Note: The information contained in this article is structured as help information for the System Management Interface Tool (SMIT) and is not intended for use as a procedural or conceptual article.
Within this section of SMIT, you can create a backup image of the operating system (the rootvg volume group), list files in a system image backup, and restore individual files from a system image backup. A system image backup can be used to restore your system to its current state.
Create a system image backup of your operating system (the rootvg volume group). A system image backup can be used to restore your system to its current states if needed. If the backup device is a tape or supports UDF, by default the boot/install routines are placed on the backup media so that the backup will be bootable.
Create a system image backup of your operating system (the rootvg volume group). A system image backup can be used to restore your system to its current states if needed. If the backup device is a tape or supports UDF, by default the boot/install routines are placed on the backup media so that the backup will be bootable.
List the files in a system image backup.
System image backup. The files and directories are restored relative to the current directory.
Specify the number of physical blocks to write in a single output operation. For backups by name, specify the number of 512-byte blocks; for backups by i-node, specify the number of 1024-byte blocks. When writing to tape devices, the default is 100 for backups by name and 32 for backups by i-node. The write size is the number of blocks multiplied by the block size. The default write size for writing to tape devices is 51200 (100 * 512) for backups by name and 32768 (32 * 1024) for backups by i-node. The write size must be an even multiple of the tape's physical block size.
Generate a layout mapping of the logical-to-physical partitions for each logical volume in the volume group. This mapping is used to allocate the same logical-to-physical partition mapping when the image is restored.
Exclude the files and directories listed in the /etc/exclude.rootvg file from the system image backup.
Specifies the output device to which the system image is backed up. Specify the device parameter as a file name (such as the /dev/rmt0 file).
Specifies the input device. Specify the device parameter as a file name (such as the /dev/rmt0 file) to get the input from the named device.
Specifies the input device. Specify the device parameter as a file name (such as the /dev/rmt0 file) to get the input from the named device.
List of file and directory names to restore from the system image backup. The name must be specified as listed in the List Files in a System Image menu. If a directory name is specified, then all the files in the named directory are restored. The files and directories are restored relative to the current directory. Leaving the field blank restores all the files in the image.
Create a volume group image backup of a volume group. This volume group backup image can be used to restore the volume group.
Create a volume group image backup of a volume group. This volume group backup image can be used to restore the volume group.
List the files in a volume group image backup.
Extract files from a volume group image backup. The files and directories are restored relative to the current directory.
Recreate a volume group and all the logical volumes and file systems within the volume group. Restore all the files in the file systems from a volume group image backup.
List of file and directory names to restore from the system image backup. The name of the file or directory must be specified as listed in List Files in a Volume Group Backup menu. If a directory name is specified, then all the files in the named directory are restored. The files and directories are restored relative to the current directory. Leaving the field blank restores all the files in the image.
List of file and directory names to restore from the system image backup. The name of the file or directory must be specified as listed in List Files in a Volume Group Backup menu. If a directory name is specified, then all the files in the named directory are restored. The files and directories are restored relative to the current directory. Leaving the field blank restores all the files in the image.
Specifies the volume group to back up.
From the volume group image backup, exclude the files and directories listed in the /etc/exclude.vgname file, where vgname is the name of the volume group to back up.
Recreate the logical volumes and file systems within the volume group to the minimum size required to contain the data. This reduces wasted free space in a file system.
Specifies the physical volumes to be used for the volume group backup. The physical volumes must not belong to any other volume group. Leaving the field blank will restore the volume group onto the physical volumes specified in the vgname.data file stored in the backup image, where vgname is the name of the volume group to back up.
Specifies the physical volumes to be used for the volume group backup. The physical volumes must not belong to any other volume group. Leaving the field blank will restore the volume group onto the physical volumes specified in the vgname.data file stored in the backup image, where vgname is the name of the volume group to back up.
Specifies the number of 512-byte blocks to read in a single input operation. If you do not specify this flag, the restore command selects a default value appropriate for the physical device you have selected. Larger values result in larger physical transfers from tape devices.
