Ignite backup over a network

[Stuart Wood]

Hi everybody,

I'm trying to use a tape drive on an ignite server to backup a workstation.

I'm using make_net_recovery, which defaults to saving the information to /var on the server. This will not work for me because there is insufficient disc space on the server, so I'm trying to save to tape. I've used the command make_net_recovery -s server_name -A -v -a server_name:/dev/rmt/0m
I receive the error message 'The directory: /dev/rmt/0m is not writable. This directory must be writable before the system recovery archive can be created.'

Any ideas?

Mark Syder (using colleague's login)

[T G Manikandan]

/dev/rmt/0m would take it to the tape device which cannot be done.

make_net_recovery -s server_name to store the archive on the ignite server which would take the archive to the default location under /var.

If there is no space under /var on the ignite server you can specify a alternate machine using the -a option to the make_net_recovery command.

Take a look into /opt/ignite/share/doc/makenetrec.txt for the way to do the network archiving/

[T G Manikandan]

check the document
KNC090199002
which can help you in performing the network archive.

Thanks

[Pete Randall]

Mark,

If you need to go to tape because of space issues, the only way is to acquire a drive that can be installed locally. Check the used market, you should be able to find something relatively cheaply.


Pete

[Ravi_8]

Hi,

you can't use the remote tape drive to do make_tape_recovery of a system.
either you can use make_net_recovery with sufficient /var disk space or connect a tape drive to the machine and use make_tape_recovery

[Stuart Wood]

Thanks Pete/T G.

I'm sure we have a spare tape drive hanging about somewhere, but I have about a dozen workstations to backup and was hoping to avoid having to walk round them all attaching and detaching the spare drive.

Also, I was hoping to do the backups with minimum disruption to the users - attaching a tape drive to their systems will mean kicking them off and shutting their stations down.

Given that we use remote tape drives on omniback, I'm amazed it can't be done in ignite. I wonder if I can persuade my employers to buy a very large disc drive for my ignite backups :-)

Thanks again,

Mark

[Pete Randall]

Mark,

That would be my next suggestion! If you can't deal with a local tape drive, then look into getting a disk drive you can add onto your ignite server to give you sufficient space.

Good luck,


Pete

[blal]

Hi

You can configure NFS services and issue the following command..

The command is executed from the server "ServerA" to make the archive in "ServerB".

make_net_recovery -v -n1 -d "ServerA Archive-04/07/2003" -s Igniteserver -a ServerB:/ignite_archives/ServerA/. -x inc_entire=vg00


see the archive arcive for ServerA will be crated in the directory
serverB:/ignite/ServerA
Igniteserver is the host name of the ignite server .

Regards,
Baiju.

[Stuart Wood]

Having seen the price of large disc drives I've been going in for a bit of lateral thinking and would like to know if the following is feasible:

There is enough space on the ignite server for me to backup one workstation. What I would like to try is creating an ignite backup of a workstation, copying it to tape via fbackup, then clearing the disc space ready for the next workstation.

If I then needed to restore a workstation, I would frecover the appropriate tape so I would have an ignite backup of the workstation that needed to be restored.

Would this work?

Mark

[Patrick Wallek · Accepted solution]

Yes, that would be one option. You could also create a bootable tape from the make_net_recovery image. That way if you have a machine go down, you can grab your tape drive, the machines tape, attach the tape drive, boot from the tape and go on.

There are instructions on creating a tape from a make_net_recovery image in /opt/ignite/share/doc/makenetrec.txt

[Stuart Wood]

Thanks Patrick.

I have successfully created my first bootable tape and you can consider yourself 10 points closer to being an olympian!

Thanks to everyone else who helped as well.

Mark