xref: /netbsd-src/sbin/dump/dump.8 (revision ae9172d6cd9432a6a1a56760d86b32c57a66c39c)
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33.\"     from: @(#)dump.8	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/16/93
34.\"	$Id: dump.8,v 1.9 1994/06/08 18:57:31 mycroft Exp $
35.\"
36.Dd June 16, 1993
37.Dt DUMP 8
38.Os BSD 4
39.Sh NAME
40.Nm dump
41.Nd filesystem backup
42.Sh SYNOPSIS
43.Nm dump
44.Op Cm 0123456789BbhfusTdWn Op Ar argument ...
45.Op Ar filesystem
46.Sh DESCRIPTION
47.Nm Dump
48examines files
49on a filesystem
50and determines which files
51need to be backed up. These files
52are copied to the given disk, tape or other
53storage medium for safe keeping (see the
54.Cm f
55option below for doing remote backups).
56A dump that is larger than the output medium is broken into
57multiple volumes.
58On most media the size is determined by writing until an
59end-of-media indication is returned.
60On media that cannot reliably return an end-of-media indication
61(such as some cartridge tape drives)
62each volume is of a fixed size;
63the actual size is determined by the tape size and density and/or
64block count options below.
65By default, the same output file name is used for each volume
66after prompting the operator to change media.
67.Pp
68The following options are supported by
69.Nm dump:
70.Bl -tag -width 4n
71.It Cm 0\-9
72Dump levels.
73A level 0, full backup,
74guarantees the entire file system is copied
75(but see also the
76.Cm h
77option below).
78A level number above 0,
79incremental backup,
80tells dump to
81copy all files new or modified since the
82last dump of the same or lower level. The default
83level is 9.
84.It Cm B Ar records
85The number of dump records per volume.
86This option overrides the calculation of tape size
87based on length and density.
88.It Cm b Ar blocksize
89The number of kilobytes per dump record.
90.It Cm h Ar level
91Honor the user
92.Dq nodump
93flag
94.Dp Dv UF_NODUMP
95only for dumps at or above the given
96.Ar level .
97The default honor level is 1,
98so that incremental backups omit such files
99but full backups retain them.
100.It Cm f Ar file
101Write the backup to
102.Ar file ;
103.Ar file
104may be a special device file
105like
106.Pa /dev/rmt12
107(a tape drive),
108.Pa /dev/rsd1c
109(a disk drive),
110an ordinary file,
111or
112.Ql Fl
113(the standard output).
114Multiple file names may be given as a single argument separated by commas.
115Each file will be used for one dump volume in the order listed;
116if the dump requires more volumes than the number of names given,
117the last file name will used for all remaining volumes after prompting
118for media changes.
119If the name of the file is of the form
120.Dq host:file ,
121or
122.Dq user@host:file ,
123.Nm dump
124writes to the named file on the remote host using
125.Xr rmt 8 .
126.It Cm d Ar density
127Set tape density to
128.Ar density .
129The default is 1600BPI.
130.It Cm n
131Whenever
132.Nm dump
133requires operator attention,
134notify all operators in the group
135.Dq operator
136by means similar to a
137.Xr wall 1 .
138.It Cm s Ar feet
139Attempt to calculate the amount of tape needed
140at a particular density.
141If this amount is exceeded,
142.Nm dump
143prompts for a new tape.
144It is recommended to be a bit conservative on this option.
145The default tape length is 2300 feet.
146.It Cm u
147Update the file
148.Pa /etc/dumpdates
149after a successful dump.
150The format of
151.Pa /etc/dumpdates
152is readable by people, consisting of one
153free format record per line:
154filesystem name,
155increment level
156and
157.Xr ctime 3
158format dump date.
159There may be only one entry per filesystem at each level.
160The file
161.Pa /etc/dumpdates
162may be edited to change any of the fields,
163if necessary.
164.It Cm T Ar date
165Use the specified date as the starting time for the dump
166instead of the time determined from looking in
167.Pa /etc/dumpdates .
168The format of date is the same as that of
169.Xr ctime 3 .
170This option is useful for automated dump scripts that wish to
171dump over a specific period of time.
172The
173.Cm T
174option is mutually exclusive from the
175.Cm u
176option.
177.It Cm W
178.Nm Dump
179tells the operator what file systems need to be dumped.
180This information is gleaned from the files
181.Pa /etc/dumpdates
182and
183.Pa /etc/fstab .
