How to backup and restore the Virtual I/O Server
This document describes different methods to backup and restore the
Virtual I/O Server.
Backing up the Virtual I/O Server
There are 4 different ways to backup/restore the Virtual I/O Server as
illustrated in the following table.
Backup method
|
Restore method
|
To tape
|
From bootable tape
|
To DVD
|
From bootable DVD
|
To remote file system
|
From HMC using the NIMoL facility and installios
|
To remote file system
|
From an AIX NIM server
|
Backing up to a tape or DVD-RAM
To backup the Virtual I/O Server to a tape or a DVD-RAM, the following
steps must be performed
- check the
status and the name of the tape/DVD drive
lsdev
| grep rmt (for tape)
lsdev
| grep cd (for DVD)
- if it is Available,
backup the Virtual I/O Server with the following command
backupios
–tape rmt#
backupios
–cd cd#
If the Virtual I/O Server backup image does not fit on one DVD, then the backupios command provides instructions for disk replacement and removal until all the
volumes have been created. This command creates one or more bootable DVDs or tapes that you can use to restore the Virtual I/O Server.
Backing up the Virtual I/O Server to a remote file system by creating a nim_resources.tar file
The nim_resources.tar file contains all the necessary resources to restore the Virtual I/O Server,including the mksysb image, the bosinst.data file, the network boot image, and SPOT resource.
The NFS export should allow root access to the Virtual
I/O Server, otherwise the backup will fail with permission errors.
To backup the Virtual I/O Server to a filesystem, the following steps must be performed
- Create a mount directory where the backup file will be written
mkdir /backup_dir
- Mount the
exported remote directory on the directory created in step 1.
mount server:/exported_dir
/backup_dir
- Backup the
Virtual I/O Server with the following command
backupios –file /backup_dir
The above command creates a nim_resources.tar file that you can use to restore the Virtual I/O Server from the HMC.
Note:The ability to run the installios command from the NIM server against the
nim_resources.tar file is enabled with APAR IY85192.
The backupios command empties the target_disk_data section of bosinst.data and sets RECOVER_DEVICES=Default. This allows the mksysb file generated by the command to be cloned to
another logical partition. If you plan to use the nim_resources.tar image to install to a specific disk, then you need to repopulate the target_disk_data section of bosinst.data and replace this file in the nim_resources.tar. All
other parts of the nim_resources.tar image must remain unchanged.
Procedure to modify the target_disk_data in the bosinst.data:
- Extract from
the nim_resources.tar the bosinst.data
tar -xvf nim_resources.tar ./bosinst.data
- The following
is an example of the target_disk_data stanza of the bosinst.data generated
by backupios.
target_disk_data:
LOCATION =
SIZE_MB =
HDISKNAME =
- Fill the value
of HDISKNAME with the name of the disk to which you want to restore to
- Put back the
modified bosinst.data in the nim_resources.tar image
tar
-uvf nim_resources.tar ./bosinst.data
If you don't remember on which disk your Virtual I/O Server was previously installed, you can also view the original bosinst.data and look at the target_disk_data stanza.
Use the following steps
- extract from
the nim_resources.tar the bosinst.data
tar -xvf nim_resources.tar ./bosinst.data
- extract the
mksysb from the nim_resources.tar
tar -xvf nim_resources.tar ./5300-00_mksysb
- extract the
original bosinst.data
restore -xvf ./5300-00_mksysb ./var/adm/ras/bosinst.data
- view the
original target_disk_data
grep -p target_disk_data ./var/adm/ras/bosinst.data
The above command
displays something like the following:
target_disk_data:
PVID = 00c5951e63449cd9
PHYSICAL_LOCATION = U7879.001.DQDXYTF-P1-T14-L4-L0
CONNECTION = scsi1//5,0
LOCATION = 0A-08-00-5,0
SIZE_MB = 140000
HDISKNAME = hdisk0
- replace ONLY
the target_disk_data stanza in the ./bosinst_data with the original
one
- add the
modified file to the nim_resources.tar
tar
-uvf nim_resources.tar ./bosinst.data
Backing up the Virtual I/O Server to a remote file system by creating a
mksysb image
You could also restore the Virtual I/O Server from a NIM server. One of
the ways to restore from a NIM server is from the mksysb image of the Virtual
I/O Server. If you plan to restore the Virtual I/O Server from a NIM server from a
mksysb image, verify that the NIM server is at the latest release of AIX.
