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Administering
In addition to administering the database server, you can tune performance, replicate data, and archive data.
Backup and Restore Guide
The Informix® Backup and Restore Guide describes how to use the Informix ON-Bar and ontape utilities to back up and restore database server data. These utilities enable you to recover your databases after data is lost or becomes corrupted due to hardware or software failure or accident.
Appendixes
Migrate data, servers, and tools
Backing up before a database server or storage-manager upgrade
Before you upgrade to a new version of the database server, you must perform a complete backup.

Administering
In addition to administering the database server, you can tune performance, replicate data, and archive data.
- System administration
  These topics contain concepts, procedures, and reference information for database and database server administrators to use for managing and tuning HCL Informix® database servers.
- Backup and Restore Guide
  The Informix® Backup and Restore Guide describes how to use the Informix ON-Bar and ontape utilities to back up and restore database server data. These utilities enable you to recover your databases after data is lost or becomes corrupted due to hardware or software failure or accident.
  - Overview of backup and restore
    These topics provide an overview of backup and restore concepts. They also provide information about planning for backup and restore operations.
  - ON-Bar backup and restore system
  - ontape backup and restore system
  - Backup and restore a Remote Secondary Server(RSS)
  - Integrated Backup Encryption
    These topics provide information about Integrated Backup Encryption.
  - Informix® Primary Storage Manager
    The Informix® Primary Storage Manager manages storage for ON-Bar backup and restore operations, including parallel backups, that use file devices (disks).
  - archecker table level restore utility
  - Backup and restore configuration parameter reference
  - Cloud Backup
    These topics provide information about storing and retrieving the backups directly to the ecosystem of selected cloud providers, namely Amazon S3 and Softlayer Object Storage.
  - Appendixes
    - Troubleshooting some backup and restore errors
      This appendix lists some error and informational messages that you can receive during a backup or restore, describes under what circumstances the errors might occur or the message might appear, and provides possible solutions or workarounds.
    - Migrate data, servers, and tools
      - Backing up before a database server or storage-manager upgrade
        Before you upgrade to a new version of the database server, you must perform a complete backup.
      - Upgrading a third-party storage manager
        If you upgrade a third-party storage manager vendors, do not remove the old storage manager until you verify that the new storage manager works for both backup and restore operations.
      - Changing storage-manager vendors
        If you change storage manager vendors, do not remove the old storage manager until you have proof that the new storage manager works for both backup and restore operations. You can use the old storage manager as a backup storage manager to use in case the new storage manager does not meet your needs.
      - Switching from ontape to ON-Bar
        You cannot back up data with ontape and restore it with ON-Bar, or conversely because the data storage formats and backup capabilities are different. However, you can back up data with ontape, prepare to use ON-Bar, and then back up with ON-Bar.
    - GLS support
      This appendix contains information about using Global Language Support (GLS) with ON-Bar.
- Enterprise Replication
  The HCL® Informix® Enterprise Replication Guide describes the concepts of data replication using Informix Enterprise Replication, including how to design your replication system, as well as administer and manage data replication throughout your enterprise.

Backing up before a database server or storage-manager upgrade

Before you upgrade to a new version of the database server, you must perform a complete backup.

About this task

Important: The database server conversion software automatically recreates the sysutils database when you upgrade to the latest version of the database server. All backup and restore information from the old database server version is lost. Backups that you make under the older version of the database server are not compatible with the newer version of the database server.

To prepare for an upgrade:

Procedure

Use ON-Bar to perform a level-0 backup of all your data before you upgrade your database server or change storage managers.
Save these backups so that you can restore the data in case you need to revert to the old database server version.
Before you upgrade, back up the administrative files.
After you upgrade the database server, back up all storage spaces and logical logs.
For complete information about database server migration, see the Informix® Migration Guide.
If you change storage manager vendors, do not remove the old storage manager until you verify that the new storage manager works for both backup and restore operations.