Robot HA 12 Features

Robot HA 12

Robot HA allows you to quickly replicate your libraries, IFS directories, and system information. This helps eliminate planned and unplanned downtime by replicating your IBM i data to a backup system. Changes to files and other objects on the production system are automatically sent to the backup system.

In the event the production system goes down, the backup system can swap into the production role and run using replicated data until the error on the production system is fixed. Robot HA makes role swaps simple and ready to use.

Key features for Robot HA include:

• Automated data replication between systems
• Creatable and customizable library sets
• Journaling and remote journaling
• Planned and unplanned role swapping
• Audits
• A place on the Robot product menu

Data Replication

Robot HA replicates data from the production system to the backup system. This includes replication of objects, directories, system information, libraries, groups, files, and more.

Frequent synchronization ensures that changes made on the production system are implemented on the backup system, and vice versa.

Library Sets

• You can create one or more library sets for each library.
• Library sets help split up a large library when replicating between systems.
• Include and omit parameters allow you to customize which objects in the library should be included with or excluded from each library set. 

Journaling and Remote Journaling

Robot HA uses journaling and remote journaling to replicate libraries, IFS directories, IFS objects, data areas, and data queues.

Remote journaling:

• Sends journal changes between systems quickly.
• Applies journal changes consistently.
• Improves performance when getting transactions to the backup system. 

Journaling:

• Allows you to filter journal entries before replication.
• Useful for limited communications bandwidth.

Role Swaps

A role swap switches the perspective and flow of data between both systems. They can be planned (depending on the needs of your system) or unplanned.

Planned role swaps:

• Used to test the backup system and the integrity of the replication enviroment.
• Allow software or hardware maintenance to occur on the production system. 

Unplanned role swaps:

• The backup system swaps roles and acts as the production system.
• The backup system maintains system processes for production until the errors that caused the unplanned role swap are rectified.

Traditional Robot Branding

Robot HA has been updated to a menu-driven, rather than a command-driven, product, which allows quick and easy access to key product features. Depending on your view (source menu or target menu), there are five product menus and an option to role swap.

Robot HA is also available from the RBO menu (option 25) and has been given HelpSystems licensing that makes it simple to license and maintain.

Audits

Functionality allowing the creation and running of Audits has been added to Robot HA. Currently, you can create and run a type of Audit called a Swap audit, which helps ensure that both the production system and the backup system are in a swap-ready state. Some of the added audit functionality:

• Starting and ending audit monitoring
• Ability to create and audit with steps designed to help ensure swap-readiness
• Maintaining an audit to ensure that the audit job run schedule and people notified are aligned with a swap-ready environment
• Audit status notification options, which include email, Robot Alert, and Robot Network
• Viewing Audit History, which details audit run results and potential areas of concern