Initialization Best Practices › Creating the Recovery File

Creating the Recovery File

The recovery file is not required to initialize CA Top Secret; however, we strongly recommend you create and implement this file. We also recommend that you place the recovery file on the following volumes:

• On a volume that other systems do not use heavily
• On a volume that is not subject to extensive I/O
• On a volume separate from the primary security file

Business Value:

The recovery file contains an encrypted record of all changes made to the security file. You can use the recovery file to recreate the security file if it becomes damaged or unusable because of hardware or software problems.

Additional Considerations:

This file is a wraparound file. When the file is full, recording continues at the beginning of the file, overwriting existing data. The default size recovery file can hold approximately 2,000 changes before a wraparound occurs.