Everyday backup checks

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Check all your backups every day.

While Goodin Associates can assist as needed with client data backup issues, the responsibility for checking and maintaining iSeries and Imaging local and online backups falls to the client.

Types of backup

When you first purchase a new iSeries/AS400 or PC JIMS Imaging system through Goodin Associates, our practice, unless otherwise directed by the client, is to set you up with either a local (on-location) hard drive or tape backup system, and provide you basic instructions for how to confirm the success of every backup. To be clear, it is a separate local backup system for the iSeries and for Imaging. Additionally, Goodin Associates offers online backup services for your iSeries and Imaging systems. Nearly every one of our clients participates in these online backup services. 

Note: online backups are not a replacement for local in-house backups. For instance, while the GAL iSeries/AS400 Online Backup includes versioned backups, the GAL Imaging Online Backup Service behaves differently. Its advantages, such as near-real-time coverage rather than once a day, are accomplished by continuously mirroring your Imaging document files. Deleted documents are not mirrored, so we can help you restore something you accidentally delete. But all other changes, including modification or corruption of a file, will also exist in the backup copy. On such occasions, access to an older copy/backup of your image files, as could be obtained from an out-of-rotation weekly, quarterly or annual backup, would be required.

Combined, local and online backups provide our clients a very good layer of data protection, with each type of backup offering its own advantages. Consider the following:

1. Fire, water damage, theft, a hard drive crash, vandalism: Does the backup taken off location actually contain a good current backup? Did staff remember to confirm? If staff forgets to check the success of your daily backups, did they forget for more than a week, a month, longer? Without checking, they won't realize when there's a problem, which could result in erasing or corrupting every one of your backups.

2. Large scale disaster: A tornado could wipe out your courthouse and your off-site tape/hard drive storage location.

3. Data corruption: A file can get corrupted by user or hardware error. It would help to have access to an older version of a file to compare it to a suspected corrupt file. Consider internal sabotage, where an authorized user may have been deleting data for weeks. It would be helpful to have a monthly or yearly backup to review and compare, and from which to restore if needed.

These scenarios cast light on the importance of maintaining local and online backups, out-of-rotation backups and checking to confirm that all your backups are actually working every day.  

Failure to check all your backups every day risks data loss. Don't take that risk. 

Consider assigning multiple staff to check all your backups every morning. Assigning multiple staff increases the chance that your backups actually gets checked, so that if an error arises it will be found out, reported and dealt with it.

Check your iSeries/AS400 local backup --GAL will keep tabs on this backup for you

Newer iSeries/AS400s come equipped with an external hard drive for local/on-location backups. Prior iSeries came with a tape drive for local/on-location backups. You can use the following "green screen" approach to check the success of your daily local iSeries backup. However, given the evolution of PC JIMS and the disappearance of the green screen, Goodin Associates has opted to keep tabs on this particular backup for you.

All the same, if you prefer to run your own check, use the following "green screen" method that pertains to the equipment/setup you've been provided:

Local hard drive backup

1. Identify the time your backup is set to run. 

   1. This time, likely set to 01:00:00, is arranged between the Circuit Clerk and GAL at the time the iSeries with hard drive backups was installed. Call GAL to confirm.

2. At a command line, type DSPLOG and strike the F4 (Cmd 4) key

• 1. At “Beginning time”, type the "military time” arranged with GAL, e.g. 01:00:00.

  2. At “Beginning date”, type the date you wish to check, e.g. 11212024 (for November 21, 2024), and Enter.

     1. What you will see is a very specific section of a 30-day log that the iSeries/AS400 maintains. You specified the date and time.

     2. Find the start of your backup job.  It should look something like this:

        1. Job 779320/GAL/RMSBAKUP started on 11/21/24 at 01:00:00…

     3. Beyond this entry, look for entries that resemble the following. You may need to page down. These libraries will not necessarily be listed alphabetically, nor without interruption of other messages.

• • • 1. 401 objects saved from library GALADR.

      2. 2164 objects saved from library GALCRT.

      3. 93 objects saved from library GALIDP.

      4. 694 objects saved from library GALIMG.

