Previous BRMS Releases
Find the BRMS features and enhancements by release
Older versions of BRMS that are no longer supported include:
Version 7.3 Overview
BRMS Web Client
Key panels converted to Dojo – better filtering and usability
Multi-task navigational tree added to the main panel
Improved backup list editing (sorting)
Improved Include panel selection on “ok”
Newer infrastructure support (Liberty)
BRMS Server
PRTRPTBRM FROMSYS support w/help text
INZBRM network checker options w/help text
Modernization of Storage Tiering using BRMS Migration
IFS lists supported
SSD < HDD support
I-ASP support
I-ASP can be marked migration eligible and support *LIB, *LNK, and *OBJ control group entries.
Available in 7.2 using command:
QSYS/CALL QBRM/Q1AOLD PARM('SETMGRELIG' 'asp-name' 'asp-class' 'Y')IFS Suport
Migration (*MGR) list support for link lists (*LNK).
Restriction: Only first level directory path names allowed. Example: ‘/dirName’
Restriction:Only one directory entry allowed in an *LNK list.
Restriction: IBM product directories (directories starting with /Q) not supported
Non IBM product directories not supported:
/
/tmp
/dev
Directory tree contents must all be in the same file system.Displays *LNK list control group entry statistics as the Migration *LNK list name.
Migration (*MGR) list support for object lists (*OBJ).
Moves objects within same ASP or IASP. (Solid state disk storage support - SSD)
Restriction: Specific library names (special values and generics not supported)
Restriction: Only supports DB files (Object type *FILE and Object Attribute PF or LF) Specific member names (no generics)
Displays *OBJ list control group entry statistics on first line.
Breaks out individual objects from the migration object list.
CHGMEDBRM movement support of 1 volume with help text.
SAVBRM now supports Pattern parm.
Version 7.2 Overview
Enterprise
BRMS Enterprise allows administrators to monitor backup operations for their BRMS systems from a central site called an Enterprise Hub. The systems being monitored by the Hub are called Enterprise Nodes. The Enterprise Network is comprised of Nodes that can be stand-alone BRMS systems, part of a BRMS Network or any combination of stand-alone and BRMS Networked systems. Configuration and management of the Nodes are handled through the Hub and does not impact the existing operations of traditional BRMS Networks.
The Hub can monitor Node backup activity in several ways:
Reporting
Reports generated by BRMS commands
Display Log for BRM (DSPLOGBRM)
Print Report using BRM (PRTRPTBRM)
Start Maintenance for BRM (STRMNTBRM)
Start Recovery using BRM (STRRCYBRM)
Manually run or scheduled
Store on the Hub
Optionally stored on the Node
Email
Email notifications for report errors
Display status for backup control group runs
Display connectivity status
Display and filter the BRMS log
Enterprise function that is not available in IBM i 7.1 PTFs:
Auto refresh of the Hub’s node status (dashboard)
Failed Control Group View to identify backup problems faster
Q1ABRMENT subsystem that runs Enterprise function independent of the traditional Q1ABRMNET subsystem
IBM Navigator for i enhancements
Redesigned how policies are handled by IBM Navigator for i to be more consistent with green screen.
