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Procedure documentation Editing the oper_deflt.arc File for ON-Archive  Locate the document in its SAP Library structure

Use

This procedure describes how to configure the oper_deflt.arc file, one of a number of files required for ON-Archive with the Informix database. This file sets the default values for parameters in ON-Archive requests. It contains essential information required by ON-Archive to correctly perform data recovery (that is, archive, backup, and restore). If required, you can override the defaults set in this file. To see how the oper_deflt.arc file relates to the other files required by ON-Archive , see Configuration Files for ON-Archive.

Follow this procedure before you start performing archives, backups, and restores of your database.

Procedure

  1. Log on as user informix using the following command:

    2. su - informix
  2. If required, you can list your current ON-Archive defaults before you start editing, using the following command:

    3. $ onarchive 'list/default'
  3. Open the oper_deflt.arc file, which you can normally find in the $INFORMIXDIR/etc directory.
  4. Set the parameter IMMEDIATE .

    5. This parameter means that ON-Archive commands are executed immediately instead of being stored as a request for later execution. We recommend that you use this parameter. The convention in this documentation is to assume it has been set.

  5. Set the parameter AUTOVOP .

    6. This parameter means that ON-Archive commands are executed in unattended mode using the autovop utility. It is best to set this to NOAUTOVOP for normal use.

  6. Set the parameters NOCOMPRESS and NODECOMPRESS (define both parameters, as shown here).

    7. These parameters define the software compression type. SAP recommends that you use rewind tape drives with hardware compression.

  7. Set the parameter EXPIRY_DATE=<number of days>

    8. This parameter determines how long tape volumes are kept before they can be overwritten with new archive data. Four weeks should be the absolute minimum value for this parameter in a production environment, for example:

    EXPIRY_DATE=28

    Note

    ON-Archive deletes information about archives and backups that have expired (even if they have not yet been overwritten). This means that valid archives or backups might still exist on the tape concerned. However, ON-Archive does not recognize the existence of the data any longer (the entry has been deleted from the sysmaster database because the expiry date has been reached). Such data can be recataloged if necessary.

    For more information about volume sets and volumes, see Volume Sets and Volumes for ON-Archive.

  8. Set the parameter LOG .

    9. This parameter causes ON-Archive to write a brief log of its actions to a system file (to the working directory). See the ACTIVITYLOG parameter in Editing the File config.arc for ON-Archive for another way to log activity in ON-Archive .

  9. Set the parameter NOTIFY .

    10. This parameter causes ON-Archive to send an email to the operator who executed the ON-Archive request. The email contains the results of the request. If you use the DBA Planning Calendar, the email is sent to the user <sid>adm .

  10. Set the parameter NOAPART .

This parameter specifies that multiple save sets from an archive or backup can be written to the same volume. SAP recommends that you set this parameter as shown here. You can override it for particular archives or backups if required, by using the APART qualifier in an ON-Archive command that you enter manually. For more information about entering ON-Archive commands manually, see Entering ON-Archive Commands Manually.

Caution

On AIX, you must define the blocksize for the tape you want to use as 0 to make software changes of blocksize possible. You can do this, for example, using the AIX administration tool smitty .

Result

You have now completed one of the steps required to configure ON-Archive for performing archives, backups, and restores of your database.

 

See also:

Configuration of ON-Archive

Editing the ONCONFIG File for ON-Archive

Editing the config.arc File for ON-Archive

Informix documentation at http://www.informix.com