This section provides instructions for backing up your system, including how to back up the root volume group, verify a backup tape or CD, and back up a user volume group.
Mount all file systems you want to back up. The mksysb command only backs up JFS (Journaled File Systems). Refer to the mount command for details.
Note: The mksysb command does not back up file systems mounted across an NFS network.
Unmount any local directories that are mounted over another local directory.
Make at least 8.8MB of free disk space available in the /tmp directory. The mksysb command requires this working space for the duration of the backup.
Use the df command, which reports in units of 512-byte blocks, to determine the free space in the /tmp directory. Use the chfs command to change the size of the file system, if necessary.
For example, the following command adds 12MB of disk space to the /tmp directory of a system with 4MB partitions:
chfs -a size=+24000 /tmp
All hardware must already be installed, including external devices, such as tape and CD-ROM drives.
The bos.sysmgt.sysbr fileset in the BOS System Management Tools and Applications software package must be installed. The bos.sysmgt.sysbr fileset is automatically installed in AIX Version 4.3. Enter the following command to determine if the bos.sysmgt.sysbr fileset is installed on your system:
lslpp -l bos.sysmgt.sysbr
If your system has the bos.sysmgt.sysbr fileset installed, continue with either To Back Up the Root Volume Group or To Back Up a User Volume Group.
If the lslpp command does not list the bos.sysmgt.sysbr fileset, install it before continuing with the backup procedure. Refer to To Install Software and Service Updates with Custom Install for instructions, or enter the following command:
installp -agqXd device bos.sysmgt.sysbr
where device is the location of the software; for example, /dev/cd0 for CD-ROM drive.
Use either the Web-based System Manager Backups application or SMIT to create a system backup stored either to tape or in a file. If you are using AIX Version 4.3.3 or later, the system backup image can be stored on CD.
To use the Web-based System Manager application to back up the root volume group, enter the wsm backup fast path.
If you want to back up the root volume group to CD, use the following procedure:
Use the Web-based System Manager Backups application to back up the root volume group.
Enter the wsm backup fast path.
Double-click on the System Backup to CD-R TaskGuide icon, and follow the prompts.
Enter the smit mksysb fast path.
The Back Up the System (Back Up This System to Tape/File in AIX Version 4.3.3) menu appears, highlighting the Backup DEVICE or File field.
Decide which medium you will use to store the backup and select the Back Up DEVICE or FILE field. If you want to create a bootable backup, the medium must be tape. Depending on the medium you chose, follow the appropriate step below:
| TAPE | Press the F4 key to list available tape devices and highlight the device name. |
| FILE | Enter a full path and file name in the entry field. |
If you want to create map files, select the Create Map Files? field and press the Tab key once to change the default value to yes.
Map files match the physical partitions on a drive to its logical partitions. When installing from a backup image, the BOS installation program uses map files to position the logical volumes on the target drive in the same partitions they were on in the source system. If you do not create map files, the installation program relies on the Logical Volume Manager (LVM) to determine placement for the logical volumes. For more information, see Using Map Files for Precise Allocation in AIX Version 4.3 System Management Guide: Operating System and Devices.
Note: If you plan to reinstall the backup to target systems other than the source system, or the disk configuration of the source system is to be changed before reinstalling the backup, the use of Map files is not recommended.
If you want to exclude certain files from the backup, create the /etc/exclude.rootvg file, with an ASCII editor, and enter the patterns of file names that you do not want included in your system backup image.
The patterns in this file are input to the pattern matching conventions of the grep command to determine which files will be excluded from the backup. If you want to exclude files listed in the /etc/exclude.rootvg file, select the Exclude Files field and press the Tab key once to change the default value to yes.
For example, to exclude all the contents of the directory called scratch, edit the exclude file to read as follows:
/scratch/
For example, to exclude the contents of the directory called /tmp, and avoid excluding any other directories that have /tmp in the pathname, edit the exclude file to read as follows:
^./tmp/
Note: All files are backed up relative to the current working directory. This directory is represented by a . (dot character). To exclude any file or directory for which it is important to have the search match the string at the beginning of the line, use a ^ (caret character) as the first character in the search string, followed by a . (dot character), and then followed by the filename or directory to be excluded.If the filename or directory being excluded is a substring of another filename or directory, use ^. (caret character followed by dot character) to indicate that the search should begin at the beginning of the line and/or use $ (dollar sign character) to indicate that the search should end at the end of the line.
If you want each file listed as it is backed up, press the Tab key once to change the default value of List files as they are backed up? to yes. Otherwise, you will see a percentage-completed progress message while the backup is created.
