Patent ID: 7631213

Claim:
A process for planning, verifying and implementing a virtual tape off-site disaster recovery system, which process comprises: storing tape images from a primary mainframe computer on a primary virtual tape system: storing tape catalog information from said primary mainframe computer on a primary VTS catalog; duplicating or mirroring catalog information from said primary VTS catalog on a customer VTS catalog at a disaster recovery facility; periodically transferring or copying tape images from said primary virtual tape system to a disaster recovery facility remote data storage client device; storing tape images from said remote data storage client device on a large disk array at said disaster recovery facility; and remotely verifying and testing various disaster recovery plans via remote management tools, comprising the steps of: accessing information and data stored on an arbitrary data repository at said disaster recovery facility by a remote security administrator; associating said disaster recovery facility remote data storage client device to said customer VTS catalog at said disaster recovery facility by said remote security administrator; severing any existing connection between said primary virtual tape system and said disaster recovery facility; accessing a disaster recovery mainframe at said disaster recovery facility by said remote security administrator; wherein said step of remotely verifying and testing various disaster recovery plans further comprises the steps of: restoring said disaster recovery mainframe using said tape images from said remote data storage client device stored on said disk array at said disaster recovery facility to form a restored instance of said primary mainframe computer on said disaster recovery mainframe at said disaster recovery facility; accessing a hardware management console at said disaster recovery facility by said remote security administrator in order to initiate an initial program load of said disaster recovery mainframe; and activating and operating said restored instance of said primary mainframe computer on said disaster recovery mainframe at said disaster recovery facility.