make_tape_recovery

[balaji_vvv]

Im new to HP UNIX administration, im planning to apply QP next week.
Before applying it, i need to create the make_tape_recovery tape. What is the best practice of running it in the future, is it every week or month or quarterly? I guess i need to take, whenever I'm doing something on OS? (patches, kernel parameters, new software etc??)

I just tried on a test machine today, all i entered
# umask 022 (to avoid write errors)
# make_tape_recovery and it went fine in the tape?
Is that all i need? I just need OS not other FS which are covered by enterprise backups.

Do i need to install on single user mode?

[Roopesh Francis_1]

Balaji,

Weekly ignite back up is the recomended way however you should have latest OS image before you going to do any major changes in the system.

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you dont need to ..you can take the ignite from multiuser mode.

Thanks

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi:

You most certainly want to make an Ignite recovery tape before applying patches, adding new software (to vg00) or perhaps modifying kernel parameters. Making periodic Ignite backups is a very good practice.

As you have deduced, Ignite is intended to allow you to recover and clone a server and it is _not_ designed to be a backup tool for application data. Some other enterprise backup agent should be responsible for that.

Critical, very volatile files in vg00 should also be independently backed up. These might include file like '/etc/passwd', '/etc/shadow', etc. that you want to have available for restoration with the most recent updates.

You can create Ignite backups while the system is functioning in multi-user mode. Ignite is not resource-intensive.

To make an Ignite tape that consists only of vg00, do:

# /opt/ignite/bin/make_tape_recovery -x inc_entire=vg00 -I -v -a /dev/rmt/0mn

When you boot from this tape, the recovery will be interactive and you will have the ability to either abort the process or proceed with an unattended or advanced installation.

Regards!

...JRF...

[Roland Piette]

Hi,

Good advies given by Francis & James.
We do also a ignite tape just after any change on the system. Espacially when we change configuration on any VG.

Regards

[balaji_vvv]

Thanks for the replies. Appreciated.