[OpenAFS] Re: Backup ubik database

[Andrew Deason]

On Mon, 20 May 2013 13:58:13 +0200
Gémes Géza <geza@kzsdabas.hu> wrote:

> What is the best way to backup the ubik database of pt and vlservers?
> Does the server processes need to be shut down?

Currently the only way to safely copy/backup those databases is to copy
the files while the server processes are either shut down, or stopped
(with SIGSTOP). You have to copy both the the .DB0 and .DBSYS files (or
just copy everything in the db directory, which should probably work no
matter how the databases are changed in the future).

Some people just copy the files while the servers are running, though, I
think. If your ubik database doesn't change constantly at a high rate,
and you make several copies, it's very likely you'll save at least one
valid copy. It's also possible to add a dbserver just for the purposes
of backing up this data, if you want to go the "safe" route above, but
don't want to interrupt the dbservers that clients actually use.

As Derrick mentions, there is a tool to copy the databases while the
servers are running, which has been submitted to the development tree
(gerrt 9700). That's not in any release yet, but hopefully in the future
it will be, and you can use that.

-- 
Andrew Deason
adeason@sinenomine.net