RE: Onbar question

Craig, We've been using Onbar on our DEV and TEST boxes successfully for about 2 or 3 months. We are using informix 7.23.UC6, with IBM's ADSM. We are currently doing a level 0 every sunday, a level 1 Mon-Sat, and two additional log backups every day. We are backing up logs at 8am and 3pm, and with every level0 or level1, a log backup is automatically started. So far this utility has proven very useful, and has freed up a lot of my time that I would usually spend on working with ONARCHIVE. We have performed a number of restores, and have been overall pretty successful. WARNING TO ALL: (this is difficult to explain so bear with me) If you restore to an earlier log, you begin to reuse the logs that were not restored, and those logs in turn get backed up as they are used. This causes two entries in the ixbar file for those logs. If you then try to restore to a particular log a second time and that log that was backed up twice, Onbar reads the ixbar in a Top Down method, and stops when it hits the first occurance of that log. So if your storage manager still has that backup, you may be restoring to a point earlier than you expect, or if you storage manager no longer has that backup, you will get and XBSA 100 error like I did. After waiting for SAP and Informix Tech support for 3 days, I finally got their blessing to try and modify the ixbar file. We stripped the file so all there was in it, was the backup and logs needed for the restore we needed. THIS WORKED. But I do not reccommend this to anyone without checking with Informix, because they stressed that the ixbar file should never be touched. Hope I was of some assistance. JP } -----Original Message----- } From: Craig.Lanford@alltel.com [SMTP:Craig.Lanford@alltel.com] } Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 1998 4:12 PM } To: informix-list@rmy.emory.edu } Subject: Onbar question } } Everyone, } } We have just recently upgraded to 7.23UC3 from a 7.14 engine and } want } to take advantage of the onbar utility. Our database is approx. } 12G } and we are using Omniback as the storage manager backing up to a } silo. } We have successfully done level 0,1 backups and restores in test, } but } what I am not sure about is the way onbar handles backing up the } logs. } We are currently using a script that handles alarms and backs up } logs } to a file when they become full. } My question is this - Do I need to have a separate barlist for } the } logs as opposed to a barlist that will back up to tape? Or will } the } LTAPEDEV be used when the onbar -l is issued? } Also are there any success/horror stories using this utility or } any } tips that people have found helpful? } I would like to implement this backup plan in production a.s.a.p. } } since I am tired of changing dat tapes to back up this DB. } } Manuallessly yours, } craig lanford } craig.lanford@alltel.com }