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Operating Systems AIX AIX 7.2 MKSYSB Backup and Restore Best Practices? Post 303033848 by c3rb3rus on Friday 12th of April 2019 10:57:11 AM
Old 04-12-2019
AIX 7.2 MKSYSB Backup and Restore Best Practices?

Hello,

Running AIX 7.2 on Power9 bare-metal (no LPAR and no NIM server), in the process of creating a guide on MKSYSB process.

I understand that MKSYSB is a backup of the rootvg and we can exclude stuff via exclude.rootvg file, the rest of the data volumes are mapped to the system as LUNs via multi-path FC connection to a SAN and that is backed up separately. The rootvg does not boot off SAN, it has two internal NVMe disks.

In the event that rootvg is corrupt and we need to restore rootvg , the process would be to modify the bootlist and reboot into SMS via SSH/Console or using the ASMI service processor.

Are there any critical steps we need to do pre or post-rootvg restore?
  • Currently the rootvg is mirrored, once restored will it remain mirrored?
  • Will i need to mess with the bootlist at all?
  • Will the configuration of the external filesystems be preserved and mounted ready to use (if set to auto-mount at boot)?
  • Running a power system in 24x7 prodution after a MKSYSB restore is viable or should one plan for a fresh re-install of AIX from install media at some point?
  • Does one need access to AIX 7.2 install media at any point during a MKSYSB restore?

The Power9 system has a LTO tape library which is where I was going to write the MKSYSB backup to and boot off, there is no CD-ROM but there is USB - is it possible to boot MKSYSB off USB? Any cons or pros going with tape vs. USB? Most of the guides out there refer to a tape or dvd, though many of them were written years ago.

My plan is to learn from experience and create a MKSYSB via mksysb -iev /dev/rmt0, corrupt rootvg by rm -rf /etc, and reboot. I am pretty sure it will become very unhappy with a missing /etc - so proceed with another reboot (via FPO using Control Panel or ASMI) and boot to SMS for a MKSYSB restore.

Mainly looking for best practices / tips / suggestions around the process.
 

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norewind_close_disabled(5)					File Formats Manual					norewind_close_disabled(5)

NAME
norewind_close_disabled - determine whether access to tape device special files without the no-rewind-on-close option is allowed VALUES
Default Allowed values DESCRIPTION
Note: this tunable was named in releases prior to HP-UX 11i v3. This tunable notifies the tape driver whether it should allow access to device special files without the no-rewind-on-close option. When this tunable is on, the tape driver will fail any open on a tape device special file that does not have the no-rewind-on-close option (that is, or with a status of The tunable allows the safe sharing of tape devices in SAN tape backup solution configurations. The disabling of device special files without no-rewind-on-close in a SAN tape backup solution configuration prevents the accidental sending of a rewind command on close from HP-UX systems via standard tape commands like which would corrupt a backup in process. Who Is Expected to Change This Tunable? Anyone. Restrictions on Changing Changes to this tunable take effect immediately. When Should the Tunable Be Turned On? This tunable should be turned on if the system is going to be used in a SAN tape backup solution configuration. What Are the Side Effects of Turning the Tunable On? The tape driver will fail any open to a tape device special file that does not have the no-rewind-on-close option with a status of This behavior prevents the usage of any tape device special file without the no-rewind-on-close option. When Should the Tunable Be Turned Off? This tunable should be turned off if the system is not part of a SAN tape backup solution configuration or the system utilizes will not function unless it has access to device special files without the no-rewind-on-close option. What Are the Side Effects of Turning the Tunable Off? A rewind may be issued accidentally from this system on close, possibly corrupting a backup being issued from another system on the SAN. What Other Tunables Should Be Changed at the Same Time? None. EXAMPLES
Query the current value of the tunable: Set the value of the tunable to To save the value of the tunable across reboots: WARNINGS
All HP-UX kernel tunable parameters are release specific. This parameter may be removed or have its meaning changed in future releases of HP-UX. Installation of optional kernel software, from HP or other vendors, may cause changes to tunable parameter values. After installation, some tunable parameters may no longer be at the default or recommended values. For information about the effects of installation on tun- able values, consult the documentation for the kernel software being installed. For information about optional kernel software that was factory installed on your system, see at AUTHOR
was developed by Hewlett-Packard. SEE ALSO
scsi_tape(7), scsimgr_estape(7). Tunable Kernel Parameters norewind_close_disabled(5)
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