RE: OnBar script needed for NetBackup

Hi Mike & Doug, I'm the one that need to use cron to restore. It's because of my company always do restoration from live server to test server for development purpose. Our development teams need to test thier program on the live database before putting into the live server. Currently, we're using ontape methond to restore and schedule the ontape script to run it at mid night which is not requires any user interaction. However, when come to Netbackup, I have no idea how to schedule the restoration and run it automatically without any user interaction. Anyone can help???? Thanks/Regards, Jason -----Original Message----- From: Doug Agnew [mailto:dagnew@charlottepipe.com] Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2000 4:18 AM To: informix-list@iiug.org Subject: Re: OnBar script needed for NetBackup Mike, Just a small point... I was not the one that was interested in using cron to restore, I was asking why someone else wanted to. Yeah, I realize you can do your backup scheduling in netbackup, but cron is SOOOOO much easier (and since we were evaluating, I had no interest in working out another scheduling method). When the final SM solution is bought, THEN I'll think about scheduling within the SM. Thanks, Doug "Mike Langen" <mike.langen@tamedia.ch> wrote in message news:39BE6861.19B37F18@tamedia.ch... > Hi Doug! > > We're using Netbackup from Veritas with Informix on a Sun. > I think you need to know how to do a schedule on an Informix BACKUP and not > restore? (Since I can't imagine a situation, that you have to regularly cron a > restoration? > > The schedule of a backup in netbackup was kind of difficult to do but after > reading the manuals twice, i could implement it... > > cheers > > > "Agnew, Doug" schrieb: > > > I use OnBar from the command line, without regard for the storage manager. > > How hard is 'onbar -r'? > > > > Why would you want to use cron to restore??? > > > > Setting up Netbackup is relatively simple with OnBar. The Netbackup manuals > > explain it well. > > > > Doug > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: JasonYLPang@pg.SLR.com [mailto:JasonYLPang@pg.SLR.com] > > Sent: Monday, September 11, 2000 1:54 AM > > To: dagnew@charlottepipe.com; informix-list@iiug.org > > Subject: OnBar script needed for NetBackup > > > > Hi all, > > > > Recently, there's a lot of comments on the OnBar & OnTape command. But I > > can't find the info that I needed. My company is plan to use Netbackup and > > I'm totally have no idea on the OnBar command. According to my vendor, > > Netbackup has no scheduler to handle the restore operation. We can only > > perform restore operation manually, is it true??? Then, how can I restore my > > database through cronJob??? Besides, we also having some difficulty to write > > the OnBar script to work with NetBackup. Appreciate if you all can provide > > me some info or share your experience with me. > > > > Thanks/Regards, > > Jason > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Doug Agnew [ mailto:dagnew@charlottepipe.com > > <mailto:dagnew@charlottepipe.com> ] > > Sent: Friday, September 08, 2000 9:41 PM > > To: informix-list@iiug.org > > Subject: Re: OnBar/OnTape > > > > To expand on Fred's reply vis-a-vis OnBar.. > > > > OnBar does see all the backups as being in "one place". It is the > > responsibility of the storage manager software (ISM, Legato Networker, > > Veritas NetBackup, Tivoli Storage Manager, etc.) to place the data on the > > media and keep track of its location. > > > > Some managers, like Tivoli Storage Manager, make it very easy to store the > > log backups on disk and even provide facilities to automatically move them > > to tape when the disk gets close to full. The others that I have looked at > > also allow you to store backups on disk but don't automate the migration to > > tape. > > > > All the managers I've examined divide the backup media into "storage pools" > > (whatever terminology they like) and allow the Informix backup process to > > designate which pool to use for each type of backup. Some even allow you to > > > > send dbspaces and/or different backup levels to different pools, if you > > really want to slice-and-dice. > > > > OnBar's primary