Backing Up and Restoring your SAP System on UNIX

This procedure describes how to perform a full offline backup of an SAP system and how to use the backup data for a restore.

Prerequisites

The SAP system and database are stopped. For more information, see Starting and Stopping SAP Systems.

Procedure

  • Backing Up Your SAP System
    1. Perform a full database backup.
    2. Back up the home directories of the following operating system users:

      • <sapsid> adm

      • Database-specific operating system user(s)

    3. Back up the following file systems of your SAP system:

      • /usr/sap/ <SAPSID>

      • /usr/sap/trans

      • / <sapmnt>/ <SAPSID>

    4. Proceed as follows to perform the backup:

      1. Log on as user root.

      2. Manually create a compressed tar archive that contains all installed files:

        • Saving to tape:

          tar -cf - <file_system | compress -c> <tape_device>

        • Saving to the file system:

          tar -cf - <file_system | compress -c> ARCHIVENAME.tar.Z

    5. Back up the operating system using operating system tools.
      This saves the structure of the system and all configuration files, such as file system size, configuration of the logical volume manager, and database configuration data.
  • Restoring the Backup

    If required, you can restore the data that you previously backed up.

    1. Log on as user root.
    2. Go to the location in your file system where you want to restore the backup image.
    3. Proceed as follows to restore the backup:

      • Execute the following command to restore the data from tape:

        cat <tape_device>| compress -cd | tar -xf -

      • Execute the following command to restore the data from the file system:

        cat ARCHIVENAME.tar.Z | compress -cd | tar -xf -

    4. Restore your database backup.
      For more information, see the database backup documentation for your database in the Database Administration section of this documentation.
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