The global policy properties panel has been redefined with the following panels:
Archive policy (*ARCPCY)
Backup policy (*BKUPCY)
Recovery policy (*RCYPCY)
Retrieve policy (*RTVPCY)
System policy (*SYSPCY)
Property panels will display values resolved from policies
Auxiliary storage pools (ASP) can be used for object selection in Control Group and Save Item wizards
Media pool (class) can be updated on the Volume Properties screen
All objects from a library can be omitted from a backup
Support manual and scheduled movement of media
Confirmation message on the Add Media Wizard
All save history can be marked for duplication
Support right-to-left languages for reports
Backup enhancements
Allow setting spool file expiration dates during backups
BRMS object lists indicate whether to include or exclude objects during backups
BRMS object lists can select objects using the object attribute
Support the Asynchronous bring (ASYNCBRING) parameter on integrated file system backups to improve performance
Support the Abnormal end delay time (ABNENDDLY) parameter on End Subsystem (ENDSBS) to force restricted state
Support the Queue data (QDTA) parameter to backup the contents of queue objects
Support the Sort by (SORT) parameter to allow sorting backups by library size
Support the Update history (UPDHST) parameter to prevent object updates during backups
Use creation date for incremental backups of spooled files
Online domino backups with new Weekly Activity types
Control groups defined for parallel backup operations will dynamically change to serial backups for control group entries that require serial backups
Support auxiliary storage pool (ASP) value * for backup operations, * includes the system ASP, user ASPs and independent ASPs in the current job’s ASP group
Allow retry of backups to Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) when TSM failures occur
Automatically IPL the system if subsystems cannot be started after a restricted state backup
Allow auto-restart when Start Backup using BRM (STRBKUBRM) ends abnormally
Support media and save item expiration dates after the year 2038
Enhanced tape library selection based on resources and media
Support saving to save files located on independent storage pools (IASP)
Automatically omit system libraries QPTFOBJ1 and QPTFOBJ2 from backups
Recovery enhancements
Support the Restore list of libraries (RSTLST) parameter on the Restore Library using BRM (RSTLIBBRM) command to restore objects using a BRMS object list
Support the Show deleted libraries (SHWDTLLIB) parameter on the Start Recovery using BRM (STRRCYBRM) command to omit deleted libraries from recovery report
Support the List (LIST) parameter on the Restore Object using BRM (RSTBRM) command to restore objects using names contained in a stream file generated by a Domino Server for Domino Attached and Object Service (DAOS) objects
Support the Volume summary order (VOLSUMORD) parameter on the Start Recovery using BRM (STRRCYBRM) command to sort volumes based on create date
Support up to 12 parallel media files for fast positioning during restores, only 4 are supported in releases prior to IBM i 7.2
Information added to the recovery report for the Update TCP/IP Information (UPDTCPINF) command
Information added to the recovery report for the Configure Device ASP (CFGDEVASP) command
Information added to the recovery report for turning off Flashcopy
Media services enhancements
Volume selection reuses media more efficiently
Support *RESET as a Duration in a move sequence for a move policy to reset the move pattern to the first move sequence when new data is written to the media
Support multiple values for the From location (LOC) parameter on the Move Media using BRM (MOVMEDBRM) command to process movement for more than one location
Support the Submit batch options (SBMOPT) parameter on the Duplicate Media using BRM (DUPMEDBRM) command to run media duplication in batch and indicate the number of media files to be produced
Support the Data compaction (COMPACT) parameter on the Duplicate Media using BRM (DUPMEDBRM) command to indicate whether data compaction should be used on target media
Support generic names for the File group (FILEGRP) parameter on the Duplicate Media using BRM (DUPMEDBRM) command
Increase the number of volumes to 1000 for message BRM1553 sent from the Duplicate Media using BRM (DUPMEDBRM) command
Support of LTO5 and LTO6 tape devices
Support of Virtual Optical Library
Support the Move marked for duplication field for move policies to allow media that is marked for duplication to be moved
Support the Initialize media on expiration field for media classes to indicate that media should be initialized after it is expired, this is particularly useful for virtual media technologies so that storage can be freed when media is not being used
After a response is provided for an inquiry message, tape media that was previously rejected by the job will be available for selection
BRMS network enhancements
Support the Relational database (*RDB) value for the Communication method field in the network policy network group, this allows Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDN) to be used for BRMS communications through RDB entries
Formatting improvements to the report generated by the Audit system media (AUDSYSMED) parameter on the Start Maintenance for BRM (STRMNTBRM) command
Install enhancements
Performance improvements to the *RUNPRDINZ value for the Option (OPTION) parameter on the Initialize BRMS (INZBRM) command
Maintenance enhancements
Support more specific object level detail for the Remove media information (RMVMEDI) parameter on the Start Maintenance for BRM (STRMNTBRM) command and the Object level detail (OBJDTL) parameter on the Remove Media Info from BRM (RMVMEDIBRM) command
Change media owner for expired media when the owning system is not in the BRMS network
Support the *BATCH value for the Reorganize BRMS database (RGZBRMDB) parameter on the Start Maintenance for BRM (STRMNTBRM) command to improve STRMNTBRM performance
Miscellaneous enhancements
Support in system policy to control flight recorder size for first failure data capture.