The image.data file contains information about the sizes of all the file systems and logical volumes in your rootvg. If you modified the image.data file and don't want a new file created, press the Tab key once to set the value to no for Generate new /image.data file?.
If you chose to create a bootable tape and you want to expand the system's /tmp file system (if required by the backup program), press the Tab key once to change the value for EXPAND /tmp if needed? field to yes.
If the tape drive you are using provides packing (or compression), set the Disable software packing of backup? field to yes.
If you chose tape as the backup medium, select the Number of BLOCKS to write in a single output field and enter the number of blocks to write for the tape device used to create the backup image, or leave the field blank to accept the system default.
If you chose file as the backup medium, press the Enter key. If you chose tape as the backup medium, insert the first blank backup tape into the drive and press the Enter key.
The COMMAND STATUS screen appears, showing status messages while the system makes the backup image.
If you chose tape as the backup medium, the system may prompt you to insert the next tape during the backup by displaying a message similar to the following:
Mount next Volume on /dev/rmt0 and press Enter.
If this message appears, remove the tape and label it, including the BOS version number. Then insert another tape and press Enter.
When the backup process finishes, the COMMAND: field changes to OK.
If you chose tape as the backup medium, remove the last tape and label it. Write-protect the backup tapes.
Record any backed up root and user passwords. Remember, these passwords will be active if you use the backup to either restore this system or install another system.
You have created the backup of your root volume group (rootvg). If you created bootable tapes, these tapes can be used to start your system if for some reason you cannot boot from hard disks.
Enter the smit mkcd command. You will be prompted to answer whether you will be using an existing mksysb image or not.
Enter the name of the CD-R device. This can be left blank if Create the CD now? field is set to no.
If you are creating a mksysb image, you will have to select the mksysb image creation options. These are as follows:
Refer to steps 3 and 4 of Using SMIT to Back Up This System to Tape/File. The mkcd command will always call the mksysb command with the flags to extend /tmp, to create an image.data file, and to use software packing for the backup.
Enter the file system/directory in which to store the mksysb image. This can be a file system you created in the rootvg, in another volume group, or NFS mounted file system. If left blank, the mkcd command will create the file system and remove it when the command completes.
In the next two fields, you can enter the file systems and directories where the CD file system and CD images will be stored. These can be file systems you created in the rootvg, in another volume group, or NFS mounted file systems. If these fields are left blank, the mkcd command will create these file systems, and remove them at command completion, unless otherwise indicated in steps 8 or step 9 of this procedure.
If you did not enter any information in the file systems' fields, you can select to have the mkcd command either create these file systems in the rootvg, or in another volume group. If the default of rootvg is chosen and a mksysb image is being created, the mkcd command will add the file systems to the exclude file and will call the mksysb with the exclude files option -e.
Do you want the CD to be bootable? If yes, this CD will be bootable on the source system on which it was created. If not, you will have to boot from a product CD at the same version/release/maintenance level, and then select to install the system backup from the system backup CD.
If the Remove final images after creating CD? field is changed to no, then the file system selected in step 5 for the CD images will remain after the CD has been recorded.
If the Create the CD now? field is changed to no, then the file system selected in step 5 for the CD images will remain and the CD will not be created.
If an Install bundle file is to be used, enter the full path name to the bundle file. The mkcd command will copy the file into the CD file system. The user is responsible for either having the bundle file already specified in the bosinst.data file, BUNDLES field, in the mksysb image, or must use a user-specified bosinst.data file that has the BUNDLES field set appropriately. When this option is used to have the bundle file placed on the CD, then the location in the BUNDLES field of the bosinst.data file must be as follows:
/../usr/sys/inst.data/user_bundles/bundle_file_name
Additional packages can be placed on the CD, by entering the name of a file containing a list of packages in the File with list of packages to copy to CD field. The format of this file should be 1 package name per line.
If you are having a bundle installed after the mksysb image is restored, by following the directions in step 10, then you can use this option to have those packages listed in the bundle available on the CD. If this option is used, then the next option must also be used.
The location of install images, that are to be copied to the CD file system, must be entered for Location of packages to copy to CD. This field is required if additional packages are to be placed on CD in step 11. The location can be a directory or CD device.
The full path name to a customization script can be given in the Customization script field. If given, the mkcd command will copy the file to the CD file system. It is the user's responsibility to either have the CUSTOMIZATION_FILE field already set in the bosinst.data file in the mksysb image, or use a user-specified bosinst.data file with the CUSTOMIZATION_FILE field set. The mkcd command will copy this file to the RAM filesystem, therefore the path in the CUSTOMIZATION_FILE field must be:
/../filename
You may use your own bosinst.data file rather than the one in the mksysb image. You may do this by entering the full path name of your bosinst.data file in the User supplied bosinst.data file field.
