Duplicating Volumes

With Robot Save, you can duplicate volumes for an entire backup class/set/rotation. The duplicate volumes can then be tracked either as *ADHOC or attached to another specific class/set/rotation combination. When duplicate volumes are attached to a class/set/rotation, they're handled as if they were created by a backup process, with a couple of exceptions:

• Restores are only allowed at the library level; individual objects must be restored manually.
• Only library-based objects can be restored via Robot Save; IFS based objects must be restored manually.

Use the RBSDUPROT command to duplicate all volumes from a specific class/set/rotation combination. However, before you can use the command, you must meet both of the following requirements:

• Have Robot Save 11.08 or higher installed on your system.
• Have two drives of the same type that use the same media, or a virtual and physical drive.

You can also use the RBSDUPASN command (for Robot Save 12.17 and higher) to assign the duplicate volumes created by RBSDUPROT to a specific backup class/set/rotation. And, because the RBSDUPASN command was integrated into the RBSDUPROT command, you can duplicate the volumes and assign them, all in one step. The primary benefit to using the RBSDUPASN command parameters is the ability to manage duplicate volumes using the tools available within Robot Save. This includes the use of move sets and other volume tracking/volume movement functionality. Note: If the assigned class/set/rotation has a move set attached to it, and the second location requires a tape to be ejected, Robot Save will allocate the tape drive.

If you choose not to use the RBSDUPASN command parameters when you run the RBSDUPROT command, then the duplicate volumes are tracked as *ADHOC volumes. If you want to release the duplicated volumes to the scratch pool when their data expires, be sure to specify Y (Yes) in the Release expired *ADHOC tapes to scratch field on the Media Defaults panel.

To help you manage duplicated volumes, option 11, Tape Cross Reference Inquiry, on the Save Media Management Menu displays volume information for both the duplicate and the original volumes. Press F8 to print a report of your duplicate volumes. The Volume Inquiry panel also displays duplicate volume information.

When you submit or schedule the RBSDUPROT or RBSDUPASN commands, both the RBSDTALIB and RBSPGMLIB libraries must be in your interactive library list. The commands are located in RBSPGMLIB, but use files from RBSDTALIB. If you are scheduling the RBSDUPROT or RBSDUPASN command using Robot Schedule, display the Control Options panel and enter RBSPGMLIB/RBSJOBD in the Job Description fields, and *JOBD in the Library List Name field.