Migrating from AIX to NT
A user asked whether an Informix tape backup taken on AIX could be restored onto an NT server to migrate a large database. The consensus was no: archives/restores are platform- (and version-) dependent, so a cross-platform physical restore won't work (one poster blamed page-size differences, which others disputed since AIX also uses 4K). Recommended alternatives were dbexport/dbimport (over the network or via identical tape drives), or, for speed, dumping the schema with dbschema/myschema, recreating the database on NT, unloading/loading tables (e.g. Art Kagel's dbcopy), then building indexes and running update statistics.
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Is it possible to back-up to tape on AIX then restore the tape to NT. We have a large database on our AIX box and we need to migrate it to our new NT server. having a tape drive on both ends makes the above strategy seem natural. However, I was told that backup to tape on Unix and restore to NT is not guaranteed to work. Has anyone done something similar before? Thanks. Joben Rara
Joben O. Rara <joben@iname.com> wrote in message
news:3817E048.62C4925E@iname.com...
> Is it possible to back-up to tape on AIX then restore the tape to NT.
>
> We have a large database on our AIX box and we need to migrate it to our
> new NT server. having a tape drive on both ends makes the above strategy
> seem natural. However, I was told that backup to tape on Unix and
> restore to NT is not guaranteed to work.
Of course, not ! This platforms have different page sizes - NT has 4 KB
page. I recommend you use dbexport\\dbimport to move between platforms.
----------------------------------------------------
With best regards, Yuri Dovgart
SAP R/3, Informix technical consultant,
Senior System Consultant
System Architecture and High Availability Systems,
'Telecominvest' company
Email y_dovgart@tci.ukrtel.net
ICQ 39284285
>
> Has anyone done something similar before?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Joben Rara
>
Thomas Parsli <thomas.parsli@ose.no> wrote in message
news:u1zafvcly.fsf@ose.no...
> "Yuri Dovgart" <y_dovgart@tci.ukrtel.net> writes:
>
> > Joben O. Rara <joben@iname.com> wrote in message
> > news:3817E048.62C4925E@iname.com...
> > > Is it possible to back-up to tape on AIX then restore the tape to NT.
> > >
> > > We have a large database on our AIX box and we need to migrate it to
our
> > > new NT server. having a tape drive on both ends makes the above
strategy
> > > seem natural. However, I was told that backup to tape on Unix and
> > > restore to NT is not guaranteed to work.
> >
> > Of course, not ! This platforms have different page sizes - NT has 4 KB
> > page. I recommend you use dbexport\\dbimport to move between platforms.
>
> And the page-size on AIX?:)
2 K ! :)
>
> Seriously -backups are platform and version dependant, page-size is
probable
> the least problem...
Hm.... Agreed with platform dependency, but we've upgraded from 7.30 to 7.31
backing up 7.30 and restoring with 7.31. How "Migration Guide" explaining
this ?
--------------------------------------------------
With best regards, Yuri Dovgart
SAP R/3, Informix technical consultant,
Senior System Consultant
System Architecture and High Availability Systems,
'Telecominvest' company
Email y_dovgart@tci.ukrtel.net
ICQ 39284285
> Read "Migration Guide" for info.
>
> This sounds like a slow, boring copy with index-creation and update
statistics
> at the end:
>
> 1) dump schema (dbschema -d database -ss or myschema from Art S Kagel)
> 2) modify schema at will (ie. extent-sizes and the use of fragmentation)
> 3) create database on NT with modified schema
> 4) copy all tables (Art's dbcopy is good)
> 5) create all indexes
> 6) update statistics (Art's dostats)
>
> dbexport/dbimport are slow and limited (2GB on tape?)
>
> Thomas
> (Why anyone would move from AIX to NT is beyon my imagination...;)
"Yuri Dovgart" <y_dovgart@tci.ukrtel.net> writes:
> Joben O. Rara <joben@iname.com> wrote in message
> news:3817E048.62C4925E@iname.com...
> > Is it possible to back-up to tape on AIX then restore the tape to NT.
> >
> > We have a large database on our AIX box and we need to migrate it to our
> > new NT server. having a tape drive on both ends makes the above strategy
> > seem natural. However, I was told that backup to tape on Unix and
> > restore to NT is not guaranteed to work.
