Backing Up Informix on Solaris

I have a Sun E3000 running 2 Informix 7 databases. I am unfamiliar with Informix and find that the 'ontape' utility does not support 'non rewind' devices in Solaris such as '/dev/rmt/0n'. My question is...... If this is true, how can I backup to seperate databases to the same backup device. There is also a followup question in....... I am also lead to believe that 'ontape' also forwards through the data on the tape before rewinding and begining the actual restore, if this is the case how would I restore from the same device? Cheers in advance Neil Neil Orange Peel Unix Admin & Limey Hippy ;)~

V Page wrote: > I have a Sun E3000 running 2 Informix 7 databases. I am unfamiliar > with Informix and find that the 'ontape' utility does not support 'non > rewind' devices in Solaris such as '/dev/rmt/0n'. > > My question is...... > > If this is true, how can I backup to seperate databases to the same > backup device. It is true. And you don't use ontape to backup separate databases to the same backup device, if you mean that the databases are on separate OnLine instances. Separate databases in the same OnLine instance are automatically backed up together. You could use ontape to backup to disk (yes, yes, this is supported) and then backup the disk files to the same backup device. > There is also a followup question in....... > > I am also lead to believe that 'ontape' also forwards through the data > on the tape before rewinding and begining the actual restore, if this > is the case how would I restore from the same device? It doesn't completely go forward through the data, but it does read a few blocks at the beginning, and then rewind, so the answer is, you cannot restore from the same device. That is precisely why no-rewind devices are not supported. Crikey, I said I was going to add this to the FAQ, didn't I. June -- june_t@hotmail.com Grounded in Palo Alto, living on KitKat bars

V Page wrote in message <369a90c3.3636636@news.u-net.com>... >I have a Sun E3000 running 2 Informix 7 databases. I am unfamiliar >with Informix and find that the 'ontape' utility does not support 'non >rewind' devices in Solaris such as '/dev/rmt/0n'. > >My question is...... > >If this is true, how can I backup to seperate databases to the same >backup device. You CAN back up multiple database servers to the same tape. For example, server 1 to /dev/rmt/0 and server to the scond archive on the tape (/dev/rmt/0n). However, you wouldn't be able to restore directly from the second archive (becuase of the ontape / /dev/rmt/0n problem you mention); you would need to dd it out to disk or another tape first. Although it sounds a bit iffy I have used this technique successfully at other sites. It lends itself well to a situation where the second database server archive is small releative to the first, and I commend it to your attention. Neil Truby aracnet Limited Weybridge, UK

V Page schrieb in Nachricht <369a90c3.3636636@news.u-net.com>... >I have a Sun E3000 running 2 Informix 7 databases. I am unfamiliar >with Informix and find that the 'ontape' utility does not support 'non >rewind' devices in Solaris such as '/dev/rmt/0n'. > >My question is...... > >If this is true, how can I backup to seperate databases to the same >backup device. > >There is also a followup question in....... > >I am also lead to believe that 'ontape' also forwards through the data >on the tape before rewinding and begining the actual restore, if this >is the case how would I restore from the same device? > >Cheers in advance > >Neil Neil Orange Peel >Unix Admin & Limey Hippy >;)~ Hi, we have three different SAP R/3 systems with 7.24 and 7.30 Informix database on our test system (SUN, op 2.6). We're using ontape to backup them, all three together on one tape. In the ONCONFIG files, we set TAPEDEV to '/dev/rmt/0cbn'. We're doing the backup using 'ontape -s -L 0' and it works without problems. After running the backup script there are the following data on the tape: position 0 ufsdump 0uf /dev/rmt/0cbn /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s0 1 ufsdump 0uf /dev/rmt/0cbn /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s3 2 ufsdump 0uf /dev/rmt/0cbn /dev/dsk/c2t0d0s3 3 ufsdump 0uf /dev/rmt/0cbn /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s5 4 ufsdump 0uf /dev/rmt/0cbn /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s6 5 ufsdump 0uf /dev/rmt/0cbn /dev/dsk/c3t0d0s3 6 ufsdump 0uf /dev/rmt/0cbn /dev/dsk/c4t0d0s3 7 tar cvf /dev/rmt/0cbn /usr/sap/ctrans 8 tar cfv /dev/rmt/0cbn /informix/onconfig 9 YI0 (7.30UC5): ontape -s -L 0 10 YI1 (7.30UC5): ontape -s -L 0 11 YI2 (7.24UC5): ontape -s -L 0 When we want to restore one of the databases we have to forward the tape using 'mt fsf <position>' and to start 'ontape -r'. When ontape asks you 'Start Restore' use another shell to do a 'mt bsf 2' to rewind the tape to the start position of the database backup and all should work fine. Regards, Roland Roland Wartenberg; SAP AG, P.O. Box 1461, D-69185 Walldorf R/3 Advanced Technology Group; email: Roland.Wartenberg@sap-ag.de

