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Backup and Recovery › Sample Backup and Recovery Procedures › Complete Database Recovery

Complete Database Recovery

We recommend this approach for database recovery. When a problem occurs that makes the primary databases unavailable or unusable, IPL CA ACF2 for VM in NOAUTO mode (when CA ACF2 for VM is not active) for recovery. This approach enables complete database recovery, assuming all SMF files are available since the last backup was taken. A disadvantage is that only FORCEID users can access CA ACF2 for VM during recovery. Because database recovery is a rare occurrence, complete recovery in NOAUTO mode prevents users from accessing the system until recovery is completed. If you cannot afford the downtime to do complete recovery, review the other recovery methods presented in the following sections.

Recovery Steps

When the primary databases are unavailable because of hardware error or database corruption, follow these steps for complete recovery:

  1. IPL the system without starting CA ACF2 for VM (NOAUTO mode).
  2. Restore the latest backups to the alternate databases. Skip this step if you use the post backup service machine to restore backups to alternate databases after each backup occurs. Verify that the automatic restore occurred correctly.
  3. Identify the SMF files needed for recovery.
  4. Run the ACFRECVR utility to merge database changes from the SMF records to the alternate databases. For additional information on this utility, see the Reports and Utilities Guide.
  5. IPL the system using the alternate databases.

When the primary databases are available and you have enough time, perform the following:

  1. IPL the system without starting CA ACF2 for VM (NOAUTO mode).
  2. If the databases are corrupted, make a DDR copy of the primary databases for debugging purposes.
  3. Copy the alternate databases to the primary databases.
  4. IPL the system normally. This causes CA ACF2 for VM to use the primary databases.
  5. Manually back up the CA ACF2 for VM databases with the ACFSERVE BACKUP command.
  6. Restore the backups just taken to rebuild the alternate databases (or let the post backup service machine do the rebuild).