Work Management Standards › Backing-Up › Backup Methods › Using Media

Using Media

Rotate the media versions. This both provides better protection, but also spreads the mechanical wear of the media more evenly.

A cycle of at least two week’s versions should be used for offline media copies:

- Day 1 save to Set A- Day 2 save to Set B- Day 3 save to Set C- .....- Day 15 save to Set A- Day 16 save to Set B

When making saves, set the expiry date on the media (EXPDATE parameter on CL Save commands (SAVLIB, SAVOBJ, SAVCHGOBJ, SAVSAVFDTA)) to be the expected date of reuse. This will cause an exception message to be sent to the operator if he tries to use the media earlier than the scheduled date.

Media (diskettes or tape) should always be clearly labeled. The label should include:

• The library or objects saved
• A description of the library
• The date and time
• The method of saving (SAVOBJ, SAVLIB)
• The machine (IBM i) and OS/400 level
• The media sequence number; for instance "1 of 3", "2 of 3"

A catalog (obtained by using the OS/400 Display Tape (DSPTAP) command with OUTPUT(*LIST)) may usefully be stored with the media.

Illustration of Media Label Contents: