Unix backup and recovery

This book:

• Describes the features, limitations, and syntax of Unix backup and restore utilities,(including dump, tar, cpio, dd, GNUtar, and GNUcpio) for many popular versions of Unix, including AIX, Compaq Unix, HP-UX, IRIX, SCO, Solaris, and Linux
• Provides instructions for installing and configuring freely available backup systems such as AMANDA
• Includes ready-to-run shell scripts that automate live backups of Informix, Oracle, and Sybase databases
• Presents step-by-step recovery procedures for Oracle, Informix, and Sybase
• Presents step-by-step "bare-metal" disaster recovery procedures for AIX, Compaq Unix, HP-UX, IRIX, Solaris, and Linux
• Describes the design of "disaster recovery" and "highly available" systems
• Provides guidance on choosing a commercial backup and recovery system
• Describes the features and limitations of backup hardware

Table of contents

Preface

I. Introduction

1. Preparing for the Worst
     My Dad Was Right
     Developing a Disaster Recovery Plan
     Step 1: Define (Un)acceptable Loss
     Step 2: Back Up Everything
     Step 3: Organize Everything
     Step 4: Protect Against Disasters
     Step 5: Document What You Have Done
     Step 6: Test, Test, Test
     Put It All Together

2. Backing It All Up
     Don't Skip This Chapter!
     Why Should You Read This Book?
     How Serious Is Your Company About Backups?
     You Can Find a Balance
     Deciding What to Back Up
     Deciding When to Back Up
     Deciding How to Back Up
     Storing Your Backups
     Testing Your Backups
     Monitoring Your Backups
     Following Proper Development Procedures
     Unrelated Miscellanea
     Good Luck

II. Freely Available Filesystem Backup & Recovery Utilities

3. Native Backup & Recovery Utilities
     An Overview
     Backing Up with the dump Utility
     Restoring with the restore Utility
     Limitations of dump and restore
     Features to Check For
     Backing Up and Restoring with the cpio Utility
     Backing Up and Restoring with the tar Utility
     Backing Up and Restoring with the dd Utility
     Comparing tar, cpio, and dump
     How Do I Read This Volume?

4. Free Backup Utilities
     The hostdump.sh Utility
     The infback.sh, oraback.sh, and syback.sh Utilities
     A Really Fast tar Utility: star
     Recording Configuration Data: The SysAudit Utility
     Displaying Host Information: The SysInfo Utility
     Performing Remote Detections: The queso Utility
     Mapping Your Network: The nmap Utility
     AMANDA

III. Commercial Filesystem Backup & Recovery Utilities

5. Commercial Backup Utilities
     What to Look For
     Full Support of Your Platforms
     Backup of Raw Partitions
     Backup of Very Large Filesystems and Files
     Simultaneous Backup of Many Clients to One Drive
     Simultaneous Backup of One Client to Many Drives
     Data Requiring Special Treatment
     Storage Management Features
     Reduction in Network Traffic
     Support of a Standard or Custom Backup Format
     Ease of Administration
     Security
     Ease of Recovery
     Protection of the Backup Index
     Robustness
     Automation
     Volume Verification
     Cost
     Vendor
     Conclusions

6. High Availability
     What Is High Availability?
     HA Building Blocks
     Commercial HA Solutions
     The Impact of an HA Solution

IV. Bare-Metal Backup & Recovery Methods

7. SunOS/Solaris
     What About Fire?
     Homegrown Bare-Metal Recovery
     Recovering a SunOS/Solaris System

8. Linux
     How It Works
     A Sample Bare-Metal Recovery

9. Compaq True-64 Unix
     Compaq's btcreate Utility
     Homegrown Bare-Metal Recovery

10. HP-UX
     HP's make_recovery Utility
     The copyutil Utility
     Using dump and restore

11. IRIX
     SGI's Backup and Restore Utilities
     System Recovery with Backup Tape
     Homegrown Bare-Metal Recovery

12. AIX
     IBM's mksysb Utility
     IBM's Sysback/6000 Utility
     System Cloning

V. Database Backup & Recovery

13. Backing Up Databases
     Can It Be Done?
     Confusion: The Mysteries of Database Architecture
     The Muck Stops Here: Databases in Plain English
     What's the Big Deal?
     Database Structure
     An Overview of a Page Change
     What Can Happen to an RDBMS?
     Backing Up an RDBMS
     Restoring an RDBMS
     Documentation and Testing
     Unique Database Requirements

14. Informix Backup & Recovery
     Informix Architecture
     Automating Informix Startup: The dbstart.informix.sh Script
     Protect the Physical Log, Logical Log, and sysmaster
     Which Backup Utility Should I Use?
     Physical Backups Without a Storage Manager: ontape
     Physical Backups with a Storage Manager: onbar
     Recovering Informix
     Logical Backups

15. Oracle Backup & Recovery
     Oracle Architecture
     Physical Backups Without a Storage Manager
     Physical Backups with a Storage Manager
     Managing the Archived Redologs
     Recovering Oracle
     Logical Backups
     A Broken Record

16. Sybase Backup & Recovery
     Sybase Architecture
     Physical Backups Without a Storage Manager
     Physical Backups with a Storage Manager
     Recovering Sybase
     Logical Backups
     An Ounce of Prevention . . .

VI. Backup & Recovery Potpourri

17. ClearCase Backup & Recovery
     ClearCase Architecture
     VOB Backup and Recovery Procedures
     View Backup and Recovery Procedures
     Summary

18. Backup Hardware
     Choosing on a Backup Drive
     Using Backup Hardware
     Tape Drives
     Optical Drives
     Automated Backup Hardware
     Vendors
     Hardware Comparison

19. Miscellanea
     Volatile Filesystems
     Demystifying dump
     Gigabit Ethernet
     Disk Recovery Companies
     Yesterday
     Trust Me About the Backups