Saturday, August 16, 2008

Restoring the Virtual I/O Server

As there are 4 different ways to backup the Virtual I/O Server, so there are 4 ways to restore it.

Restoring from a tape or DVD

To restore the Virtual I/O Server from tape or DVD, follow these steps:

1. specify the Virtual I/O Server partition to boot from the tape or DVD by
using the bootlist command or by altering the bootlist in SMS menu.
2. insert the tape/DVD into the drive.
3. from the SMS menu, select to install from the tape/DVD drive.
4. follow the installation steps according to the system prompts

Restoring the Virtual I/O Server from a remote file system using a nim_resources.tar file

To restore the Virtual I/O Server from a nim_resources.tar image in a file system, perform the following steps:

1. run the installios command without any flag from the HMC command line.
a) Select the Managed System where you want to restore your Virtual I/O Server
from the objects of type "managed system" found by installios command.
b) Select the VIOS Partition where you want to restore your system from the
objects of type "virtual I/O server partition" found

c) Select the Profile from the objects of type "profile" found.
d) Enter the source of the installation images [/dev/cdrom]:
server:/exported_dir
e) Enter the client's intended IP address:
f) Enter the client's intended subnet mask:
g) Enter the client's gateway:
h) Enter the client's speed [100]:
i) Enter the client's duplex [full]:
j) Would you like to configure the client's network after the installation
[yes]/no?

2. when the restoration is finished, open a virtual terminal connection (for
example, using telnet) to the Virtual I/O Server that you restored. Some
additional user input might be required



Note: The ability to run the installios command from the NIM server against the nim_resources.tar file is enabled with APAR IY85192.


Restoring the Virtual I/O Server from a remote file system using a mksysb image
To restore the Virtual I/O Server from a mksysb image in a file system using NIM, complete the following tasks:

1. define the mksysb file as a NIM object, by running the nim command.
#nim -o define -t mksysb -a server=master –a
location=/export/ios_backup/filename.mksysb objectname
objectname is the name by which NIM registers and recognizes the mksysb
file.
2. define a SPOT resource for the mksysb file by running the nim command.
#nim -o define -t spot -a server=master -a location=/export/ios_backup/
SPOT -a source=objectname SPOTname
SPOTname is the name of the SPOT resource for the mksysb file.
3. install the Virtual I/O Server from the mksysb file using the smit command.
#smit nim_bosinst
The following entry fields must be filled:
“Installation type” => mksysb
“Mksysb” => the objectname chosen in step1
“Spot” => the SPOTname chosen in step2
4. start the Virtual I/O Server logical partition.
a) On the HMC, right-click the partition to open the menu.
b) Click Activate. The Activate Partition menu opens with a selection of
partition profiles. Be sure the correct profile is highlighted.
c) Select the Open a terminal window or console session check box to open a
virtual terminal (vterm) window.
d) Click (Advanced...) to open the advanced options menu.
e) For the Boot mode, select SMS.
f) Click OK to close the advanced options menu.
g) Click OK. A vterm window opens for the partition.
h) In the vterm window, select Setup Remote IPL (Initial Program Load).
i) Select the network adapter that will be used for the installation.
j) Select IP Parameters.
k) Enter the client IP address, server IP address, and gateway IP address.
Optionally, you can enter the subnet mask. After you have entered these
values, press Esc to return to the Network Parameters menu.
l) Select Ping Test to ensure that the network parameters are properly
configured. Press Esc twice to return to the Main Menu.
m) From the Main Menu, select Boot Options.
n) Select Install/Boot Device.
o) Select Network.
p) Select the network adapter whose remote IPL settings you previously
configured.
q) When prompted for Normal or Service mode, select Normal.
r) When asked if you want to exit, select Yes.



Integrated Virtualization Manager (IVM) Consideration

If your Virtual I/O Server is managed by the IVM, prior to backup of your system, you need to backup your partition profile data for the management partition and its clients as IVM is integrated with Virtual I/O Server, but the LPARs profile is not saved with the backupios command.

There are two ways to perform this backup:
From the IVM Web Interface
1) From the Service Management menu, click Backup/Restore
2) Select the Partition Configuration Backup/Restore tab
3) Click Generate a backup

From the Virtual I/O Server CLI
1) Run the following command
#bkprofdata -o backup

Both these ways generate a file named profile.bak with the information about the LPARs configuration. While using the Web Interface, the default path for the file is /home/padmin. But if you perform the backup from CLI, the default path will be /var/adm/lpm. This path can be changed using the –l flag. Only ONE file can be present on the system, so each time the bkprofdata is issued or the Generate a Backup button is pressed, the file is overwritten.

To restore the LPARs profile you can use either the GUI or the CLI

From the IVM Web Interface
1) From the Service Management menu, click Backup/Restore
2) Select the Partition Configuration Backup/Restore tab
3) Click Restore Partition Configuration

From the Virtual I/O Server CLI
1) Run the following command
#rstprofdata –l 1 –f /home/padmin/profile.bak

It is not possible to restore a single partition profile. In order to restore LPARs profile, none of the LPARs profile included in the profile.bak must be defined in the IVM.

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