ontape restore error

matt

unread,

Jul 25, 2008, 11:20:49 AM7/25/08

to

i am getting an error trying to restore an informix db using ontape
command....

[root@server1 tmp]# cat informix.backup | ontape -r
Physical restore failed - function read archive backup failed code -1
errno 0

this is the process i used to backup the db on another machine....

I changed TAPEDEV and LTAPEDEV to STDIO

then....

ontape -v -s -L 0 | gzip -c >/tmp/informix.backup

thanks,
matt

TBP

unread,

Jul 25, 2008, 11:43:38 AM7/25/08

to

So, you have a gzip'd backup file?

And you want to cat a gzip file (without gunzip'ing it) to ontape?

Why not try gunzip'ing the file before trying to give it to ontape :-/

Art Kagel

unread,

Jul 25, 2008, 11:52:10 AM7/25/08

to inform...@iiug.org

Or:

gunzip -c informix.backup | ontape -r

Good catch TBP, I missed that 'dumb stuff' item.

Art

_______________________________________________
Informix-list mailing list
Inform...@iiug.org
http://www.iiug.org/mailman/listinfo/informix-list

--
Art S. Kagel
Oninit (www.oninit.com)
IIUG Board of Directors (a...@iiug.org)

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that my own opinions are my own opinions and do not reflect on my employer, Oninit, the IIUG, nor any other organization with which I am associated either explicitly or implicitly. Neither do those opinions reflect those of other individuals affiliated with any entity with which I am affiliated nor those of the entities themselves.

matt

unread,

Jul 25, 2008, 2:03:09 PM7/25/08

to

On Jul 25, 10:52 am, "Art Kagel" <art.ka...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Or:
>
> gunzip -c informix.backup | ontape -r
>
> Good catch TBP, I missed that 'dumb stuff' item.
>

...as do i obiviously. thanks. don't know if i need to post a new
topic but i am getting these errors when i try to restore it to a
different fresh database (you don't see it but i did gunzip the
file).....

[root@server1 tmp]# cat informix.backup | ontape -r

oninit: Fatal error in shared memory creation
Physical restore failed - function write physical restore failed code
-1 errno 0

TBP

unread,

Jul 25, 2008, 2:07:17 PM7/25/08

to

:-/

So, what are you trying to do?

"Restore it to a different fresh database" ...

So, you have an "instance" on a host, which has a ROOTPATH and a SERVERNUM (and a load of other things).

You take a backup.

Then ... what do you want to do?

If you backup an instance, keep the same onconfig etc. etc., then when you come to restore you will ... restore the instance you
have just backed up. Or not, if the instance is running (as looks like in your case).

If you want to restore into another instance on the same host, then you will have to consider a few things like :

ROOTPATH (and all the other chunks) will have to be different i.e. you will have to specify chunk renaming on the restore.
SERVERNUM will have to be different i.e. you can have the same shared memory key.

and several other things.

Neil Truby

unread,

Jul 25, 2008, 2:53:17 PM7/25/08

to

try typing onmode -ky a couple of times before starting the restore.

--
Neil Truby t:01932 724027
Director m:07798 811708
Ardenta Limited e:neil....@ardenta.com

"matt" <chimc...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:cfbe37e5-f16f-4660...@j7g2000prm.googlegroups.com...

Fernando Nunes

unread,

Jul 26, 2008, 5:16:11 AM7/26/08

to

You can try this:

gunzip -c informix.backup | strings | more
You should see some Informix copyright messages and the list of dbspaces. If
you don't see them check the backup file and how you put it on the new server.

Assuming you see them, check that the version you're trying to restore accepts
STDIO and that you have it properly configured it (it should be the same IDS
version of course).
Then check the instance online log.

Regards.

--
Fernando Nunes
Portugal

http://informix-technology.blogspot.com
My email works... but I don't check it frequently...

Doug Lawry

unread,

Jul 27, 2008, 5:56:04 AM7/27/08

to

"matt" <chimc...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:f9126ddd-274a-45ab...@u12g2000prd.googlegroups.com...

Do you usually use onbar on the other server? If so, and logical log backup
was active while you ran ontape, you will get this error trying to restore
as I found recently on IDS 10.

Regards,
Doug Lawry

Martin Fuerderer

unread,

Jul 27, 2008, 11:12:19 AM7/27/08

to matt, informix-l...@iiug.org, inform...@iiug.org

Hi,

not sure why you do the "-v" for the backup and what
you expect from it.
Also, not sure what effect this has on the backup.

Think about it ... you send the backup to standard out,
but you enable the verbose mode (which normally also
writes to standard out). If that is really what happens
(and I'm not sure today (Sunday ...)), then the backup
will be 'garbled' with the verbose stuff, which may cause
the restore problem

Regards,
Martin
--
Martin Fuerderer
IBM Informix Development Munich, Germany
Information Management

IBM Deutschland Research & Development GmbH
Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Martin Jetter
Board of Management: Herbert Kircher
Corporate Seat: Boeblingen, Germany
Reg.-Gericht: Amtsgericht Stuttgart, HRB 243294