Re: backup takes too long

On Tue, 13 May 1997, Tim Schaefer wrote: > Well, I don't consider myself a backup expert either. :-) The > usability of OnArchive seems adequate for simple backups, but the > restore features are questionable. I'm periodically hearing about > how bad OnArchive is, but nobody has any definite reasons why. Agreed. I've never had any problems with it -- well, not since I figured out how to restore from two sources (level 0 to tape, level 1 to disk)[0] Easy to do, but an unpleasant thing ti realize you need to figure out at 1am when you have a massive drive failure. > I found several limitations to the product, but these may not apply > to all situations. For example, you have to initialize tapes to an > OnArchive format, and it can't work with some of the automated tape > drives, using tape changers, etc. For a small company this may not > be a bad thing. For a big operation, yes this would be a problem. Maybe I'm missing something here -- initialize tapes? I've always just used them without any problems...? Tape changers, etc can be worked around through some creative scripting[1], but OnBar with an external handler seems to be better suited for large operations. -Richard [0] Set TAPEDEV to some file (/tmp/backup). Do an `ln -s /tmp/backup /dev/rmt0` or wherever. Run `ontape -r` [follow prompts] and restore level 0. Do an `ln -s /tmp/backup /archive/level1` or wherever. Keep following ontape prompts and restore level 1. Remove link and reset TAPEDEV. [1] Send me an email if you'd like any. Not Informix approved, etc, but working for us at any rate.