Hey All, 

Currently we are using Commvault to perform all of our Database backup needs.  We are not the owners of the Commvault product, but rather , our Hosting Vendor uses it for all of their database backups for all of their customers (Db2 and SQL server). 

Unfortunately, we have experienced several issues with Commvault, that have been very detrimental to our system.  If Commvault was managed by our team, it would likely be a different song, but it is not, so we are at a bit of a cross-roads with using the product in the future and management wants to get off of Commvault.

That said. . .

I am sure there are different options for creating a Db2 backup solution, and I am curious what others are using and how they feel about what they are doing.  Primarily, we need to take scheduled Full and Incremental backups as well as take care of the Log Archives.  I am sure we can come up with a Scheduled task solution and create our own scripts for doing this, but I am curious to know what others are using, and how they like what they are doing (basically the Pro's and the Con's).

I am going to do my own research, but I really want to hear from the people using the solutions rather than a salesman telling how wonderful their product is.

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Edward Spencer
Database Administrator
Oregon Department of Justice - Child Support Technology Services

------------------------------

Hi Ed,

One solution (my favourite in recent years) would certainly be to use AWS S3 as the archive for the backups and transactional logs.

We have done it for several clients and it has been working seamlessly ever since (although only on Linux so far, not Windows, but the concept should be exactly the same).

To get you started, here are a few blog articles on the subject:

  https://datageek.blog/2021/06/08/backing-up-a-db2-database-to-aws-s3/

  https://www.triton.co.uk/setting-up-db2-remote-access-to-aws-s3/

  https://www.triton.co.uk/aws-s3-recovery-for-db2-luw/

 Hope this helps, happy scripting! :-)

Regards, Damir

------------------------------
Damir Wilder
Senior Consultant
Triton Consulting
London
------------------------------

We have seen many issues with CommVault's Db2 agent as well.  

If you have sufficient disk space on your servers, writing your backups and archive logs to local disk (or an NFS/CIFS share) and letting Commvault's file system level backups pick up the files is a reasonable option.  However, make sure that you understand (and can tolerate) the fact that there will be a period of time when the backup exists only on disk (in between a Db2 backup / log archive finishes and the next CommVault file system backup runs).

------------------------------
Ian Bjorhovde
XTIVIA
------------------------------

Hello Ed,  we use Rubrik data protection (https://docs.rubrik.com/en-us/saas/db2/ibm_db2.html) for our DB2 on Windows database backups.  The software does have API with the capability of backing up directly to Rubrik, but as Ian mentioned, we backup to SAN and then let Rubrik backup the database backup files.   We do the same with our archived transaction logs...we write them to SAN and Rubrik backs up that drive hourly.  This solution has worked very well for us over the past couple of years. 

Regards

Andy

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Andy McLaughlin
Great American Insurance
Cincinnati
------------------------------

Hi Edward,

most backup solutions are mostly as bad as their admin is. And configuration of the backup system (push vs pull) is another thing.

Anyway, at one customer Veritas Netbackup is used and TBH it will not become my favorite for Db2. I also had once a customer with Omnibackup from HP.

But my personal favorite is TSM aka Spectrum Protect. It is fully integrated, never had any issues with anything like NetBackup or others. Maybe this was also dependent on the fact that we had an excellent TSM admin who understood the multiple tiers and other details of TSM so well. 
Another benefit is db2adutl, which allows the Db2 admin to interrogate TSM about backups and logs. For the other backup systems are mainly black boxes from the Db2 side.

AWS S3 is for Linux and Cloud only. CommVault using the pull mechanism to suck in the backups from the file system leave a gap in time. TSM can do both. Db2 can write directly into TSM or TSM can pull the data from a Db2 servers file system.

Just my €0.03, YMMV

Roland

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Roland Schock
IBM Champion and IBM Gold Consultant
------------------------------

"most backup solutions are mostly as bad as their admin is. "

oh boy,  you HIT it !  

This is really true!   

Let me go simple...  

Backup to a remote shared SMB, NAS device, and have a bkp policy on that volume.. 

From db2 perspective,   it's just like writing backups and archives to local disk.   No need to spend hundreds of hours trying to integrate db2 with a 3rd party lib.. (and even more, having to deal with the team that supports the bkp solution, and have it setup properly...  etc ... )  

Just make sure your remote NAS volume has a backup policy to a external media,  and that's it!  

