RE: backups

Hi, I have a particular question about backups. Currently we do ontape and we do a backup of the database every night. However we would like to consider doing backups by some other method = which 1. allows us to restore into a different server which resides on the = same unix box. 2. allows us to verify a backup to tape as being okay after we have made = the backup. Any answers would be appreciated. Lee Aholima, Database Administrator Thames-Coromandel District Council Ph 07 868 6025 Email lee.aholima@tcdc.govt.nz Mobile 0274333915 The contents of this e-mail maybe CONFIDENTIAL OR LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, & = is intended only for the persons named above. If this e-mail is not = addressed to you, you must not use, read, distribute or copy this = document. If you have received this document by mistake, please call us = and destroy the original. Thank you. =20

Hi, unfortunately you're not telling, which version of IDS you're using. So here goes my recommendation : Use IDS 9.40.UC1 or even better 9.40.UC2 : It has a utility called "archecker" with which archives can be verified to be correct. It can be used for archives taken with "ontape" and ON-Bar. AND It has a new functionality called "Chunk Rename" feature, which lets you rename the chunk path names during a cold restore (also with both, "ontape" and ON-Bar. You need this to properly restore to a different server on the same host. The "Chunk Rename" feature is new in 9.40.UC1. The "archecker" utility has been around for some time. If you don't want or can't use 9.40.UC1 or 9.40.UC2, then restore to a different server on the same machine is almost not possible. This is "almost", because there's a "trick" to do this, but it's a bit dirty and thus not recommended. [ Dirty trick: Have for both servers all chunk path names defined with relative path names (rather than absolute path names). Of course these relative path names must be the same for each corresponding chunk (between the 2 servers). To make them distinct, they will reside in different directories, where these directories will not appear in the relative path names. With that the chunk path names will be the same for both both servers and you can restore on server B the archive of server A without the "Chunk Rename" feature ... BUT: Be sure that for whatever administrative action you're doing you are in the CORRECT DIRECTORY for this server. If you're doing something while being accidently in the WRONG DIRECTORY (i.e. that of the other server), then you can easily hose that other server, if you're lucky. If you're unlucky then you've hosed both servers in one go ... I think that makes clear why this is a "dirty trick" and is not recommended. It might be OK for testing, where none of both servers handles production data. Otherwise I really wouldn't do such things. ] Regards, Martin -- Martin Fuerderer IBM Informix Development Munich Data Management Solutions "Lee Aholima" <lee.aholima@tcdc.govt.nz> Sent by: forum.subscriber@iiug.org 11.08.2003 06:39 To: ids@iiug.org cc: Subject: RE: backups [1664] Hi, I have a particular question about backups. Currently we do ontape and we do a backup of the database every night. However we would like to consider doing backups by some other method = which 1. allows us to restore into a different server which resides on the = same unix box. 2. allows us to verify a backup to tape as being okay after we have made = the backup. Any answers would be appreciated. Lee Aholima, Database Administrator Thames-Coromandel District Council Ph 07 868 6025 Email lee.aholima@tcdc.govt.nz Mobile 0274333915 The contents of this e-mail maybe CONFIDENTIAL OR LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, & = is intended only for the persons named above. If this e-mail is not = addressed to you, you must not use, read, distribute or copy this = document. If you have received this document by mistake, please call us = and destroy the original. Thank you. =20

