Performing a Cold Restore

To perform a cold restore, the database server must be offline.

You must log in as user informix or root to use ontape. Execute the following ontape command to restore all the storage spaces:

ontape -r

When you perform a mixed restore, you restore only some of the storage spaces during the cold restore. You must restore at least all the critical dbspaces, as the following example shows:

ontape -r -D rootdbs llogdbs plogdbs

Salvaging Logical-Log Files

Before the restore starts, the console prompts you to salvage the logical-log files on disk. To salvage the logical-log files, use a new tape. It saves log records that you did not back up and enables you to recover your database server data up to the point of the failure.

The following example shows a log salvage:

...
Continue restore? (y/n) y
Do you want to back up the logs? (y/n) y

Please mount tape 1 on /dev/ltapedev and press Return to continue.
Would you like to back up any of logs 31 - 32? (y/n) y
Logical logs 31 - 32 may be backed up.
Enter the id of the oldest log that you would like to backup? 31

Please label this tape as number 1 in the log tape sequence.

This tape contains the following logical logs:
    31-32
Log salvage is complete, continuing restore of archive.
Restore a level 1 archive (y/N) y
Ready for level 1 tape
...

Mounting Tapes During the Restore

During the restore, ontape prompts you to mount tapes with the appropriate backup files.

Restoring Logical-Log Files

When you perform a mixed restore, you must restore all the logical-log files backed up after the last level-0 backup.

When you perform a full restore, you can choose not to restore logical-log files. When you do not back up your logical-log files or choose not to restore them, you can restore your data only up to the state it was in at the time of your last backup. For more information, see Backing Up Logical-Log Files with ontape.

The following example shows a full restore:

ontape -r

Please mount tape 1 on /dev/tapedev and press Return to continue.

Archive Tape Information

Tape type:      Archive Backup Tape
Online version: IBM Informix Dynamic
Server, Version 9.40.UC1
Archive date:   Mon Jun 03 08:32:22 2003
User id:        informix
Terminal id:    /dev/pts/14
Archive level:  0
Tape device:    /dev/tapedev
Tape blocksize (in k): 50
Tape size (in k): 10000
Tape number in series: 1

Spaces to restore: 1 [rootdbs]

Archive Information
...
Initialization Time     05/15/2003 15:41:47
System Page Size        2048
Version                 12
Archive CheckPoint Time 06/03/2000 08:32:25

Dbspaces
number  flags  fchunk  nchunk  flags  owner
name
1       1      1       1       N      informix
rootdbs

Chunks
chk/dbs  offset  size  free  bpages  flags  pathname
1   1    50      25000 13512         PO-
/dev/raws/rootdbs

Continue restore? (y/n) y
Do you want to back up the logs? (y/n) n

Restore a level 1 archive (y/n) y
Ready for level 1 tape

Please mount tape 1 on /dev/tapedev and press Return to continue.
...
Archive Level:  1
Tape device:    /dev/tapedev
Tape blocksize (in k): 50
Tape size (in k): 10000
Tape number in series: 1

Restore a level 2 archive (y/n) y
Ready for level 2 tape

Please mount tape 1 on /dev/tapedev and press Return to continue.
...
Archive Level:  2
Tape device:    /dev/tapedev
Tape blocksize (in k): 50
Tape size (in k): 10000
Tape number in series: 1

Do you want to restore log tapes? (y/n) y

Roll forward should start with log number 31
Please mount tape 1 on /dev/ltapedev and press Return to continue.
Do you want to restore another log tape? (y/n) y

Please mount tape 2 on /dev/ltapedev and press Return to continue.
Do you want to restore another log tape? 9y/n) n

Program over.

Bringing the Database Server Online When the Restore Is Over

At the end of the cold restore, the database server is in quiescent mode. You can bring the database server online at this point and continue processing as usual.

When you restore only some of your storage spaces during the cold restore, you can start a warm restore of the remaining storage spaces after you bring the database server online.