about system backup , restore

[gael1122]

When working system backup and restore on HP-D380 model or HP-L1000 model using fbackup, frecover, make_recovery command, is there restriction of run level?
Usually system backup and restore is working in single user mode. but Can system backup and restore do in run level 3 or 4?

[Pete Randall]

Absolutely, any of those commands can run in multi-user mode. In fact, I've never heard of running them in single-user mode. By the way, the make_recovery command indicates an old version of Ignite. You would be well served to download the latest version and start using the make_tape_recovery command:

http://www.software.hp.com/products/IUX/index.html


Pete

[Mark Grant]

You can use which ever one you want (apart from 0).

The only issues are with things like databases being up other applications that have to have consistancy between several files at the same time. The backup can have backed up the first file and then it gets modified before your backup can backup the second file. In this scenario, the restore won't work.

Most applications have a strategy to get around this.

However, if you stop the applications, you can do what you like :)

[Joseph Loo]

Hi,

i do not believe fbackup, frecover and make_recovery should restrict running in level 3 or 4.

why don't you just test it a make_recovery and check the log in /var/opt/ignite/log/makrec.log1 if it is successful?

as for fbackup/frecover, test it as well. in fact, i do not have any problem with that.

regards.

[Ravi_8]

Hi,

these command are designed to run when the system is in level 3 or more. sinec in level 1 and 2 file systems will not be mounted and n/w information will not be available hence fbackup/make_recovery couldn't collect any data

[Leif Halvarsson_2]

Hi,
There is no such restrictions but a general recommendation that the programs should be run ven the system activity is low. And, of course, it is a good idea to shut down databases, applications etc.

[Bill Hassell]

This is a classic question for all computers. A backup takes a long time and in multi-user mode, files can appear, disappear and change content, perhaps several times during the backup period. So the actual backup is not a true copy of the system at a point in time, it is a moving backup that may or may not be 100% accurate. The biggest problem is with applications (usually databases) that require several files and pointers in memory to all match so that related records can be chained together. If a backup starts on one file and several records are changed, previously saved files on the tape will not have those changes and a subsequent restore will result in a corrupted database with broken chanis and similar problems.

Since single user mode talkes the entire computer off the network and has no applications running, a backup under those circumstances will always be accurate. But this is in opposition to the common requirement for a system to be running 24 hours a day. So most commercial database programs have some sort of backup state that keeps a record of the changes during the backup period so they may be incorporated in case a restore is needed. Each database is different in this respect so check the documentation.

As mentioned, fbackup can run in any state, same with make_tape_recovery (make_recovery has been obsolete for a long time and not recommended). Since make_tape_recovery is designed to save vg00 (the bootable HP-UX volume), running it in multi-user mode is fairly safe since HP-UX files don't change very much.