advantages, as far as I can tell: > > 1) parallel backups -- backing up 2 or more dbspaces concurrently, reducing > > > > backup time. > > 2) handling of high-end devices, like autochangers and libraries. > > 3) "automatic" restores -- one command restores the latest level-0, the > > latest level-1 and/or level-2 if needed and any logs needed -- reduces > > operator error. > > 4) "continuous" log backup does not require a continuous process or a > > constantly open device. > > > > Ontape's primary advantages are: > > 1) ease of setup and use. > > 2) less work to restore to a separate machine. > > > > From what I've seen, ontape is suitable for databases up to 100G or so > > (depending upon how many tapes drives you want to buy or how much operator > > work you want). > > OnBar is probably the backup of choice once you get much larger, both for > > operational and administrative reasons. > > > > HTH, > > Doug > > > > "Fred Prose" <fprose@supreme.sp.state.az.us> wrote in message > > news:8p96hm$cm2@netnews.state.az.us <news:8p96hm$cm2@netnews.state.az.us> > > ... > > > Onbar and Ontape are two different animals when it comes to logical logs. > > > Remember that onbar is Storage manager based and the recover file it > > creates > > > (ixbar.x) assumes that all the recovery media is in one location - the > > > storage manager. > > > > > > With ontape, you could "mix and match" and get away with it because you > > are > > > controlling the recovery process. > > > > > > > > > > > -- > Mike Langen > TA-Media AG, > Online > Werdstr. 21 > Tel. direkt: 01 248 53 56 Zentrale: 01 248 41 11 > Fax.: 01 248 53 44 > mike.langen@tamedia.ch > http://www.tamedia.ch > >

Jason, It should be possible to just replace your 'ontape -r' command in the cron script with an 'onbar -r' command. You don't HAVE to schedule the restore through the Storage Manager. Of course, you have to copy the ixbar.0, onconfig, and oncfg.... files from production to do the restore, as well as override the name of the database server to match the production name so that the restore can find the proper files. And that is the painful part. Question: Do they ALWAYS need the latest production database? Surely, if the data is one or two weeks old, they can still test with it. If so, then maybe do a special restore from production once a week and immediately back it up with OnBar. Then the OnBar restore becomes real simple, since it is not moving between machines. Just a thought to simplify your life... HTH, Doug <JasonYLPang@pg.SLR.com> wrote in message news:8pmio9$2nf$1@news.xmission.com... > > Hi Mike & Doug, > > I'm the one that need to use cron to restore. It's because of my company > always do restoration from live server to test server for development > purpose. Our development teams need to test thier program on the live > database before putting into the live server. Currently, we're using ontape> methond to restore and schedule the ontape script to run it at mid night > which is not requires any user interaction. However, when come to Netbackup, > I have no idea how to schedule the restoration and run it automatically > without any user interaction. Anyone can help???? > > Thanks/Regards, > Jason > > -----Original Message----- > From: Doug Agnew [mailto:dagnew@charlottepipe.com] > Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2000 4:18 AM > To: informix-list@iiug.org > Subject: Re: OnBar script needed for NetBackup > > > Mike, > > Just a small point... I was not the one that was interested in using cron to > restore, I was asking why someone else wanted to. > > Yeah, I realize you can do your backup scheduling in netbackup, but cron is > SOOOOO much easier (and since we were evaluating, I had no interest in > working out another scheduling method). When the final SM solution is > bought, THEN I'll think about scheduling within the SM. > > Thanks, > Doug > > "Mike Langen" <mike.langen@tamedia.ch> wrote in message > news:39BE6861.19B37F18@tamedia.ch... > > Hi Doug! > > > > We're using Netbackup from Veritas with Informix on a Sun. > > I think you need to know how to do a schedule on an Informix BACKUP and > not > > restore? (Since I can't imagine a situation, that you have to regularly > cron a > > restoration? > > > > The