OpenVMS Image backup on CD

[Martin Vorlaender]

Geir,

>>>
The virtuell disk (lda1) is on the same disk as I want to backup (dka0). Is it ok to execute init command on lda1:
<<<

VMS won't let you INIT a mounted disk. Go ahead and INIT LDA1: The LD driver emulates a complete disk - only that it's backed by a container file and not a physical device.

Good luck,
Martin

[Karl Rohwedder]

Geir,

you INIT the LDAxx disk, before it gets mounted, not its parent disk DKAxx.

Be sure to set the container file to /NOBACKUP to avoid backing up the containerfile into itself.

regards Kalle

[Joseph Huber_1]

Attention, Geir:
Backup/image ignores any /EXCLUDE, and files set nobackup do not use space in savesets, but in a disk to disk image copy (as You indend to: backup/image dka0: lda1:), space for those files is allocated, and therefore such a copy will not work.
If You want an image of Your dka0:, then the virtual disk has to be on another volume !

[geir_2]

Hi Joseph,

Maybe I could copy the image file from mkb500 backup to the vurtuel disk? Is it ok to use followg commands

$ copy mkb500:osws99.bck lda14:

regards geir

[Karl Rohwedder]

Geir,

if you have a valid image (!) backup if your systemdisk before you created the LD container file, you may copy the backup with the following command to your LD disk:

$ MOUNT/FOR LDxxx ! assume you connected it 1st
$ MOUNT/FOR MKxxx ! your tape device
$ BACK/IMAGE MKxxx:xxx.nnn LDxxx
$ DISM MKxxx
$ DISM LDxxx
$ MOUNT/OVER=ID LDxxx ! remount to check contents

regards Kalle

[Volker Halle]

Geir,


if you have a valid image (!) backup if your systemdisk before you created the LD container file, you may copy the backup with the following command to your LD disk:


BEFORE is the IMPORTANT word here ! Although files marked /NOBACKUP would not consume space in your .BCK file, they will be restored to their ORIGINAL size during the backup restore operation.

So this whole idea ONLY WORKS, if your system disk (without the LD container file on it) is LESS THAN HALF FULL !

Volker.

[Joseph Huber_1]

Karl+Volker have answered already how to save space by making the LD image after doing the backup.
And when You make the image backup, You should remove all big but (on CD) useless files like page-/swap-/dump-files.

Of course You can copy the *.bck saveset file to LD:, but then You have a disk containing a single file, not a (bootable) image of the system disk.

Am I wrong in the assumption, that You have a (hobby-)system with only one disk dka0: where the system resides ?
Then for this exercise (to make a system image on CD), I propose to boot with startup_p1="MIN", remove all those not necessary files, do the backup to tape, then restore (create) the files, set startup_p1="" and reboot to make the virtual disk from the backup. Check also to have fresh/minmal errlog,security audit,accounting,operator.log etc. to minimize space used in the image backup.