There are several factors to keep in mind when planning your backup strategy. You need, for example, to have an accurate understanding of the user skill levels at your site. You must also be familiar with the kinds of physical resources that are available. The two most critical factors you need to consider, however, are data and timing: what to save, and when and how to save it. The following questions can assist you in designing an effective backup plan:
Think about the questions above as you read through this chapter. Consider the different options available to you and the ways in which you can use them. For example, can you put some of your most critical data in a backup list, thereby effectively separating it from less critical data? When can you effectively use the save-while-active feature, which shortens your save window and allows users back on the system sooner? Does your company have the resources to perform parallel saves, which shorten your save window by processing large objects on multiple devices at the same time? You may want to write down your thoughts on these and other questions as you read through this chapter.
BRMS supports backup and recovery of objects on auxiliary storage pool devices (auxiliary storage pools 33–255). You should review Online Lotus Server Backups if you are using auxiliary storage pool devices to assure you are getting a complete backup of your user data on these devices.
When saving directory and files, you should unmount any mounted user-defined file systems (UDFSs) prior to the save to assure the objects in the mounted over directories are saved. UDFSs are automatically unmounted on auxiliary storage pool devices when the system is in restricted state. UDFSs on the system (1) or basic user auxiliary storage pools (2–32) need to be explicitly unmounted. Any unmounted UDFSs need to be remounted after the save.