184The
185.Cm W
186option causes
187.Nm dump
188to print out, for each file system in
189.Pa /etc/dumpdates
190the most recent dump date and level,
191and highlights those file systems that should be dumped.
192If the
193.Cm W
194option is set, all other options are ignored, and
195.Nm dump
196exits immediately.
197.It Cm w
198Is like W, but prints only those filesystems which need to be dumped.
199.El
200.Pp
201.Nm Dump
202requires operator intervention on these conditions:
203end of tape,
204end of dump,
205tape write error,
206tape open error or
207disk read error (if there are more than a threshold of 32).
208In addition to alerting all operators implied by the
209.Cm n
210key,
211.Nm dump
212interacts with the operator on
213.Em dump's
214control terminal at times when
215.Nm dump
216can no longer proceed,
217or if something is grossly wrong.
218All questions
219.Nm dump
220poses
221.Em must
222be answered by typing
223.Dq yes
224or
225.Dq no ,
226appropriately.
227.Pp
228Since making a dump involves a lot of time and effort for full dumps,
229.Nm dump
230checkpoints itself at the start of each tape volume.
231If writing that volume fails for some reason,
232.Nm dump
233will,
234with operator permission,
235restart itself from the checkpoint
236after the old tape has been rewound and removed,
237and a new tape has been mounted.
238.Pp
239.Nm Dump
240tells the operator what is going on at periodic intervals,
241including usually low estimates of the number of blocks to write,
242the number of tapes it will take, the time to completion, and
243the time to the tape change.
244The output is verbose,
245so that others know that the terminal
246controlling
247.Nm dump
248is busy,
249and will be for some time.
250.Pp
251In the event of a catastrophic disk event, the time required
252to restore all the necessary backup tapes or files to disk
253can be kept to a minimum by staggering the incremental dumps.
254An efficient method of staggering incremental dumps
255to minimize the number of tapes follows:
256.Bl -bullet -offset indent
257.It
258Always start with a level 0 backup, for example:
259.Bd -literal -offset indent
260/etc/dump 0uf /dev/nrst1 /usr/src
261.Ed
262.Pp
263This should be done at set intervals, say once a month or once every two months,
264and on a set of fresh tapes that is saved forever.
265.It
266After a level 0, dumps of active file
267systems are taken on a daily basis,
268using a modified Tower of Hanoi algorithm,
269with this sequence of dump levels:
270.Bd -literal -offset indent
2713 2 5 4 7 6 9 8 9 9 ...
272.Ed
273.Pp
274For the daily dumps, it should be possible to use a fixed number of tapes
275for each day, used on a weekly basis.
276Each week, a level 1 dump is taken, and
277the daily Hanoi sequence repeats beginning with 3.
278For weekly dumps, another fixed set of tapes per dumped file system is
279used, also on a cyclical basis.
280.El
281.Pp
282After several months or so, the daily and weekly tapes should get
283rotated out of the dump cycle and fresh tapes brought in.
284.Sh FILES
285.Bl -tag -width /etc/dumpdates -compact
286.It Pa /dev/rmt8
287default tape unit to dump to
288.It Pa /etc/dumpdates
289dump date records
290.It Pa /etc/fstab
291dump table: file systems and frequency
292.It Pa /etc/group
293to find group
294.Em operator
295.El
296.Sh SEE ALSO
297.Xr restore 8 ,
298.Xr rmt 8 ,
299.Xr dump 5 ,
300.Xr fstab 5
301.Sh DIAGNOSTICS
302Many, and verbose.
303.Pp
304Dump exits with zero status on success.
305Startup errors are indicated with an exit code of 1;
306abnormal termination is indicated with an exit code of 3.
307.Sh BUGS
308.Pp
309Fewer than 32 read errors on the filesystem are ignored.
310Each reel requires a new process, so parent processes for
311reels already written just hang around until the entire tape
312is written.
313.Pp
314.Nm Dump
315with the
316.Cm W
317or
318.Cm w
319options does not report filesystems that have never been recorded
320in
321.Pa /etc/dumpdates ,
322even if listed in
323.Pa /etc/fstab .
324.Pp
325It would be nice if
326.Nm dump
327knew about the dump sequence,
328kept track of the tapes scribbled on,
329told the operator which tape to mount when,
330and provided more assistance
331for the operator running
332.Xr restore .
333.Sh HISTORY
334A
335.Nm dump
336command appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX.
337