How do I create a bootable mksysb image file

UNIX AIX
1

I have several systems which require software maintenance several times a year. After the software maintenance, it is required that we make two system tapes for DR purposes. The creation of these system tapes takes anywhere from 1-1.5 hours because of the performance of the tape drives. What I would like to do is create the an image file on the local hard disk that I can then move off to a server where they can be archived or copied to a tape from there so I can have the production system come back online sooner.

2

Hello

I think one option could be from the NIM.

IBM Redbooks | NIM from A to Z in AIX 5L

I hope can help you

Greetings

3

I need to know how to do it without NIM.

4

Hey

I think NIM is the best option but you could do bootable DVD's. Just use the "mksysb" command to create a mksysb image to disk. Then at a later stage us the "mkcd" command to create the bootable DVD from the mksysb image on disk. There are a couple of tweaks you might need to do to the image.data file if your rootvg is mirrored. I use a NIM script to create the mksysb images of multiplue systems. Then I keep my NIM at the same level as the rest of the systems and create the bootable DVD's from the NIM.

Hope that helps

5

I need to create an image file that can be written to a tape, not a CD or DVD.

6

I believe you are after something like:

  1. Generate the mksysb image file:
    # mksysb -i /mksysb_images/node1

  2. SCP the image to the desired host.

  3. Copy the image file to tape:
    # dd if=/mksysb_images/node1 of=/dev/rmt0 bs=512

Might wanna test it out first.

7

This procedure will most likely not work because mksysb, when it doesn't write to a tape, does not include the boot image into the mksysb file. By copying this non-booting file to a CD (DVD, any other medium) nothing is gained because the missing boot image won't reappear.

The only way to get a mksysb image which can be directly booted is to write directly to a tape.

If you can only create a image file you can boot this by using a floppy disk or something similar to provide the boot image and use this to boot off the image file.

Alternatively you can use a NIM server, where the mksysb image file will also be stored in non-booting form, but the NIM server provides the boot image (analogous to what would be on the said floppy) over the network as a NIM resource.

I hope this helps.

bakunin

8

Ok, here is the problem in more detail...

This piece of software is looking for and rmt device to write the system tape to. Along with the typical mksysb image, it also appends another file onto the end of the tape which contains a backup of critical file for this particular piece of software.

Ideally, what I'd like to be able to do is redirect rmt0 to a file, so the software can think it's writing to a tape drive when it's really going to a file.

I am not completely familiar with how NIM operates, but I don't think it will appear to the system simply as a tape drive that can be written to.