What information is required?

To manually recover VSAM data sets, you must prepare several jobs. All the information you require must be quickly and easily available.

Record or obtain access to the following information:
  • VSAM sphere information.
    Record this information about the VSAM spheres:
    • Components of each VSAM sphere.

      This can be a table that lists, for each base cluster, the alternate-index data set names and the path names. You need this information for the job that re-creates your VSAM sphere.

      Finding the information when you need it at recovery time might be an alternative to maintaining this table. If the disk is not lost, you can use the access method services (AMS) LISTCAT command. Alternatively, you can use the printed output from the latest backup job for the sphere.

    • File names of VSAM sphere components.
      You can obtain this information when required by entering this CICS command for the base cluster and for each path:
      CEMT INQUIRE FILE (*) DSNAME(dsname)

      You need this information during recovery, to close relevant files and to inquire about the status of files.

    • The log or log stream that is used for forward recovery of each VSAM sphere.

      This can be a table that lists all VSAM base clusters, and shows which log or log stream the after-images are on. You need this information to help you find the relevant MVS™ log stream or archived log.

      You can list the VSAM clusters when required, by using this CICS® command: 
      CEMT INQUIRE DSNAME(base dsname)
  • Backup information.
    Each time you make a backup of a sphere, record this information:
    • Base-cluster data set name
    • Whether the backup was created while the data set was offline and unavailable for update, or online and available for update
    • Whether the VSAM sphere supports VSAM RLS
    • Alternate Index data set names, if backed up
    • Date and time of backup
    • Recovery point date and time (if online backup)
    • Backup data set name
    • Serial numbers for backup data set volumes
    • Location of physical volumes
    • Name of backup utility

    This information lets you find the correct backup volume and specify the required keywords in the recovery job.

  • Forward recovery log information.

    In order to create a CICS® VR forward recovery job manually for a VSAM sphere you must have the following information about the forward recovery log for the VSAM sphere that you want to recover.

    • CICS® application identifier (APPLID)
    • CICS® log ID
    • Log close time
    • Date and time the log was opened
    • Log stream or log stream copy data set name
    • Serial numbers for log stream or log stream copy data set volumes
    • MVS™ log stream name
    • Location of physical volumes

    The CICS® VR archive utility report or the log of logs scan utility report provides most of this information. This information lets you find the correct archived logs or MVS™ log streams and specify their data set names in the recovery job.

    For more information about the CICS® VR archive utility see Using the CICS VR archive exits, and information about scanning the log of logs see Using selective scan.

    For more information about the CICS® VR archive utility see, and information about scanning the log of logs see, see CICS® VR Implementation Guide and Reference.

    Note:
    CICS® VR typically retrieves necessary recovery information by reading the tieup log record on the forward recovery log stream. It is possible to use CICS® VR to forward recover updates when the tie-up log record is not available. To do this, the ddname with which the data set was opened in the CICS® region, and the APPLID of the CICS® region; which can be obtained from the tie-up log record, need to be recorded and supplied to the CICS® VR recovery job.