Safeguarded Copy

Edit online

Safeguarded Copy is a protection mechanism that supports the ability to create cyber-resilient, point-in-time copies of volumes of data.

The Safeguarded Copy sessions secure data to prevent it from being compromised, either accidentally or deliberately. The function integrates with IBM Copy Services Manager to provide automated backup copies and data recovery.

Safeguarded Copy uses a backup capacity, production volume, and recovery volume:

Backup capacity is the space needed for all backups. The size of the backup capacity depends on the frequency of the backups and the duration that backups need to be retained.
The Safeguarded Copy session creates a consistency group across the source volumes to create a safeguarded backup, which stores the required data in the backup capacity.
The production volume is the source volume for a Safeguarded Copy relationship. Depending on the specific client topology, this relationship can be a Metro Mirror, Global Mirror, or z/OS® Global Mirror primary or secondary volume, or a Simplex volume.
A recovery volume is used to restore a backup copy for host access while production continues to run on the production volume. The recovery volume is the target volume for a Safeguarded Copy recovery, which enables a previous backup copy to be accessed by a host that is attached to this volume. The recovery volume is typically thin-provisioned, but it does not have to be.

Accessing a backup copy on a recovery volume:

Production systems can continue to run while this is done
Optional background copy to copy all required data out of the backup capacity
Identification of a good recovery point is expected to be done on the recovery volume

Safeguarded Copy terms

Safeguarded Copy (SGC): A function that provides protection from logical data corruption. Usage: The Safeguarded Copy function provides protection from logical data corruption.
Safeguarded source (SGC source): A volume that is protected by the Safeguarded Copy function. Usage: The Safeguarded source volume is protected by a Safeguarded backup capacity that contains a copy of the data in the source volume.
Safeguarded backup (SGC backup): A point-in-time version of data that is created by the Safeguarded Copy function to protect a Safeguarded source volume. Usage: The Safeguarded backup capacity contains a copy of the data in the Safeguarded source volume.
Safeguarded backup location (SGC backup location): The pool where the safeguarded backup capacity is stored for a safeguarded source. Usage: The safeguarded backup location contains the safeguarded backup capacity.
Safeguarded backup capacity (SGC backup capacity): The physical capacity in the safeguarded backup location that contains the data that is stored the safeguarded backup copies. Usage: The safeguarded backup capacity is based on the size of the extra capacity that is allocated to that volume for creating backups.
Safeguarded virtual backup capacity (SGC virtual backup capacity): The amount of volume (virtual) capacity that is configured to store safeguarded backup copies for a safeguarded source. The capacity that is required depends on the size of the source volume, the number of copies, and the predicted destage rate of the source volume’s data.
Configure safeguarded backup Capacity (Configure SGC backup capacity): Configure the location of the backup capacity, and use the backup planning tool to determine the virtual capacity that is required to store backup copies of a safeguarded source volume.
Recover backup: Recovers a safeguarded backup copy for a safeguarded source to a separate volume by selecting a safeguarded source volume, specifying a backup copy to recover, and determining the target volume to receive the data from the backup capacity.
Configure backup schedule/policy: Configure the backup schedule for a safeguarded source volume.
Create backup: Create a safeguarded backup copy outside of the normal backup schedule.
Recover/Recovery volume: A recovery volume is a normal addressable volume that can be accessed by the host for read and write operations. A safeguarded backup copy can be viewed or updated by recovering a backup capacity to a recovery volume.
Expire backup: Remove all backup copies and schedules for a safeguarded source.
Restore backup: Restores a Safeguarded backup copy to the Safeguarded Copy source volumes using FlashCopy®.