in the MAREN network.
The following requirements must be met to ensure consistent tape processing:
- Data protection for the tapes:
- Protection against overwriting.
- Protection against unauthorized export from the MAREN catalog.
- Possibility of reconstruction after catalog loss.
- Correction of inconsistencies in the catalog.
- Data privacy for the tapes:
- Unauthorized reading or export from the MAREN catalog.
- Unauthorized reading of catalog entries.
- Consistent handling of reservation period:
- The reservation period must be consistently observed.
- It must be possible to postpone the reservation period if necessary.
- It must be possible to bring forward the reservation period if necessary.
- It must be possible to release tapes prematurely.
- Consistency of various databases:
- MAREN: MAREN catalog.
- HSMS: various archive directories.
- ARCHIVE: various directories.
- ROBAR: archive record.
- BS2000: DEVICE-DEPOT table.
- Access to secure data must be possible at any time for authorized users.
- When tapes are released prematurely, they must be reinitialized; otherwise, subsequent jobs could have problems with the tape labels.
- The above requirements must also be met when using foreign tapes.
Information on and recommendations for effective compliance with the requirements above is provided below.
The number in brackets indicates a reference to the requirement with that number.
Notes on MAREN
The settings of the system-specific MAREN parameters on all systems in the MAREN network should be:
AUDIT = YES (1a),(2a),(2b),(3a)
FOREIGN-TAPE-CHECK = YES (1a),(2a),(7)
INPUT-FILE-CHECK = YES (2a)
INPUT-TAPE-CHECK = YES (2a)
LOGGING = YES (1c),(1d)
MAREN-PASSWORD = YES (1c),(2b)
PRIVILEGED-USER-ID = NONE (1a)
RETPD-CHECK = YES (1a),(3a)
TSOS-PRIVILEGED = NO (1a)- To prevent archive numbers of the same name being mistaken for each other, there should be only one MAREN catalog in each data center. You should also note that MAREN V12.6 only works with MAREN V12.5 and higher in a cluster.
(1a),(2a),(3a),(7) - When archive systems are used, all sets of tapes accessible to the archive system should belong to the same MAREN catalog.
(1a),(2a),(3a),(4a),(4d),(7) - The MAREN subsystem should not be unloaded during a BS2000 session. If, however, you do unload it, you must carry out organizational measures in the data center to ensure that tape processing is no longer possible.
(1),(2),(3a),(4),(6) - During MAREN release sessions, an INIT-FILE should always be created so that any necessary reinitializations can be carried out.
(6) - The MAREN catalog entry must have the attribute USER-ACCESS=*OWNER-ONLY.
(2b) - The MAREN catalog and the system-specific logging files should be on different pubsets for availability reasons.
(1c) - If you are using the SECOS software package, the
/SET-PRIVILEGE PRIVILEGE=TAPE-ADM, USER-ID=...command must be used to allocate the user ID SYSMAREN and all user IDs with administration functions in MAREN. The system privilege of the same name (see the “SECOS” manual [ 21 ]).(2b) - When importing exported tapes belonging to the local data center, the MAREN administrator must carry out special steps if it is suspected that the tape may have been overwritten in a remote data center. In these cases, the administrator must release the tape immediately after import so that it can be reinitialized.
(4a),(4b),(4c),(6)
Notes on HSMS and ARCHIVE
- Directory files must not be deleted until all archive numbers have been canceled using the HSMS statements
MODIFY-ARCHIVE ...,SAVE-FILE=*DELETEandMODIFY-ARCHIVE VOLUMES=*REMOVErespectively the ARCHIVE statements PURGE and POOL.(4a),(4b) - If you rename a directory file, you must also change its name in the MAREN catalog for all affected tapes. MARENADM statement UPDATE-MAREN-CATALOG.
(4a),(4b) - When data is saved, the specifications for RETPD and SHARE are automatically copied to the MAREN catalog via the ARCHIVE-MAREN link. No special steps have to be taken. The specification SHARE=YES is converted to USER-ACCESS=*FOREIGN-READ-ONLY.
(3a),(4a),(4b) - The reservation period for backup files can be extended in HSMS (HSMS statement MODIFY-ARCHIVE). The expiration date is updated accordingly in the MAREN catalog through a MAREN interface.This is possible also with MAREN (see "Postponing reservation period"), but it is not recommended due to the inconsistencies of the reservation periods maintained by MAREN and HSMS.
(3b)There are no functions for postponing and bringing forward the reservation period in ARCHIVE. This is possible only with MAREN (see "Postponing reservation period").
(3b),(3c) - When incomplete saved data versions are released prematurely with the HSMS statement
MODIFY-ARCHIVE ...,SAVE-FILES=DELETE(...,FORCED-DELETE=YES)or the ARCHIVE statementPURGE ...,FORCE=YES, the interworking of HSMS/ARCHIVE and MAREN automatically ensures that the reservation period is handled consistently, and that the tape cannot be reserved again until it has been reinitialized.(3d),(4a),(4b),(6) - When creating free tape pools for HSMS/ARCHIVE in the MAREN catalog, the administrator must make sure that all the tapes of a pool have the same location. Otherwise, there may be problems when devices are reserved by the BS2000 device management.
(5) - Recommendation: No AVAILABLE tapes should be added to the directories (using the HSMS statement
MODIFY-ARCHIVE ..,VOLUMES= *ADDor the ARCHIVE statement POOL ADD). All output tapes should be assigned through the automatic free tape allocation of MAREN. This means that all tapes in the directories have the INQUIRE attribute OWNER=OPERATOR. The advantage of this is that free tapes are used more efficiently.
Notes on ROBAR
- Tapes from a remote data center should not be deposited in the foreign cartridge area of the input/output unit, but quite officially be accommodated in the area of the storage locations.
(1a),(2a),(4a),(4d),(7) - When exporting tapes from the archive system, you should use the MARENADM statement EXPORT-VOLUME or RETURN-VOLUMES instead of the ROBAR statement EXPORT-ROBAR-VOLUME. Only then can be guaranteed a proper MAREN-ROBAR interaction .
(4a),(4d) - There are also commands at archive system level for importing and exporting tapes to and from the archive system. However, you should not use these, because interaction with the MAREN cannot be guaranteed.
(4a),(4d),(7)
Postponing reservation period
The file expiration date in the MAREN catalog can be extended by any length of time using the following MARENADM statement://MODIFY-VOLUME-ATTR VOL=<vsn>,EXPIRATION-DATE=<date>,FILE-SEQ=2
If necessary, the expiration date FREE-DATE is also extended at the same time. MAREN then prevents any DVS write attempts until the specified release date is reached.
Postponing the reservation period with MAREN should be avoided for HSMS/ARCHIVE backups. When PURGE is performed by HSMS/ARCHIVE, the tapes would be released by any means. It is therefore recommended to postpone the reservation period of HSMS backup files by means of HSMS statement MODIFY-ARCHIVE ...,SAVE-FILE=*RETENTION-PERIOD (RETPD-EXTENSION=...).
Since the reservation period entered on the HDR1 label is, of course, not modified, the postponed logical reservation period applies only to systems in the MAREN network. These tapes must therefore not be exported, since they themselves are not protected.
Bringing forward reservation period
The file expiration date and the tape expiration date in the MAREN catalog can be reduced by any length of time using the following statement://MODIFY-VOL-ATTR VOL=<vsn>,EXPIR-DATE=<date>,FREE-DATE=<date>,FILE-SEQ=2
If the specified file expiration date is lower than the tape expiration date, the INIT=YES will be set.