ITEM: BD0502L
Sysback 3.3 Release Notes
Question:
AIX System Backup & Recovery/6000
Version 3.3.1 Release Notes
November 22, 1995
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This document describes AIX System Backup & Recovery/6000 (Sysback)
Version 3.3.1 new features and support added to Sysback Version 3.2.
PCI-based RISC System/6000 (RSPC) Support
Sysback Version 3.3 provides full support for the PCI-based RISC
System/6000 (RSPC). Currently this includes models 40P, 43P and E20.
RSPC's which do not support tape boot may only be installed from
Sysback backups after booting from a network server. The network
boot server may be any platform type which has Sysback and the RSPC
device support installed.
Serial Storage Architecture (SSA) Device Support
Because SSA drives do not provide AIX with a location code, they
are now supported by Sysback using the Physical Volume ID (PVID)
of the disks. This allows disks to be automatically selected when
restoring onto the same physical disks from which the backup was
taken. If installing on different disks than the backup was made
from, the disks will not be selected, but the user will be able to
manually select which volume groups and/or logical volumes are to
be restored to which disks.
SSA drives are not supported as installation devices under AIX Version
3. Therefore, they cannot be restored to during the Sysback installation
process, but volume groups may be recreated and restored to using
the Sysback SMIT options on an installed system. For AIX Version
4.1.4 and later systems, the SSA drives are supported install devices
and may be restored to during the Sysback installation process.
Additional New Features
The following are new features added to this release of Sysback:
1. New Remote Services Program
Sysback network backups no longer use the "rsh" command for remote
command execution. Sysback now provides a new "sbclient" command
for executing remote commands and transferring data over the network.
This command is used for all Sysback remote commands and data
transfers, including the Sysback network installatin process.
Security was a high-priority in the creation of this utility. All
commands are executed on the remote system under a special user id
"sbnet", which is used only for Sysback remote command execution,
and may not be logged into by any local or remote user.
The sbclient command resolves many permission problems with using
the prior "rsh" command and also provides the following benefits:
a. The server may define both hosts and users on those hosts with
permission to execute remote commands, or may simply enable access
to all hosts and/or all users.
b. Remote execution is limited to certain programs. The system user
on the server may add programs to the list, allowing remote clients
to execute non-Sysback programs as well.
c. Backup and restore permission is limited to devices and directories
specified by the server.
d. Exit code of remote command is returned to the client.
e. Environment variables available to the server allow any remote
command to identify the host and user executing the command, and
the devices and directories available to the remote host.
Although the underlying network utilities have been replaced from
prior releases of Sysback, all remote hosts should, by default, be
provided the same access to the servers as was configured with prior
releases.
2. Remote Host/User Access
Sysback's Remote Services are completely configurable using SMIT,
and now allow remote access permissions to be defined for both remote
hosts and for specific users on the remote hosts. Access may be granted
to all hosts except certain hosts, and for all users on those hosts
except certain users. Users are provided access to select devices
and directories on the server.
When Sysback is initially installed on a server, no remote backup
permission is provided to remote hosts and users.
When installing Sysback Version 3.3 over a prior release of Sysback,
backup access is provided to all remote hosts previously having access.
The "root" user on the remote hosts are given access to all backup
devices, and to the install image directories previously defined
in the /usr/lpp/sysback/inst/imagelist file. The exception is that
remote backup image files previously contained in the
/usr/lpp/sysback/images directory will be moved to the directory
"/usr/lpp/sysback/images/HostName", where HostName is the name of the
host having written the backup.
3. Local User Access
The system user may allow or deny other users permission on the local
system to perform Sysback backups. The system user may also enable
access to all users except specific users. Backup and restore permis-
sions for each user may be limited to specific devices and directories.
When Sysback is initially installed, all users on the system will
be given permission to all backup devices and to the directory
"/usr/lpp/sysback/bf/local/UserName" (where UserName is the user id).
The "/usr/lpp/sysback/images/local" directory is also made the default
directory for installation image backups.
4. Backup Image File Read Permission
Read access to both local and remote backups performed to disk image
files may be limited to the host and/or user who originally wrote
the file. By default, all backup image files are readable by everyone
who has Sysback access defined to the directory in which the files
exist.
Backup images created from prior releases will be readable by all
users on all hosts, as long as the host and user has permission defined
for the directory in which the file exists.
5. SMIT Help Screens
Detailed help information may be obtained by pressing F1 (or ESC-1)
at any Sysback SMIT menu or option field.
6. Progress Indicator
A progress indicator may be displayed during any backup, verify or
restore operation in Sysback. This indicator will show the percent
complete, amount of data to be read or written, amount of data read
or written, elapsed time, estimated time to completion, and the average
performance in Kbytes per second.
Either the progress indicator or the backup file list may be displayed
during any backup, verify or restore operation, but not both. By
default, the progress indicator is displayed during all backup and
verify operations, and the file list is displayed during all restore
operations. The progress indicator is also displayed during the instal-
lation process.
