You can use the RESTORE command to restore backup versions of specific files, a group of files with similar names, or entire directories.
You can restore a file to either its original location or to a different location. For example, to restore the sys:/doc/h1.doc file to its original directory, use:
load dsmc restore sys:/doc/h1.doc
To restore the file under a new name and directory, use:
load dsmc restore sys:/doc/h1.doc sys:/newdoc/h2.doc
Add the -SUBDIR=YES option to the command if you need to restore the files in a directory and all of its subdirectories. For example, if you are recovering an entire volume (in this example, the NW3: volume), you can restore all the files using:
load dsmc restore NW3:/*.* -subdir=yes
See Restore for more information.
Your administrator determines how many backup versions ADSM maintains for each file on your NetWare server. Frequently, the administrator has ADSM maintain more than one version of each file. Having multiple versions of a file allows you to restore older versions in case the most recent backup is damaged.
ADSM considers the most recent backup version to be the active version. Any other backup version is considered an inactive version.
Every time ADSM backs up your files, it marks the new backup version as the active backup, and it changes what used to be the active backup to an inactive backup. When the maximum number of inactive versions is reached, ADSM deletes the oldest inactive version.
Normally, you want to restore active backup versions of files. However, there might be times when you want to restore an inactive version. For example, you might want to restore a file with the contents it contained on or before a specific date. Or you might accidentally erase a file, and then run an incremental backup. The active backup version of the file is now inactive. To get your file back, you need to restore the most recent inactive backup version of the file.
The restorecommand restores only active backup versions of files, unless you use the following options:
For example, if you want to restore the latest version of the deleted file sys:/h1.doc, use:
load dsmc restore sys:/h1.doc -latest
If you try to restore both an active and inactive version of a file at the same time, only the active version is restored.
This section discusses some advanced considerations for restoring data. You do not need to understand this information in order to use ADSM for basic tasks.
You can authorize another client node to restore your backup versions or retrieve your archive copies.
To authorize another node to restore or retrieve your files, use the set access command. You can also use the query access command to see your current list, and delete access to delete nodes from the list.
For more information on the commands, see:
If you want to restore files backed up or retrieve files archived by another NetWare client node, then you need access to those files as described in "Authorizing Another Client Node to Restore or Retrieve Your Files".
If you have been granted access to files backed up by a different client node, you can restore those files by using the fromnode option with the restore command. For example, you could enter the following:
load dsmc res -fromnode=nw2 servb\SYS:/home/proj/* serva\SYS:/home/proj/
where nw2 is the node name for another NetWare server, servb\SYS:/home/proj/* indicates the name of the server and the files you want to restore, and serva\SYS:/home/proj/ indicates where you want to place the files you are restoring. You must specify a destination, or ADSM attempts to restore the files to the server from which the files were backed up.
You can retrieve files that have been archived in the same way, using the retrieve command.
For more information about using the fromnode option, see Restore.
ADSM lets you restore files you backed up or retrieve files you archived from your own NetWare server when you are using a different NetWare server. You just need to tell ADSM your node name, because your backups and archives are stored according to your node, not your specific machine. Your ADSM password protects your data.
To restore or retrieve files to another NetWare server, use the nodename option to specify the node name of the NetWare server from which you backed up or archived the files. You can either use the nodename option when starting ADSM or update the client options file on the NetWare server. (If you are using someone else's machine, you can avoid changing their configuration by using the nodename option on the load dsmc command.)
For example, enter the following:
load dsmc res -nodename=nw1 serva\SYS:/home/proj/* servb\SYS:/home/proj/
where nw1 is the node name for the NetWare server from which you backed up the files, serva\SYS:/home/proj/* identifies the server and the files you want to restore, and servb\SYS:/home/proj/ indicates where you want to place the files you are restoring. You must specify a destination, or ADSM attempts to restore the files to the node from which the files were backed up.
You can enter the password option with the restore or retrieve command, or allow ADSM to prompt you for the ADSM password for the client node you specified with the nodename option.
