Backing up indexes on server not using Networker

[copester86]

I'm hoping someone can help me solve a debate. Currently, my new employer is backing up /nsr/index on the server using ufsdump in Solaris. The manuals assume that you are using Networker and that's how I've always done it. I've also survived a couple of server disasters/migrations where I had to recover the indexes so I know that works. Unfortunately, I can't find anything conclusively stating that the indexes have to be backed up via Networker. I'm running 6.1.1 on Solaris 8.

Anyone have any experience or information using alternative backup methods?

Thanx

 

[goeze]

You can use other tools for saveing networker index. I do this occasional.

Do someting like this :
####################
DBDIR=/nsr/index/nw_server
SVDIR=/tmp_exp/networker
/opt/networker/bin/nsrck -Fq
pwd=`pwd`
status=`echo $?`
if test $status -eq 0
then
tar pcvf $DBDIR/tar/index.tar $DBDIR/db
/usr/bin/rcp -p $DBDIR/tar/index.tar root@remote_machine:$SVDIR
error=`echo $?`
if test $error -eq 0
then
echo "$pwd`echo $0`" |mailx -n -s "Index copy ok !" nsradm
else
echo "`date` : error: $pwd`echo $0` " |mailx -n -s "Index copy FAILURE !!!!" nsradm
fi
else
echo "`date` `uname -n`: error: $pwd`echo $0` " |mailx -n -s "Crosscheck Networker-Indizes FAILED!!!" nsradm
fi

####################

 

[redflo]

Make a mminfo -B
It shows you the Bootstraps of the last 5 weeks.
Then make a mminfo -q ssid=ssid_of_bootstrap

This shows you more Info about the bootstrap

make a mminfo -q client=networker_server_name,name=index:networker_client_name,level=full

these are the indexes. Compare the size with
du -sk /nsr/indec/networker_client_name

Nevertheless: the indexes are the core of the networker, and it may be useful to backup them with another system.

 

[TDun]

It did state at version 5 that any indexes must be backed up using the asm commands as they were holey files, so it could cause corruption to back them up with other tools.