Archive is a front end to the IBM dsmc command. It provides
a simplified interface to archive and restoration
operations. It also tries to hide some of the complexities
and irregularities of dsmc.
The simplest operation is to archive a specific file or
directory. The file or directory will be archived to tape
and tagged with a datestamp. By default, all subdirectories
will also be backed up if a directory is specified.
The file or directory can be restored by using the -retrieve
switch. If multiple copies of a file exist in the archive,
the desired one can be restored by using the -description
flag. The user will be prompted if trying to restore over an
existing file. To restore to a location other than the path
originally archived, a destination directory or file can be
used.
A default description will be added to all files and
directories which are archived. This consists of the
creation time and date of the form:
"USERNAME:Archive Date: MM/DD/YYYY Time: HH:MM:SS"
It is advisable to provide your own unique descriptions.
Remember to enclose the description in quotes.
The -query option will display all the files and directories
already archived by the user. If a file or directory isn't
provided, the user will be prompted for the file system from
which query should return results. A response such as "/usr"
should be entered from the provided listing as opposed to a
number.
The -queryall option will display a complete list of all
files archived by the user from all filesystems and nodes.
The -delete option will permanently remove archived files
and directories. The default is to NOT remove all
subdirectories. Use the -rmsubdirs flag if you really want to do this.
You will be prompted before any final deletion is performed.
The -access option allows you to grant, view, and delete
permissions for other users to retrieve your files. Unfortunately,
it is inflexible in that you cannot specify groups of users.
You must specify one user at a time using the -add flag. Used alone,
it displays the existing access permissions. The -del flag will
allow the user to choose which permission sets to delete.
Once permission is granted to another user, they can access your files by adding the
additional option --fromowner=<owner> in their -retrieve command.
