Directory Server 6.0 backups

It goes without saying that backups are critical, Karena puts it quite succinctly.

Sun Java Directory Server 6.0 offers new backup features. (Read the official documentation here)

Frozen mode
Frozen mode disallows updates to the data, enabling you to take backup. You can see a screenshot of how to set frozen mode or use the CLI as follows:

#./opt/SUNWdsee/ds6/bin/dsconf set-server-prop read-write-mode:frozen

This will take the database offline, process all pending operations and flush the database environment.
Remember that the data isn't accessible until you turn frozen mode off as follows

#./opt/SUNWdsee/ds6/bin/dsconf set-server-prop read-write-mode: read-write

Of course if you are using the new ZFS file system, (read what Adam writes about it), then you can take a pretty quick snapshot (see my entry last year) of the data. Otherwise follow the guidelines below for using the CLI.

Backups using the CLI

#./opt/SUNWdsee/ds6/bin/dsadm backup

dsadm requires that the server be stopped first

/opt/SUNWdsee/ds6/bin/dsconf backup

dsconf does not require that the server be stopped first.The dsconf utility writes a temporary entry to the cn=backup,cn=task,cn=config branch of the directory, the task runs, and the temporary entry is removed     

Backup in LDIF/text format

/opt/SUNWdsee/ds6/bin/dsadm export

/opt/SUNWdsee/ds6/bin/dsconf export

dsadm and dsconf will export a single directory database to LDIF. Both bypass the LDAP protocol and read directly from the database. 

The dsconf and dsadm export commands can also be used with the --no-repl option to specify that no replication information is to be exported. The default is that the replicated suffix is exported to an LDIF file with replication information. The resulting LDIF will contain attributes that are used by the replication mechanism.
    

Backups of the logs and configuration information

The server creates backups of the configuration located in /pathto/instance/config

dse.ldif.startOK is created upon successful server startup, this way you are fairly certain that the configuration is viable.

dse.ldif.bak is up-to-date with latest changes as well

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Posted at 05:04PM Mar 07, 2007 by Jonathan Gershater in Identity & Directory Server  |