Applies only to tape media. Images backed up to a file are not bootable. If you are backing up to tape, it is generally desirable to create a bootable tape. However, some machine configurations do not support bootable tapes. Space in the /tmp file system is temporarily used to create the boot image that is placed on the tape. It may be necessary or desirable to create a nonbootable tape if the free space in /tmp is limited.
When you choose to create a bootable tape backup, space in the /tmp file system is temporarily used to create a boot image. Valid options are yes and no. If you enter yes, an attempt will be made to expand /tmp by the required amount of space. If you enter no and if there is not enough free space in /tmp to create the boot image, an error message displays the amount of additional free space needed.
If you want to create a bootable tape backup and do not have enough free space in /tmp, an alternative to expanding /tmp is to log out of SMIT and attempt to free up enough space in /tmp to cover the needed amount.
Note: The logical volume on which a file system resides is always expanded by a number of physical partitions. Therefore, if you choose to expand /tmp, at least one additional partition will be allocated. The most common partition size for the rootvg volume group is four megabytes. You can use the lsvg rootvg command to determine the physical partition size and the number of free and used partitions in your rootvg volume group.
Specifies whether to disable packing (compression) of files before placing them in the archive. When packing is enabled (that is, when this field is set to No), files that cannot be compressed are placed in the archive as is. Restoring the archive automatically unpacks the files packed by this option.
Disabling this option (by setting the field to Yes) is recommended if files are being modified when the backup is in progress. Modifying a file when a backup is in progress might corrupt the backup and you might not be able to recover the data. Disabling the packing option is also recommended when the backup device is a tape device that performs compression.
The default value is No, which means the files are packed before they are archived.
Specify the writable CD or DVD device to use to create the system image backup. Specify this parameter as a file name, for example, /dev/cd0.
Creates a system backup image (mksysb) to CD from the running system rootvg volume group or from a previously created mksysb image. You can use a system backup image to restore a system to its previous state and, if you created bootable CDs, to boot the system if necessary.
Creates a system backup image (mksysb) to DVD from the running system rootvg volume group or from a previously created mksysb image. You can create two different types of DVD: ISO9660 or UDF. ISO9660 allows the exchange of data among different operating systems, but is a read-only file system. UDF allows the exchange of data among different operating systems, but can be either a write or read file system.
You can use a system backup image to restore a system to its previous state and, if you created bootable DVDs, to boot the system if necessary.
Select whether to create an image to be placed on a CD (approximately 645 MB in size) or on DVD (approximately 4.38 GB in size). The default is "No".
Creates a volume group image backup (savevg) to CD from the specified volume group or from a previously created savevg image. You can use this volume group backup image to restore the volume group.
Creates a volume group image backup (savevg) DVD from the specified volume group or from a previously created savevg image. You can use this volume group backup image to restore the volume group.
You can create two different types of DVD: ISO9660 or UDF. ISO9660 allows the exchange of data among different operating systems, but is a read-only file system. UDF allows the exchange of data among different operating systems, but can be either a write or read file system.
Creates a generic system backup image (mksysb) to CD or DVD from a previously created mksysb image. You can use the backup image to boot or install any RS/6000 platform such as chrp, rs6k, or rspc.
Indicates whether to create CDs or DVDs now or to save the images for use later. The CD or DVD images are saved in the file system you specified for storing the final CD or DVD images, or the /mkcd/cd_images file system, which is the default.
Specify the full path file name that will be placed in the root directory of the CD or DVD file system. If this file is a customization script that is executed after the BOS install completes, you must specify it in the user supplied bosinst.data file as:
CUSTOMIZATION FILE = <filename>.
Indicates whether debug output should be displayed during command execution.
Indicates whether to create bootable CDs or DVDs. If you do not create bootable CDs or DVDs, a product CD or DVD is required for system boot in order to install the mksysb from non-bootable CDs or DVDs.
Specify the location of the directory or the file system used to store the CD or DVD file system while the images are being created. If you leave this field blank, the /mkcd/cd_fs file system will be used or created. If the command creates this file system, it is removed before the command completes. This file system must have at least 640 MB of available disk space for CD creation and 4.4 GB of available disk space for DVD images.
