Save Frequency Recommendations

We recommend the following save frequencies based on our experiences with the data loss risks:

  1. Perform a SAVSYS once a month and store it off-site. Use at least two tape rotations. If you install a new version of IBM i or install a large number of PTFs, do a SAVSYS as soon as practical.

  2. Save the User Profile data once a week. Save it every day if you are changing user profiles and adding new objects daily. You can do the save during the day; it will not interfere with your users.

  3. Save the iSeries device configuration data once a week. Save it every day if you change your configuration on a daily basis.

  4. Save IBM Licensed Program Libraries or other purchased software program-only libraries once a month. Store the tapes off-site. Use at least two tape rotations. If you are making changes to the programs in the libraries, you might save the changes weekly or daily, depending on the frequency of your changes.

  5. Save our program library, RBSPGMLIB, at least weekly; save it daily if you are creating an object archive. This library contains the Robot Save programs, the Object Archive, and the Disaster Plan. If the Object Archive and the Disaster Plan are not that important to you, save the library changes less frequently. The remaining files are stored in library RBSDTALIB, which is saved automatically onto the last tape of a backup session. If you are running concurrent saves, RBSDTALIB is saved only once when the last backup session completes.

    When you save RBSPGMLIB, it is saved to a save file first, then saved to tape. This is done automatically when you do a NONSYS, *ALLUSR, or save entire system save. If you want to save RBSPGMLIB in any other type of save, you must add it to your backup set. You cannot save RBSPGMLIB directly to tape. When you save RBSPGMLIB with Robot Save, it is saved at the end of the backup to save file and then to tape, right before RBSDTALIB is saved.

    The following situations could prevent the save of RBSPGMLIB from completing normally:

    • Another save or an archive job currently is running.

    • The percentage of system auxiliary storage used is over the threshold you have set. Robot Save checks the threshold value and ends the save of RBSPGMLIB if the threshold has been exceeded.

    If the save is not completed, Robot Save sends a message to the QSYSOPR message queue and records the information on the Robot Save Status and Completion Inquiry panel.

  6. Save RBTSYSLIB once a month. You will need it should you ever have to restore Robot Save.

  7. Save all other user libraries completely at least once a week. These include QUSRSYS, QGPL, and QDOC. Save changes to those libraries daily.

  8. Save the Integrated File System (IFS) at least once a week. You also can save individual directories with object lists created using Robot Corral.

  9. Save your Domino databases and transaction logs daily.

  10. If your journal receivers are on an Auxiliary Storage Pool (ASP), switch and save journal receivers at least once a day. If you don’t use an ASP for journal receivers, switch and save them two or three times a day.

Any tape rotation over seven days old should be stored off-site. You should have two complete rotations stored off-site.