We will be embarking on a large database conversion soon and would like to
leave our largely COBOL/ALLBASE/SQL application available for as much of the
conversion as possible.  The conversion will require unloading and reloading
virtually every table in the DBE.  What I'm wondering is:
 
1.  Do any of you, or your clients, have experience with database conversions
in a 24x7 environment?  If so, how do you provide application availability
while converting the database?
 
2.  Would something like online ALLBASE/Replicate help?  How about Mirrored
Disk?  Could we provide update-access to the "mirrored/shadowed" DBE while
converted the "real" DBE?
 
3.  If we can't provide update access, how about read-only access?  Would that
work?
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Either post a follow-up, or email me
directly.
 
Oh, BTW, we are a large mixed HP3000, IBM MVS shop.  The conversion involves
unloading data from the ALLBASE DBE and merging it with data unloaded from
several IMS databases.
 
 
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David Hopfensperger [log in to unmask]
http://www.ilstu.edu/~dphopfe
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