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This note is a collection of the questions that are often asked by colleagues and customers regarding external backup tools. It provides answers and refers you to other information sources. The note is in no way complete.
1. Which external backup tools are supported for MaxDB?2. Where can I find documentation about the integration of external backup tools in a MaxDB database?3. Do I have to use an Oracle instance in my database landscape to be able to backup MaxDB using the “Backint for Oracle” interface?4. What do I need to take into account when defining the backup media for MaxDB Versions 7.5 and below?5. Which logs do I need to check if errors occur with external backup tools on MaxDB?6. Where can I find these logs?7. Why should I not set the NSREBIDTYP parameter when using Networker?8. What are the prerequisites for a backup using an external backup tool?9. How do I define the backup media for an external backup tool?10. How do I determine the backup history with DBMCLI?11. Where do I find a description about performing a recovery using an external backup tool?12. Can I check backups?13. What is the service database?14. How can I determine the name of the service database?15. How can I check a backup with DBMCLI that was created with an external backup tool?16.Other terms

FAQ; Networker; backint; service database; ADSM; TSM; VERITAS; Data Protector;
Reason and Prerequisites

This note concerns questions about the use of external backup tools with MaxDB.
Further FAQ notes about MaxDB/live Cache are available available on SDN (SAP Developer Network):
https://wiki.sdn.sap.com/wiki/x/GkM
Solution
1. Which external backup tools are supported for MaxDB?
- TSM (IBM/Tivoli)
- NetWorker (Legato)
- NetBackup (Veritas)
- Data Protector or Omniback (HP)
- all backup tools that support ‘Backint for Oracle’.
- all backup tools that support ‘Backint for MaxDB’
Check with your hardware partner or provider of the external backup tool which version of the backup tool to use to integrate ‘Backint for Oracle’ or ‘Backint for MaxDB’.2. Where can I find documentation about the integration of external backup tools in a MaxDB database?
This information is described in the documentation for MaxDB.
See Note 767598 for information about the location of the MaxDB documentation. You also access the MaxDB documentation using SDN.
https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/sdn/maxdb
We recommend to access the documentation using the MaxDB glossary with the key word “External backup tool” via “Supported backup tools of third-party providers”.
3. Do I have to use an Oracle instance in my database landscape to be able to backup MaxDB database using the “Backint for Oracle” interface?
No. A number of backup tools by third-party providers have a Backint for Oracle interface. In principle, Backint for Oracle can backup any data in the file system, independent of whether the Oracle database system is installed on the host or not. Integrating MaxDB into an Backint for Oracle interface requires that this feature is guaranteed by the manufacturer of the backup tool that has a Backint for Oracle interface. If you have any questions about this, contact the supplier of the external backup tool.4. What do I need to take into account when defining the backup media for MaxDB Versions 7.5 and below?
A logical name for the backup media:
To integrate the various backup tools, naming conventions for the media definition must be adhered to depending on the backup tool. The backup media must start with the relevant key word:
- TSM -> TSM (IBM/Tivoli)
- NSR -> NetWorker (Legato)
- BACK -> Netbackup (VERITAS)
- BACK -> all backup tools that support Backint for MaxDB or BACKINT for ORACLE.5. Which logs do I need to check if errors occur with external backup tools on MaxDB?
Note the following logs in addition to the MaxDB logs dbm.knl, dbm.utl, dbm.prt and knldiag in MaxDB versions below Version 7.7 when you use external backup tools:
a) dbm.ebf (file ID: BACKEBF)
The file dbm.ebf contains the backup history, the backup ID, external backup IDs and error messages. This file is written consecutively and is NOT cyclically overwritten, so that the entire backup history is available for support.
If a backup tool was able to backup successfully, but could not determine the external backup ID, the backup is entered as failed in the backup history.
a) dbm.ebp (file ID: BACKEBP)
This log file only contains the log of the last backup.
As of MaxDB Version 7.7, note the log files dbm.prt and knlmsgarchive.6. Where can I find these logs?
The logs dbm.ebf and dbm.ebp are stored in RUNDIRECTORY (as of Version 7.7 parameter RUNDIRECTORYPATH) of the database, for example, /sapdb/data/wrk/.7. Why should I not set the NSREBIDTYP parameter when using Networker?
Because the SSID type on Unix requires root authorizations.8. What are the prerequisites for a backup using an external backup tool?
a) Integration of the MaxDb database in the relevant external backup tool. A detailed description about the integration of supported backup tools is available in the MaxDB documentation (Note 767598) in the glossary under the key word “Backup tool”.
b) Backup template: Before you can backup data or log entries on a data medium, you must define a backup template using DBMGUi or DBMCLI with the command ‘medium_put’. In the properties of the backup template, define the backup type and the type of the data medium to be used.
After you have completed those two steps, you can backup your database.9. How do I define the backup media for an external backup tool?
More information about this topic is available in the MaxDB documentation (Note 767598) in the glossary, under the keyword “Backup template”. If you use a backup tool of a third-party provider, ensure you use the correct abbreviation for this tool when you enter the “Backup Tool”.10. How do I determine the backup history with DBMCLI?
You can use the command backup_history_open to load the current backup history into the main memory. If you enter the option -e, the backup history is extended with the current information about the backup tools used. This determines the availability status of the relevant backups in the backup tool.
To display the contents, execute the DBM command backup_history_list to display the backup history. If the backup history is very long, you can use the command backup_history_next, if required.11. Where do I find a description about performing a recovery using an external backup tool?
In the MaxDB documentation (Note 767598) in the glossary under the key word “Restore”, you can branch to the DBMGUI manual to execute a restore with the help of menus. You can also branch to the DBMCLI manual for the command ‘recover_start’ to a detailed documentation about restoring a database instance using DBMCLI.

12. Can I check backups?
Yes, you can check backups with database tools for completeness, even if they were created using external backup tools. The MaxDB service database instance is used for this.13. What is the service database?
The service database instance is an especially configured additional database instance without an individual dataset, which the database system requires to check a backup or restore the parameter file from a data backup.
The database system creates the service database instance under a name generated from the database version during the installation of the database software.
The name of the service database is generated from the version number.
.M
– Major release (one digit)
– Minor release (one digit)
– Support Package (two digits)
– Build (two digits)
for example, .M750043.
If conflicts occur, the last two characters are replaced by digits, and incremented from 01 to 99.14. How can I determine the name of the service database?
You can use the DBMCLI command db_enum -s to determine the name of the service database. The name of the service database starts with a period.15. How can I check a backup with DBMCLI that was created with an external backup tool?
You can use the service database instance to check the backups for completeness. If, during the log on to the Database manager CLI (dbmcli) to your database instance (do NOT enter the name of the service database), you also enter the option -uSRV, the DBM command (service_connect) is explicitly executed to open a service session. The service database that corresponds to the version of the database is started.
For example:
dbmcli -u -d -uSRV
recover_check [EBID ] []….
When you close the Database Manager CLI, the service session is also closed.