AIX

Hi All

i have a number of IBM servers with different models, and i want to do a backup for the rootvg using mksysb and that backup will be stored on a 4mm DDS tape.

i have only one machine (p550) which i can use it for testing purposes, so the quesion is that can i test my mksysb backups on that machine which is different than the source machines?

if not, are there any another way to test the backup and make sure that they are valid?

appreciating any kind of help

Sure, no problem. Just make sure you have all the drivers in your os image for that particular architecture (including fiber/eth models)

Is this a single lpar environment? If not make sure the mksysb is backed up to the NIM server as then you can do a re-build from the NIM. Otherwise the re-build from the mksysb would have to be a two phase method i.e. O/S then restore from the mksysb.

i don't have an NIM server, the mksysb image is on a 4mm tape, so if i restore that image then what is the consequences of that, are there any device drivers need to be installed or the are the restored drivers will effect the system since they are for different hardware? the server will be able to reboot again after restoration?

As I said in my previous post this is then a single lpar 550 with tape drive and cdrom attached (yes?). It is not so much the recovery of the drivers it would be how do you boot the machine prior to recovering the backed up data after, for example a new disk is fitted. If you store the mksysb on another machine and have no tape drive directly attached then the system would have to built as a new install and then the backup part of the mksysb (fsf 3) would then be restored to the new rootvg. A two step restore not single as with a mksysb tape restore.

the p570 mksysb backup is on a tape, then i will boot the p550 server from the tape and then install from the tape to restore the rootvg

The way we restore all AIX machines is by booting on CD with same ML as the OS on mksysb tape. After CD-boot just install from the mksysb tape.