Backing Up the System Disk

HP strongly recommends that you make a backup copy of the system disk and, if your configuration allows it, upgrade the backup copy. Then, if there are problems, you still have a working system disk.



	NOTE: OpenVMS Engineering has encountered cases where recovery from a failed upgrade has been difficult, expensive, or impossible because no backup of the preupgrade system disk was available. Various hardware or software failures or a power failure can make a partially upgraded system disk unusable. A backup copy might be the only route to recovery. The minimal time required to make a backup is a very wise investment.

To back up the system disk, follow these steps:

Shut down the system (for OpenVMS Alpha systems, see Section ; for OpenVMS Integrity server systems, see Section ).
Boot the operating system media, following the instructions for OpenVMS Integrity servers in Section , and for OpenVMS Alpha in Section .
Use the menu system to enter the DCL environment (option 8).
Mount the system device and the target device on which you will make the backup copy. (If you are backing up to tape, skip to the next step.) For example, if your system disk is on DKA0: and the target device is on DKA100:, you might use the following commands. The /OVERRIDE qualifier used in this example allows you to mount the system disk without entering its volume label. The /FOREIGN qualifier is required for the target disk when you use the BACKUP /IMAGE command.
```
$$$ MOUNT /OVERRIDE=IDENTIFICATION DKA0:
$$$ MOUNT /FOREIGN DKA100:
```
To back up the system disk to a magnetic tape, enter the following commands, where MTA0: is the magnetic tape drive and label is the volume label. Note that the BACKUP command automatically mounts the tape and begins the backup to it.
```
$$$ INITIALIZE MTA0: label
$$$ MOUNT /OVERRIDE=IDENTIFICATION DKA0:
$$$ BACKUP /IMAGE /LOG DKA0: MTA0:label.BCK
```
To back up to a device other than a magnetic tape drive, enter the BACKUP command. For example, if your system disk is on DKA0: and your target disk is on DKA100:, use the following command (the colons are required):
```
$$$ BACKUP /IMAGE /LOG DKA0: DKA100:
```
The /IMAGE qualifier causes the Backup utility to produce a functionally equivalent copy of the system disk, which is also bootable. The /LOG qualifier causes the procedure to display the specification of each save set file being processed. To compare the backed up files to the source files, use the /VERIFY qualifier. If any discrepancies are detected, the Backup utility displays an error message indicating the discrepancies.
Log out from the DCL environment.
Shut down the system by selecting option 9 on the menu.

For more complete information about backup operations, including a description of an alternative method that does not require booting from the operating system media, see Appendix 6. For more information about the Backup utility, see the HP OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual: A-L.