Backing Up Your System Disk

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Backing Up Your System Disk

If your system disk will not be a shadow set member, or if it is a single-member shadow set, HP recommends that you back up the system disk before performing the tasks described in this chapter. If you encounter problems while performing any of these tasks, having a backup copy of the system disk ensures that you can restore it to a known condition without having to repeat the installation or upgrade.

If your system disk will be a multiple-member shadow set member, then a backup will not be necessary, as explained in Forming the Shadow Set. For a newly installed system disk, you can back up the system disk here, but it might be just as easy to reinstall the operating system if problems are encountered.

To back up the system disk:

Shut down the system (described in Halt, Boot, and Shutdown Procedures for OpenVMS Alpha Systems).

Boot the operating system CD or DVD (locally or from the InfoServer (Alpha only), as described in Booting the OpenVMS Operating System Kit.

Use the OpenVMS operating system menu to enter the DCL environment (option 7).

Mount the system device and the target device on which you will make the backup copy. (If you are backing up to tape, skip to the next step.) For example, if your system disk is on DKA0: and the target device is on DKA100:, you might use the following commands. The /OVERRIDE qualifier used in this example allows you to mount the system disk without typing its volume label. The /FOREIGN qualifier is required for the target disk when using the BACKUP /IMAGE command.
```
$$$ MOUNT /OVERRIDE=IDENTIFICATION DKA0:
$$$ MOUNT /FOREIGN DKA100:
```

To back up to a device other than a magnetic tape drive, enter the BACKUP command to back up the system disk to the target device. For example, if your system disk is on DKA0: and your target disk is on DKA100:, you would use the following command (the colons are required):
```
$$$ BACKUP /IMAGE /LOG DKA0: DKA100:
```
The /IMAGE qualifier causes the backup to produce a functionally equivalent copy of the system disk, which is also bootable. The /LOG qualifier causes the procedure to display the specification of each save set file being processed. To compare the backed up files to the source files, use the /VERIFY qualifier. If any discrepancies are detected, the BACKUP utility displays error message.

To back up the system disk to a magnetic tape, enter the following commands, where MTA0: is the magnetic tape drive and label is the volume label. Note that the BACKUP command automatically mounts the tape and begins the backup to it.
```
$$$ INITIALIZE MTA0: label 
$$$ MOUNT /OVERRIDE=IDENTIFICATION DKA0:
$$$ BACKUP /IMAGE /LOG DKA0: MTA0:label.BCK 
```

Log out from the DCL environment.

Shut down the system by selecting option 8 from the menu.

Boot from either the original system disk or the backup copy.

In addition to backing up the system disk now before you customize it, you should back up your system disk again after you successfully complete your customization tasks and install layered products.

For more complete information about backup operations, including a description of an alternative method that does not require booting from the operating system CD or DVD and that allows you to back up a shadowed disk without disabling the shadow set, see Backing Up and Restoring the System Disk. For more information about the BACKUP utility, refer to the HP OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual: A--L.

Postinstallation and Postupgrade Checklist

Registering Your Licenses