HP Archive Backup System for OpenVMS Guide to Operations

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Introduction
The Archive Backup System for OpenVMS (ABS) is a software product that allows you to save
and restore data in a heterogeneous environment. ABS provides you with the ability to perform
anything from full system backup operations to user-requested or user-created backup operations.
ABS ensures data safety and integrity by providing a secure environment for save and
restore operations.
ABS is based on an OpenVMS system environment and all data is saved to (and restored from)
archives on OpenVMS systems. However, ABS supports saving and restoring data that resides
on nodes running the UNIX and Windows operating systems, as well as OpenVMS systems.
ABS enables you to implement a backup policy that allows you to save the data through automatic
or repetitively scheduled save operations. It also enables you to save data randomly using
a one-time-only save operation. ABS allows you to use different scheduler interface options to
schedule requests. This feature allows you to customize the scheduling of save or restore
requests to your system configuration.
Save and restore operations are accomplished using two of the objects recognized by ABS, the
save request and the restore request. These objects allow you to save data from online to either a
offline volume or to another disk, and if necessary, allows you to restore that data to either its
original location or to a different output location.
ABS tracks the location of data when saved as a result of an ABS save request. This information
is kept in an ABS catalog. Upon request, ABS accesses the catalog to locate or restore the data.
Chapter 2 provides an overview of ABS capabilities, and Chapter 3 describes ABS Save and
Restore operations, and the associated ABS objects, in more detail.
ABS is integrated with Media, Device and Management Services (MDMS), which performs the
following functions on behalf of ABS:
• Database Management Services - MDMS maintains the ABS database objects including
saves, restores, archives, environments, catalogs, schedules and selections. Database management
services are available within a distributed environment using either TCP/IP or
DECnet communication protocols. Chapter 3 describes the ABS objects in detail.
• Media Management Services - MDMS maintains a set of physical and logical objects for
management of backup hardware and media. These objects include domain, locations,
nodes, groups, jukeboxes, drives, media types, pools, volumes and magazines. Chapter 4
describes Media Management Services in detail.
• Scheduling Services - MDMS provides extensive internal scheduling services for automatically
scheduling ABS save and restore requests. Chapter 3 describes Scheduling Services.
• Security Services - MDMS provides flexible security options using rights, privileges and
object access control for secure use in a distributed environment. Chapter 5 describes security
services.
Introduction 1–1