>
> Of course, not ! This platforms have different page sizes - NT has 4 KB
> page. I recommend you use dbexport\\dbimport to move between platforms.
And the page-size on AIX?:)
Seriously -backups are platform and version dependant, page-size is probable
the least problem...
Read "Migration Guide" for info.
This sounds like a slow, boring copy with index-creation and update statistics
at the end:
1) dump schema (dbschema -d database -ss or myschema from Art S Kagel)
2) modify schema at will (ie. extent-sizes and the use of fragmentation)
3) create database on NT with modified schema
4) copy all tables (Art's dbcopy is good)
5) create all indexes
6) update statistics (Art's dostats)
dbexport/dbimport are slow and limited (2GB on tape?)
Thomas
(Why anyone would move from AIX to NT is beyon my imagination...;)
Assuming the two boxes are on the same network, you should be able to use
dbexport/dbimport. I usually prefer to do this across the network (on
disk) but you should be able to use tape as long as you have the same type
tape drive on both machines...
Hal Maner
Joben O. Rara <joben@iname.com> wrote in message
news:3817E048.62C4925E@iname.com...
> Is it possible to back-up to tape on AIX then restore the tape to NT.
>
> We have a large database on our AIX box and we need to migrate it to our
> new NT server. having a tape drive on both ends makes the above strategy
> seem natural. However, I was told that backup to tape on Unix and
> restore to NT is not guaranteed to work.
>
> Has anyone done something similar before?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Joben Rara
>
Yuri Dovgart wrote:
> Joben O. Rara <joben@iname.com> wrote in message
> news:3817E048.62C4925E@iname.com...
> > Is it possible to back-up to tape on AIX then restore the tape to NT.
> >
> > We have a large database on our AIX box and we need to migrate it to our
> > new NT server. having a tape drive on both ends makes the above strategy
> > seem natural. However, I was told that backup to tape on Unix and
> > restore to NT is not guaranteed to work.
>
> Of course, not ! This platforms have different page sizes - NT has 4 KB
So does AIX.
>
> page. I recommend you use dbexport\\dbimport to move between platforms.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------
> With best regards, Yuri Dovgart
> SAP R/3, Informix technical consultant,
> Senior System Consultant
> System Architecture and High Availability Systems,
> 'Telecominvest' company
> Email y_dovgart@tci.ukrtel.net
> ICQ 39284285
>
> >
> > Has anyone done something similar before?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > Joben Rara
> >
--
Helmut Leininger
Bull AG / Vienna
Open Systems Support
Email: h.leininger@bull.at
helmut.leininger@bull.net
This opinion is mine and not necessarily that of my employer.
No guarantees whatsoever.
"Yuri Dovgart" <y_dovgart@tci.ukrtel.net> writes:
> Thomas Parsli <thomas.parsli@ose.no> wrote in message
> news:u1zafvcly.fsf@ose.no...
> > "Yuri Dovgart" <y_dovgart@tci.ukrtel.net> writes:
> >
> > > Joben O. Rara <joben@iname.com> wrote in message
> > > news:3817E048.62C4925E@iname.com...
> > > > Is it possible to back-up to tape on AIX then restore the tape to NT.
> > > >
> > > > We have a large database on our AIX box and we need to migrate it to
> our
> > > > new NT server. having a tape drive on both ends makes the above
> strategy
> > > > seem natural. However, I was told that backup to tape on Unix and
> > > > restore to NT is not guaranteed to work.
> > >
> > > Of course, not ! This platforms have different page sizes - NT has 4 KB
> > > page. I recommend you use dbexport\\dbimport to move between platforms.
> >
> > And the page-size on AIX?:)
>
> 2 K ! :)
Shure?
> > Seriously -backups are platform and version dependant, page-size is
> probable
> > the least problem...
>
> Hm.... Agreed with platform dependency, but we've upgraded from 7.30 to 7.31
> backing up 7.30 and restoring with 7.31. How "Migration Guide" explaining
> this ?
But I didn't say what versions! ;)
I belive "Migration Guide" says this is OK, but going from 5.x to 7.x won't work.
And if you trie to retore from 7.3x onto 7.2x you'r in for a suprise...
Thomas