dd instead of copyutil

[ARUN_19]

Hi Friends,
I would like to take a "image" backup of a HP9000 server running on version 10.2
Right now i do not have access to "COPYUTIL".Now my question is:
CAN I TAKE A BACK UP USING "DD" COMMAND AND LATER RETRIVE IT ON TO A NEW DISK "OFFLINE"??(e.g when the boot disk has crashed and not being recognised)

[Armin Feller]

You should better use IGNITE/UX, you can free download it from:

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

With Ignite you are able to reate a bootable tape from whole vg00. It is very easy to use and much better then all "dd" or "copy_util" backups you can have.

Please download and install IGNITE/UX and run follwing command:

# make_tape_recovery -Av

You can do this online in MultiuserMode (all very easy).

Regards ...
Armin

[melvyn burnard]

NOT a good idea.
dd is a "dumb" command and will copy bad bits, along with good bits.
You would be better off installing hte FREE software from HP, Ignite/UX
This has the ability to allow you to create a recovery image that is bootable, and to also interact with it and change file system sizes etc.

[Tom Jackson]

Hi Arun:

I have done what you are asking and it's not so simple. Before you can use dd to create a system disk, on the target disk you must create the physical volume, install a boot program, copy a lif file, create the volume group and logical volumes, then prepare the root, boot, swap and dump volumes.

Ignite is much easier if you have a tape drive.

hth,

Tom

[Bill Hassell · Accepted solution]

As mentioned, dd is not very useful as a backup/recovery strategy. Remember that dd requires HP-UX to run, so if you have a copy of your bootable disk, and replace that disk with a blank one, HP-UX is gone so there's nothing available to run dd.

copyutil was created in the early days of 10.xx to provide a basic recovery strategy but requires a bootable HP-UX system (CD or tape). The problem is that disks have always grown in size and copyutil (as well as dd) are just dumb track copiers so you can't easily restore the system to a different disk size.

Ignite/UX is mandatory for all test and production systems. While the vast majority of usage is for replacement of vg00, it offers network restores and the ability to change the number of disks in vg00 as well as the type of interface. Downloaad a free copy from http://www.software.hp.com/products/IUX/

[ARUN_19]

closing old threads