7. New Sysback Output Screen
When executing any Sysback backup, list, verify or restore operation
from SMIT, a new output screen will be displayed. This screen was
written primarily to accommodate the new progress indicator, but
also provides the following benefits over the standard SMIT output
screen:
a. Performance problems and lengthy delays in SMIT when running
commands with long output lists are no longer a problem. The
control is returned to the user the moment the command completes.
b. Output command displays the command being executed, start and stop
time, and the return code of command.
c. Standard output and standard error of the command are separated
into different windows on the screen, each of which may be scrolled
separately.
d. Screen contents are not written to the SMIT log. This prevents
unnecessary disk usage incurred by listing a large number of files
on the screen and saving to log.
e. Screen output may optionally be saved to a Sysback output log after
the command completes. The user may specify the name of the file
to append the output to, or may use the default of
"$HOME/sysback.log". The output is more readable, and the command
output and error streams are separated as are the screen windows.
8. Retention of Physical Partition Maps
During any backup, the user may specify if the physical partition
placement of the logical volumes should, by default, be retained
when the logical volumes are recreated from the backup. The user
may later override whether the partition maps should be used for
specific logical volumes before they are recreated either during
the system installation process or when recreating volume groups
and logical volumes on an active system.
9. Change Logical volume and Volume Group Names
When recreating a volume group on an active system, the user may
select to change the volume group name. This will allow the new volume
group to be created even though the previous volume group is currently
active on the system. During the creation of the volume group, the
user will be prompted for a new logical volume name for each logical
volume which already exist on the system.
Likewise, when recreating a single logical volume on an active system,
the user may select to change the name of the logical volume. The
user may also select to change the volume group into which the logical
volume will be placed.
10. Wildcards in Exclude Lists
meeting the specified criteria to be excluded from backups (i.e.
"*.old" will exclude all files ending with ".old").
11. Wildcards in Restore File Selector Screen
When selecting to restore files from any backup using SMIT, the user
may enter one or more search strings. Only the files on the backup
meeting the criteria will be listed in the selector screen. This
option prevents SMIT errors and locks from occurring if the file
list is too long, and also makes finding files in the list easier
for the user.
Additional Enhancements
The following are additional changes in this release worth noting:
1. Performance during restore of logical volume data (using lvrestore
command) has been significantly improved. The restore of data will
typically take the same time or less time than the original backup.
2. When creating System Backup tapes on AIX Version 4 systems, an
additional field will appear, allowing the user to select the
platform type for the boot image. This will allow the tape to be
booted and installed onto the specified platform, assuming the device
and boot support for the specified platform is installed on the system.
Changing the platform type is necessary only in the following
circumstances:
Image created on: To be booted from:
rspc rs6k
rspc rs6ksmp
rs6k rspc
rs6ksmp rspc
*rspc = PCI-based RISC System/6000
rs6k = Classic RISC System/6000
rs6ksmp = Multiprocessor RISC System
Tapes created from rs6k or rs6ksmp machines may be booted on either
of these two platforms, assuming the device support for both platforms
is installed.
3. Logical volume backups may be restored to different logical volumes
than those from which they were originally backed up using the "force"
option.
4. System installation performance has been improved when restoring
files to the system. This will reduce installation time by about
20% on most systems.
5. The Sysback network installation process now allows a system booted
from a network boot server to be installed from a different install
server. This enables AIX Version 3 backups stored on AIX Version
4 servers to be installed by booting the client system from a different
AIX Version 3 server, and vice-versa.
After booting from the network boot server, the user may simply select,
or reselect, the network install adapter, and enter the new TCPIP
parameters for the install server.
6. Volume group "quorum" status is now retained after a system installation
or when recreating a volume group on an active system.
New or Replaced Programs and Files
The following programs and files used in prior releases are no longer
used in Release 3.3. These files are automatically removed from the
system when Sysback 3.3 is installed:
/usr/sbin/cfgremtape
/usr/sbin/cfginstsvr
/usr/sbin/chnetinst
/usr/lpp/sysback/.rhosts
The following is a list of new programs and files added to Release 3.3:
Programs:
/usr/sbin/cfglocaccess configure local user/host access
/usr/sbin/cfgremaccess configure remote user/host access
/usr/sbin/cfgremserver configure list of remote servers
/usr/sbin/chimagefile change user/host permission on an
existing backup image file
/usr/sbin/sbdevice check device/file status or issue
tape controls
/usr/sbin/sbchimage change usr/host permission (called
by chimagefile command)
/usr/sbin/sbclient executes remote commands (replaces rsh)
/usr/sbin/sbsmitout* output screen for SMIT-initiated
backup, list, verify or restore options
/usr/sbin/sbserver* server daemon for sbclient-initiated
remote commands
/usr/sbin/sbfilespace* returns size of all files in input list
*programs not documented in user manual
Files:
/usr/lpp/sysback/.remote_cmds file containing commands
which may be remote executed
/usr/lpp/sysback/.remote_access file containing remote host/user
access to the local system
/usr/lpp/sysback/.local_access file containing local user
access to the local system
/usr/lpp/sysback/.servers file containing list of remote
servers used by the local system
Support Line: Sysback 3.3 Release Notes ITEM: BD0502L
Dated: December 1995 Category: N/A
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