System information

Red Book for AIX Rel. 7.0 and 8.0

Backing Up the Operating System Overview

Use the "smitty mksysb" command to create a backup of the operating system before making

changes to your system, such as adding users, devices, or OS upgrades. The command creates an

installable image of the [root volume group] operating system either in a file or on a bootable

tape. You can use this backup to reinstall a system to its original state after it has been corrupted.

If you create the backup on tape, the tape is bootable and includes the installation programs

needed to install from the backup.

Note: The procedures described in this section are provided for AIX 4.3.x and

5.x. The procedures only apply to IBM RS/6000 machines.

Recommendations

For operating system backups, we make the following recommendations:

• Back up the operating system once a month OR whenever hardware changes occur.

• Keep three tapes in rotation for operating system backups.

• Tape 1 – Keep the most recent backup tape ON SITE.

• Tape 2 – Store the second most recent tape OFF SITE, so you can restore the operating

system in the event of a disaster, such as fire or flood.

• Tape 3 – Use the third most recent tape for your next backup. Store the tape off site until

the time you are ready to make the backup.

• Replace your tapes once a year.

Restoring Third Party Software Using mksysb

Some third party software products have an unreliable history of recovery using the Unix backup

tools; Intuit Eclipse Support ensures the reliability of backing up the AIX operating system

software only. You are responsible for understanding the procedures necessary to back up and

restore all third party products not purchased through Intuit Eclipse.

You should contact your third party software vendors or their software support group and

determine the consequences of restoring third party software using mksysb. Some products use

raw data logical volumes, which are not backed up in normal Unix backup procedures.