HP-UX 11i v3 Installation and Update Guide, September 2008 (Update 3 Release)

Backing Up Your System
Back up your system before performing a cold-install or update, and again after the
cold-install or update. If a problem occurs, you can easily restore the system to its
original state. Backing up your system includes the following tasks:
• Task 1: Creating an Operating System Recovery Image
• Task 2: Backing Up Your Data Files
Task 1: Creating an Operating System Recovery Image
To protect your system data, create an operating system recovery image to be used in
the event of cold-install or update problems. The Ignite-UX server has two commands
you can use to create an operating system recovery image:
• make_net_recovery
Use this command to create an operating system recovery image and store it on
an Ignite-UX server on the network. This command works on any system that has
Ignite-UX installed.
• make_tape_recovery
Use this command to create an operating system recovery image on a bootable
recovery tape. This command works on any system that has a local tape drive and
Ignite-UX installed. This command also works on any system without an Ignite-UX
server.
NOTE: The Ignite-UX recovery tools are intended to be used in conjunction with data
recovery applications to create a means of total system recovery. HP does not
recommend using Ignite-UX recovery tools to backup and recover data other than
essential system data.
Using make_net_recovery
The Ignite-UX product has the make_net_recovery command to create an operating
system recovery image on another system on the network. The image created by
make_net_recovery is specific to the system it was created for and its identity
includes host name, IP address, networking information, and so on. In the event of
root disk failure, you use the Ignite-UX server to restore the system by installing the
operating system recovery image.
The contents of the operating system recovery image always includes all files and
directories that are essential to bringing up a functional system. This essential list is
predefined by make_net_recovery.
You can run make_net_recovery in its interactive mode to review the directories
and files that make up the essential list, and to add or remove other data from the image
on a disk/volume group, file, or directory basis.
58 Preparing to Cold-Install or Update to HP-UX 11i v3