To backup the Virtual I/O Server to a filesystem the following steps must be performed
- Create a mount
directory where the backup file will be written
mkdir
/backup_dir
- Mount the
exported remote directory on the just created directory
mount NIM_server:/exported_dir
/backup_dir
- Backup the
Virtual I/O Server with the following command
backupios
–file /backup_dir/filename.mksysb -mksysb
Restoring the Virtual I/O Server
As there are 4 different ways to backup the Virtual I/O Server, so there are 4 ways to restore it.
Restoring from a tape or DVD
To restore the Virtual I/O
Server from tape or DVD, follow these steps:
- specify the Virtual I/O Server
partition to boot from the tape or DVD by using the bootlist command or by altering the bootlist in SMS
menu.
- insert the tape/DVD
into the drive.
- from the SMS
menu, select to install from the tape/DVD drive.
- follow the
installation steps according to the system prompts.
Restoring the Virtual I/O Server from a remote file system using a
nim_resources.tar file
To restore the Virtual I/O Server from a nim_resources.tar image in a file system, perform
the following steps:
- run the installios
command without any flag from the HMC command line.
a)
Select the
Managed System where you want to restore your Virtual I/O Server from the
objects of type "managed system" found by installios command.
b)
Select the
VIOS Partition where you want to restore your system from the objects of type "virtual
I/O server partition" found
c)
Select the
Profile from the objects of type "profile" found.
d)
Enter the
source of the installation images [/dev/cdrom]: server:/exported_dir
e)
Enter the
client's intended IP address: <IP
address of the VIOS>
f)
Enter the
client's intended subnet mask: <subnet
of the VIOS>
g)
Enter the
client's gateway: <default gateway of
the VIOS>
h)
Enter the
client's speed [100]: <network speed>
i)
Enter the
client's duplex [full]: <network
duplex>
j)
Would you
like to configure the client's network after the installation [yes]/no?
k)
Select the
Ethernet Adapter used for the installation from the objects of type
"ethernet adapters" found.
- when the
restoration is finished, open a virtual terminal connection (for example,
using telnet) to the Virtual
I/O Server that you restored. Some additional user input
might be required.
Note:
The ability to run the installios command from the NIM server against the nim_resources.tar file is enabled with APAR IY85192.
Restoring the Virtual I/O Server from a remote file system using a
mksysb image
To restore the Virtual I/O
Server from a mksysb image in a file system using NIM, complete
the following tasks:
- define the
mksysb file as a NIM object, by running the nim
command.
nim -o
define -t mksysb -a server=master –a location=/export/ios_backup/filename.mksysb
objectname
objectname is the name by which NIM registers and
recognizes the mksysb file.
- define a SPOT resource
for the mksysb file by running the nim
command.
nim -o
define -t spot -a server=master -a location=/export/ios_backup/
SPOT
-a source=objectname SPOTname
SPOTname is the name of the SPOT resource for the
mksysb file.
