Full System Backup on hardware RAID

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

Hi Everybody

I’m newbie for suse system , but I have to create the system recovery plan for my customer and this task is urgent ,I tried to search for the solution for many times but it’s seem there are no solution that match my need ,

My customer use HP DL380 G5 with suse 9 enterprise , and they want me to tell them about the backup plan for this server ( there are application and mySql database on this server ) , As I check this server it have 3 hard disks and config with RAID 5 ( it’s hardware RAID use HP SMART array controller ) and here is the output for fdisk -l command.

#fdisk -l
Disk /dev/cciss/c0d0: 293.5 GB, 293564211200 bytes
255 heads, 32 sectors/track, 70265 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 8160 * 512 = 4177920 bytes

       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/cciss/c0d0p1 1 258 1052624 82 Linux swap
/dev/cciss/c0d0p2 * 259 70265 285628560 83 Linux

I want to create full system backup ( include everything OS+application+database ) , if the system is crash I use only my backup to restore everything and the system should working properly .

I’ve used HPUX before HPUX has software named Ignite that doing the great backup and restore job , it can backup all OS and application which reside on the same volume group in the same time , if the system crash we can boot from tape which the backup reside on it and then it will restore everything in the tape backup.

I tried to search for the solution like this but I can’t found it , so I would like to ask for everyone for the suggestion .

PS. Don’t hesitate to tell me even for tiny tips because I’m newbie for suse , your tips may help me a lot

Thanks in advance

#2

You can backup using any application you wish.

Because the DL380 implements hardware RAID, the array appears to the OS as a single volume (unless you choose to create multiple volumes which is still entirely a User decision).

In other words deploy and execute your backup by any means you wish (image, file, whatever)just as though you were installed on a single disk.

You probably will want to recommend application level backups as well as system backups to cover different degrees of failure and recovery.

#3

I too am a newbie to the Linux on DL380 and I am a HPUX girl and am very spoiled by the Ignite Utility. I am having the toughest time finding something that creates a bootable image to a CD or a disk file that I can create and then restore in the event of a system crash. There is the old create an IDO image, I have a recovery CD but I have so many modification and installed pacakage. Have you found a way to get a good image of the system that can be laid back down after the hardware repair and booting from the recovery CD?