Sometimes,  simpler is better. 

You can even consider, enabling the auto-maintenance for the bkp objects and archived logs,  by setting  AUTO_DEL_REC_OBJ , NUM_DB_BACKUPS and REC_HIS_RETENTN  parameters. 

Good luck 

------------------------------
Samuel Pizarro
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Original Message:
Sent: Wed March 12, 2025 02:10 AM
From: Roland Schock
Subject: DB2 LUW (Windows) Database Backup Solutions

Hi Edward,

most backup solutions are mostly as bad as their admin is. And configuration of the backup system (push vs pull) is another thing.

Anyway, at one customer Veritas Netbackup is used and TBH it will not become my favorite for Db2. I also had once a customer with Omnibackup from HP.

But my personal favorite is TSM aka Spectrum Protect. It is fully integrated, never had any issues with anything like NetBackup or others. Maybe this was also dependent on the fact that we had an excellent TSM admin who understood the multiple tiers and other details of TSM so well. 
Another benefit is db2adutl, which allows the Db2 admin to interrogate TSM about backups and logs. For the other backup systems are mainly black boxes from the Db2 side.

AWS S3 is for Linux and Cloud only. CommVault using the pull mechanism to suck in the backups from the file system leave a gap in time. TSM can do both. Db2 can write directly into TSM or TSM can pull the data from a Db2 servers file system.

Just my €0.03, YMMV

Roland

------------------------------
Roland Schock
IBM Champion and IBM Gold Consultant
------------------------------

Had same issues with anything other than TMS. Lots of issues with netbackup

Sent from my iPad


Original Message:
Sent: 3/12/2025 2:10:00 AM
From: Roland Schock
Subject: RE: DB2 LUW (Windows) Database Backup Solutions

Hi Edward,

most backup solutions are mostly as bad as their admin is. And configuration of the backup system (push vs pull) is another thing.

Anyway, at one customer Veritas Netbackup is used and TBH it will not become my favorite for Db2. I also had once a customer with Omnibackup from HP.

But my personal favorite is TSM aka Spectrum Protect. It is fully integrated, never had any issues with anything like NetBackup or others. Maybe this was also dependent on the fact that we had an excellent TSM admin who understood the multiple tiers and other details of TSM so well. 
Another benefit is db2adutl, which allows the Db2 admin to interrogate TSM about backups and logs. For the other backup systems are mainly black boxes from the Db2 side.

AWS S3 is for Linux and Cloud only. CommVault using the pull mechanism to suck in the backups from the file system leave a gap in time. TSM can do both. Db2 can write directly into TSM or TSM can pull the data from a Db2 servers file system.

Just my €0.03, YMMV

Roland

------------------------------
Roland Schock
IBM Champion and IBM Gold Consultant
------------------------------

Hi,

What issue did you have with NetBackup?

David.

------------------------------
David Williams
Senior Database Platform Engineer
Flutter
London
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: Sat March 15, 2025 01:31 AM
From: Douglas Partch
Subject: DB2 LUW (Windows) Database Backup Solutions

Had same issues with anything other than TMS. Lots of issues with netbackup

Sent from my iPad



Original Message:
Sent: 3/12/2025 2:10:00 AM
From: Roland Schock
Subject: RE: DB2 LUW (Windows) Database Backup Solutions

Hi Edward,

most backup solutions are mostly as bad as their admin is. And configuration of the backup system (push vs pull) is another thing.

Anyway, at one customer Veritas Netbackup is used and TBH it will not become my favorite for Db2. I also had once a customer with Omnibackup from HP.

But my personal favorite is TSM aka Spectrum Protect. It is fully integrated, never had any issues with anything like NetBackup or others. Maybe this was also dependent on the fact that we had an excellent TSM admin who understood the multiple tiers and other details of TSM so well. 
Another benefit is db2adutl, which allows the Db2 admin to interrogate TSM about backups and logs. For the other backup systems are mainly black boxes from the Db2 side.

AWS S3 is for Linux and Cloud only. CommVault using the pull mechanism to suck in the backups from the file system leave a gap in time. TSM can do both. Db2 can write directly into TSM or TSM can pull the data from a Db2 servers file system.

Just my €0.03, YMMV

Roland

------------------------------
Roland Schock
IBM Champion and IBM Gold Consultant
------------------------------