The expiration of DB backup tapes is not controlled by the
DRMDBBACKUPEXPIREDAYS parameter.

IF you are using the ADSM DRM component, you are probably sending your DB
backup tapes to an offsite vault using the MOVE DRMEDIA command.  The
DRMDBBACKUPEXPIREDAYS parameter tells ADSM how long the DB backup tapes are
to stay in the vault.  (Storage pool tapes sent offsite with the DRM MOVE
DRMEDIA command stay in "vault" status until they are empty, so you don't
need a separate DRM parm to control that.)

You expire DB backup tapes with the DELETE VOLHISTORY command.

Many people set up an admin command scedule to to this on a regular basis.
For instance, I have an admin command schedule that runs every day to force
a DB backup at midnight, and I also have an admin command schedule that
looks like this:
delete volhistory todate=today-17 type=dbb

That way my DB backup gets done everyday, but I also return the oldest ones
to scratch every day.

If you are not using DRM, the DRMDBBACKUPEXPIREDAYS parameter does nothing
at all.

If you are using DRM, your DBBACKUPEXPIREDAYS parameter should be LESS THAN
your delete volhist days.  It must allow enough time to cycle your DB backup
tapes from the vault back on site BEFORE your delete volhistory runs.  That
is the most common mistake people make in setting up DRM (because it is the
most CONFUSING part of DRM!)  If the DELETE VOLHIST removes the
volumehistory entries BEFORE a MOVE DRMEDIA has brought the tapes back on
site, the tape is left in limbo because there is no longer a record of it
anywhere.!

My DRMDBBACKUPEXPIREDAYS is set to 12.  That gives me 5 days to get my tapes
back from the vault before my DELETE VOLHIST (which deletes anything over 17
days old) deletes the records for the tapes.

So it works like this:

A command schedule creates a DB backup.
A MOVE DRMEDIA command sends that DB backup tape to the vault.
The DB backup tapes stays in the vault for DRMBACKUPEXPIREDAYS.
Then the next MOVE DRMEDIA that returns tapes from the vault, will pick up
that DB backup in the list of tapes to be returned from the vault.
The DELET VOLHIST removes the records for the DB backup tape, and the tape
goes back to scratch status.

Hope this helps!

************************************************************************
Wanda Prather
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
443-778-8769
wanda_prather AT jhuapl DOT edu

"Intelligence has much less practical application than you'd think" -
Scott Adams/Dilbert
************************************************************************








> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Van De Vijver [SMTP:Paul.Van.De.Vijver AT HONDA-EU DOT COM]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 1999 7:25 AM
> To:   ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
> Subject:      MVS Server V3 R1 Level 2.16 : DB Backups not expiring ?
>
> Hello all,
>
> Can anyone tell me why my DBB volumes are not expiring ?
>
> On 14th of March I did start with Automatic DB Backup with next settings :
>
>      - DRMDBBACKUPEXPIREDAYS  = 7
>      - Nr of incremental backups between full backup = 3
>      - automatic start backup when logfile reaches 75 %
>
> Backups are taken well, but although expiredays is set to 7 not a single
> backupvolume
> has been scratched ever.
> At this moment there are about 20 volumes (Full & Incremental) from which
> at least
> 10 volumes should be expired by now ...
>
> Thanks,
>
> Paul Van de Vijver