Learn about the BRMS user interface plan
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Statement of Direction
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Introduction & Strategy
IBM and Fortra have developed a roadmap for the BRMS product, including delivering a new graphical interface for the BRMS product in a phased approach . The BRMS team is currently heavily focused on ensuring that no loss of BRMS functionality occurs with the removal of the heritage Navigator support by delivering immediate value through commands, APIs, and SQL services. These replacement functions are building blocks for future development. The BRMS strategic direction is an incremental staged delivery of a new BRMS graphical interface in the future while continuing to balance the delivery of other customer enhancement requests.
Phase I - Foundations
BRMS initially provided a web-based graphical interface in V6R1M0 as an optional plug-in to the IBM Navigator for i interface. Over the years, this interface was enhanced and extended with functionality not accessible via other interfaces.
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Non-GUI Equivalent Functionality
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The BRMS team has ensured that functionality which was previously only available in the heritage Navigator is available via commands, APIs, and SQL services.
SQL services began to ship in the fall of 2020 delivering immediate value to BRMS customers worldwide. The delivery of these services has continued and will continue. In addition, the BRMS product will continue to enhance and expand BRMS commands, APIs, and SQL services to ensure that equivalent functionality remains available to customers.
Today's SQL services enable our users to realize immediate value, including tying the services into any existing monitoring solution that can utilize SQL, allowing users to create dashboards for their BRMS environment.
By pulling these GUI-only foundations into the core product, we ensure that the BRMS product can provide value to any interface available today and in the future more reliably and quickly.
For additional information on BRMS SQL services see: BRMS SQL Services
Phase II - Future Graphical Interfaces
The second phase of this long-term strategy is to evaluate and deliver the best path forward for BRMS interfaces into the future that delivers the most value to BRMS users. This page will continue to be updated with additional details on this phase in the future.
Phase III - GUI Enhancements
After the initial delivery of a new user interface, the BRMS team will leverage feedback to prioritize and deliver enhancements and functionality in an incremental approach.
This multi-year journey ensures that the BRMS product continues to be a trusted backup and recovery solution for IBM i customers.
Heritage Navigator for IBM i
IBM announced the new navigator in September of 2021, built on new technologies leveraging the SQL services brought to the IBM i operating system over the last 10+ years. The goal was to have the new navigator and heritage navigator interfaces running alongside each other for a transition period.
Unfortunately, just three months after the release of the new navigator interface a zero-day vulnerability, log4j, was discovered. This vulnerability impacted software worldwide, including the heritage navigator for i interface. As per IBM’s support documentation, IBM is unable to resolve the log4j security vulnerabilities in the heritage navigator for i product and had to make the difficult decision to withdraw support for the product by the end of 2022, much earlier than initially planned. Because of this change in strategy, the BRMS team is currently heavily focused on ensuring that no loss of BRMS functionality occurs, by delivering immediate value through commands, APIs, and SQL services.
In the meantime, we have provided resources for those transitioning from the heritage navigator to other BRMS interfaces. The following resources provide information on specific functionality that previously was only provided via the graphical interface:
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GUI-only function
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The BRMS team has delivered replacement functionality to the 5770-BR1 product to ensure equivalent functionality is available. Replacement Heritage Navigator functions are available via commands, APIs and SQL services. |
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Under Construction - Estimated delivery Q4 2022
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Web Interface Roadmap
The BRMS team has delivered significant functionality in the new modern web interface, and continues to deliver the functionality on an ongoing basis. The delivery of the web interface is divided into key themes:
📊SQL Service - Serve as functionality that provides immediate value to BRMS users and serve as the foundation that the web interface builds on.
🔎Web UI Monitoring - Provides the ability to view information.
🛠️Web UI Management - Provides the ability to manage BRMS.
The web interface also has new functionality that was not previously available in any interface. This functionality is indicated by a ✨icon.
