DS8700 : z/OS Distributed Data Backup

As it's quite busy over here, I have a hard time catching up with everything. It's the first time after my holidays it's taking me so long. I'm still looking at all the announcements on various topics that were issued since July and I'm also behind on my reading of magazines like zJournal, Data Management Magazine, IBM Systems magazine and Hot Topics. I'll keep you informed if, no, as soon as I've come across any useful articles. Of course this could be a good thing : apparently there's lòts of new stuff to be discussed. Or perhaps ... it's me who's getting slow ;-) .

Well, here's a first of the announcements on storage : z/OS Distributed Data Backup on the DS8700. As a picture tells more than words. This is what we know now :


We have multiple separate backup environments/servers for mainframe data and distributed data and data is moving across TCP/IP links. And this is what Distributed Data for Backup is offering us :

The Distributed Data Backup feature makes it possible that you can now take backups of open system volumes with a single mainframe backup server. You see immediately some advantages : traffic now goes over FICON instead of TCP/IP, you no longer need open systems backup servers nor open systems tape systems. You just keep one centralized backup system for mainframe and distributed data. At least one company, which is mentioned in the announcement, can already provide this : Innovation Data Processing with FDRSOS.

Some information :

• The announcements : 'IBM System Storage DS8700 Function Authorization for IBM z/OS Distributed Data Backup (ZP10-0308)' and 'IBM System Storage DS8700 delivers z/OS Distributed Data Backup and new functional capabilities for machine types 2421, 2422, 2423, and 2424 (ZG10-0249)'.
• FDRSOS : Data Sheet

The feature is available on the DS8700 since August 6, 2010 and you know what : as far as I can figure out for the moment, it's free (just like Easy Tier).