Using InfoServer tapes to Back Up System Disks on Alphas

[Warren G Landrum]

All,

All of the VMS Systems Managers Manuals (thru the 8.2 Alpha and I64 manual I have) have a section (usually in Chapter 11) about Using InfoServer Tapes to back Up and Restore System Disks.

But they all start with "On VAX systems...". I want to verify that you can do this with Alphas as well. I've got a client that has an AlphaServer 4100 runnig VMS 6.2-1H3 (I know the version is old, but it is what it is) and we need to do a standalone backup of their system disk before a data center move and this is looking like the best/most expeditious way right now.

Can anyone verify or say for sure that this will work on Alphas as well as VAXes? The fact that the section is included in the Alpha/I64 System Managers Manual leads me to believe that it can, but I just want to make sure by hearing from the Forum.

Thank in advance guys...


Warren

[Volker Halle]

Warren,

the following sentence from the OpenVMS VAX and Alpha V6.2 SPD looks promising:

InfoServer Tape Backup

With Version 6.1 of the OpenVMS operating system, system managers can now back up and restore the system disk to tapes connected to an InfoServer system.

See:

http://h71000.www7.hp.com/wizard/wiz_3272.html

I assume you're going to boot from an OpenVMS Alpha Operating System CD.

Volker.

[Warren G Landrum]

Thanks Volker,

Actually, I had planned on booting to standalone by changing the boot_osflags parameter as follows:

>>> set boot_osflags (E,0)

since root E is where standalone is.

Think that'll work on the 4100 running VMS 6.2-1H3, as stated above.

Thx,

Warren

[Art Wiens]

Umm, there is no such thing as Standalone Backup for Alpha ie. you can't boot from the [SYSE] root.

The closest thing (and better really) is booting from the Alpha VMS distribution CD, at which point you can choose the menu item to run DCL commands, like MOUNT, INIT, BACKUP etc. Way more functionality than Standalone Backup had!

Perhaps [SYSE] might still be there if this used to be a VAX system disk that was upgraded?

Is there not a tape drive locally attached to this system?

Cheers,
Art

[Warren G Landrum]

Art.

Thanks.

To answer your question, there is no locally attached tape drive, nor is there a SCSI controller to attach one to. That's why I wanted to know about using the InfoServer's tapes.

Thanks for the clarification on Standalone. I must have been having a VAX flashback. Does the Verison of the VMS OS CD I use have to match the version of VMS that is running on the system? I think not, but I'm asking anyway.

For example, can I use an Alpha VMS 7.3-1 OS CD (or ANY version for that matter) to boot that 6.2-1H3 system to Standalone ($) prompt?

Just want to make sure...

Thx,

Warren

[Andy Bustamante · Accepted solution]

>>>Does the Verison of the VMS OS CD I use have to match the version of VMS that is running on the system?

No. Although if you're using a later version of VMS and cluster size smaller than the defaults, you need to use a boot CD (7.2 or so if memory serves) that supports this. In other words you can use the later CD without problems for your system.


Andy

[Ian Miller.]

you can install a minimal vms system on a disk other than the system disk. This will be in [SYSE].
Do
@SYS$SYSTEM:AXPVMS$PCSI_INSTALL_MIN.COM DKxn:

This is sometime easier than finding a CD.