MacKinney Systems, Inc.

File archive and restore

  • High-Speed Backup
  • High-Speed Restore
  • High-Speed BLDINDEX
  • High-Speed VSAM file reorganization
  • Data compression
  • Data encryption
  • FileArc Full Features


FileArc is a high-speed logical backup and restore utility for VSAM, sequential and partitioned files
. FileArc can be used to perform high-speed reorganizations of VSAM files via the archive and restore process without having to specify the existing DEFINE parameters. FileArc also has a high-speed BLDINDEX function that is automatically invoked when a base cluster with one or more alternate indexes is restored. This high-speed BLDINDEX can be used as a separate function if the base cluster is not being restored.

FileArc uses advanced technology to read VSAM files with extremely high performance. This advanced technology is used for archival and building alternate indexes. FileArc performs a logical backup and will only copy the actual data - not free space or unused space - unlike utilities that copy physical data. As a result, FileArc is generally much faster than IDCAMS and other utilities when performing the equivalent functions. Another benefit of performing a logical backup is the files are automatically reorganized during the restore.

When archiving files with FileArc both the catalog information and the data is copied. All of the VSAM sphere information is archived including alternate index and path definitions. This allows files to be restored without needing to have the original file definitions. Additionally, with FileArc the archived catalog information can be overridden during the restore, allowing the restored data set to be modified as needed. For example, when restoring a file to a different device type, the cylinder or track allocation can be modified for the new device. Additionally, the space allocation can easily be increased without having to specify the original file definitions.

File Archive and Restore was designed for z/OS and modern computing hardware and takes advantage of high-performance features such as very large tape block sizes. FileArc runs on OS/390 release 2.10 and all z/OS releases on all hardware supported by those releases. FileArc takes advantage of z/Architecture processors but will operate on processors running in ESA/390 mode.

Additionally, as a separately licensed feature, FileArc offers Encryption and Compression which can be used to encrypt and decrypt your data as it is backed up and restored, making secure transportation to off-site facilities possible. FileArc supports the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) using 128-bit, 192-bit or 256-bit keys.

FileArc is a high-speed z/OS logical file backup and restore product with encryption and compression. Ask for your Free 30 Day Trial of FileArc today by calling 417 882 8012 and see for yourself how fast "high-speed" can really be.