One backup medium is assigned to each backup action. A backup medium can be a file, a tape, or a pipe. A backup medium is defined in the Backup / Media Manager and receives a name that can be selected freely.
Media can be comprised to form a group of parallel media and be named. Parallel media are simultaneously written or read by the database server. This increases data throughput - and thus the speed of backup or restore. The name of a group of parallel media appears as an additional backup medium and can be assigned to a backup action like an individual backup medium.
If the capacity of the tapes is sufficient for the backup, no intervention of an operator is required during the backup. CONTROL requests more tapes if the backup has not been terminated although the tape is full. For this purpose, the Media Size must have been specified for the media definition or the tape device must be able to recognize the end of tape. A backup can be done to one backup medium as a minimum.
Backups Performed Using Third-Party Backup Tools
Several external backup tools are supported, for example, ADSM (ADSTAR Distributed Storage Manager). Special names must be used for a backup medium. A detailed description of the tools supported is contained in Section External Backup Tools.
CONTROL does not require any operator intervention during the backup. The sequence of the tapes for a restore is defined by the backup tool of the manufacturer.
If the group of parallel media is denoted by a predefined name appropriate for the external backup tool and if the individual media definitions contain the path of the pipe, then a "parallel" backup is also possible to external backup tools.