Support the BRMS flight recorder size field in the system policy to aid with BRMS problem determination
Support *CTLGRPSTAT value for the Report type (TYPE) parameter on the Print Report using BRM (PRTRPTBRM) command for additional backup report information
Enhance the Display ASP Information (DSPASPBRM) and Work ASP Information (WRKASPBRM) commands to indicate that independent auxiliary storage pool (IASP) information is unknown, if an IASP is varied off.
Version 7.1 Overview
Graphical interface enhancements
Support for the IBM Systems Director Web browser environment.
Scheduling support for IBM Systems Director Navigator for i Web browser environment.
High Availability independent auxiliary storage pools enhancement.
Enhanced e-mail notification to support multiple e-mail addresses.
Enhanced the BRMS log to provide the option to filter on control groups.
BRMS maintenance feature in the Backup Policy now allows the user to run movement, expire partial volume sets and reorganize BRMS database files.
Note: BRMS graphical interface refers to both the IBM i® Navigator BRMS plug-in and the IBM Systems Director Web environment BRMS plug-in.
Recovery enhancements
New outfile support parameters have been added on the BRMS restore commands as well as the BRMS recovery policy.
New *COMPATIBLE special value has been added for the Allow object differences parameter on BRMS restore commands.
A new parameter Saved auxiliary storage pool (SAVASP) has been added on the BRMS restore commands to provide better control on the selection of which library or object was saved.
On the work with object displays the "Objects saved" columns have been increased to support more than 999,999 objects.
New Recovery report enhancements:
The "Verify System Information" step in the recovery report has been updated to include new instructions to use the Update System Information (UPDSYSINF) command.
The "Recover User Profiles" step in the recovery report, under the "Attention" section where the user is instructed what restore defaults to use, the user is asked to use *COMPATIBLE now for the Allow object differences prompt.
On the Start Recovery using BRM (STRRCYBRM) command, a new parameter Recovery element override has been added to allow the user to override specific sections on the recovery report.
Note: Currently only system data can be overridden with this new parameter.
The objects saved column on the recovery report has been increased to support more than 999,999 objects.
Media services enhancements
Better handling of non-BRMS media when a customers inventory has a mixed media pool of BRMS media and non-BRMS media.
Increased protection on backups saved to virtual media that have not been saved off to physical media.
The Print Media Movement (PRTMOVBRM) command now includes media scheduled to move and media that are at the beginning of the media rotation.
Advanced Feature enhancements
A new High Availability enhancement has been added for independent auxiliary storage pools.
Network enhancements
Increased management of media information between the BRMS networked systems has been added.
Install enhancements
For new installs of BRMS, the *SYSGRP control group will now have a new BRMS IFS list that contains all the IBM directory information.
A new BRMS IFS list named QALLUSRLNK will be created on install. This list will have all of the IFS directory information except /QIBM/ProdData and /QOpenSys/QIBM/ProdData.
Version 6.1
BRMS GUI
Support for the IBM® Systems Director Navigator for i® Web browser environment.
Ability to create and manage media policies (previous releases hid media policies).
Support for DVD, CD-ROM, optical libraries, and virtual optical devices.
Support for file or object level backup of Linux® or Windows® guest operating systems.
Backup policy and archive policy renamed as backup control group and archive control group.
Ability to manage and select media policies from the Backup Control Group and Archive Control Group Wizards, and from the Properties page.
Backup control group and archive control group properties support for restoring and saving private authorities.
Backup control group and archive control group properties support for disk pools and generic libraries.
Backup and archive control groups properties support for software encryption, including tape libraries and stand-alone tapes.
NOTES:Save file encryption and optical media encryption are not supported.
If you are using encrypted independent auxiliary storage pools (ASPs) and want to have the data remain encrypted when you save them to tapes, you need to use the software encryption function provided in the backup and archive control groups to encrypt the data; otherwise, the data will be decrypted when you save them to tapes.
Global policy properties support for restore operations from alternate media, use of SNA networking, and management of restricted state interfaces.
Ability to balance media ownership to match the required number of media needed by systems within the BRMS network (network systems must be running IBM i 6.1 or later).