Thanks very much for the advise....rolling my sleves up as we speak. Many rgds Neil aka Orange Peel ;)~ On Tue, 12 Jan 1999 00:06:47 GMT, vixter@eatstatic.u-net.com (V Page) wrote: >I have a Sun E3000 running 2 Informix 7 databases. I am unfamiliar >with Informix and find that the 'ontape' utility does not support 'non >rewind' devices in Solaris such as '/dev/rmt/0n'. > >My question is...... > >If this is true, how can I backup to seperate databases to the same >backup device. > >There is also a followup question in....... > >I am also lead to believe that 'ontape' also forwards through the data >on the tape before rewinding and begining the actual restore, if this >is the case how would I restore from the same device? > >Cheers in advance > >Neil Neil Orange Peel >Unix Admin & Limey Hippy >;)~

Roland Wartenberg wrote: > V Page schrieb in Nachricht <369a90c3.3636636@news.u-net.com>... [SNIP] > Hi, > we have three different SAP R/3 systems with 7.24 and > 7.30 Informix database on our test system (SUN, op 2.6). > We're using ontape to backup them, all three together on > one tape. > In the ONCONFIG files, we set TAPEDEV to '/dev/rmt/0cbn'. > We're doing the backup using 'ontape -s -L 0' and it works > without problems. > After running the backup script there are the following data > position [SNIP] > When we want to restore one of the databases we have > to forward the tape using 'mt fsf <position>' and to start > 'ontape -r'. When ontape asks you 'Start Restore' use another > shell to do a 'mt bsf 2' to rewind the tape to the start > position of the database backup and all should work fine. Have you actually tested this procedure? Because I am fairly certain that AFTER prompting 'Start Restore' ontape closes and reopens the device again at least once more expecting that the device will magically rewind. In this case the procedre would fail! Art S. Kagel

Art S. Kagel schrieb in Nachricht <369BBEFA.57AF@bloomberg.net>... >Roland Wartenberg wrote: > >> V Page schrieb in Nachricht <369a90c3.3636636@news.u-net.com>... >[SNIP] >> Hi, > >[SNIP] >Have you actually tested this procedure? Because I am fairly certain >that AFTER prompting 'Start Restore' ontape closes and reopens the >device again at least once more expecting that the device will >magically rewind. In this case the procedre would fail! Yes, we tested it and we are using it to go back to the 'status quo' after modfying and testing our systems. Regards, Roland

In article <369AC98D.6C3534FA@hotmail.com>, June Tong <june_t@hotmail.com> writes >V Page wrote: > >> I have a Sun E3000 running 2 Informix 7 databases. I am unfamiliar >> with Informix and find that the 'ontape' utility does not support 'non >> rewind' devices in Solaris such as '/dev/rmt/0n'. >> >> My question is...... >> >> If this is true, how can I backup to seperate databases to the same >> backup device. > >It is true. And you don't use ontape to backup separate databases to the >same backup device, if you mean that the databases are on separate OnLine >instances. Separate databases in the same OnLine instance are >automatically backed up together. > >You could use ontape to backup to disk (yes, yes, this is supported) and >then backup the disk files to the same backup device. > > >> There is also a followup question in....... >> >> I am also lead to believe that 'ontape' also forwards through the data >> on the tape before rewinding and begining the actual restore, if this >> is the case how would I restore from the same device? > >It doesn't completely go forward through the data, but it does read a few >blocks at the beginning, and then rewind, so the answer is, you cannot >restore from the same device. That is precisely why no-rewind devices are >not supported. > >Crikey, I said I was going to add this to the FAQ, didn't I. > Too late, beat you section 6.34 Why does ontape dislike norewind devices? in the Official FAQ ^^^^^^^ www.smooth1.demon.co.uk PS My work colleagues have discovered my Home Page !! Guess who found his photo printed out on his desk today?? Guess who has several e-mails from a certain work colleagues (Mukie!) and has been subscribed to several mailing lists without his knowledge!! Arrgh! >June >-- >june_t@hotmail.com >Grounded in Palo Alto, living on KitKat bars > > -- David Williams

David Williams wrote: > In article <369AC98D.6C3534FA@hotmail.com>, June Tong > <june_t@hotmail.com> writes > >That is precisely why no-rewind devices are > >not supported. > > > >Crikey, I said I was going to add this to the FAQ, didn't I. > > > > Too late, beat you Oh, good ;-) > section 6.34 Why does ontape dislike norewind devices? > > in the Official FAQ > ^^^^^^^ > > www.smooth1.demon.co.uk Can't seem to get there from here. When will it be on www.iiug.org? June -- june_t@hotmail.com Grounded in Palo Alto, living on animal crackers

Hi. Does anyone else have any comment on Roland Wartenberg's patent method? I've tried it on a Solaris 2.5 system running Informix 7.1, and it works fine, which surprised me. When restoring, Informix reads the archive file exactly twice, so you just need to position the tape correctly before each of the two reads. Fair enough, it's a bit messy, but then so are the various methods people use to back up Informix servers unattended, by piping in linefeeds to 'ontape', or using a TCL/Expect script. I reckon that with a bit of scripting, and practice, recovering a server from an archive halfway through a no-rewind tape should be pretty easy. -- Peter Wotherspoon