ORIGINAL QUESTION:
I'm trying to implement the easiest and most reliable
full system recovery solution for my Tru64 UNIX 5.1a
with AdvFS using commercial backup software. I have
contacted the software vendor but their exposure to
AdvFS is limited. If my OS's hardrive should ever
fail, I would like to know what would be the best and
easiest way to restore the system using commercial
backup software (using ADvFS). I have never used
proprietary backup software to restore an OS; I have
always relied on vdump and vrestores. What I usually
do for a system recovery is:
Boot to the cdrom
Label the disk.
create domains
restore from dumps that was stored on another hardrive
But since I'm new to commercial backup software and
restoring from tape libraries, which solely relies on
the network for backup and restores, how can I restore
from commercial backup software if I'm booted to the
CD-Rom? My idea is to a write a script that creates
once a week a level 0 dump of the root_domain and
usr_domain and have the backup software backup the
domain dumps. So if I my OS should ever fail, I could
restore the OS that way--is that possible? Clarity in
restoring from backup software while booted to the
cdrom would be greatly appreciated. Your ideas and
solutions to this issue is greatly appreciated at this
time.
Thanks to:
Adametz, Bluejay
speakmaj_at_mskcc.org
Deiss, Mark
Brehl, Blake
Dunn Alethia D CONT DLVA
Selden E Ball Jr
ForgetS_at_ DFO-MPO.GC.CA
Stan Horwitz
Davis, Alan
Shawn.Cromer_at_ sungard.com
RichGlazier_at_ netscape.net
REPLIES:
I've been successful making a copy of the installation CD and adding a
copy
of my backup software client (Netbackup) to it. Do this by making a
copy of
the CD on a writable disk, install the software, then use mkisofs to
build a
new CD. If your backup software client wants to be able to write stuff,
you
may need to make some links to /tmp for it, since you won't have a
writable
disk if you boot from CD.
The other alternative would be to recover by first installing the OS
and
backup software, then restoring everything else.
- Bluejay Adametz
=============
Which backup software package do you use? Without knowing anything
about
your system configuration and backup software, I do not see how it is
possible to answer any of your questions. Here at Temple University, we
use Legato NetWorker for our backup needs. We use our backup server to
back up several terabytes of data every day from Tru64 Unix systems,
Windows 2000 servers, and Novell NetWare. We run our backup server on
an
AlphaServer DS20 that has two tape libraries connected to it. We plan
to
migrate our backup server soon to a Sun Enterprise 450 though.
If you are using Legato NetWorker to do your backups, you are welcome
to
subscribe to my NetWorker discussion group at
http://listmail.temple.edu/archives/networker.html
You might also want to check out the Backup Central web site at
http://www.backupcentral.com for information.
====================
Hi Like you I have never used anything except vdump or vrestore
but
for our new system (we open the box on Monday) we will be using
Legato
Networker. It definitely understands AdvFS and clustered disks
and
can perform some kind of disaster recovery, and even has a neat
plug-in that talks to your Oracle database. As we haven't
installed
it yet, it will be a couple of months before I could give it a
concrete recommendation (i.e., it looks good on paper but I don't
know
how well it works). I will hang onto your e-mail and try and
remember
to write you back when I have used it a little.
John
========================================
Your outline of having one tape made via dump to be used with your
CD-ROM is
a good approach - just make sure that what ever areas that your
commercial
backup software uses (both applications and any databases/indexes) are
also
backed up to your vdump tape. This way you can recovery the bare OS and
the
necessary commercial application content to your disk drives and will
then
be able to use the commercial software to restore the balance. I am a
little
confused by your wording - you would use vdump to backup the important
domains - the corresponding vrestore utility is available on your Tru64
OEM
OS CD-ROM so you can use it to restore the important domains from your
vdump
tape. Your commercial backup created tapes would be restored by using
the
commercial backup software restored from your vdump tape.
You do not mention it but a better way to backup the domains per vdump
is to
first create clonesets of all the desired domains and then backup the
clonesets to tape via vdump. This way you have a fixed snapshot of the
domain content - the primary filesystems will have their content
changing
per system process load. Your I/O will be degraded with the clonesets
but we
have found it to be very acceptable. You also need to have no more then
95%
usage on a given domain in order to support creation of the cloneset.
Once a
cloneset has been completely backed up to disk, you can release it
while the
remaining clonesets are backed up to tape.
If you are using umm... Tru64 5.1 (maybe 5.0 ??), the AdvFS vdump
operation
finally supports native network based backup/restore operations.
Finally.
AIX, Solaris, Linux, BSD have had this capability for a long long time
already.... we were using it in SunOS 4.13 and AIX 4.15.....
Be aware that there is a difference in the native tool sets you should
use
if you have both UFS and AdvFS filesystems that need to be backed up.
Also,
if your commercial software vendor is non-conversant with AdvFS, a good
question to ask them is whether they properly back up the AdvFS files'
ACL
attributes - this may be an area they are missing.
