Backing up VMS

[Allison]

>
>Subject: Re: Backing up VMS
>   From: Scott Quinn <compoobah at valleyimplants.com>
>   Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2008 08:34:51 -0800
>     To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
>
>
>On Jan 13, 2008, at 1:05 AM, Dave Dunfield wrote:
>
>>
>>>> My immediate concern is that I'd like to make a full backup
>>>> of the VMS 5.5 on the VLC, and also attempt restoring it to
>>>> another drive.
>>
>>> The VLC is simply SCSI based, isn't it? I wouldn't bother with  
>>> doing a
>>> file-based backup, just because the SCSI drive will probably be  
>>> "quite
>>> small" compared to today's drives. Just attach it to some other box
>>> and do a block-copy of the whole drive. That'll create a file of eg.
>>> 4GB in size with everything in it, including partitioning and all the
>>> file system(s).  Simple to create, simple to restore to this or an
>>> identical drive.
>>
>> I've already done that - I put the drive from the VLC as an external
>> drive on the 3100 running NETBSD and dd'd it into an image file - but
>> my goal is to be able to survive a drive failure, and possibly also
>> move it to a larger drive. The original drive in question is an RZ23,
>> which is a 100M DEC labled Conner drive - I have three other similar
>> drives, two labled RZ23 and one Conner that are "really close" but
>> not exactly the same - apparently there were slightly different
>> variations and versions.
>>
>>> You'd probably do a file-based backup additionally to be able to
>>> restore to a different medium, though.
>>
>> Exactly. If I understand it correctly, an image backup should restore
>> to any drive, and is the best way to insure that I can rebuild the
>> system in the future.
>
>Why not write out a BACKUP tape with standalone BACKUP at the front  
>so you can do a restore install? Only read about it being done on  
>TKxx/TZxx drives, but it would be worth looking into, as it is the  
>"official" DEC way to build a restorable backup (and is how they  
>shipped the VMS tape distros) (haven't read too much about it because  
>I don't have any CompacTape media right now).

You can do that to a SCSI drive or any media large enough and recongnized
by the system. 

That means TKxx, TZxx, RDxx (RD54 at 150mb is large enough for preV6 VMS),
Any of the RZ  drives large enough (I use RZ55s and 56s).


Allison