IBM Backup and Restore Manager for z/VM, V1.3

IBM Backup and Restore Manager for z/VM, V1.3 provides backup and restore capabilities for system administrators responsible for maintaining IBM z/VM systems, including those hosting Linux guests.

It provides:

File level backup of z/VM data, providing fast recovery from operational issues.
Image backup of z/VM DASD by extent or volume.
Image backup of Linux data by minidisk, extent, or volume, allowing you to restore a Linux guest in a few simple steps.

IBM Tivoli Storage Manager complements Backup and Restore Manager for z/VM by providing file level backup of Linux guests. Working together, they can meet all backup and recovery needs for both z/VM and Linux on z Systems.

Backup and Restore Manager for z/VM, V1.3 adds support for backup and recovery of z/VM Byte File System (BFS) filespaces. This is in addition to the support already available for CMS data and data in the Shared File System (SFS). It also adds support for Fixed Block Architecture (FBA) or emulated FBA DASD when creating tapes in DASD Dump Restore (DDR) format. Previously, only ECKD DASD was supported for this function.

In addition, several usability enhancements have been added:

Improved error handling and error recovery during backup and restore operations
Additional summary data when a job completes
Improved interaction with IBM Tape Manager for z/VM during expiration processing
Clearer start-up messages and warnings for all Backup and Restore Manager for z/VM service VMs
Improved error messages during tape mount processing

It also includes all service and enhancements previously available in V1.2, including:

Option to create a backup tape in DDR format when backing up ECKD volumes
Ability to write backup data to SFS (in addition to minidisks)
Option to create two sets of tapes during backup operations (for example, one for on-site and one for off-site storage)
Batch restore capability
Option to compress catalog data
Enhancements to support Single System Image environments
Various performance improvements
Various usability enhancements

Since IBM Infrastructure Suite for z/VM and Linux (5698-IS2) includes Backup and Restore Manager for z/VM, the suite has been updated to include V1.3 of Backup and Restore Manager for z/VM.

Key prerequisites:
IBM z/VM V5.4, IBM z/VM V6.2, or IBM z/VM V6.3

Planned availability date: February 27, 2015