Charles Ballowe wrote:

>It backs them up as they are when the backup happens. If you're
>dealing with oracle databases, something should either put the
>database into backup mode or shut it down completely before doing a
>backup. In backup mode, you need to get the archive logs last, and
>should pick up a backup of the control file. ... or use the Oracle
>agent and exclude the database files all together. Other databases
>pose similar problems.
>
>If you do regular restore tests of your databases, you should be more
>than fine with your backup methods - remember that a backup is no good
>unless you can restore from it.
>
>The split mirror backups are a good way in an extremely high
>availability environment to get a cold database backup and minimize
>database downtime - shutdown the database, split the mirror, bring up
>the database and backup the split copy while operations continue as
>normal.
>
>It's far from normal - but it gives people comfort in some environments.
>
>-Charlie
>
>On 8/3/05, Dave Markham <dave.markham AT fjserv DOT net> wrote:
>  
>
>>Paul Keating wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>You're likely doing "normal" backups, and not trying to backup a split
>>>mirror.
>>>
>>>Some cases when you might backup a split mirror would be if you want to
>>>back up a database, or directory, ensuring youo're getting all files in
>>>sync. You would quiesce any processes using the disk, then split off the
>>>mirror......the database or application would continue running on the
>>>original plex, and you could backup the plex that was split off without
>>>fear of an application tweaking the data during the backup.
>>>
>>>Paul
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>From: veritas-bu-admin AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu
>>>>[mailto:veritas-bu-admin AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu] On Behalf Of
>>>>Sean Clarke
>>>>Sent: August 2, 2005 6:40 PM
>>>>To: 'BeDour, Wayne'; 'Veritas List'
>>>>Subject: RE: [Veritas-bu] Backing up Solaris 9 submirrors
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>I don't understand this, we have an environment with a
>>>>Solaris Master, a
>>>>mixture of Solaris and HP-UX media servers and backup Solaris, HP-UX,
>>>>Linux and Windows clients without having to resort to this. Surely the
>>>>Netbackup processes on the Client are the only things that really need
>>>>to understand it's filesystem. By the time you get to the Media/Master
>>>>server, surely you are just writing tar files?
>>>>
>>>>Have I missed something?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>Veritas-bu maillist  -  Veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu
>>>http://mailman.eng.auburn.edu/mailman/listinfo/veritas-bu
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>I may sound daft, but is this normal? I backup unix systems and am
>>worrying now data i backup may not be worth much.
>>
>>How does netbackup handle open files or files which are being written
>>to? Does it just not back them up and give a status 1 ( because i dont
>>have many status 1 at all ) or does it back it up and lock it?
>>
>>Cheers
>>Dave
>>_______________________________________________
>>Veritas-bu maillist  -  Veritas-bu AT mailman.eng.auburn DOT edu
>>http://mailman.eng.auburn.edu/mailman/listinfo/veritas-bu
>>
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
I back my oracle databases up by putting them into backup mode and 
running hot_archives. ( Well the dba does ). On mysql databases i do a 
mysqldump and back the files it creates up.

Im concerned about OS files such as libraries (although i assume they 
are only being read) and files users may have open.

Admittedly backups occur during the night so the risk of this is small, 
i just wondered how it handled open files e.g an open text file, during 
backup time.

Cheers
Dave