Re: backup takes too long

Tim Schaefer wrote: > Hmmm, so it's ok for doing the backup, but the restore is questionable. > This would be the major point of the backup, to restore as needed, > obviously. > I didn't make my point clearly enough: I've not had any problems with doing restores per se, but doing a restore results in the onarchive catalog, which is just a table or group of tables I guess, in a state prior to its knowing about the archive from which you've just restored. This results in an inconsistency message, requiring a proceed/cancel reply next time you launch an archive, which is easy enough to bypass interactively, but fatal if your archives are scripted. > I noticed the OnArchive program handles archiving to disk, which is something I > recommended, and then the O/S would pick up the archive on it's regular UNIX backup. Exactly what I do. And always have done with tbtape/ontape. As to an alternative to onarchive; my site is quite new to Informix, and before I arrived was being administered by Informix consultants. They had installed the onarchive procedures because we had a requirement to back up to disk (the archive is immediately ftp'd to a remote site for contingency), and ontape to disk isn't supported. But if I'd been there from the start, I'd have used ontape anyway, and would commend it as a solution. IMHO it's perfectly OK provided you know what you're doing and you take due care. Neil Truby Chase Manhattan Bank Bournemouth,UK