File restore in DR or upgrades

[Etienne Holm]

In doing a upgrade from 10.20 to 11.00 you need to increase the root file system this mean you need to do a minimum install of 10.20 with increased file sizes. Then you need to restore from backup. Or the other option is to do a cold install of 11.00 and then restore the system files. In both instances what files do you need to restore and more important what files must you exclude. This will also be true in the situation of a disaster recovery process.

[Bill McNAMARA_1]

Did you look at the 10.20 to 11.00 transition guide at
http://www.hp.com/go/hpux11

It should all be there.

You should consider ignite to modify vg00 filesystem and lvm sizes and so on.

Later,
Bill

[Steven Sim Kok Leong]

Hi,

Off my head, I will restore only those system administration scripts, user directories, password (/etc/passwd) and group (/etc/group) files and /tcb files if it is meant to be in trusted mode, cron and at jobs (/var/spool/cron) and printer configuration files (/etc/lp and /var/spool/lp) etc. Also, configuration files in /etc that you have modified such as /etc/resolv.conf, /etc/nsswitch.conf etc. Last but not least, /home.

I will manually configure the rest of the system.

Hope this helps. Regards.

Steven Sim Kok Leong
Brainbench MVP for Unix Admin
http://www.brainbench.com

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi:

For disaster recovery purposes, the best insurance is to have an Ignite recovery tape of vg00 and backups of your non-vg00 filesystems. This will enable you to fully recovery a fully functional server!

If you are migrating from 10.20 to 11.x, cold install. This gives you the cleanest base upon which to build. By doing a cold install, you have the opportunity to resize any of your root filesystems.

Although in this case you don't need/want to preserve much, you will want to retain copies of your profiles, and configuration files like /etc/hosts, /etc/resolv.conf, /etc/shells, /var/spool/cron/crontabs/, /var/adm/fbackupfiles *and* local startup and shutdown scripts in /sbin/init.d/. This list is not exhaustive. You should preserve these, and others in a directory that you can load *after* the installation. Some you may use to overwrite those deposited by the installation; others you may only want as a reference to assist you in customizing the *newer* versions.

Regards!

...JRF...

[Etienne Holm]

Yes I did look at the 10.20 to 11.00 transition guide.
It gave me the sizes for the file systems but the main problem is that I will need to increase the root file system and there is no way you can dismount it (as far as I know) so that you can increase it???s size with LVM.
That is why I want to install 10.20 with bigger file system over the one weekend and then upgrade to 11 over the following weekend. That is why I need to determine what files I do not want to restore as that will place the system unusable.

I come from an AIX background where as long as you have enough disk space in the root volume group you stipulate that the upgrade process must increase the file systems as needed.

[Piotr Zajaczkowski]

Hi,

I would also vote for cold install.
as JRF said, best option for fast recovery is ignite and backup of non-root vg.
In case of preserving system files I would consider:
a) users info:
- /etc/passwd
- /etc/group
- /home directory
b) root profile
c) - /etc/hosts
- /etc/networks
- /etc/netgroup
d) sendmail configuration
- /etc/mail/sendmail.cf
e) DNS config:
- /etc/name.boot
- /etc/name.data
- /etc/resolve.conf
- /etc/nsswitch.conf
f) NFS
- /etc/exports
g) check /etc/gettydefs
h) /etc/inetd.conf
i) configuyration and starting | stoping scripts for other apps:
- /sbin/init.d/ .....
- /etc/rc.config.d/...
- /sbin/rc?.d/...
j) /etc/inittab
l) UPS config
- /etc/ups.conf
m) /etc/services
n) /etc/protocols
o) NTP protocol
- /etc/ntp*
- /etc/rc.config.d/...
p) check /etc/profile
q) publik key: /etc/publickey
r) /etc/shutdown.allow
s) check/etc/skel/...
t) check/etc/syslogd.conf
u) if any "strange" terminals
/etc/termcap
w) UUCP: /etc/uucp/...
x) OCD:
- DTC: /etc/ddfa
/etc/bootptab

config. of RDTC mgr
/home/tftp
- EQUINOX: /opt/equinox
y) I would consider backing up and transfering od spooler configuration

I would also do separate fbackup om my vg00
It is not all I thing but hope it helps,
Cheers,
Piotr

[Etienne Holm]

Yes, I do agree that ignite is the best job for DR.
But doesn't it only work when you restore
to a server with exactly the same specification?

[A. Clay Stephenson]

Hi:

I think that you will find increasing the size of your 10.20 / filesystem to prepare for an 11.0 upgrade almost a complete waste of time other than as a learning experience. The reason is that the 10.20 -> 11.0 upgrade has a probability of success that asymtotically approaches zero. The 11.0 -> 11.11 upgrade does have a high probabilty of success. Your best option (if you have or can get a spare disk) is to load 11.0 on another disk. You can then mount your old 10.20 VG/LVOLS and everything is there. I suppose I am one the fortunate guys who always has a collection of spare disks on hand - that way I don't need them.

Plan B - install Ignite/UX on your 10.20 box and do a make_recovery so that you can get back to 10.20. That experience is also valuable in that Ignite in 11x is almost identical. The nice thing about Ignite is that you can restore a system including all patches and kernel settings; it should be a core element of your DR plan.

Regards, Clay

[Roger Baptiste]

Hi,

The overwhelming thumbsdown to the upgrade process is a measure of problems admins have faced in going through it.

Another suggestion. Is your existing rootVG
of 10.20 mirrored??? If so, you can break
the mirror and install 11.00 on the mirror disk. Then, you would have 10.20 on one disk and 11.00 on another disk. (even if there is no mirror, a spare disk would do). With this config, you can boot from 11.00; vgimport the 10.20 rootvg with a different name, mount the 10.20 filesystems with a different mountpoint and copy files selectively. I used this method and it worked like a charm.

(Before you do anything, take a make_recovery tape of the 10.20 disk ).

HTH
raj