I'm trying to find a simple solution for imaging/restore of systems, and it seems like NIM should be able to do what I need. I am having some issues though.

I set up a NIM server using 'eznim', added a client, and was able to perform a sysb backup via NIM over the network.

My first question is, for restores, does NIM require that all clients be on the same subnet? It appears to try and do a bootp, which would lead me to believe this is the case, which would be unfortunate.

Second question, if you had a full-on disk failure and didn't have an OS to boot to, how do you go about doing a sysb restore via NIM, assuming the client was set up as a standalone?

Thanks for any help.

I'll give you the quick answers to your questions. Detailed answers would fill a whole book. Which, luckily, is already written!

IBM Redbooks | NIM from A to Z in AIX 5L


NIM does not require all to be on the same subnet. We use one nim master for hundreds of AIX boxes on many subnets. Exactly how I'm not sure, but it definately can be done.

You can definately use NIM to do a bare-metal install of a new server. If you had a hard drive crash you'd replace the drive and install the OS using the same procedures. Then once you have an OS on there you could restore your mksysb to get all the details the same as previously. I'm not sure if you can go directly from the mksysb skipping the initial OS load step or not, but I'm sure the redbook would have that info.

In answer to both of you as follows:

You take the MKSYSB on the client storing the result on the NIM server in for example /export/backup.

You then define the MKSYSB as a NIM resource.

You then allocate the resource to the NIM client to be re-built.

When the crash happens rootvg is replaced on the client and a boot to SMS will occur as there is no O/S. Setup the bootp section of SMS; declare the IP address of the client and the IP address of the NIM server as the server; also declare any gateway address to get round subnet differences. You could try a ping test just to make sure. If all is correct set the client in bootp mode and the system restore will start.

Hope that helps.

I've done all this and had a successful ping test. But when the system goes to boot off the net, it just keeps trying and trying until it fails. I think the routers on my network restrict bootp requests.

Ok so I gave up on NIM altogether due to network restrictions and decided just to go the manual mksysb route, but now I'm having issues with that as well.

I did an mksysb of a machine and hoped to test restoring it to another. I installed a base os on the test machine, did a "restore from image file" through smit, mounted the image via nfs, and smit just hangs saying "running command....". I let it go the whole weekend and still nothing.

I've also tried copying the sysb image locally, and still smit hangs at "running command".

I'm really starting to get frustrated - I just want to be able to restore an image What am I doing wrong???


EDIT: Nevermind. This is why you need to take sanity breaks I was typing in the nfs path rather than the local path.

One thing I forgot to mention is if the host machine is known to NIM then it will need deleting out of the NIM datatbase and re-defining with the MKSYSB image as its resource and a matching SPOT. I never specify the BOSINST.DATA as there might be conflict in where the MKSYSB will be installed. If the BOOTP is not happening you might try this. I have not known a router stop BOOTP yet. Firewall maybe.