      5. 321 objects saved from library GALJUR.

      6. 321 objects saved from library UTLLIB.

      7. Job 779320/GAL/RMSBCKCL ended on 11/21/24 at 01:04:34…

• 2. 4. Note the last line shown here. You should see something similar.

     5. Note the libraries beginning with GAL***.  These are the libraries we really care about. 

     6. If any objects did not back up from any of these libraries, the entry would look like:

• • • 1. 691 objects saved from library GALIDP. 3 objects not saved.

      2. An occasional message of this sort likely indicates that someone forgot to sign-out of the system, which prevented a file from backing up. If such a message appears daily, call GAL, because you have an issue.

• 2. 7. If you cannot locate entries such as those described here, or if you see anything radically different, such as, "Backup Failed or Backup Error," or if you are not sure, call GAL.

     8. The DSPLOG command can be run any time without interruption to other iSeries/AS400 operations.

Local tape backup

1. Identify the time your backup is set to run. 

   1. At a green screen command line, type GO BACKUP and enter

   2. Take menu option 10

   3. Take menu option 20

   4. Note your daily “Backup Time” (in military time) and the days backup is set to run.

   5. F3 all the way out

2. At a command line, type DSPLOG and strike the F4 (Cmd 4) key

• 1. At “Beginning time”, type the "military time” you identified above, e.g. 23:00:00.

  2. At “Beginning date”, type the date you wish to check, e.g. 11212024 (for November 21, 2024), and Enter.

     1. What you will see is a very specific section of a 30-day log that the iSeries/AS400 maintains. You specified the date and time.

     2. Find the start of your backup job.  It should look something like this:

        1. Job 779320/QSYSOPR/QEZBKTMTHU started on 11/21/24 at 23:00:00…

     3. Beyond this entry, look for entries that resembles the following. You may need to page down to find these entries. They may be separated by other entries. That said, the backed up libraries are approached alphabetically. Our concern is the successful backup of the GAL### libraries.

• • • 1. Display History Log Contents

      2. 401 objects saved from library GALADR.

      3. 2164 objects saved from library GALCRT.

      4. 5 objects saved from library GALCST.

      5. 40 objects saved from library GALDEF.

      6. 18 objects saved from library GALDRG.

      7. 93 objects saved from library GALEMP.

      8. 694 objects saved from library GALIDP.

      9. 321 objects saved from library GALJUR.

      10. 27 objects saved from library GALMAC.

      11. 20 objects saved from library GALMSG.

      12. 277 objects saved from library GALNOT.

      13. 575 objects save from library GALPRB.

      14. 201 objects saved from library GALSTA.

      15. 7 objects saved from library GALZIP.

      16. 14 libraries saved at 11/21/20 23:32:02.

• 2. 4. Note the last line shown here, "14 libraries saved at 11/21/24 23:32:02".  This tells you the number of libraries saved, and the date and time. Your number of libraries will vary, depending on your setup.

     5. Note the libraries beginning with GAL***.  These are the libraries we really care about.  If any objects did not back up from any of these libraries, the entry would look like:  

• • • 1. 691 objects saved from library GALIDP. 3 objects not saved.

      2. An occasional message of this sort likely indicates that someone forgot to sign-out of the system, which prevented a file from backing up. If such a message appears daily, call GAL, because you have an issue.

• 2. 6. If you cannot locate entries such as those described here, or if you see anything radically different, such as, "Backup Failed or Backup Error," or if you are not sure, call GAL.

     7. Another critical thing to note is an entry that reads

• • • 1. Device TAP01 needs to be cleaned.

• 2. 8. Do not ignore this message. Run an appropriate cleaning tape cartridge in the iSeries/AS400 tape drive.

     9. The DSPLOG command can be run any time without interruption to other iSeries/AS400 operations.

Check your GAL iSeries online backup, your GAL Imaging online backup, and your local Imaging backup, using the GAL PC

Click here for instructions on how to check your:

• GAL iSeries/AS400 online backup

• GAL IMAGING online backup

• IMAGING local tape or hard drive backup

See our Guidance on Prudent Backup Procedures for more on your backups and recommended enhanced backup procedures.