Restoring Informix 9.4 engine software from tape
Will asked whether an IDS 9.4 engine installation can simply be restored from a filesystem/tape backup (same OS and kernel) instead of running a fresh install, for a DR exercise. Consensus: yes. Back up and restore as root to preserve ownership/permissions; ensure the informix user/group exists with the same UIDs/GIDs; tar/cpio copies between machines work fine. Older versions also relied on symlinks to Informix libraries under /usr/lib, which may need recreating (or run the run_as_root script); Art Kagel noted those links were never truly needed and adding $INFORMIXDIR/lib to LD_LIBRARY_PATH suffices.
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Hello everyone. A basic restore question if you don't mind. Not regarding restoring an informix database but instead regarding installing the engine software, and in particular IDS 9.4. Assuming the Operating systems are the same, and the kernels are the same...can anyone think of a reason why it would NOT be possible to restore the Informix 9.4 engine software from a unix backup? As opposed to reinstalling the software from scratch? Some people I work with have the impression that could not be done. Perhaps I am not understanding something but it would seem to be do-able. Of course the databases would need to be restored...but the Informix software itself should be recoverbale via a basic unix tape restore. Does that sound correct? I am thinking to do a DR exercise in this manner. Thanks, Will
Hi, Will, Informix engine software is certainly restorable from a UNIX backup. Just make sure, that you perform both backup and restore as 'root' to preserve permissions for Informix binaries. Also, you can use OS-level archives (tar, cpio) to copy Informix engine software from one machine to another (if you want to avoid formal 'install' or want to preserve something useful - e.g. your own scripts) -Alexey -----Original Message----- From: ids-bounces@iiug.org [mailto:ids-bounces@iiug.org] On Behalf Of WILL Subject: Restoring Informix 9.4 engine software from tape [11090] Hello everyone. A basic restore question if you don't mind. Not regarding restoring an informix database but instead regarding installing the engine software, and in particular IDS 9.4. Assuming the Operating systems are the same, and the kernels are the same...can anyone think of a reason why it would NOT be possible to restore the Informix 9.4 engine software from a unix backup? As opposed to reinstalling the software from scratch? Some people I work with have the impression that could not be done. Perhaps I am not understanding something but it would seem to be do-able. Of course the databases would need to be restored...but the Informix software itself should be recoverbale via a basic unix tape restore. Does that sound correct? I am thinking to do a DR exercise in this manner. Thanks, Will
Alex, Thanks for your input-I do appreciate it. Will
Hi, Just make sure the informix user/group exists and te ids are the same. Then you can restore the informix dir. I think in 9.40 it is sufficient to start the script run_as_root.server (or similar, I have no actual installation on out servers) to make the necessary library links after restore. Marcus -----Original Message----- From: WILL LANDSTROM [mailto:willlandstrom@yahoo.com] Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 5:49 PM To: ids@iiug.org Subject: Restoring Informix 9.4 engine software from tape [11090] Hello everyone. A basic restore question if you don't mind. Not regarding restoring an informix database but instead regarding installing the engine software, and in particular IDS 9.4. Assuming the Operating systems are the same, and the kernels are the same...can anyone think of a reason why it would NOT be possible to restore the Informix 9.4 engine software from a unix backup? As opposed to reinstalling the software from scratch? Some people I work with have the impression that could not be done. Perhaps I am not understanding something but it would seem to be do-able. Of course the databases would need to be restored...but the Informix software itself should be recoverbale via a basic unix tape restore. Does that sound correct? I am thinking to do a DR exercise in this manner. Thanks, Will ************************************************************************ ******* Forum Note: Use "Reply" to post a response in the discussion forum. See you at the IIUG Informix 2008 Conference The Power Conference for Informix Professionals April 27 - 30, 2008 Marriott Overland Park (Kansas City), Kansas http://www.iiug.org/conf Registration Now Open!!