I've used archecker on IDS 7.3x. I did not use it extensively. A tape survives only so much read/write activity.... using archecker decreased the tape's life expectancy (tape may be cheap, but I've worked for small employers which means everything is expensive). I use IDS 7.3 with SAP. SAP has a utility called 'sapdba' which does chunk rename - slick,easy,convenient. Nice to know IDS 9.4 will get me there too (SAP hasn't sanctioned it yet). Norma Jean -----Original Message----- From: MARTINFU@de.ibm.com [mailto:MARTINFU@de.ibm.com] Sent: Monday, August 11, 2003 2:53 AM To: ids@iiug.org; forum.subscriber@iiug.org Subject: RE: backups [1665] Hi, unfortunately you're not telling, which version of IDS you're using. So here goes my recommendation : Use IDS 9.40.UC1 or even better 9.40.UC2 : It has a utility called "archecker" with which archives can be verified to be correct. It can be used for archives taken with "ontape" and ON-Bar. AND It has a new functionality called "Chunk Rename" feature, which lets you rename the chunk path names during a cold restore (also with both, "ontape" and ON-Bar. You need this to properly restore to a different server on the same host. The "Chunk Rename" feature is new in 9.40.UC1. The "archecker" utility has been around for some time. If you don't want or can't use 9.40.UC1 or 9.40.UC2, then restore to a different server on the same machine is almost not possible. This is "almost", because there's a "trick" to do this, but it's a bit dirty and thus not recommended. [ Dirty trick: Have for both servers all chunk path names defined with relative path names (rather than absolute path names). Of course these relative path names must be the same for each corresponding chunk (between the 2 servers). To make them distinct, they will reside in different directories, where these directories will not appear in the relative path names. With that the chunk path names will be the same for both both servers and you can restore on server B the archive of server A without the "Chunk Rename" feature ... BUT: Be sure that for whatever administrative action you're doing you are in the CORRECT DIRECTORY for this server. If you're doing something while being accidently in the WRONG DIRECTORY (i.e. that of the other server), then you can easily hose that other server, if you're lucky. If you're unlucky then you've hosed both servers in one go ... I think that makes clear why this is a "dirty trick" and is not recommended. It might be OK for testing, where none of both servers handles production data. Otherwise I really wouldn't do such things. ] Regards, Martin -- Martin Fuerderer IBM Informix Development Munich Data Management Solutions "Lee Aholima" <lee.aholima@tcdc.govt.nz> Sent by: forum.subscriber@iiug.org 11.08.2003 06:39 To: ids@iiug.org cc: Subject: RE: backups [1664] Hi, I have a particular question about backups. Currently we do ontape and we do a backup of the database every night. However we would like to consider doing backups by some other method = which 1. allows us to restore into a different server which resides on the = same unix box. 2. allows us to verify a backup to tape as being okay after we have made = the backup. Any answers would be appreciated. Lee Aholima, Database Administrator Thames-Coromandel District Council Ph 07 868 6025 Email lee.aholima@tcdc.govt.nz Mobile 0274333915 The contents of this e-mail maybe CONFIDENTIAL OR LEGALLY PRIVILEGED, & = is intended only for the persons named above. If this e-mail is not = addressed to you, you must not use, read, distribute or copy this = document. If you have received this document by mistake, please call us = and destroy the original. Thank you. =20 --openmail-part-4084d7e0-00000002 Content-Type: application/rtf Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="BDY.RTF" ;Creation-Date="Mon, 11 Aug 2003 07:17:13 -0500" Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64 {\\rtf1\\ansi\\ansicpg1252\\fromtext \\deff0{\\fonttbl {\\f0\\fswiss Arial;} {\\f1\\fmodern Courier New;} {\\f2\\fnil\\fcharset2 Symbol;} {\\f3\\fmodern\\fcharset0 Courier New;}} {\\colortbl\\red0\\green0\\blue0;\\red0\\green0\\blue255;} \\uc1\\pard\\plain\\deftab360 \\f0\\fs20 \\par I've used archecker on IDS 7.3x. I did not use it extensively. A tape survives only so much read/write activity.... using archecker decreased the tape's life expectancy (tape may be cheap, but I've worked for small employers which means everything is expensive).\\par \\par I use IDS 7.3 with SAP. SAP has a utility called 'sapdba' which does chunk rename - slick,easy,convenient. Nice to know IDS 9.4 will get me there too (SAP hasn't sanctioned it yet). \\par \\par Norma Jean\\par \\par -----Original Message-----\\par From: MARTINFU@de.ibm.com [mailto:MARTINFU@de.ibm.com]\\par Sent: Monday, August 11, 2003 2:53 AM\\par To: ids@iiug.org; forum.subscriber@iiug.org\\par Subject: RE: backups [1665]\\par \\par \\par Hi,\\par \\par unfortunately you're not telling, which version of IDS you're using.\\par \\par So here goes my recommendation :\\par \\par Use IDS 9.40.UC1 or even better 9.40.UC2 :\\par \\par It has a utility called "archecker" with which archives can be\\par verified to be correct. It can be used for archives taken with\\par "ontape" and ON-Bar.\\par \\par AND\\par \\par It has a new functionality called "Chunk Rename" feature,\\par which lets you rename the chunk path names during a\\par cold restore (also with both, "ontape" and ON-Bar.\\par You need this to properly restore to a different server on\\par the same host.\\par \\par The "Chunk Rename" feature is new in 9.40.UC1.\\par The "archecker" utility has been around for some time.\\par \\par If you don't want or can't use 9.40.UC1 or 9.40.UC2, then restore\\par to a different server on the same machine is almost not possible.\\par This is "almost", because there's a "trick" to do this, but it's a bit\\par dirty and thus not recommended.\\par \\par [ Dirty trick:\\par Have for both servers all chunk path names defined with\\par relative path names (rather than absolute path names).\\par Of course these relative path names must be the same for