Re: restoring ontape from diff media

> We are using Informix Dynamic Server Version 7.30.UC3 on Siemens Unix > RM600 v5.43 C2003. Our backup plan is as follows: > Level 0: 8mm / 7GB tape > Level 1: 4mm / 2GB tape > > <snip> > > Does Informix support restore from different Level 0 and Level 1 media? > Before we have tried using 4mm/4GB tapes for Level 0 and 4mm/2GB tapes > for Level 1 successfully. Why doesn't it work now? Please help me. > Thanks. If I'm reading your question correctly, in the case that worked (4mm 2GB and 4GB tapes), you probably were using the same tape drive, just tapes with different capacities. So long as you didn't run into problems with TAPESIZE compared to the physical size of the tape, you were okay. Now, however, you are trying to use two different tape formats (8mm and 4mm) in the same backup/restore scenario. Each of these tape drives is a different device to your Unix box. Informix does not directly support multiple devices within a restore, as it uses the value of TAPEDEV to choose which device to use, and TAOPEDEV can only have one value. Performing a restore to a level 1 archive requires that you first restore to a level 0. I know you know that, and you tried to do that, the problem is that ontape doesn't know that you just restored your level 0 immediately prior to attempting the restore of the level 1. As a result, ontape requires that you restore the level 0, immediately followed by the level 1, and any level 2 or log files, as a single ontape session. This is why it reported invalid archive level when you started with the level 1 tape. With that background, we can now see why your method didn't work as hoped. There is a way to do what you want, though. In your $ONCONFIG file, set TAPEDEV = /dev/mydummytape, where /dev/mydummytape is a symbolic link. Start with /dev/mydummytape pointed to the device file for your level 0 archive (your 8mm drive) and run ontape. It will prompt you to load the level 0 tape in /dev/mydummytape. After it finishes, it asks if you want to restore a level 1. >From another terminal session, change /dev/mydummytape to link to your 4mm device, then answer the prompt saying yes, you want to restore a level 1. ontape will prompt you for the tape (again on /dev/mydummytape), and you can restore. I have used this successfully for level 0 archive on DLT tape and level 1 on 4mm DAT. Mark Collins mcollins@us.dhl.com