System values are an important part of the working environment on the IBM i, therefore it is important that are correctly set ready for whenyou move to a recovery system. LVLT4i is working in an environment where the setting of the System Values as part of the replication process is not an option in just the same way we cannot replicate Profiles and authorities. So we had to come up with a process which would allow us to build the required environment as part of the recovery process.
When we first looked at how we could use LVLT4i we were thinking that the recovery process would use a system save process to recovery the clients environment and then restore the iASP data over it to bring the client data and objects up to the last transaction. That was one of the reasons that the Recovery Time Objective was going to be so long, it takes quite some time to restore a system save. Even if we used Image Catalogs for the restore it was still going to take a significant amount of time, this encouraged us to start looking at the options we had.
One of the major advantages we wanted to push for LVLT4i is the ability to take a backup of a clients applications and data from the iASP and use it for things such as DR testing, application upgrade and OS upgrade testing. To do this we envisage the Managed Service Provider having a recovery partition running the correct level of OS for the clients, the back-up of the iASP could be copied over to the running environment and the client could do their testing without affecting their current DR position. Once the test was completed the system could be scratched and made ready for the next client to use. As part of the discussions we looked at how we could speed up the save and recovery processes (see our Blog entry on saving to a QNAP NAS) using the image catalog technology so that the Recovery Time Objective could be reduced to an absolute minimum. Those programs we created for the testing are actually in use in our environments and have significantly reduced the save times plus provide us with a much faster recovery time should we ever need to set in motion a recovery.
Profiles and Passwords were our first priority because they tend to change a lot, we came up with a process that allows the Managed Service Provider to restore the iASP data and then using automated scripts recover the User Profiles and Passwords before setting the authority. Profile recovery has already been implemented in LVLT4i and testing shows that the process is very effective and fast. The next item we wanted to cover was system values, again as with User Profiles they cannot be replicated to the target system from the client. Using the experience we gained with the storage of the profile data etc. we have now built a retrieval process that will capture all of the system values and then keep those system values in sync. When the client recovery is required scripts will be run that will allow all of the captured system values to be set on the recovery partition.
We believe that LVLT4i is a big step forward in being able to provide a recovery process for many IBM i users, even if they have an existing High Availability product in use today they will see many benefits from using it as their preferred recovery tool. We are noticing that many of those companies that implemented a High Availability Solution are not able to keep up with the changing technology being provided, this means that the recovery capabilities of the solution are being eroded and their value is no longer what it used to be. Data protection is the most important point of any availability solution so managing it needs to be a top priority, having a Recovery Time Objective of 4 – 12 hours should be more than enough for most of the IBM i community so paying for a Recovery Time Objective of minutes is not practical or beneficial.
LVLT4i when managed by a reputable Managed Service Provider should provide the users with a better recovery position and at a price that meets even the tightest of budgets. We believe that Recovery solutions are better managed by those who are committed to them and who continue to develop the skills to maintain them at all times. Although we are not big “Cloud” supporters, we think LVLT4i and the services offered by a Manage Service Provider could make the difference in being able to see value from a properly managed recovery process, offloading the day to day management to a service provider alone should show significant savings.
If you would like to know more about LVLT4i and its capabilities please call us and we will be happy to discuss. If you prefer to use Email we have a contact process on our website under contact us that you can use.
Chris…