ADSM can only recover your files if you can run the ADSM client. If the disk that contains the client is lost, you must reinstall the client before you can recover your files. If you also lose the disk that contains the operating system and communication software, you must recover them before you can connect to the ADSM server.
To protect yourself against these kinds of losses, put together a set of diskettes that you can use to restore your system to a state that permits you to contact the ADSM server and begin recovering data. These diskettes should contain:
The exact files you need differ depending on the communication package you use. Consult your operating system and communication software manuals for help in setting up these diskettes
If you need to restore a large number of files, you can improve performance by issuing multiple restore commands at one time.
For example, to restore all the files in your SYS:/user file space, you could enter:
load dsmc restore SYS:/user/ -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no
However, if you issue multiple commands for directories in your SYS:/user file space, ADSM can restore the files faster.
For example, you could issue these commands:
load dsmc restore SYS:/user/jones/ -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no load dsmc restore SYS:/user/smith/ -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no load dsmc restore SYS:/user/brown/ -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no
Or, if you need to restore multiple volumes, you could issue a restore command for each volume. For example:
load dsmc restore SYS:/* -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no load dsmc restore APP:/* -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no load dsmc restore DATA:/* -subdir=yes -replace=all -tapeprompt=no
| Note: | If you already have the appropriate values set for the subdir, replace and tapeprompt options in your client options file, you do not need to include those options in the commands. |
When you issue multiple commands to restore your files, you must specify a unique part of the file space in each restore command. Be sure that you do not use any overlapping file specifications in the commands.
To display a list of the root directories in a file space, use the query backup command. For example:
load dsmc query backup -dirsonly -subdir=no
As a general rule, you can issue from two to four restore commands at one time. The maximum number you can run at one time without degrading performance depends on factors such as how much memory you have and network utilization.
The speed at which ADSM can restore the files also depends on how many tape drives are available, and whether your administrator is using collocation to keep file spaces assigned to as few volumes as possible.
For example, if SYS:/user/jones and SYS:/user/smith are on the same tape, the restore for SYS:/user/smith must wait until the restore for SYS:/user/jones is complete. However, if SYS:/user/brown is on a different tape, and there are at least two tape drives available, the restore for SYS:/user/brown can begin at the same time as the restore for SYS:/user/jones.
If your administrator is using collocation, the number of sequential access media mounts required for restore operations is also reduced.
Other options you can choose to use in multiple restore commands are:
If your ADSM administrator gives you backdelete authority, you can delete entire file spaces from the server. When you delete a file space, you delete all the files, both backup versions and archive copies, that are contained within the file space.
Carefully consider what you are doing before you attempt to delete a file space.
You cannot delete individual backup versions kept on the ADSM server.
If you decide you do not need the file space, use the delete filespace command. See Delete Filespace for more information.
A point-in-time restore recovers a filespace or a directory to a previous condition. For example, a point-in-time restore can eliminate the effect of data corruption, or recover a basic configuration to a prior condition.
You can start a point-in-time restore from the ADSM backup-archive command line client, using the pitdate and pittime command line options. A point-in-time restore is supported on the filespace, directory, or file level. When a point-in-time restore is performed, files that were created on the client after the point-in-time date are not deleted.
Perform incremental backups on an ADSM V3 server in order to support a point-in-time restore. The ADSM server is only notified when files are deleted from a client filespace or directory during an incremental backup. Run incremental backups frequently to provide the necessary point-in-time resolution. Files that were deleted from a client filespace between two incremental backups are restored during a point-in-time restore. Point-in-time overrides object condition so that, even if an object has an active backup from a later date, the previous inactive copy is returned. Connect to an ADSM Version 3 server to use the point-in-time restore function.
The point-in-time command line options, pitdate and pittime, are used with the query and restore commands. For example, when pitdate and pittime are used with the QUERY BACKUP command, the date and time values specified in the pitdate and pittime parameters are used to establish the point-in-time for which file information is returned. When pitdate and pittime are used with the RESTORE command, the date and time values specified in the pitdate and pittime parameters are used to establish the point-in-time for which files are returned. The pitdate and pittime values are mutually exclusive from the todate and totime parameters.