Re: Ontape restore questions? certainly I am missing some

As far as I know, if you have a logging database and a logical log backup occurred while you ran your level 0, you MUST restore logical logs in order to bring the database back to a consistent state. Sending your logs to /dev/null doesn't help you. If you don't want logs, change your database to a non-logging database (ontape -s -N <database>). Note that even in a non-logging database DDL commands are still logged. (table alters, etc...) At this point it sounds like the level 0 you have is useless if you don't have the logs that correspond to it. Typically the safest way to have a working backup is to start the logs (ontape -c), then start the level 0 on another drive (ontape -s -L 0). If you only have 1 tape drive just make sure TAPEDEV and LTAPEDEV point to the same drive, start the level 0 (ontape -s -L 0) and it'll backup the logs that were used during the level 0 at the end. If you have a logging database I recommend you setup a 2nd drive to run ontape -c continuously. -FPL >>> <dankami@my-deja.com> 08/21/00 09:37AM >>> I performed a level 0 backup, using ontape, with the following parameters in the oncofig file. TAPEDEV /dev/rmt/0 # TAPEBLK 16 # TAPESIZE 22000000 ## Log Archive Tape Device LTAPEDEV /dev/null LTAPEBLK 16 # LTAPESIZE 1024000 # As you notice we do not archive the Log (/dev/null for LTAPEDEV ) since all our inserts and updates to the database are batch loads type. I tried to restore one chunk from the tape using 'ontape -r - D my_chunk'. First I answered 'y' to the question: 'Do you want to restore log tapes? (y/n) y'. but the restore failed because of invalid /dev/null; then I answered 'n' to the same question and the restore terminated with no error; but when I tried to access one database that resides in that chunk I realize that my chunk becomes inconsistent and was marked with 'PI-' flag when I run onstat -d. My questions are: 1 - Why do I need to restore the log tapes since the LTAPEDEV is directed to /dev/null; I just need a physical backup of the chunk I archived? 2 - A level 0 archive is not suppose to back up the log? I changed LTAPEDEV to /dev/rmt/0 and I loaded the same tape and I tried to restore the chunk but it didn't work. The system kept asking me to load an other tape over and over, it is like it did not find the log to be restored and end with the following message "Unexpected end of log tape (errno 0), continuing... "; 3 - Finally how I can get out from this mess without calling Informix support? can I perform, now after 2 weeks, a log backup and use it to restore the chunk. Thanks a lot for any clarification. Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.