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HP OpenVMS Systemsask the wizard |
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The Question is: Dear Wizard Suppose you have a MicroVax which is physically destroyed. You purchase a new MicroVax with equivalent memory and a new disk to be used as your system disk. You have backup tapes of the system disk (not created using standalone backup but using backup/image). Can you, to restore the system, - boot from standalone backup, - backup the saveset, - then do a minimal boot, - create pagefile and swapfiles, which are not backed in the saveset - and then do a full boot? Thank you. The Answer is : Non-standalone system disk files can be restored, as can non-image BACKUPs. The central question of feasibility here involves the level of experience of the system manager -- the steps required here may be beyond those of an inexperienced OpenVMS system manager. As part of the restoration, you will potentially have problems with the contents of open files -- this often includes SYSUAF and the queue database. In general, these problems can be overcome through various means, though there is no set procedure as there is no set pattern for the potential for corruption(s), nor are corruptions certain. The restoration of non-image BACKUPs in particular will likely add the requirement to reestablish the links among specific system directories, and resolving and relocating the files originally restored from the non-image BACKUP correctly. The BACKUP/IMAGE command (without /IGNORE=NOBACKUP) will not record the contents of pagefiles and swapfiles, as those files are marked as NOBACKUP by default. It does, however, record the statistics of such files, and your restore operation will create files of the same size, ownership, etc. The files will not have the same data in them -- for pagefiles and swapfiles that is not a problem. The other notorious BACKUP qualifier is /IGNORE=INTERLOCK. This is akin to requesting the hypothetical /ALLOW=DATA_INCONSISTENCIES qualifier -- the interlocks exist not to prevent you from performing certain operations or to force you into ignoring them, but to ensure that your data is consistent. If this is a commercial system, the Wizard would recommend a clean installation of OpenVMS V7.1 and the layered products from the distribution kits, and pulling over those files that are known to be needed from the BACKUP of the old system disk. An option for hobbyists involves starting the installation with a clean copy of OpenVMS and the associated license acquired via the DECUS hobbyist license program. (See the OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for details on the DECUS hobbyist license.)
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