Veritas NetBackup™ for Informix Administrator's Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): NetBackup (8.3.0.1, 8.3, 8.2, 8.1.2)
  1. Introduction to NetBackup for Informix
    1.  
      Features of NetBackup for Informix
    2.  
      About NetBackup for Informix
    3.  
      About NetBackup for Informix terms
    4.  
      Example NetBackup for Informix configuration
    5.  
      About the Informix ON-bar utility and library
    6.  
      How NetBackup for Informix works
  2. Installing NetBackup for Informix
    1.  
      Planning the installation of NetBackup for Informix
    2.  
      Verifying the operating system and platform compatibility
    3.  
      NetBackup server and client requirements
    4.  
      Informix server software requirements
    5.  
      About the license for NetBackup for Informix
    6.  
      Specifying the Informix home path
    7.  
      Adding new Informix instances
  3. Configuring NetBackup for Informix
    1.  
      About configuring NetBackup for Informix
    2. About configuring a backup policy for Informix
      1.  
        Adding a new NetBackup for Informix policy
      2.  
        About policy attributes
      3.  
        Configuring an application backup schedule
      4.  
        Configuring automatic backup schedules
      5. About schedule properties
        1.  
          NetBackup for Informix backup types
        2.  
          Example application backup schedule
        3.  
          Example automatic backup schedule
      6.  
        Adding clients to a policy
      7.  
        Adding NetBackup for Informix scripts to the backup selections list
      8.  
        Rules for NetBackup for Informix scripts
      9.  
        Configuring a Standard policy for backup of the $INFORMIXDIR/etc files
    3. About NetBackup for Informix scripts
      1.  
        Modifying NetBackup for Informix scripts
      2.  
        About NetBackup for Informix environment variables
    4.  
      Configuring an additional bp.conf file
    5.  
      About permissions for NetBackup for Informix log files
    6.  
      Reviewing the auto-discovered mappings in Host Management
    7.  
      Configuring the Maximum jobs per client
    8.  
      Performing a manual backup
  4. Performing backups and restores of Informix
    1.  
      About using NetBackup for Informix
    2.  
      About Informix ON-Bar backup types
    3.  
      Example Informix backup strategy
    4.  
      Automatic backup policy for Informix
    5.  
      Manual backup policy for Informix
    6.  
      Using the onbar command to perform a user-directed backup
    7.  
      About browsing Informix backups
    8.  
      Restoring files to the original client
    9.  
      Redirecting an Informix restore to a different client
    10.  
      Example restore of an Informix database
  5. Troubleshooting
    1.  
      Verifying the NetBackup for Informix configuration
    2.  
      Verifying NetBackup for Informix log files
    3.  
      Enabling the debug logs manually
    4. About the NetBackup for Informix log files
      1.  
        About the bphdb directory on the database client
      2.  
        About the infxbsa directory on the database client
    5.  
      About NetBackup server reports
    6.  
      Setting the debug level
    7.  
      Minimizing timeout failures on large database restores
    8.  
      Minimizing the loading and unloading of tapes for database backups
    9.  
      Deleting expired backups from the Informix backup database
    10.  
      Delays in completion of backup jobs
  6. Appendix A. Register authorized locations
    1.  
      Registering authorized locations used by a NetBackup database script-based policy

Redirecting an Informix restore to a different client

You have the option to restore an Informix database to a client other than the one that originally supplied the backup. This process of restoring data to a different client is called a redirected restore. You must be the NetBackup administrator to perform these tasks.

To perform a redirected restore, the following conditions must be present:

  • The source and the destination clients must have identical operating system versions and bit levels.

  • The source and the destination clients must have identical Informix database versions.

  • The Informix ownerId, Informix groupId, and Informix home must be identical on the source and on the destination clients.

For more information on redirected restores, see the NetBackup Administrator's Guide, Volume I.

To redirect an Informix restore to a different client

  1. Create the following file on the master server:
    /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/client_name

    For client_name, specify the name of the client that is allowed to perform the redirected restore. Add the name of the NetBackup for Informix source client to that file.

  2. Back up the logical logs on the NetBackup for Informix source client.

    A logical log contains records of all the database activity that occurs between backups. These records contain all the database transactions that have taken place after the last backup.

    Log into the source client as Informix ownerId and issue the following command:

    onbar -b -l
  3. If the source client database server is down, salvage the logical logs.

    This command backs up any logical logs that have not yet been backed up and are not corrupted or destroyed.

    Log into the source client as Informix ownerId and issue the following command:

    onbar -l -s
  4. Shut down the Informix database server on both the source client and the destination client.

    Issue one of the following commands:

    • For Informix Dynamic Server:

      onmode -ky
    • For Extended Parallel Server:

      xctl onmode -ky
  5. On the NetBackup for Informix destination client, back up the files that reside in the $INFORMIXDIR/etc directory to preserve the original configuration. The following steps overwrite files in this directory.
  6. Copy configuration and informational files in the $INFORMIXDIR/etc directory from the NetBackup for Informix source client to the $INFORMIXDIR/etc directory on the NetBackup for Informix destination client.

    You can use ftp(1) to copy files from the source client to the destination client.

    • Copy the emergency or the backup boot files.

      For the Informix Dynamic Server, the emergency boot file is $INFORMIXDIR/etc/ixbar.servernum.

      For the Extended Parallel Server, the backup boot file is $INFORMIXDIR/etc/Bixbar_hostname.servernum.

      For servernum, specify the value of the SERVERNUM configuration parameter that is specified in the $INFORMIXDIR/etc/$ONCONFIG file.

    • Copy the connectivity information file, $INFORMIXDIR/etc/sqlhosts, which specifies how the client application finds and connects to an Informix database server .

    • Copy the database configuration file that the environment variable ONCONFIG specifies. This file is located in the $INFORMIXDIR/etc directory.

    • Copy the files that the Informix database server creates and updates every time a dbspace, blobspace, logical-log file, or chunk is added or deleted.

      For Informix Dynamic Server, this file is $INFORMIXDIR/etc/oncfg_servername.servernum

      For Extended Parallel Server and for each coserver this file is $INFORMIXDIR/etc/oncfg_servername.servernum.coserverid

      The variables are as follows:

      servernum

      The value of the SERVERNUM configuration.

      servername

      The value of the DBSERVERNAME configuration.

      coserverid

      The ID of the coserver.

    • (Conditional) Copy file xcfg_servername.servernum.

      Perform this step if you use the Extended Parallel Server. File xcfg_servername.servernum contains information about coserver location and dbslice definition.

      In the file name, the variables are as follows:

      servernum

      The value of the SERVERNUM configuration.

      servername

      The value of the DBSERVERNAME configuration.

  7. Configure the NetBackup for Informix destination client.

    • Set the INFXBSA_CLIENT environment variable to the host name of the source client.

    • (Conditional) Set the INFXBSA_SERVER environment variable to the NetBackup master server that is used for the source client backup.

      Perform this step if the NetBackup master server that is used for the source client backup is different than the server that is specified in the bp.conf file on the destination.

  8. Perform the redirected restore.

    • Log onto the NetBackup for Informix destination client as Informix ownerId.

    • Perform a physical restore.

      Use the following command to restore storage spaces to their most recent backed-up state:

      onbar -r -p
    • Perform a logical restore.

      Use the following command to update the most recent backed-up version of the storage spaces with later transactions:

      onbar -r -l