Can I save IBMi “GO SAVE - Option 21/GO SAVE - Option 22” backup into ‘Optical Image Catalogue’ and use it for ‘Boot image to Load/Install’ another IBMi system/LPAR?
Yes. If you have a system with VIO servers, this can be performed with easy steps.
Please review the simplified procedure below and test it in your demo environment.!
1. Create Virtual Optical Drive and Vary-on
2. Create Optical Image catalogue and add virtual DVD images
3. GO SAVE Option 22
4. Create repository in VIO Serve
5. FTP saved images to VIO Server
6. Load Images into Image repository
7. Create virtual SCSI adapter in VIO Server and IBMi LPAR
8. Change the Alternative Restart Device in IBMi LPAR
9. Assign first DVD using VIO command
10. Boot IBMi LPAR with D M IPL mode
11. DST Menu for ‘Install License Internal Code’
Create Virtual Optical Drive and Vary-on:
Log into system with *IOSYSCFG Authority and execute following command
Command: CRTDEVOPT DEVD(OPTVRT01) RSRCNAME(*VRT) LCLINTNETA(*N) TEXT('This is for GO SAVE - Option 22')
Very-on above created Virtual Optical device using following command
Command: VRYCFG CFGOBJ(OPTVRT01) CFGTYPE(*DEV) STATUS(*ON)
Create Optical Image catalogue and add Virtual DVD images:
Create Optical Image catalogue
Command: CRTIMGCLG IMGCLG(SAVSYSTEM) DIR('/SAVSYSTEM')
Add Virtual DVD images into above created image catalogue
NOTE: Please check your system ASP usage and validate the required space for SAVSYS or Entire system backup.
As an example, here I will create 9 DVD images to perform my SAVSYS or GO SAVE è Option 22 Backup.
Before adding images to image catalogue:
Command: Added 9 Images as below
ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(SAVSYSTEM) FROMFILE(*NEW) TOFILE(DVD1.ISO) IMGSIZ(4600)
ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(SAVSYSTEM) FROMFILE(*NEW) TOFILE(DVD2.ISO) IMGSIZ(4600)
ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(SAVSYSTEM) FROMFILE(*NEW) TOFILE(DVD3.ISO) IMGSIZ(4600)
ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(SAVSYSTEM) FROMFILE(*NEW) TOFILE(DVD4.ISO) IMGSIZ(4600)
ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(SAVSYSTEM) FROMFILE(*NEW) TOFILE(DVD5.ISO) IMGSIZ(4600)
ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(SAVSYSTEM) FROMFILE(*NEW) TOFILE(DVD6.ISO) IMGSIZ(4600)
ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(SAVSYSTEM) FROMFILE(*NEW) TOFILE(DVD7.ISO) IMGSIZ(4600)
ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(SAVSYSTEM) FROMFILE(*NEW) TOFILE(DVD8.ISO) IMGSIZ(4600)
ADDIMGCLGE IMGCLG(SAVSYSTEM) FROMFILE(*NEW) TOFILE(DVD9.ISO) IMGSIZ(4600)
After adding 9 DVDs into image catalogue
Load Image catalogue into Virtual Optical Drive
Command: WRKIMGCLG IMGCLG(SAVSYSTEM)
Use Option 8 to load Image Catalogue into Virtual Optical Drive.
Press Enter & You can see the mounted DVD Volume using Option 12 as below
GO SAVE Option 22
Please access to Console session (DSP01) and perform following
ENDSBS SBS(*ALL) OPTION(*IMMED) // This is a System downtime.!
Save using GO SAVE – Option 22
Press Enter è Please specify your Virtual Optical Drive as below – OPTVRT01
Prompt for Command N and Check for Active file N and Unmount file system Y
Press Enter and wait until save operation completes OR any error message.
Create repository in VIO Server
If you don’t have enough space in VIO server, please map another volume and use it as repository vg. Please follow the step:
Create a Volume for IBMi DVD Images: P7VIO-Repo-IBMi
LUN create and Map into VIO server:
Create a vg and as : mkvg -S -y repo-vg hdisk3
Create an Image repository using below command / I used 80GB capacity for Image repository.
mkrep -sp repo-vg -size 80G
Place transfer Images into /home/padmin folder in VIO server: Always check the space availability in VIO server while transferring your images ( df -m /home/padmin)
FTP saved images to VIO Server
Binary format: bin
NAMEFMT 1 and cd /home/padmin & lcd /savsystem
put DVD1.ISO or you can use mput *.* to transfer all the files in one command.
Load Images into Image repository
Add transferred DVD images to Image Repository using below command:
VIO Command: mkvopt -name DVD1 -file /home/padmin/DVD1.ISO -ro | NOTE : Please execute command for DVD1 to DVD9.
You can see the repository content using : lsrep
If you don’t have much spaces in /home/padmin, then please delete loaded images from /home/padmin location as below:
Create virtual SCSI adapter in VIO Server and IBMi LPAR
Create SCSI Adapter in IBMi-DR LPAR (This is my new LPAR need to be IPLed from DVD Images which we saved from Production system.
New Adapter: Adapter ID 206 in IBMi-DR LPAR.
New Adapter: Adapter ID 206 in VIO Server
Now you can see the created Virtual Adapter as below
Create vtopt device using command: mkvdev -fbo -vadapter vhost0
Change the Alternative Restart Device in IBMi LPAR
Change the Alternative Restart Device as Virtual Adapter created during the “Create virtual SCSI adapter in IBMi LPAR’ step.
Assign first DVD using VIO command
Please use below command to add each DVD image to Virtual Optical Drive / You need to use Load and Unload each time when the IBMi request next DVD image.
Load Command: loadopt -disk DVD1 -vtd vtopt0
Unload Command: unloadopt -vtd vtopt0
NOTE : Client Partition ID still with 0x00000000 è Once the IBMi-DR LPAR boot with D M IPL, this should be changed to LPAR ID: 6
Boot IBMi LPAR with D M IPL mode
Perform DM Boot as below
As per the screen capture, now the Client ID has changed to 6 :
DST Menu for ‘Install Licensed Internal Code’
Within few minutes, DSP menu appear and you can continue the LS installation to new LPAR IBMi-DR
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