FYI: Unattended OnLine Archives

Comments : I've also sent this question to my Informix S.E. If anyone has some insight on this question, I would appreciate it. Thanks. ------------------------[ Original Message ]-------------------- To : m[@internet:mtinius@informix.com] Cc : Cheryl A. Merrell@InfoSystems@Corporate,m[@internet:informix-list-request@rmy.emory.edu] From : Elliott M. Friedman@InfoSystems@Corporate Date : Tuesday, August 2, 1994 15:39:10 EDT Mike, Cheryl Merrell (our on-site Informix DBA at Bellwood Plant 44) has been trying to ensure that our level 0 archives are really working, before we implement OnLine 5.02 in production at this site. We have been using the script, you may recall, which you questioned because we said we were doing a level 0 archive to the hard disk. You thought it could only be done to tape. We have explored the situation a little further, and would appreciate your input. We have successfully been setting LTAPEDEV to a hard disk file - when we run continuous backup of the logical logs with "tbtape -c", they are successfully being backed up to the hard disk file as they fill up. (The manual claims that a tape is required). However, we are not sure whether or not we can do this for the level 0 archive. We currently have TAPEDEV set to a hard disk file, but when we try the script (which contains a "tbtape -s", followed by redirecting input of a "0" to the command), it appears that we are not getting any of the used disk pages to write to the specified file (Resultant file length is 0 bytes). Our "test" instance of OnLine has TAPEDEV pointing to /dev/rmt0, thru the intermediary of a hard disk file, i.e., the disk file has a symbolic link to /dev/rmt0. Won't this just go directly to the tape drive? Please advise what flexibility there is in performing the OnLine archives to disk instead of tape, if any. I'm confused as to why LTAPEDEV should work to a file, while TAPEDEV apparently does not. Thank you. Elliott Friedman (emfriedm@lanmail.rmc.com) P.S. Cheryl Merrell can be emailed directly at camerrel@lanmail.rmc.com