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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.
ontape backup and restore system
Back up with ontape
Create a backup
Prepare for a backup
Verify consistency before a level-0 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
    - Configure ontape
      You configure the ontape utility by setting configuration parameters for backups of storage spaces and logical logs.
    - Back up with ontape
      - Summary of ontape tasks
      - Change database logging status
        You can use the ontape utility to change the logging status of a database. Most changes in logging mode require a full level-0 backup.
      - Create a backup
        Backup levels that ontape supports
        The ontape utility supports level-0, level-1, and level-2 backups.
        Back up after changing the physical schema
        You must perform a level-0 backup to ensure that you can restore the data after change the physical schema.
        Prepare for a backup
        Avoid temp tables during heavy activity
        Make sure enough logical-log space exists
        Keep a copy of your configuration file
        Verify consistency before a level-0 backup
        Online and quiescent backups
        Back up to tape
        When you back up to tape, you must ensure that an operator is available and that you have sufficient media.
        Back up to standard output
        A backup to standard output creates an archive in the memory buffer provided by the operating system. If you choose to back up to standard output, you do not need to provide tapes or other storage media.
        Back up to a directory
        If you choose to back up to a directory, you do not need to provide tapes. Instead, you back up the data to a directory of a local file system or a directory that has been mounted on the local system.
        ontape utility syntax: Perform a backup
        Use ontape utility command options to back up to tape.
        Back up to Amazon Simple Storage Service
        You can use the ontape utility to back up and restore data to or from the Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3). You are responsible for terms and any charges associated with your use of the Amazon Simple Storage Service.
        When the logical-log files fill during a backup
        When the logical log fills during a backup, the console displays a message and the backup suspends normal processing. How you handle the logical-log filling depends on whether you can use one or two tape devices.
        When a backup terminates prematurely
        Monitor backup history by using oncheck
        You can monitor the history of your last full-system backup by using oncheck.
      - Back up logical-log files with ontape
        You must only use ontape to back up logical-log files when you use ontape to make your backup tapes.
    - Restore with ontape
    - Perform an external backup and restore
      These topics discuss performing an external backup and recovering data by restoring it with the ontape utility.
  - 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
- 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.

Verify consistency before a level-0 backup

To ensure the integrity of your backups, periodically verify that all database server data and overhead information is consistent before you create a full-system level-0 backup. You do not check this information before every level-0 backup, but we recommend that you keep the necessary tapes from the most recent backup created immediately after the database server was verified as consistent. For information about consistency checking, see your Informix® Administrator's Guide.