schedule of a backup in netbackup was kind of difficult to do but > after > > reading the manuals twice, i could implement it... > > > > cheers > > > > > > "Agnew, Doug" schrieb: > > > > > I use OnBar from the command line, without regard for the storage > manager. > > > How hard is 'onbar -r'? > > > > > > Why would you want to use cron to restore??? > > > > > > Setting up Netbackup is relatively simple with OnBar. The Netbackup > manuals > > > explain it well. > > > > > > Doug > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: JasonYLPang@pg.SLR.com [mailto:JasonYLPang@pg.SLR.com] > > > Sent: Monday, September 11, 2000 1:54 AM > > > To: dagnew@charlottepipe.com; informix-list@iiug.org > > > Subject: OnBar script needed for NetBackup > > > > > > Hi all, > > > > > > Recently, there's a lot of comments on the OnBar & OnTape command. But I > > > can't find the info that I needed. My company is plan to use Netbackup > and > > > I'm totally have no idea on the OnBar command. According to my vendor, > > > Netbackup has no scheduler to handle the restore operation. We can only > > > perform restore operation manually, is it true??? Then, how can I > restore my > > > database through cronJob??? Besides, we also having some difficulty to > write > > > the OnBar script to work with NetBackup. Appreciate if you all can > provide > > > me some info or share your experience with me. > > > > > > Thanks/Regards, > > > Jason > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Doug Agnew [ mailto:dagnew@charlottepipe.com > > > <mailto:dagnew@charlottepipe.com> ] > > > Sent: Friday, September 08, 2000 9:41 PM > > > To: informix-list@iiug.org > > > Subject: Re: OnBar/OnTape > > > > > > To expand on Fred's reply vis-a-vis OnBar.. > > > > > > OnBar does see all the backups as being in "one place". It is the > > > responsibility of the storage manager software (ISM, Legato Networker, > > > Veritas NetBackup, Tivoli Storage Manager, etc.) to place the data on > the > > > media and keep track of its location. > > > > > > Some managers, like Tivoli Storage Manager, make it very easy to store > the > > > log backups on disk and even provide facilities to automatically move > them > > > to tape when the disk gets close to full. The others that I have looked > at > > > also allow you to store backups on disk but don't automate the migration > to > > > tape. > > > > > > All the managers I've examined divide the backup media into "storage > pools" > > > (whatever terminology they like) and allow the Informix backup process > to > > > designate which pool to use for each type of backup. Some even allow > you to > > > > > > send dbspaces and/or different backup levels to different pools, if you > > > really want to slice-and-dice. > > > > > > OnBar's primary advantages, as far as I can tell: > > > 1) parallel backups -- backing up 2 or more dbspaces concurrently, > reducing > > > > > > backup time. > > > 2) handling of high-end devices, like autochangers and libraries. > > > 3) "automatic" restores -- one command restores the latest level-0, the > > > latest level-1 and/or level-2 if needed and any logs needed -- reduces > > > operator error. > > > 4) "continuous" log backup does not require a continuous process or a > > > constantly open device. > > > > > > Ontape's primary advantages are: > > > 1) ease of setup and use. > > > 2) less work to restore to a separate machine. > > > > > > From what I've seen, ontape is suitable for databases up to 100G or so > > > (depending upon how many tapes drives you want to buy or how much > operator > > > work you want). > > > OnBar is probably the backup of choice once you get much larger, both > for > > > operational and administrative reasons. > > > > > > HTH, > > > Doug > > > > > > "Fred Prose" <fprose@supreme.sp.state.az.us> wrote in message > > > news:8p96hm$cm2@netnews.state.az.us > <news:8p96hm$cm2@netnews.state.az.us> > > > ... > > > > Onbar and Ontape are two different animals when it comes to logical > logs. > > > > Remember that onbar is Storage manager based and the recover file it > > > creates > > > > (ixbar.x) assumes that all the recovery media is in one location - the > > > > storage manager. > > > > > > > > With ontape, you could "mix and match" an