Domino 8 for System i Help - Configuring and using BRMS for Domino

CHAPTER 18 MANAGING BACKUP AND RECOVERY

Configuring and using BRMS for Domino
BRMS is an IBM i5/OS licensed program that is designed to help with your backup and recovery efforts. Domino for System i allows the configuration of a basic set of defaults for use with BRMS, enabling you to back up databases for your Domino server while the server is active. To use these functions, you must install the following on your system:

i5/OS V5R3 (5722SS1) or later
Backup Recovery and Media Services (5722BR1) or later
The latest PTFs available for your BRMS release
Note Backing up your Domino server databases should not replace your occasional complete system backups. For instructions on doing a complete system backup through BRMS, see the iSeries BRMS documentation, available through the Information Center at the following Web address:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/iseries/

To use BRMS to perform an online backup of your Domino database, you should understand the following concepts:

Media - Removable storage, such as a tape cartridge.
Media identifier - A name given to a physical piece of media.
Media class - A logical grouping of media with similar physical or logical characteristics, such as density.
Control group - A grouping of items (such as libraries or stream files) to back up and attributes associated with how to back them up.
Policies - A set of defaults that are commonly used (such as device and media class). The BRMS system policy contains general use defaults. The BRMS backup policy contains defaults related to backups.

Before you can back up Domino for System i, you need to create the BRMS components to enable you to back up your Domino databases while the server is active and to exclude Domino databases from other system backups. For more information, see "Configuring BRMS integration components" later in this chapter.

Performing an online backup of Domino databases
Using BRMS to perform an online backup of your Domino databases involves the following steps:

1. Determine the device and media class to use.

2. Add media to the media class scratch pool.

3. Start the backup.

Backing up database indexes
When you back up a Domino database via BRMS (using the SAVDOMBRM command), its index is not saved. If you want to back up the database index files, you need to save them using the method that you use to back up other files in the i5/OS integrated file system, such as the SAV command. If you save both the database and index files at the same time and restore them both at the same time, the index should be up to date with the database. However, if a database with an index is restored to a previous version of the database and the index is not restored, the index may have inaccurate links. To ensure that indexed databases are accurate after a restore, rebuild the index.

Excluding Domino databases from your online backup
You may want to exclude Domino databases from your online backup. For example, you may not need to back up the Domino help databases (such as HELP.NSF). You can exclude Domino databases from your online backup by changing the control group for the Domino server to omit the databases by name.

Excluding Domino databases from other system backups
In addition to backing up your Domino databases, you should also use BRMS to back up the rest of your system so that you can recover all of your data through BRMS. To allow your Domino databases to be used while you back up the rest of your system, you should exclude the Domino databases from the backup. To do this, you'll need to change your backup control group to use the QDOMEXCL link list.

Recovering your Domino data
After a successful backup, BRMS will help you plan for a complete recovery of your system by allowing you to print a complete disaster recovery plan. To enable recovery of all your data, use BRMS to back up the rest of your system in addition to your Domino server databases. See the iSeries BRMS documentation for more information on performing a complete backup and recovery of your system.

To recover Domino databases, you can perform one of following types of recovery:

Recover your entire system. Refer to the BRMS documentation for the steps to recover your entire system.
Recover all databases for all of your Domino servers.
Recover all databases for a specific Domino server.
Recover a single database.

Performance Considerations
Because of performance limitations of the tape media devices, Domino databases are packaged and saved in groups. By default, five databases are put in backup mode and are then saved. The changes that occurred to all five databases while being backed up are also saved along with the databases. The number of files in the group (the default is five) can be configured to optimize backup and recovery time for your Domino server.