To turn on debug for the mkcd command, set Debug output? to yes. The debug will go to the smit.log.
You may use your own image.data file rather than the image.data file in the mksysb image, by entering the full path name of your image.data file for the User supplied image.data file field.
Enter the smit mkcdgeneric command.
Enter the name of the CD-R device. This can be left blank if the Create the CD now? field is set to no.
Enter the full path name of the mksysb image. Only previously created mksysb images can be used. This path will not create a mksysb image for you.
Enter the location of the installation images that are to be copied to the CD file system in the Location of packages to copy to CD field. This field is required to copy devices and kernel packages to the generic CD. Additional software packages can be copied onto generic CD, if a list of packages is provided, in step 10. The location can be either a directory or CD device.
In the next two fields you can enter the file systems for the CD file system and CD images. These can be file systems you created in the rootvg, in another volume group, or NFS mounted file systems. If left blank, the mkcd command will create these file systems, and remove them at command completion, unless otherwise indicated in steps step 7 or step 8.
If you left the file systems' fields blank, you can select to have the mkcd command either create these file systems in the rootvg, or in another volume group.
If the Remove final images after creating CD? field is changed to no, then the file system selected in step 5 for the CD images will remain after the CD has been recorded.
If the Create the CD now? field is changed to no, then the file system selected in step 5 for the CD images will remain and the CD will not be created.
If an Install bundle file is to be used, enter the full path name to the bundle file. The mkcd command will copy the file into the CD file system. The user is responsible for either having the bundle file already specified in the bosinst.data file, BUNDLES field, in the mksysb image, or must use a user-specified bosinst.data file that has the BUNDLES field set appropriately. If this option is used to have the bundle file placed on the CD, then the location in the BUNDLES field of the bosinst.data file must be as follows:
/../usr/sys/inst.data/user_bundles/bundle_file_name.
Additional packages can be placed on the CD, by entering the name of a file, which contains a list of packages, for the File with list of packages to copy to CD field. The format of this file should be 1 package name per line. If you are having a bundle installed after the mksysb is restored, follow the directions in step 9 to use this option to have the packages listed in the bundle available on the CD.
The full path name to a customization script can be given for the Customization script field. If given, the mkcd command will copy the file to the CD file system. It is the users responsibility to either have the CUSTOMIZATION_FILE field already set in the bosinst.data file in the mksysb image, or use a user-specified bosinst.data file with this field set. The mkcd command will copy this file to the RAM filesystem. The path in the CUSTOMIZATION_FILE field must be:
/../filename.
You may use your own bosinst.data file rather than the bosinst.data file in the mksysb image, by entering the full path name of your bosinst.data file for the User supplied bosinst.data file field.
To turn on debug for the mkcd command, set the Debug output? field to yes. The debug output will go to the smit.log.
You may use your own image.data file rather than the image.data file in the mksysb image, by entering the full path name of your image.data file for the User supplied image.data file field.
Use either Web-based System Manager or SMIT to list the contents of a mksysb image on tape or CD. The contents list verifies most of the information on the tape, but does not verify that the backup media can be booted for installations. The only way to verify that the boot image(s) on a mksysb tape or CD function properly is by booting from the media. To verify all the boot images on a generic CD, you should try to boot from the CD on each different platform on which you are installing the backup.
To use the Web-based System Manager application to verify a backup tape or CD, enter the wsm backup fast path.
Enter the smit lsmksysb fast path. The List Files in a System Image screen appears.
Note: Do not press the Enter key until you finish providing values in the entry fields.
Use either Web-based System Manager or SMIT to back up user volume groups. Starting with AIX Version 4.3.3 you can back up a user volume group to CD.
To use the Web-based System Manager application to back up a user volume group to tape or file, enter the wsm lvm fast path.
To use the Web-based System Manager application to back up a user volume group to a CD, enter the wsm backup fast path, and then double-click on the System Backup to CD-R TaskGuide icon.
If you wish to back up a user volume group to tape or file, enter the smit savevg fast path. Back up a user volume group by entering the smit savevgcd fast path to back up to CD.
When the Save a Volume Group screen appears, use the steps for backing up the root volume group as a guide for backing up user volume groups. There is one exception to this procedure. If you want to exclude files in a user volume group from the backup image, create a file named /etc/exclude.volume_group_name, where volume_group_name is the name of the volume group you want to backup. Next, edit /etc/exclude.volume_group_name and enter the patterns of file names that you do not want included in your backup image. The patterns in this file are input to the pattern matching conventions of the grep command to determine which files will be excluded from the backup.