Rules for an external backup

Before you begin an external backup, review the rules for performing an external backup.

The rules that you must follow are:
  • The database server must be online or in quiescent mode during an external backup.
  • Use ON-Bar to back up all logical logs including the current log so that you can restore the logical logs at the end of the external restore.
  • Suspend continuous logical-log backups before you block the database server for an external backup. After the external backup is complete, resume the continuous logical-log backup.

    To stop continuous logical-log backup, use the CTRL-C command. To resume continuous logical-log backup, use the onbar -b -l -C command.

  • Wait until all ON-Bar backup sessions have completed before you block the database server. If any backup sessions are active, the block command displays an error message.
  • Any OLTP work or queries are suspended while the database server is blocked. They resume after the database server is unblocked.
  • All critical dbspaces of the database server instance must be backed up together simultaneously within the same command bracket of onmode -c block ..; onmode -c unblock. Backups of different critical dbspaces done at different times cannot be restored to a consistent system.
  • On AIX® operating systems, if the server is running with concurrent I/O because the DIRECT_IO configuration parameter is set to enable concurrent I/O, an online external backup program must also use concurrent I/O.
Important: Because the external backup is outside the control of ON-Bar, you must track these backups manually. For more information, see Track an external backup.