topic Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup in Operating System - OpenVMS

Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

MikeFowler — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:59:18 GMT

We are currently configuring an Itanium Integrity Server Rx2660 with VMS V8.3-1H. We are in the later stages of development and are at the point where we need to backup the system. We purchased 2 new HP SCSI 36GB SAS Single Port Hard drives. This exactly matches are current system disk. There are 8 hot swap ports, the disk display as DKA100: to DKA800:. I have always used VMS "$Backup/image/verify" to create a bootable backup in the past. This is not sufficient with the Itanium VMS box. There appears to be another step required in order to make a disk bootable. Does anyone know the specific procedure required when using the VMS' Backup utility to create a Bootable System disk?

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

Heinz W Genhart — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:09:02 GMT

Hi Mike

After doing the image Backup do the following

$ boot :== $sys$system:sys$setboot
$ boot -s -f new-systemdisk:
don't forget the : after the device name

This will correct the mapping within the gpt

After this you should verify the boot environment with

$ @sys$startup:boot_options
use menu option 5 to validate the boot options and to fix them if required

Regards

Geni

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

Hein van den Heuvel — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:09:21 GMT

>> "$Backup/image/verify" to create a bootable backup in the past. This is not sufficient with the Itanium VMS box.

It should be good enough.
Did you try?
What went wrong?
Error messages / exact commands used?
Maybe you use /NOINIT?

OpenVMS backup on IA64 knows how to deal with the EFI stuff on the drives.

Anyway, you may want to check out the $ SET BOOT command, if you have problems.

Hoff has some good note at his HoffmanLabs
site ( http://64.223.189.234/ ) but he currently has network issues. Google has cached some.

In this forum here see also:

http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/bizsupport/questionanswer.do?threadId=1306246

Cheers,
Hein.

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

MikeFowler — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 23:02:33 GMT

Thanks for the quick response. Your answers were right on the mark. I was able to create a bootable system backup disk on itanium. For purposes of providing a procedure for those who follow, here it is:
$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
$! Overview of commands entered
$
$ mou DKA800: /for
$ backup/image/init/ver/ignore=inter
From: DKA100:
To: DKA800:

$ boot :== $sys$system:sys$setboot
$ boot -s -f DKA800:

$ @sys$startup:boot_options
! Options I used (in order)
!
option: 2 ! Display current boot devices
option: 1 ! Add a boot entry (DKA800:)
! Answer appropriate questions
option: 5 ! Validate boot record
! my device - DKA800:
exit
$!
$! After successful validation of boot record
$! Next, shutdown reset the machine, and
$! try booting from the new backup disk.
$!
$! (See attachment for example of commands)
$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

Hoff — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:37:35 GMT

BACKUP /IMAGE is bootable. Been there, done that.

There are cases that have wrinkles, such as trying to replicate the DVD (which uses El Torito) or using an old (pre-V8) BACKUP.

Queue the usual hazard warnings around the (mistaken) belief that /IGNORE=INTERLOCK provides an on-line BACKUP here, too. That's caused problems for various folks.

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

The Brit — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 05:48:02 GMT

Hi Mike.

I am dealing with Itanium Blades (OpenVMS 8.3-1H1). I use BACKUP/IMAGE quite a lot, and my normal procedure is;

Init/sys TEMP (not really necessary)
Mount/For
Backup/Image
Dismount
@boot_options
Opt 1
(answer questions)
... if response is that paths have been successfully added, ...
Opt 2 (eyeball them)
Exit

Done.

Dave.

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

MikeFowler — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:22:35 GMT

Thanks Dave, You seem correct, an image backup, followed by the @boot_options (option 2 to add a new boot device) are all that is required to create a bootable disk.

To respond to the previous entry, regarding that only the backup/image is required for a bootable disk. This is not true on our itanium. I am using the Backup Utility with the /IMAGE switch, and this is not enough to make the device bootable. You must perform either the boot_options command procedure or the sys$setboot task or both to make it bootable.

My Backup Version:
Save set: BACKUP.BAC
Date: 20-FEB-2009 09:17:25.92
Operating sys: hp OpenVMS I64 version V8.3
BACKUP version: V8.3-1H1
CPU ID register: 80000000
Block size: 32256
Group size: 10
Buffer count: 915

Thanks Again for the help.

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

Hoff — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:40:15 GMT

Mike, by way of introduction, I'm the original author of the sys$setboot stuff, and that same code is also underneath BACKUP /IMAGE.

If you're going out into the boot options stuff to add a boot entry, that's entirely unrelated to BACKUP /IMAGE.

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

MikeFowler — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:22:32 GMT

Last comment on the Backup/image.

Previously on VAX and Alpha the Backup/image of a bootable system disk was all required to make a bootable system disk. However, on our Itanium when I performed an Image/Backup of our system disk, I was unable to boot from this backup. It failed. I had to run the boot_options in order to make the disk boot through the Itanium Console Interface.

I am not clear why this is the case, but it is.

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

Ian Miller. — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:55:18 GMT

Mike, I think the backup is restored with a new UID and therefore you have to re-do the boot menu.

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

Robert Gezelter — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 23:49:52 GMT

Mike,

With all due respect to Ian, the GPT actually stores a GUID (Globally Unique IDentifier; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUID_Partition_Table for details).

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

Ian Miller. — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:00:05 GMT

What I meant to say was

The GUID of a partition listed in the GPT should be unique. So BACKUP does not replicate a GUID on a restore by restoring the GUID.

The GUID is used in the boot menu entry so the boot menu entry has to be updated after the restore.

Simplest thing may be to boot the restored system not using the menu entry then use SYS$MANAGER:BOOT_OPTIONS.COM to update the entry.

Re: Itanium VMS Creating Bootable Systen Disk Backup

Robert Gezelter — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:13:22 GMT

Ian,

Concur.

I made the comment about GUID (rather than UID) and inserted the Wikipedia link to make sure that the information was available for future readers of this thread.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com