How to Resolve the "mkinsttape_sb: permission denied" error on Sysback Versions 3 and 4

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The error given displays:

 Rewinding /dev/rmt0 ...
 Placing boot image on tape ...
 bosboot: Boot image is 3105 512 byte blocks.
 Placing install image on tape ...
 /usr/sbin/mkboottape.sh[234]: /usr/sbin/mkinsttape_sb: permission denied
 Error creating install images. Check for available space in /etc.
 sysback: Unable to create bootable tape

The error occurs because the script is not readable. This is because the script is built in /tmp with the suid bit enabled. When /tmp does not have the sticky bit set, suid scripts are automatically made non-executable. This is an AIX feature. This can be resolved by correcting the permissions on /tmp or by modifying the Sysback scripts to handle this problem automatically.

Procedure 1 - Correcting permissions on /tmp (recommended)

1. Make the permissions change once, enter:

         chmod 1777 /tmp
   

2. To verify the fix, enter:

         sysback -Bf rmt0
   

Procedure 2 - Altering Sysback when /tmp permissions cannot be changed

If the permissions for the /tmp directory need to be other than the defaults for site-specific reasons, follow these steps to resolve the error.

1. Enter the following series of commands:
   • cd /usr/sbin
   • cp mkboottape.sh mkboottape.sh.old
   • vi mkboottape.sh

2. Change the following code:

    # Put the bos install files on the tape
    echo
    msg 200 'Placing install image on tape ..'
    if [ ! -x $instprog_sb ]
       then chmod +x $instprog_sb
    fi
   

   to

   # Put the bos install files on the tape
    echo
    msg 200 'Placing install image on tape ..'
    #if [ ! -x $instprog_sb ]
    #   then
       chmod +rx $instprog_sb
    #fi
   

3. To verify the fix, enter:

   sysback -Bf rmt0