How to Restore a mksysb without Preserving Mirrors

About this document

WARNING: This procedure is valid ONLY with a mksysb image and will not work with a Sysback 6000 system backup.

Related documentation

Creating a mksysb without mirroring

1. To create a new image.data file, run the following command:

       mkszfile

2. Change into the / directory and vi the image.data file. Enter:

       cd / 
       vi image.data

3. The following examples show an lv_data stanza of an image.data file. The first example is with mirroring, while the second example shows the edited version without mirroring. The lines that need changes are marked by --> and are boldfaced. In the second example, the changes are made to those lines.

To view and edit the file, enter:

           vi  image.data 

Example 1

                   lv_data: 
                           VOLUME_GROUP= rootvg 
                           LV_SOURCE_DISK_LIST=  hdisk0 
                           LV_IDENTIFIER= 00000001113f3c62.5  
                           LOGICAL_VOLUME= hd2 
                           VG_STAT= active/complete 
                           TYPE= jfs 
                           MAX_LPS= 512 
                  -->      COPIES = 2  
                           LPs = 70  
                           STALE_PPs= 0 
                           INTER_POLICY= minimum 
                           INTRA_POLICY= center 
                           MOUNT_POINT= /usr 
                           MIRROR_WRITE_CONSISTENCY= on 
                           LV_SEPARATE_PV= yes 
                           PERMISSION= read/write 
                           LV_STATE= opened/syncd 
                           WRITE_VERIFY= off 
                           PP_SIZE= 4 
                           SCHED_POLICY= parallel 
                  -->      PP = 140  
                           BB_POLICY= relocatable 
                           RELOCATABLE= yes 
                           UPPER_BOUND= 32 
                           LABEL= /usr 
                           MAPFILE= 
                           LV_MIN_LPS= 68 

Example 2

                   lv_data: 
                           VOLUME_GROUP= rootvg 
                           LV_SOURCE_DISK_LIST=  hdisk0 
                           LV_IDENTIFIER= 00000001113f3c62.5 
                           LOGICAL_VOLUME= hd2 
                           VG_STAT= active/complete 
                           TYPE= jfs 
                           MAX_LPS= 512 
                  -->      COPIES = 1 
                           LPs = 70  
                           STALE_PPs= 0 
                           INTER_POLICY= minimum 
                           INTRA_POLICY= center 
                           MOUNT_POINT= /usr 
                           MIRROR_WRITE_CONSISTENCY= on 
                           LV_SEPARATE_PV= yes 
                           PERMISSION= read/write 
                           LV_STATE= opened/syncd 
                           WRITE_VERIFY= off 
                           PP_SIZE= 4 
                           SCHED_POLICY= parallel 
                   -->     PP = 70 
                           BB_POLICY= relocatable 
                           RELOCATABLE= yes 
                           UPPER_BOUND= 32 
                           LABEL= /usr 
                           MAPFILE= 
                           LV_MIN_LPS= 68 

In Example 2 the COPIES value has been changed to 1 and the PP value is set equal to the LPs value. Make these changes to each of the lv_data stanzas in the image.data file. Once the changes are made, save the file and exit.

4. Run another mksysb from the command line that will utilize your edited image.data file.


      mksysb /dev/rmtX     (where X is the number of your tape drive)


WARNINGS:

• Do not run the mksysb in SMIT because this will update the image.data file and overwrite any changes made.
• Do not run the mksysb with the -i flag because this will update the image.data file as well.

If another mksysb cannot be run, the following procedure can be used to restore a mksysb without mirroring.

NOTE: Access to another AIX system and an AIX formatted diskette is required to perform this procedure.

All references to the tape device in the next section are as rmt0.

1. On another AIX system, place the mksysb tape in the tape drive. Change the block size of the tape drive to 512 by running:

           chdev -l  rmt0 -a block_size=512 

2. Create a temporary directory in /tmp called newdata.

           mkdir /tmp/newdata 

3. Change to the /tmp/newdata directory. Enter:

           cd  /tmp/newdata 

4. Make sure that the tape is rewound. Enter:

           tctl -f /dev/rmt0 rewind 

5. Restore the image.data file from the second image of the mksysb tape. Enter:

           restore -s2 -xqvf  /dev/rmt0.1  ./image.data 

6. Edit the /tmp/newdata/image.data file and make changes to each of the lv_data stanzas as indicated in the examples that follow. The lines that need changes are marked by --> and are boldfaced. In Example 4, the changes are made to those lines.

To view and edit the file, enter:

           vi  image.data 

Example 3

                   lv_data: 
                           VOLUME_GROUP= rootvg 
                           LV_SOURCE_DISK_LIST=  hdisk0 
                           LV_IDENTIFIER= 00000001113f3c62.5 
                           LOGICAL_VOLUME= hd4 
                           VG_STAT= active/complete 
                           TYPE= jfs 
                           MAX_LPS= 512 
                   -->     COPIES = 2   
                           LPs = 120   
                           STALE_PPs= 0 
                           INTER_POLICY= minimum 
                           INTRA_POLICY= center 
                           MOUNT_POINT= / 
                           MIRROR_WRITE_CONSISTENCY= on 
                           LV_SEPARATE_PV= yes 
                           PERMISSION= read/write 
                           LV_STATE= opened/syncd 
                           WRITE_VERIFY= off 
                           PP_SIZE= 4 
                           SCHED_POLICY= parallel 
                   -->     PP = 240   
                           BB_POLICY= relocatable 
                           RELOCATABLE= yes 
                           UPPER_BOUND= 32 
                           LABEL= / 
                           MAPFILE= 
                           LV_MIN_LPS= 68 

Example 4

                   lv_data: 
                           VOLUME_GROUP= rootvg 
                           LV_SOURCE_DISK_LIST=  hdisk0 
                           LV_IDENTIFIER= 00000001113f3c62.5 
                           LOGICAL_VOLUME= hd4 
                           VG_STAT= active/complete 
                           TYPE= jfs 
                           MAX_LPS= 512 
                   -->     COPIES = 1   
                           LPs = 120   
                           STALE_PPs= 0 
                           INTER_POLICY= minimum 
                           INTRA_POLICY= center 
                           MOUNT_POINT= / 
                           MIRROR_WRITE_CONSISTENCY= on 
                           LV_SEPARATE_PV= yes 
                           PERMISSION= read/write 
                           LV_STATE= opened/syncd 
                           WRITE_VERIFY= off 
                           PP_SIZE= 4 
                           SCHED_POLICY= parallel 
                   -->     PP = 120   
                           BB_POLICY= relocatable 
                           RELOCATABLE= yes 
                           UPPER_BOUND= 32 
                           LABEL= / 
                           MAPFILE= 
                           LV_MIN_LPS= 120 
 
 

In Example 4 the COPIES value has been changed to 1 and the PP value is set equal to the LPs value. Make these changes to each of the lv_data stanzas in the image.data file. Once the changes are made, save the file and exit.

7. After making the changes to the image.data file, create a signature file. The signature file is required by the restore procedure.

           echo data > signature 

8. Format the diskette.

           format /dev/rfd0 

9. Back up the two files (image.data and signature) to the diskette drive.

           find . -print |backup -iqvf /dev/rfd0 

10. Verify that the two files were backed up and that the diskette can be read.

           restore -Tqvf /dev/rfd0 

11. Reboot the target system off of the mksysb tape with the diskette in the floppy drive and follow the normal mksysb restore procedures. The edited version of the image.data file will be used to recreate the logical volumes without mirroring.