PRIMECLUSTER Global Disk Services Configuration and Administration Guide 4.1 (Linux)

G.2 Environment Configuration

Questions regarding environment configuration are explained.

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Q: How do I make a backup of a disk that is managed with GDS?

[A ]

The backup of GDS's logical volume can be made in the same way as a physical slice. However, make sure you make a backup using the logical volume. For example, do not boot from the CD-ROM and make a backup using the physical slice since correct data may not be saved.

You can also efficiently create a backup with the mirroring function. For details, see "Snapshot by Slice Detachment," "sdxslice - Slice operations," "Backup" and "Backing Up and Restoring Shared Disks."

By making use of GDS Snapshot proxy volumes, you can also configure backup administration that minimizes operation stop time. For details, see "Proxy Volume," "sdxproxy - Proxy object operations," "Snapshot Creation Using Command," "Backup (by Synchronization)," "Backup (by OPC)" and "Online Backup and Instant Restore through Proxy Volume."
Furthermore, backing up data through a server outside the domain running the service using GDS snapshot shadow volumes can hold the effects on the service to a minimum. For details, see "Shadow Volume" and "Backing Up and Restoring through an External Server."

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Q: I cannot execute the command fdisk(8) on a physical disk managed by GDS (for example sda). How can I solve this problem?

[A ]

Since access to physical disks is restrained by GDS, you cannot perform this operation.

For details, see "Restraining Access to Physical Special File."

If all you need to do with the commands fdisk(8) is to refer to the disk contents, you may do so by booting from the CD-ROM, and specifying the physical disk. However, you must exercise care since updating the data on the physical disk will damage the mirrored data. For details, see "Booting from a CD-ROM Device."