Theme | Functionality | Status |
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📊SQL Service | Media Services (2)
| Delivered Q3 2020 |
📊SQL Service | BRM Log Service | Delivered Q4 2020 |
📊SQL Service | Backup Status Service | Delivered Q4 2021 |
📊SQL Service | BRM Log Message Distribution Services (4) | Delivered Q2 2022 |
📊SQL Service | BRM Log Omits Services (2) | Delivered Q2 2022 |
📊SQL Service | Control Group Omits (2) | Delivered Q2 2022 |
📊SQL Service | Media Library Services (3) | Delivered Q2 2022 |
📊SQL Service | Enterprise Services (18) | Delivered Q3 2022 |
Heritage Navigator for i Withdrawal Q4 2022 | ||
📊SQL Service | Network Services (4) | Delivered Q1 2023 |
📊SQL Service | Maintenance Policy Services (3) | Delivered Q1 2023 |
📊SQL Service | Copy Control Group Procedure | Delivered Q1 2023 |
📊SQL Service | Network Synchronization Services (3) | Delivered Q2 2023 |
📊SQL Service | Functional Authority Administration Services | Delivered Q3 2023 |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor Media | Delivered Q2 2024 |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor Media with tape information for media mismatch ✨ | Delivered Q2 2024 |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor Backup Status | Delivered Q2 2024 |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor BRM Log | Delivered Q2 2024 |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor Network | Delivered Q2 2024 |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor Enterprise | Delivered Q2 2024 |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor Administration ✨ | Delivered Q2 2024 |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Multi-System Monitoring ✨ | Delivered Q2 2024 |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Dynamic view SQL Button on all GUI Information ✨ | Delivered Q2 2024 |
📊SQL Service | Control Group Views (12)
| Delivered Q4 2024 |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor Control group views
| Planned |
📊SQL Service | History views (~10)
| Planned |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor History Views
| Planned |
🛠️Web UI Management | Media management
| Planned |
🛠️Web UI Management | Administration Management
| Planned |
🛠️Web UI Management | Network Management
| Planned |
🛠️Web UI Management | Control group management
| Planned |
📊SQL Service | Policy Views (~8)
| Planned |
🛠️Web UI Management | Enterprise Management
| Planned |
🛠️Web UI Management | History Management
| Planned |
📊SQL Service | BRMs Log (~2)
| Planned |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor Policy View
| Planned |
📊SQL Service | Media class | Planned |
📊SQL Service | Devices | Planned |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor new BRMS Log views
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🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor Media Class | Planned |
🔎Web UI Monitoring | Monitor Devices | Planned |
🛠️Web UI Management | BRMS Log new management
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Help Shape the Future Direction of BRMS The BRMS team looks forward to having discussions with customers to learn how you are using the heritage navigator for IBM i functionalityNavigator, so that we can continue to prioritize and deliver functionality that matters most to our customers. You can help drive the direction for BRMS by doing one of the following: Vote on the IBM ideasubmitting and voting on IBM ideas related to the BRMS graphical interface , and provideproviding us with the following information to help usprioritize the functionality that is important to you: What specific tasks are most important to you in the day to day management of BRMS?What
Use the following link to contact us if you are interested in providing direct feedback. When providing feedback, let us know the specific details that are important to you. We may use the information you provide to contact you for a follow-up discussion to help drive the direction of BRMS. |
Statements by the BRMS team regarding its plans, directions, and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice at the sole discretion of the BRMS teamIBM’s and Fortra's statements regarding plans, directions, and intent are subject to change or withdrawal without notice at our sole discretion. Information regarding potential future products is intended to outline our general product direction, and it should not be relied on in making a purchasing decision. The information mentioned regarding potential future products is not a commitment, promise, or legal obligation to deliver any material, code or functionality. Information about potential future products may not be incorporated into any contract. The development, release, and timing of any future features or functionality described for our products remains at our sole discretion.
BRMS Web Interface Phases
Phase I - Foundations
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BRMS has had a web-based graphical interface for many years which was an optional plug-in to the IBM Navigator for i interface. Over the years, this interface was enhanced and extended with functionality not originally accessible via other interfaces.
The first phase involved ensuring that any functionality which was only available via the heritage Navigator is available via commands, APIs, and SQL services. For additional information on BRMS SQL services see: BRMS SQL Services.
New equivalent replacements have been delivered in the latest BRMS PTFs.
Phase II - Modern Graphical Interfaces
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The initial BRMS Web Interface is available, for more details reference Configuring the BRMS Web Interface.
Similar to other interfaces such as Digital Certificate Manager, PowerHA and Db2 Mirror, a bookmark to the new BRMS Web Interface is available in the Navigator for IBM i, reference Navigator PTFs that include the BRMS bookmark.
Phase III - GUI Enhancements
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The BRMS team continues to leverage feedback to prioritize and incrementally deliver enhancements. This strategy ensures that the BRMS product continues to be the trusted backup and recovery solution for IBM i customers.
Heritage Navigator for IBM i
IBM announced the new navigator in September of 2021, built on new technologies leveraging SQL services. The original plan was to have the new Navigator and heritage Navigator running alongside each other for a transition period.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, heritage Navigator was withdrawn much earlier than initially planned. Refer to heritage Navigator in the IBM i Security Bulletin. Because of this change, the BRMS team’s immediate focus switched to delivering function that was only available in heritage Navigator.