[comp.os.vms] Options For Handling A Specific Volume Within Sets When Doing BACKUP...

CLAYTON@XRT.UPENN.EDU ("Clayton, Paul D.") (07/25/87)

Information From TSO Financial - The Saga Continues...
Chapter 14 - July 25, 1987

Todd Warnock has asked the following question about BACKUP and implications
with volume sets.

  While it is NOT supported (that I know of), has anyone had experience with
  using a PHYSICAL restore (BACKUP/PHYSICAL) to restore a member of a volume
  set without restoring the whole thing ? 
  Assume that the volume set is logging errors at an extremely high rate (but
  is still functioning).  The volume set is dismounted, the bad disk (disk two
  of a three volume set) is PHYSICALly backed up to tape, a new HDA is 
  installed, and the PHYSICAL backup restored.

I would not recommend that PHYSICAL backups be done to volume sets for the
specific volumes in a set. Considering that a RA type disk on an HSC/UDA is
SUPPOSED to present a 'perfect and error free' picture to the host, it would
probably work. On NON RA devices you are cruising for a bruising.

Another approach I think might be better is to do a /IMAGE with the 
/VOLUME=n, where n is the volume number in a set. By doing this the disk is
also being compressed and reorganized to provide for more contigious space for
future expansion(s). The payback I think is worth it. Anytime I have to copy
800K to 1M blocks of information, I do what can be done to put the volume
in the 'best' shape. I do not use any of the third party packages to 'place'
files. The only special case is for initializing a disk and using the 
/INDEX=(begin,middle,end,block:n) qualifier to place the INDEXF.SYS file on the
disk. This would be coupled with the /NOINITIALIZE qualifier on the BACKUP
command stream.

Hope this helps. :-)

Paul D. Clayton - Manager Of Systems
TSO Financial - Horsham, Pa. USA
Address - CLAYTON%XRT@CIS.UPENN.EDU