Creating an Operating System Backup

(AIX Operating Systems)

Note: Create two operating system backups. Keep one on-site for quick access and one off-site in order to separate to two backup tapes. It is recommended that operating system backups be created once a month (worse case every quarter). Reuse the same tapes next month. Label the tapes “MKSYSB” and write the date the backups were created in pencil so that you can erase them and rewrite the new date on them the next time you reuse these tapes for these backups.

  1. Login as root.
  1. Have all users logoff, then disable user login by executing the following command. It is important to have all users off the system during the backup.

DISABLE

  1. At the root command prompt, execute the following command.

smitty mksysb

Use only the cursor keys (arrow keys) to move up or down in the screen. The below highlighted lines are the only lines that require setting/changing.

For the “Backup DEVICE or FILE” line, press the “F4” function key to get a list of available tape devices and choose theappropriate tape device. Down arrow to the “Exclude files” line and press the “Tab” key to change the setting to “yes”. Down arrow to the “Expand /tmp if needed” line and press the “Tab” key to change the setting to “yes”. Down arrow to the “Disable software packing of backup” line and press the “Tab” key to change the setting to “yes”. After making these changes, press the “ENTER” key to start the operating system backup.

Backup DEVICE or FILE [/dev/rmt0]

Create MAP files? no

EXCLUDE files? yes

List files as they are backed up? no

Verify readability if tape device? no (only on AIX 5)

Generate new /image.data file? yes

EXPAND /tmp if needed? yes

Disable software packing of backup? yes

Number of BLOCKS to write in a single output []

(Leave blank to use a system default)

  1. Once both operating system backups are completed, execute the following command to re-enable user login.

ENABLE