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Frequently Asked Questions - 1-Touch for AIX

What are the benefits of 1-Touch for AIX feature?

Using 1-Touch for AIX has the following advantages:

  • Simple deployment and configuration procedures

  • Supports latest AIX versions - 6.1 and 7.1

  • Both physical and LPAR machines are supported

  • Point-in-time restores of system state at any given time is supported

  • Easy online recovery process (when operating system is already up)

  • Offline recovery also supported by way of network boot

  • Flexible restore options - you can restore all the Volume Groups or only the Root Volume Group, or you can even preserve the existing Volume Groups.

  • Option to skip automatic client reboot during recovery in case any additional manual steps are to be performed before client reboot. Recovery can then be continued using network boot.

How does 1-Touch for AIX work?

1-Touch recovery for AIX is based on IBM NIM (Network Installation Management). When you back up the default subclient, the IBM system backup is run to back up the Base Operating System (BOS) of the root volume group (rootvg). The MKSYSB file that is the result file of the BOS backup is stored directly on the backup media along with backed up data. No additional space is required on the client to store the MKSYSB file. The rest of the data on the client is backed up by the File System agent.

1-Touch recovery comprises of five phases:

  1. Recover the MKSYSB file to the 1-Touch server.

  2. Create SPOT (Shared Product Object Tree) resource from the MKSYSB file to match the version.

  3. Network boot the client to install BOS.

  4. Data recovery.

  5. Cleanup of MKSYSB and SPOT.

Phases 1, 2, and 3, run as part of the 1-Touch recovery job. When you select the AutomaticClientReboot option during recovery (the client computer must be accessible), once the BOS installation is complete, a separate data recovery job (phase 4) is started and upon completion of this job, the cleanup of MKSYSB and SPOT resources (phase 5) will be performed.

When you do not select the AutomaticClientReboot option during recovery, the MKSYSB and SPOT resources on the 1-Touch server are not cleaned up automatically and they must be cleaned up manually. For more details, refer to Is Manual Cleanup Necessary on the NIM Server if Automatic Reboot of Client is not Selected during 1-Touch recovery.

Why do I need NIM server during 1-Touch recovery?

When you initiate 1-Touch recovery from CommCell Console, the system will transfer the client's base image to NIM server. The NIM server will reboot the client. The client will establish network connection with NIM server and backup image on the NIM server will be used to install the operating system on the client.

Does NIM server require any configuration or settings for 1-Touch recovery?

The NIM server does not require any additional configuration for a 1-Touch recovery with default options. The latest NIM server software must be installed on both the 1-Touch server and the client. Ensure that NIM server has installed BOS and SPOT resources of the same version as client image.

You can customize the 1-Touch recovery to override the default values and to specify the target disk for rootvg. For more information, see Customizing 1-Touch Recovery for AIX.

Is Manual Cleanup Necessary on the NIM Server if Automatic Reboot of Client is not Selected during 1-Touch recovery?

Yes. Manual cleanup has to be performed on the NIM Server if AutomaticClientReboot option is not selected during recovery as explained below. Make sure to note down the recovery Job ID as it is used during the cleanup.

On NIM Master Server:

 
nim -o deallocate -a mksysb=GalaxySR_JobID NIMClientName
 nim -o deallocate -a fb_script=FB_GalaxySR_JobID NIMClientName
 nim -o deallocate -a bosinst_data=BOSInit_GalaxySR_JobID NIMClientName
 nim -o remove Spot_GalaxySR_JobID
 nim -o remove GalaxySR_JobID
 nim -o remove BOSInit_GalaxySR_JobID
 nim -o remove FB_GalaxySR_JobID
 rm -rf "/tftpboot/Galaxy_SR/JobID

where JobID is the recovery Job ID and NIMClientName is the name of the NIM client.

Optionally,

 
rm -rf 1-Touch Server Directory/NIMClientName

where 1-Touch Server Directory is the 1-Touch server directory path and NIMClientName is the name of the NIM client.

Example:

nim -o deallocate -a mksysb=GalaxySR_789 uxclient100

What are the log files that are created during 1-Touch backup and restore?

During 1-Touch backup:

On the source NIM client:

sr.log - all of the 1-Touch related scripts write to this log file during backup and you can find all 1-Touch related errors in this log file.

