Veritas NetBackup™ for Informix Administrator's Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): NetBackup (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

Example restore of an Informix database

This example shows the procedure for restoring an Informix database from the original source computer, camel, to the destination computer, giraffe. For this example, the redirected restore is necessary because the original computer, camel, failed. You also can use a redirected restore to duplicate your Informix database in a development or in a test environment.

This example assumes the following:

  • Source client camel is a Solaris computer that is running Informix.

    • SERVERNUM is 6

    • DBSERVERNAME is srcdb

    • Host name is camel

  • Destination client giraffe is a Solaris computer that is running Informix.

    • SERVERNUM is 0

    • DBSERVERNAME is destdb

    • Host name is giraffe

  • NetBackup master server is lion. The bp.conf on camel includes SERVER=lion.

    If SERVER=lion were not the first server in the bp.conf file, then the environment variable INFXBSA_SERVER on camel you would set to lion, as follows:

    export INFXBSA_SERVER=lion
  • Previously you performed the onbar -b Informix database backup on camel.

  • Previously you performed a file system backup of $INFORMIXDIR/etc on camel, which effectively backed up the following:

    • ixbar.6

    • sqlhosts

    • onconfig

    • oncfg_srcdb.6

  • You salvaged the logical logs on camel by using the following command:

    onbar -l -s

To redirect an Informix restore (example)

  1. As the NetBackup administrator, create the following file on the NetBackup server, lion:
    /usr/openv/netbackup/db/altnames/giraffe
  2. Add the name camel to the file.
  3. Log into giraffe as Informix ownerId and ensure that the Informix database server is shut down.
  4. Perform a manual file system backup of $INFORMIXDIR/etc on giraffe.

    Including the following files:

    • ixbar.0

    • sqlhosts

    • onconfig

    • oncfg_destdb.0

    Note that this step is a precautionary measure. It is performed in case these configuration files are needed to recreate the environment on giraffe. This backup is not used for the redirected restore.

  5. On giraffe, change the Informix server environment variable to match the variable on camel.

    Use the following command:

    export INFORMIXSERVER=srcdb
  6. On giraffe, change the INFXBSA_CLIENT environment variable to camel.

    For example:

    export INFXBSA_CLIENT=camel

    This causes giraffe to browse backups from camel.

  7. (Conditional) On giraffe, set the INFXBSA_SERVER environment variable to lion.

    For example:

    export INFXBSA_SERVER=lion

    This step is needed only if the first server that is specified in the bp.conf file on giraffe is not lion.

  8. Browse the file system backups from camel and restore to $INFORMIXDIR/etc on giraffe.

    Restore the following files:

    • ixbar.6

    • sqlhosts

    • onconfig

    • oncfg_destdb.6

  9. Perform the redirected restore to giraffe.

    Complete the following steps:

    • To perform the physical restore, run the following command:

      onbar -r -p
    • Verify the return status by using the following command:

      echo $?

      If the restore was successful, the return status is 0.

    • To perform the logical restore run the following command

      onbar -r -l
    • Verify the return status by using the following command:

      echo $?

      If the restore was successful, the return status is 0.

  10. On the destination client (giraffe), start the database.