Specify the location of the directory or file system used to store the final CD or DVD images before writing to the CD-R, DVD-R, or DVD-RAM device. If you leave this field blank, the /mkcd/cd_images file system will be used or created. If the command creates this file system, it is removed before the command completes unless you specify otherwise. This file system must have at least 640 MB of available disk space for each stored CD image or volume and 4.4 GB of available disk space for DVD images.
Specify the location of the directory or file system used to store the mksysb image. If you leave this field blank, the /mkcd/mksysb_image file system will be used or created. If the command creates this file system, it is removed before the command completes.
Specify the location of the directory or file system used to store the savevg image. If you leave this field blank, the /mkcd/mksysb_image file system will be used or created. If the command creates this file system, it is removed before the command completes.
Specify the full path file name that will be placed in the user_bundles directory of the CD or DVD file system. In order for the contents of this install bundle to be installed after the mksysb is restored, you must set the BUNDLES field in the bosinst.data file as:
BUNDLES = /../usr/sys/inst.data/user_bundles/<bundle_file>
Specify the full path name location of a previously created mksysb image that will be used to create the CD or DVD image.
Specify the full path name location of a previously created savevg image that will be used to create the CD or DVD image.
Specify the directory or device that contains device and kernel install images (if making a generic CD or DVD) and any additional packages you are copying to the CD or DVD. The device can only be a CD or DVD device.
Specify the full path file name that contains a list of additional packages to copy to the CD or DVD file system. These packages must be found in the package source location.
Indicates whether to remove the final CD or DVD image or images after one or more CDs or DVDs have been created. If the CD or DVD images are not removed, they will exist in the file system you specified for storing the final CD or DVD images or in the /mkcd/cd_images file system, which is the default.
Indicates whether the system backup image (mksysb) will be created from a previously created mksysb image or from the running system rootvg volume group.
Indicates whether the volume group image backup (savevg) will be created from a previously created savevg image or from a volume group you specify.
Full path customized bosinst.data file to be placed in the CD or DVD file system. This bosinst.data file takes precedence over the bosinst.data file in the mksysb.
Full path customized image.data file to be placed in the CD or DVD file system. This image.data file takes precedence over the image.data file in the mksysb.
Specify the volume group used to create file systems. If this volume group is the same as the volume group being backed up, any file systems being created by the mkcd command are excluded from the backup.
Specify the volume group that is being backed up to CD or DVD.
Create a volume group image backup (savevg) to a tape device, to a file or to a device that supports UDFS (universal disk format file system). This backup can be of a specified volume group or from a previously created savevg image. You can use this volume group backup image to restore the volume group.
Create a system backup image (mksysb). You can use a system backup image to restore your system to its previous state, if needed, and to boot the system.
To read from either a specified vgname.data file or from a vg backup image and to create the volume group, logical volumes, and file systems based on that information, select "yes". Only the volume group's file system structure will be created. No data will be restored. The default is "no".
To attempt to read the backup image from the tape and report any read errors if they occur, select "yes". This does not verify whether the image can be booted or that the stored data is not corrupt. The default is "no".
Specifies whether mkvgdata command should be called to generate /tmp/vgdata/<vgname>/<vgname>.data file. The <vgname>.data file contains information on volume group, logical volumes, file systems, paging space, and physical volumes. This information is included in the backup for volume group recreation. If <vgname>.data does not exist, then one will be created irregardless of the setting of this option.
Lists various characteristics of a volume group image such as date and time of the backup, host name, CPU ID, volume group, and logical volume information.
Checks the header information of every file on the backup to determine whether they can be read on the backup.
Lists the contents of the backup log. This log keeps records of all volume group backups created on the host system. This information includes the command that was run to create the backup (mksysb, savevg, or mkcd), which volume group was backed up, where the backup was made to (a device or file), the date and time of the backup, the shrink size, backup size, and the maintenance level of the system.
Lists detailed information about filesets contained with the specified system backup image.
Specify whether you want the DMAPI file system files backed up.
Specify whether you want to back up user volume group information and administration data files. This backs up files such as /tmp/vgdata/vgname/vgname.data and map files if any exist. This does not back up user data files. This backup can be used to create a user volume group without restoring user data files. This cannot be done to rootvg.