Restoring files from Ignite Backup using Tar

[sysad_boy]

Hi Guys,

I recently made a backup of my vg00 using Ignite. My vg00 has filesystems in it which contains some data which I need to restore right now.

Sample of my Ignite backup command:
make_tape_recovery -Ava /dev/rmt/15mn -I

From that command, can I restore some data files using Tar?


TIA!

[Patrick Wallek · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can.

Say you want to restore /etc/hosts from the make_tape_recovery....

1) insert tape in drive
2) rewind the tape -- mt -f /dev/rmt/15mn rew
3) fast forward over the boot header -- mt -f /dev/rmt/15mn fsf 1
4) extract the file(s) required -- tar -xvf /dev/rmt/15mn etc/hosts

NOTE: The files are stored on tape relative to the '/' directory, so they do NOT have a leading '/'.

If you want to get a list of files on tape you can do 'tar -tvf /dev/rmt/15mn' in step 4 above.

[sysad_boy]

What if I used absolute pathname? Liek for example:

tar -xvf /dev/rmt/15m /home/ctmagent/Agent/ctm/data/CONFIG.dat

Whats the difference without putting the "/" ?

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi:

> Whats the difference without putting the "/" ?

As Patrick said, Ignite uses relative paths not absolute ones when archiving to tape. Hence, if you specify a restoration with a leading '/' to your filename(s) then 'tar' will not find a matching entry.

Regards!

...JRF...

[Patrick Wallek]

It won't restore if you use the absolute path. You have to use the path name as it is in the tar file.

Just omit the leading '/'.

# cd /
# tar -xvf /dev/rmt/15m home/ctmagent/Agent/ctm/data/CONFIG.dat

[Michael Steele_2]

use the tar -cvf command to look at the tape table of contents. Follow the mt -t /dev/rmt/0m (* no rewind *) fsf (* move forward *)

mt -t /dev/rmt/0m rew (* rewind to start *)
mt -t /dev/rmt/0m rew (* run at least twice since there are two EOF markers on an ignite tape *)
mt -t /dev/rmt/0m fsf (* get past first record of boot lif *)
tar -tvf /dev/rmt/0m (* read table of contents *)
tar -tvf /dev/rmt/0m | more (* easier to read *)

To extract
1-3 above are the same
tar -xvf /dev/rmt/0m /dir/dir/filename

[Patrick Wallek]

>>use the tar -cvf command to look at the tape table of contents.

That would be 'tar -tvf'. 'tar -cvf' will STORE files.

[Dennis Handly]

You may want to use pax(1) to restore the files after you use mt(1) to move forward.
pax -r -v -f dev/rmt/15mn etc/hosts

pax(1) also lets you rename filename paths with -s.