Planning, managing, and performing system backups are, perhaps, a system operator's most important tasks. Regularly scheduled, properly performed system backups guarantee that, in the event of an unexpected system mishap, the information from the most recent backup is always available.
Computer users can choose to store their own files whenever they want, but they also rely on you to maintain a current set of duplicate files by copying the most up-to-date information stored from your computer's disk to tapes.
There are two ways to perform a system backup. A full backup copies all files stored in your system, whether or not any of the information in them has changed since the last backup. A partial backup copies only the files that have changed since the last full backup, using the DATE parameter of the STORE command. A well-planned backup schedule combines both methods. It usually calls for a full backup once a week and a partial backup each remaining workday. If you follow such a schedule, you lose no more than 24 hours worth of information should the system fail.
In this chapter, you will find the procedures to perform the following tasks:
Performing partial backups
Using system directory backups
