Summary

This chapter described the standard copy and backup utilities available in Solaris. It also described the various types of backup media available. It discussed tar, dd, cpio, and pax and described how to use them to copy and restore files, directories, and entire file systems.

This chapter also described how to use ufsdump and ufsrestore to perform regular backups on your system. I described a recommended backup schedule that could be implemented to safeguard any system from deliberate or accidental loss of data. This chapter described how to recover data from your backup media. It described the procedure to restore single files or entire file systems. Finally, I described how to use fssnap and Web Start Flash archive as yet another method to back up information.

As you’re finding out with Solaris, there are many ways to perform the same task. You need to choose the method that best suits your environment. Although all of these utilities do a good job of backing up your data, if your company has several servers and large storage pools, you might want to investigate some of the more robust backup packages available from third parties such as Veritas or Legato. Actually, Sun’s backup product called Solstice Backup is the Legato Networker software in a Sun box. Most of these packages provide a comprehensive suite of utilities for conducting and managing backups in a complex computing environment. In most cases, they allow single-point backups—not only for Solaris but for other operating systems as well.