Unless the commercial software is really giving you some bells and
whistles,
you may be further ahead to stick with vdump. We used NSR in addition
to
vdump procedures and I just fail to see the advantage of NSR..... when
the
NSR database gets whacked or the NSR daemons go south, it's a mess to
clean
it up. Speed wise, the difference is not that significant.
========================================
You should perform a backup of your own in order to restore. The
network
backup program will
require you to install O/S first, install the network software, then
restore. It is easier/faster to perform a personal backup using vdump
etc.
I always perform a personal backup even though the network backup is
performed.
FYI
Alethia Dunn
Computer Analyst
=========================================
Vishu,
You need to be specific about which commercial backup software
you are using. They all do it differently.
We gave up in disgust with trying to do it using Veritas.
The time and effort required to restore a system disk from NetBackup
is comparable to installing the system software from scratch
(about 3 hours in our environment).
Selden
======
Selden E. Ball, Jr.
===========================================
Hello Vishu,
Here is my 2 cents on this. ;-)
Once a day, Sunday to Friday, I have a script that does a vdump of the
Root
and USR domains. This gives me the capability to do a quick recovery
of the
O/S.
Again, once a day, Sunday to Friday, I do a full system backup with
Networker, backup software from Legato (
http://www.legato.com).
Should I need to do a full system recovery, all there is to do is:
Boot from CD.
Restore O/S from last known good vdumps.
Reboot in full user mode.
Perform a full system restore with Networker.
Do a final normal reboot and you are done.
The restore time will depend on the amount of data that your system
holds.
Regards,
Serge Forget
National Systems Operations
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Pêches et Océans Canada
==========================================
Vishu,
You wrote
> I'm using NetVault.
Sorry, I know nothing about that product.
One common way to backup systm disk partitions is to use an
intermediate scratch disk or system.
Use your favorite backup utility to create backup savesets on the
scratch disk. Backup that disk using the "foreign" backup service.
So far as the backup service is concerned, those savesets are just
standard files that are to be backed up or restored.
In order to restore the system partitions,
a) the backup service restores the partittion backups to scratch space
on a working system
b) the working system acts as an NFS server for the system to be
restored
c) you then configure nfs client services on the standalone system to
which you will be restoring the system partition images.
In principle, appropriate commands can get NFS running when booted
from a CD, but I've never done it. We use RIS, Tru64's networked
software installation package, which makes step c) automatic: the
standalone system is booted over the network, not from CD.
RIS requires the OSF-SVR license PAK on the software server, though.
It's an extra cost option.
I hope this helps a little.
Selden
======
Selden E. Ball, Jr.
====================================
I am not familiar with the backup software can do. But remember if you
ever have a disaster and need to go to a hotsite like mine. We do not
have
the software to install to use your backup software. I had a customer
that
stopped doing VDUMP when they got similar software. They assumed that I
had
a system with the software available for them to restore their root
disk
using my software. If you do standard vdumps of your entire root disk
,
you can restore root with the backup software being laid down too from
the
CD installation disk. Then once you build your kernel you can boot
your
root disk and then use the software to restore the data.
Shawn Cromer - Sr. Recovery Specialist
SunGard Availability Services
==========================================
I am in the midst of considering enterprise backup platforms also. I
have decided that no matter what commercial hardware or software I go
with, I will continue to do weekly vdumps of / and /usr to the local TZ
drives on my alphas. I figure if I had to restore from scratch, I'd
have to boot to CD, restore OS from tape, and then restore filesystems
from the enterprise backup software. The other step might be to reinstall
the enterprise b.u. software, if it was not part of my restor from
tapes.
========================================
Hi Vishu,
I'll be interested to see your SUMMARY. I've had both Legato and
Veritas on
Tru64UNIX, and I've always found it's best to have a separate DLT drive
to
vdump /, /usr and /var to achieve a fast recovery. I've lost a
complete
Legato library, and the Digital support line recommended to always have
the
O/S vdump complement the 3rd party. That way you would boot off of
cdrom,
exit to the O/S shell, do the disk maintenance (whatever is necessary
to
recover, disklabel, mkfdmn, mkfest, ....to finally mount a volume as
/mnt),
enable the tape drive (in virtual O/S), mount the target volume to
recover
and vrestore to the mounted volume. Off you go.
I've had to educate our unknowledgable Operation's group here, as the
"3rd
party backup vendor" states that it can be all inclusive and recover
the O/S
drives. Well, how's that done? If you ask the 3rd party, don't expect
to
find someone knowledgable. Statements of all inclusive recovery are
sales
fluff. I believe you would have to do an install of the O/S, then
install
and configure the 3rd party vendor software, then use the 3rd party
vendor
application to recover (much slower and way more difficult than having
an
O/S vdump available, start restore, exit to O/S, mount, vrestore the
volumes
and reboot).
We also experienced several problems with the recovery of Intel based
servers on Commvault. Never got as far as backing up the Alpha's, we
sent
the product back for failure to deliver.
Best Regards,
Blake Brehl
Sr. DBA
Anritsu Company United States
Morgan Hill, CA
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Received on Fri Dec 13 2002 - 19:54:40 NZDT