Tony,

>3) A major concern is those databases, we cannot afford to replicate them to
>ystem files first before ADSM can back them up (we don't have any free DASD to
>do so). Beside DataTools SQL-BackTrack, what other tools are available to
>assist
>in backing up directly those databases while open (SQL-BackTrack is available
>only under Unix)? Can we backup open NT databases directly?

Today, if you can't dump the db to a file, and you don't want to shut down
the database and do an offline backup, there isn't anything else for the
NT platform.  However, DataTools is working on supporting SQL-BackTrack on
NT.  I beleive it is the next platform they are working on.  It would be best
to get an answer directly from them....you can contact them at
sales AT datatools DOT com or support AT datatools DOT com.

>4) ADSM documentation, specifically IBM s redbook  Using ADSM to Backup
>atabases,  doesn t list MS-SQL Server as one of the supported RDBMS. Is anyone
>out there using ADSM to backup MS-SQL Server databases?

I hope to update the redbook by the end of the year to include information
on backing up SQL server and possibly mail exchange.  The SQL server
backup technique is similar to sybase.  You can do online backups by dumping
to a file, offline backup by shutting down the db and using ADSM commands
directly, or you can use adsmpipe to do an offline backup.  I know of a
customer who has updated adsmpipe to handle files larger than 2gb, and uses
adsmpipe to do the offline backup of sql server.  SQL server's backup
utility does have an option of sending the output to a named pipe.  We are
exploring how we might be able to use this to send the data directly to
adsm....basically, write an adsm api application similar to adsmpipe.  It
would be, at this time, an unsupported application.  I believe DataTool's
future direction is also to support sql-server.
thanks,
Cyndie Behrens
IBM - ITSO San Jose
cbehrens AT vnet.ibm DOT com
408-927-3627