What can the maximum size of an ignite image be?

[Andrew Brozek]

I have a 74GB image that I need to place on a new system. Is that too large?

[Bill Hassell]

Since you already have the image, then no, it is not too large unless your destination system does not have enough disk. There is not limit to the size of an Ignite image. On tape, there are just two items: a bootable kernel measuring 10 to 150 MB, followed by a pax archive with all the files and directories.

However, good sysadmin practice is to backup only vg00 which contains HP-UX and application directories. A typical vg00 is 5-10 GB, but then you may have a massively large /tmp, /var or /home.

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

Your image is not too large for Ignite.

I think however you may have included too much data in the image.

I use Ignite to replicate system configuration, vg00, and I exclude large data directories.

This image is going to annoy you if you restore it, because the download is going to take quite a long time.

If possible, I would make a smaller one that excludes data and volume groups other than those needed to build the system.

SEP

[Andrew Brozek]

Thanks to all for the info. The issue is that I am trying to replicate an existing system. It currently resides in one data center, and I need it's "backup" in another (in another part of the state). Ideas?

[Bill Hassell]

Ah, so you don't have the image yet. Yes, 74 GB is just too big. It will take a long time to create and a long time to restore. And Ignite's file backup tool is pax -- good for a few GB (maybe 10-30). Yes, it will backup a lot more but now you run into tape capacity (I assume that this is a tape recovery) or worse, multiple tapes which may or may not work if you have an old version of Ignite.

The recommended method is to backup vg00 with a command like this:

make_tape_recovery -I -v -x inc_entire=vg00 -a /dev/rmt/

If your vg00 on the source machine is extremely large, use the exclude options in make_tape_recovery to save just the directories for HP-UX:

/stand
/sbin
/etc
/usr
/var
/tmp

Note that /home is not necessary for the Ignite image. Then with a separate backup tool such as fbackup, copy all the other files and directories.

One of the reasons for a small Ignite image is that you can get up and running a LOT faster and work on the new system while the rest of the data is loaded. A single, very large Ignite image will take a long time before you can use the box -- and a long time to find and fix a problem if it comes up during the restore.

[Vishu]

***The issue is that I am trying to replicate an existing system. It currently resides in one data center, and I need it's "backup" in another (in another part of the state). ****

are you trying to configure a DR for this server?

the fastest way by which you can do is to take a ignite backup of the vg00 including only FS needs to bootup the server. you can exclude all other FS with exclude option of make_tape_recovery. It will also take less time to recover in your case as you have 74GB of image.
Then you can create other VG and LV on server, same as your primary one and restore the backup on them.

[Armin Kunaschik]

Depending on you OS and Ignite version you'll probably run into the pax limits. These limits are 2GB, 8GB depending on the pax version. I'm not sure about the pax limits in HP-UX 11.31. It looks like there are no limits anymore, but you need to test.

Ignite images in general are images of vg00. It's main purpose is to be able to do a bootable bare metal restore. Nothing more, nothing less. All other volume groups should be saved/restored seperately.

My 2 cents,
Armin

PS: Please assign points if you find answers useful!

[Dennis Handly]

>Armin: These limits are 2GB, 8GB depending on the pax version.

These would be per file, not the total size of the archive.

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

To replicate a system, you need not copy it byte per byte.

Ignite is not a good tool for replicating a 50 GB Oracle database. Yes, it can do it, I've done it a few times.

Ignite is a GREAT tool for replicating the essence of the system, the vg00 boot partition.

It is as I said earlier, better to exclude large data files from the image. It makes the entire process much easier to deal with.

SEP