Alexey Sonkin wrote: > Hi, Will, > > Informix engine software is certainly restorable from a UNIX backup. > Just make sure, that you perform both backup and restore as 'root' > to preserve permissions for Informix binaries. > Also, you can use OS-level archives (tar, cpio) to copy Informix engine > software from one machine to another (if you want to avoid formal > 'install' or want to preserve something useful - e.g. your own scripts) > > -Alexey > There used to be some IFMX libaries that got installed in $INFORMIXDIR/lib and a softlink to them got created under /usr/lib or somewhere below. Can't remember exactly the name of the the libs Those links needed to be there after a file system restore of the $INFORMIXDIR. I can't tell you when this was removed - in IDS 10 these soft links are NOT necessary anymore, but I am unsure about 9.4 at the moment. In 7.x and 9.2 and 9.3 this was definitley an issue. HTH Tilman
Will, I have done this several times on Solaris. =20 Not even from a unix backup, I just tar-balled the $informixdir and laid it down on a test server. (I did this on solaris 2.6,2.7,2.8, with IDS 7.3 & 9.4). I don't recall running the "run_as_root" script as Marcus suggested, but that might have helped. When I hit the link problems that both Marcus and Tilman mentioned, it was quite easy to track down the missing link and have my unix admins (root user) recreate the link.... Doing this type of activity was much more difficult with other database products (might just have been my lack of experience), but IDS has always been a breeze in this regards. If you need it, I might even have a doc somewhere that shows which few links we had to recreate manually. Go for it, Informix won't let u down. Norma Jean =20 -----Original Message----- From: ids-bounces@iiug.org [mailto:ids-bounces@iiug.org] On Behalf Of WILL LANDSTROM Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 10:49 AM To: ids@iiug.org Subject: Restoring Informix 9.4 engine software from tape [11090] Hello everyone. A basic restore question if you don't mind. Not regarding=20 restoring an informix database but instead regarding installing the engine=20 software, and in particular IDS 9.4. Assuming the Operating systems are the=20 same, and the kernels are the same...can anyone think of a reason why it would=20 NOT be possible to restore the Informix 9.4 engine software from a unix=20 backup? As opposed to reinstalling the software from scratch? Some people I=20 work with have the impression that could not be done. Perhaps I am not=20 understanding something but it would seem to be do-able. Of course the=20 databases would need to be restored...but the Informix software itself should=20 be recoverbale via a basic unix tape restore. Does that sound correct? I am=20 thinking to do a DR exercise in this manner. Thanks, Will=20 ************************************************************************ *******=20 Forum Note: Use "Reply" to post a response in the discussion forum.=20 See you at the IIUG Informix 2008 Conference The Power Conference for Informix Professionals April 27 - 30, 2008 Marriott Overland Park (Kansas City), Kansas http://www.iiug.org/conf Registration Now Open!!=20 =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D The information contained in this message may be privileged and confidential and protected from disclosure. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or an employee or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any reproduction, dissemination or distribution of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer. Thank you. Tellabs =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Tilman wrote: > Alexey Sonkin wrote: > >> Hi, Will, >> >> Informix engine software is certainly restorable from a UNIX backup. >> Just make sure, that you perform both backup and restore as 'root' >> to preserve permissions for Informix binaries. >> Also, you can use OS-level archives (tar, cpio) to copy Informix engine >> software from one machine to another (if you want to avoid formal >> 'install' or want to preserve something useful - e.g. your own scripts) >> >> -Alexey >> >> > There used to be some IFMX libaries that got installed in > $INFORMIXDIR/lib and a softlink to them got created under /usr/lib or > somewhere below. Can't remember exactly the name of the the libs > Those links needed to be there after a file system restore of the > $INFORMIXDIR. > I can't tell you when this was removed - in IDS 10 these soft links are > NOT necessary anymore, but I am unsure about 9.4 at the moment. > In 7.x and 9.2 and 9.3 this was definitley an issue. > The links were never required, and really should never have been created which is why the recent versions have done away with those links. The solution, if you don't want or don't have the links is to include $INFORMIXDIR/lib in the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable for the engine's startup user or script. Art S. Kagel Oninit > HTH > Tilman > > > ================================================================================ =========== Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic communications disclaimer: http://www.oninit.com/home/disclaimer.php ================================================================================ ===========