Rocket® CopyExport Manager
Automates the copy export process
Rocket CopyExport Manager is a parameter driven software product which runs under z/OS and automates the copy export process for IBM TS7700 virtual tape systems. CopyExport Manager may be used in either a TS7700 stand-alone or grid configuration and automates the CE process by eliminating the need for REXX coding to implement CE.
CopyExport Manager automates the CE processes required to make copies of tape data sets and export them from the TS7700 system for shipment to the vault. CopyExport Manager also provides additional features to audit the entire export process and creates a database to track logical-to-physical relationships, provides extensive reporting, and ensures a successful recovery.
Automate the copy export process
During the copy export process without automation, JCL code must be programmed and customized for each site and supported internally. CopyExport Manager provides a total solution that can be customized through simple parameter selection. CopyExport Manager adds and updates the tape management systems with the vaulted physical tape so that the tapes can be vaulted by using your normal tape management process. Standard copy export does not check available tape drives and available scratch pools before starting the copy export process, nor does it monitor console messages to ensure the complete success of the copy export process. Without CopyExport Manager, you must manually watch for copy export errors.
The auditing process
In most cases, as part of the copy export process, there is no assurance that the process completes correctly or that the desired data is sent off-site. There is also no confirmation that critical tape data sets are written to the CE volumes or vaulted. With CopyExport Manager, the audit process can produce detailed reports, including: out-coded virtual tapes that are not on a CE tape, a disaster recovery pull list that highlights the CE tape with the most current TS7700 database, and tape utilization as a percentage of tape capacity.
Local recovery
CopyExport Manager can create a report to let you know what data sets reside on which CE tapes. This report facilitates local recovery by providing a list of tape data sets on each volume. It is easier to recover a damaged physical back end tape using this list, instead of writing a program to obtain that information from a BVIR report.
Remote recovery
CopyExport Manager includes a report during the audit process that details the most current TS7700 database and all of the copy export tapes. CopyExport Manager goes beyond just listing everything. Multiple companies and divisions might be using the same TS7700 system. A different copy export pool for each company keeps their files on separate copy export tapes. During the CopyExport Manager audit process, CopyExport Manager provides a report for each separate copy export pool so that only the copy export tapes that are needed for a specific customer test can be sent to the disaster recovery exercise, thus limiting exposure of losing other company tapes.
Copy export acceleration
The TS7700 Copy Export Acceleration option can dramatically reduce the time required to complete the export process in cases where there are a large number of CE tapes being created by reducing the number of tapes that will have the database added to the end. However that makes the manual tracking of which tape has the correct database for a recovery operation more difficult. CopyExport Manager automatically tracks which tapes have a database and highlights the correct tape in the reports generated by the audit processing eliminating the extra complication that Copy Acceleration would otherwise introduce.