NOTE: BRMS graphical interface refers to both the IBM i™ Navigator BRMS plug-in and the IBM Systems Director Navigator for i Web environment BRMS plug-in. Enhancements to the BRMS functions are listed in the following sections.
Backup enhancements
Ability to view and print backup statistics report to monitor backup activities.
Capability to encrypt the data saved to removable media for both backup and archive activities.
Ability to save specific objects across many libraries generically.
Ability to save private authorities at an object level.
Ability to override the device, parallel resources, media class, move policy, and media retention that is set in a control group at the time when running the backup control group.
Ability to select the type of parallel save you would like to have run with a specific entry in a control group.
Support for FlashCopy® environment.
Support for missing object control groups for integrated file system objects.
Support for multiple job save-while-active function.
Recovery enhancements
Support for point-in-time recovery for objects using remote journals.
Better journal management needed for recovery.
Ability to restore private authorities at an object level.
Capacity to determine what full or incremental save operations need to be restored.
Ability to sort the saved items in a certain priority order in a recovery report so they will not be forced to recover alphabetically.
Ability to exclude one or more locations in the recovery report.
Media services enhancements
Support for automatic duplication, which allows you to immediately duplicate data from a save operation to other media using multiple devices.
Ability to balance the number of scratch volumes owned by each system in a BRMS network.
Support for the media append rules to select based on the most current expiration date.
Move Media retention capability, which enables you to move media to a location where it is needed, and then after a specified amount of time, move back to its original location without affecting its movement schedule.
Media status marked with *INZ (Initialize), *EXP (Expired), and *ACT (Active).
Hierarchical Storage Manager (HSM) enhancements
Ability to copy archive and backup control groups to remote systems.
Device enhancements
Tape Library 35xx and TS3400 enhancement, which synchronizes media status of tape library to all systems in BRMS network.
Support for DVD/optical devices. BRMS provides you with a single interface to manage all the removable media storage devices.
Network enhancements
Ability to choose the network communication method.
Support for IPv6 TCP/IP interfaces.
Support multiple TCP/IP interfaces, including virtual and physical interfaces.
Install enhancements
Ability to preserve the current print files attributes and create new print files when upgrading BRMS.
New BRMS APIs
Create Control Group (q1aCrtCg)
Create Control Group Based On (q1aCrtCgBO)
Delete Control Group (q1aDltCg)
Add Control Group Entry (q1aAddCgE)
Remove Control Group Entry (q1aRmvCgE)
Add Control Group Entry Object Omit (q1aAddCgEO)
Remove Control Group Entry Object Omit (q1aRmvCgEO)
Create List (q1aCrtLst)
Delete List (q1aDltLst)
Add List Entry (q1aAddLstE)
Remove List Entry (q1aRmvLstE)
Version V5R4M0
BRMS for V5R4M0 continues to extend existing capability and provide new functions for improving automation, minimizing backup windows, and providing additional backup, recovery, and media management flexibility.
Enhancements include:
Duplication of history items
Improved duplication media and device error recovery
Virtual tape devices and virtual media
Support for IBM Data Retention (DR) 450 and DR 550 servers
Native save/restore of spooled files
New system spooled file management using expiration
Parallel save/restore of Integrated File System (IFS)
New backup options and improved system recovery
Electronic messaging using e-mail
More BRMS IBM i Navigator client functions
BRMS integration with SAN for FlashCopy solution
Version V5R3M0
V5R3 provides the following new and enhanced functions that make BRMS more powerful and easier to use.
BRMS Server:
Optimized incremental save-while-active backup of libraries
Remote duplication of media using the BRMS Network feature
Reclamation of fragmented media
Enhanced expiration of volumes in a media set
Integrated backup and recovery of objects saved with pending transactions
Restricted state TCP/IP and aliasing for the BRMS Network feature
Saves of spooled files on independent auxiliary storage pools
Library, object and folder omits for individual backup control groups
True restricted state saves in batch
Additional BRMS Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) client functions
Better integration with TSM/PASE (Portable Application Solutions Environment)
Still more System Recovery Report improvements
Improved install times and reduced storage requirement
The BRMS IBM i Navigator client continues to improve functions for managing your backups, media, backup history, and recoveries using a highly accessible GUI.
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