During 1-Touch restore:

On the NIM master: Phase 1 (Recover the MKSYSB file to the 1-Touch server)

sr.log - details about the progress of MKSYSB restore, NIM configuration checkup, and preparation of client for restore after the reboot.

On the destination NIM client: Phase 3 (after client network boot from SMS)

srrestore2.sh.log - registration to CommServe details and volume group creation logs.

On the destination NIM client: Phase 4 (Data recovery)

srrestore3.sh.log - file system restore 1-Touch job details (clRestore.log for the File System Agent restore).

Can I recover a client if the operating system is not running on the client?

Yes. You can restore the client if the operating system is not running or crashed. You must select No Automatic Reboot option when you initiate 1-Touch recovery from CommCell Console. You must manually perform network boot for the client. For more information, refer to Advanced Recovery.

How is disk mapping done during 1-Touch recovery?

During 1-Touch Recovery, disk mapping to the destination client is determined based on the physical location of the disk, disk size and disk name on the backed up client. Disk mapping for data volume groups and root volume group are handled differently.

Data Volume Groups

  1. Mapping is done for all of the data file system disks using their physical location first. The physical location of all the disks is stored during 1-Touch Backup of the client. During restore, if the stored physical location of a backed up disk matches with one of the disks on the destination client, disks are mapped.

  2. Backed up disks that have exactly the same disk name and the disk size on the destination client are then mapped.

  3. If there are unmapped disks after the steps#1 and #2, disks are mapped based on a best fit algorithm. For example, an unmapped backed up disk disk1 is mapped to a disk on the destination client which has the smallest size greater than or equal to the size of the disk disk1. Any disks that remain unmapped after this step cannot be mapped and therefore the restore fails.

You can also make two data file system disks to map to each other by placing a hooks file DiskMapHooks in the <1-Touch server directory>/<ShortTargetNameofDestinationClient>/ directory. There can be multiple entries in the hooks file in the following format:

<disk name on the destination client> <physical location of the disk to map to on the backed up client>

For example, to make the disk hdisk1 to map to the disk that had the U9117.570.10E06EE-V3-C3-T1-L820000000000 physical location on the backed up client, type: 

hdisk1 U9117.570.10E06EE-V3-C3-T1-L820000000000

Root Volume Group

During 1-Touch Backup, the physical location of the rootvg disk is identified and persisted in the system state of the backed up client. Disk mapping for the rootvg disk is done based on the physical location first. If there is no match based on the physical location on the destination client then hdisk0 is chosen as the rootvg disk by default.

You can map the rootvg disk only when you configure the following additional setting on the 1-Touch server, otherwise hdisk0 is chosen as the rootvg disk.

  1. From the CommCell Browser, navigate to the <1-Touch server>.

  2. Right-click the <1-Touch server>, and then click Properties.

  3. On the Client Computer Properties for <1-Touch server> dialog box, click Advanced.

  4. On the Advanced Client Properties dialog box, click the Additional Settings tab.

  5. Click Add.

  6. On the Add Additional Settings on Unix Client dialog box, perform the following:

    1. In the Name box, type <ShortNameofDestinationClient>_rootdisk.

    2. In the Category box, select FileSystemAgent.

    3. In the Type box, select STRING.

    4. In the Value box, type 1.

    5. Click OK.

  7. Click OK to close the Advanced Client Properties dialog box.

  8. Click OK to close the Client Computer Properties for <1-Touch server> dialog box.

Can I perform dissimilar recovery of one IBM P-series machine to another P-series machine model?

Yes, if the following conditions are met:

  • Source machine is patched to the latest supported level.

  • The NIM server has full set of LPP resources necessary for the P-series machine used.

Can I perform 1-Touch recovery using a non-primary NIC?

Yes. The following table lists the different 1-Touch recovery modes and the steps to perform recovery using a non-primary NIC:

Recovery Mode

Configuration Steps

1-Touch recovery

  1. After the 1-Touch recovery restore, connect the affected client to the network and switch power ON.

  2. Navigate to the SMS menu and configure the new network interface to use the NIM master server.

  3. On the NIM master, update the client configuration with the new network interface details. For information on NIM client configuration, refer to IBM documentation.

  4. Boot the client using the new network interface.

Cloning a Client Computer
  • Change the network configuration on the CloningMachineOptions page of the Submit 1-Touch recovery Request wizard.

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