HP strongly recommends that you make a backup copy of the
system disk and, if your configuration allows it, upgrade the backup
copy. Then, if there are problems, you will still have
a working system disk.
OpenVMS Engineering has encountered cases where recovery
from a failed upgrade has been difficult, expensive, or impossible
because no backup of the preupgrade system disk was available. Various
hardware or software failures or a power failure can make a partially upgraded
system disk unusable. A backup copy might be the only route to recovery.
The minimal time required to make a backup is a very wise investment.
Boot the operating system CD or DVD (locally or,
for OpenVMS Alpha systems, from the InfoServer), following the instructions
in
Booting the OpenVMS Operating System Kit).
Use the menu system 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 you use the BACKUP
/IMAGE command.
To back up to a device other than a magnetic tape
drive, enter the BACKUP command. 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.
Shut down the system by selecting option 8 from
the menu.
Boot either from the original system disk or from
the backup copy.
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, 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.