BACKUP_FILTER configuration parameter

Use the BACKUP_FILTER configuration parameter to specify the path name and any options for an external filter program that you use with the ON-Bar or ontape utility.

onconfig.std value
Not set. Backup data is not filtered.
values
The path name of a command and any options. By default, the path name is relative to the $INFORMIXDIR/bin directory, otherwise, the path name must be the absolute path of the program. If you include command-line options, both the filter name and the options must be surrounded by single quotation marks.
takes effect
After you edit your onconfig file and or ontape starts.

Usage

This filter transforms data before backing it up, such as compressing it. The transformed data is then backed up and stored as a single file. When you perform a restore, you must transform the data back to its original format. Specify the appropriate program to transform data before a restore by setting the RESTORE_FILTER configuration parameter.

For security purposes, filters should not have write permission to non-privileged users. Permission on the filters is the same as that of permission on other executable files that are called by the HCL Informix® server or utilities.

Note: If the BACKUP_FILTER parameter is set in the onconfig file, the LTAPESIZE configuration parameter cannot be set to 0. Otherwise the ON-Bar or ontape utility returns an error when backing up logical logs to a directory on disk. The error message is:
The LTAPESIZE configuration parameter cannot be set to 0 when the BACKUP_FILTER
configuration parameter is set; change the value of LTAPESIZE.
Program over.

A workaround is to set the LTAPESIZE configuration parameter to a high value. Log files are not much higher than the LOGSIZE configuration parameter. Use the value in the LOGSIZE as the upper limit for this database.

When you specify filter information in the BACKUP_FILTER configuration parameter, specify the path name of a filter program, and any options, as shown in this example:
BACKUP_FILTER		/bin/compress

Output produced by this filter is saved as a single object in the storage manager.

The BACKUP_FILTER configuration parameter can include command-line options as well as the filter name. For example, specify:
BACKUP_FILTER	'my_encrypt -file /var/adm/encryption.pass'