- install the Virtual I/O Server
from the mksysb file using the smit
command.
smit
nim_bosinst
The following entry fields must be filled:
“Installation type” => mksysb
“Mksysb” =>
the objectname chosen in step1
“Spot” => the SPOTname chosen in step2
- start the Virtual I/O Server
logical partition.
a)
On the
HMC, right-click the partition to open the menu.
b)
Click Activate. The Activate Partition menu opens with a
selection of partition profiles. Be sure the correct profile is highlighted.
c)
Select the
Open a terminal window or console session check box to open
a virtual terminal (vterm) window.
d)
Click (Advanced...) to open the advanced options menu.
e)
For the
Boot mode, select SMS.
f)
Click OK to close the advanced options menu.
g)
Click OK. A vterm window opens for the partition.
h)
In the
vterm window, select Setup Remote IPL
(Initial Program Load).
i)
Select the
network adapter that will be used for the installation.
j)
Select IP Parameters.
k)
Enter the
client IP address, server IP address, and gateway IP address. Optionally, you
can enter the subnet mask. After you have entered these values, press Esc to
return to the Network Parameters menu.
l)
Select Ping Test to ensure that the network parameters are
properly configured. Press Esc twice to return to the Main Menu.
m)
From the
Main Menu, select Boot Options.
n)
Select Install/Boot Device.
o)
Select Network.
p)
Select the
network adapter whose remote IPL settings you previously configured.
q)
When
prompted for Normal or Service
mode, select Normal.
r)
When asked
if you want to exit, select Yes.
Integrated
Virtualization Manager (IVM) Consideration
If your Virtual I/O Server is managed by the IVM,
prior to backup of your system, you need to backup your partition profile data for the management partition and its
clients as IVM is integrated with Virtual I/O Server, but the LPARs profile is
not saved with the backupios command.
There are two ways to perform this backup:
From the IVM Web Interface
1) From the Service Management menu, click Backup/Restore
2)
Select the Partition Configuration Backup/Restore tab
3) Click Generate
a backup
From the Virtual I/O Server
CLI
1) Run the
following command
bkprofdata -o backup
Both
these ways generate a file named profile.bak
with the information about the LPARs configuration. While using the Web
Interface, the default path for the file is /home/padmin.
But if you perform the backup from CLI, the default path will be /var/adm/lpm. This path can be changed
using the –l flag. Only ONE file can be present on the system, so each time the
bkprofdata is issued or the Generate a
Backup button is pressed, the file is overwritten.
To restore the LPARs profile you can use either the GUI or the CLI
From the IVM Web Interface
1) From the Service Management menu, click Backup/Restore
2)
Select the Partition Configuration Backup/Restore tab
3) Click Restore
Partition Configuration
From the Virtual I/O Server
CLI
1) Run the
following command
rstprofdata –l 1 –f /home/padmin/profile.bak
It is not possible to restore a single partition
profile. In order to restore LPARs profile, none of the LPARs profile included
in the profile.bak must be defined in the IVM.
Troubleshooting
Error during information
gathering
In the case where after you specify the System Managed and the profile,the HMC is not able to find a network adapter:
- Check if the
profile has a physical network adapter assigned
- Check if there
is an hardware conflict with other running partition
- Check if the
status of the LPAR is not correct (must be Not Activated)
Error during NIMOL initialization
- nimol_config ERROR: error from command
/bin/mount < remoteNFS> /mnt/nimol
mount:<
remoteNFS> failed, reason given by
server: Permission denied
probably the remote FS is not correctly
exported.
- nimol_config ERROR: Cannot find the
resource SPOT in /mnt/nimol.
probably you have specified a NFS which doesn’t
contain a valid nim_resources.tar or the nim_resources.tar is a valid file but
it doesn’t have valid permission for “others”
Error during lpar_netboot
In the case where the LPAR fails to power on
- Check if there is an hardware conflict with other running partition
- Check if the status of the LPAR is not correct (must be Not Activated)
In the case of Bootp failure
If the NIMOL initialization was successful
- Check if there
is a valid route between the HMC and the LPAR
- Check that you
have insert valid information during the initial phase
Error during BOS install phase
Probably there is a problem with the disk used for the installation
- Open a Vterm
and check if the system is asking to select a different disk
- power off the
LPAR, modify the profile to use another storage unit and restart
installation
