ActiveImage Protector 4.1 Readme
Revised on April 22, 2014
This document contains the following information. It is highly recommended that you read this document carefully before starting to use ActiveImage Protector.
Table of Contents
System Requirements
Precautions when upgrading from earlier version
User Guide and related documents
Limitations and Precautions
CPU
Pentium 4 or above
Main Memory
1024MB is required. (2048MB or above is recommended.)
Hard Disk Space
150MB or above of available hard disk space is required at setup.
* In addition to the above, the following hard disk space is required to reserve working space in "/var/opt". Normally, the following working space is automatically reserved when installing the product.
- 3% of the total volume size of the device, of which entry is added to "/etc/fstab", is required as working space for snapshot (the working space is also used to back up with Deduplication Feature).
- 0.01% of the total volume size of the device, of which entry is added to "/etc/fstab", is required as working space to create bitmap for incremental backup.
DVD-ROM Drive
Required to install the product (boot up the product) and boot up Boot Environment.
Linux Distributions
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0 - 6.5 (i386, x86_64)
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0 - 5.10 (i386, x86_64)
* Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 is not supported.
CentOS
- CentOS 6.0 - 6.5 (i386, x86_64)
- CentOS 5.0 - 5.10 (i386, x86_64)
* CentOS 4 is not supported.
- In the event that "Do not have sufficient permissions" error message occurs, please use the following command to remount and try installation again. (Device name, for example: "/media/AIPxx_Linux")
# mount -o remount,exec <Device Name>
- If the following modules are not set up in the environment, before you start setting up this program, “yum” command or “rpm” command must be used to set up RPM package corresponding to the following:
libstdc++.i686, libuuid.i686, glibc.i686
* For further details, please visit here.
- If your system environment does not support Linux Ext4, backup of large capacity (over 2TB) disks is not supported. “yum” command or “rpm” command must be used to set up RPM package corresponding to the following:
e4fsprogs
- To launch GUI, the following module must be set up. Before launching GUI, “yum” command or “rpm” command must be used to set up RPM package corresponding to the following:
zlib.i686, libxcb.i686, libXrender.i686, libXext.i686, libXau.i686, libX11.i686, libSM.i686, libICE.i686, glib2.i686, freetype.i686, fontconfig.i686, expat.i686
* For further details, please visit here.
- Since this product includes loadable kernel module, it may not run on the most recent kernel version released after this product. Before starting to install this product or updating kernel version, please refer to the list of evaluated kernel versions.
* For further details, please visit here.
File System
Linux Ext2 / Linux Ext3 / Linux Ext4 / Linux Swap / Linux LVM (volume group and logical volume) / Linux RAID
* As for backup image files for the file system other than the above, full sector backup is created.
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Upgrade Procedures
- If ActiveImage Protector 4.1 is installed to the environment where an earlier version of ActiveImage Protector is installed, the earlier version is automatically uninstalled before installing ActiveImage Protector 4.1.
If you select [Yes] to [Do you want to keep current configuration?], the current profiles, schedules and other settings are inherited. If you select [No], these settings are deleted and not inherited.
- If the earlier version is uninstalled before installing the version 4.1, please use the installer for version 4.1 instead of the installer for an earlier version.
- After upgrading from an earlier version to version 4.1, you do not need to restart your computer.
Inherit settings / profiles from Version 4.0
Inherit settings / profiles from Version 3.5 or earlier
-
In the event that the current settings with Version 3.5 or earlier version are inherited to the upgraded version, the settings and profiles are renamed to "*.ini.3x" (version 3.x) or "*.ini.2x"(version 2.x) and saved.
When upgraded, please take the following procedures to inherit the settings and profiles from the earlier version.
Inherit Settings
Use "vi" command to open "aip.ini.3x(2x)". Copy parameters to inherit from the file and paste them to the corresponding positions in "aip.ini".
Inherit Profiles
Rename "*.ini.3x(2x)" in "/opt/NetJapan/profiles" to "*.ini" and run the following command so that the differential backup profiles are converted to incremental backup profiles.
# /opt/NetJapan/aipdif2inc
- The profiles for backup of LVM and "Do disk based" backup cannot be used on their own. The profiles need to be edited as follows to make them work with version 4.1.
- Launch GUI, select [Dashboard] - [Schedule] and edit the schedule tasks as required.
- Launch CUI, open [Schedule Management] page in backup wizard and select [Edit a schedule].
- Once the profiles and schedule setting files are updated, they cannot be reverted back to work with the earlier version.
Activation Information
Even when you already activated the product for an earlier version, you need to activate the upgraded version again.
Compatibility between Boot Environment and Backup Images
- In Boot Environment booted from the CD created with version 3.5 or an earlier version, backup images created with ActiveImage Protector 4.1 cannot be restored.
- Boot Environment of version 4.1 supports restore of backup images created with an earlier version.
The GUI restore wizard does not support the restore of LVM backup images created with version 3.5 or an earlier version. In this case, launch the terminal and run the following command to use CUI restore wizard which supports earlier version.
#/opt/NetJapan/aiprestore_lvm_35
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User Guide in Japanese and related documents can be found in [ja] - [Doc] folder in the product's media.
Related Documents
- Index.html： Provides links to the related documents such as this Readme, Release Note, Technical Support, etc.
User Guide
The following User Guides can be found in [ja] - [Guide] folder.
- GUI_Backup-Restore_Guide.pdf： User Guide contains information about backup and restore procedures using ActiveIamge console (GUI).
- CUI_Backup-Restore_Guide.pdf：User Guide contains information about backup and restore procedures using aipmng (CUI).
Basic Points
Backup and Restore
Mount Image
Others
Connect to Remote Computer
Precautions for backup with Deduplication Compression option enabled in Boot Environment
Operation procedures using aipmng (CUI)
- If [Temporary Change Tracking] option by default is selected for [Tracking Settings], the tracking information is purged whenever the computer is restarted. After rebooting system, the first scheduled backup is full backup instead of incremental, if this option is enabled. Thereafter, incremental backup files are created according to the specified schedule, associated to the created full backup.
If you need to create incremental backup even after system reboot, please select [Preference] - [Tracking] and [Persistent change tracking] option. To select [Persistent change tracking] option, you need to have unmounted volume with sufficient available space.
- To add another volume as a change tracking target, please add the entry of the volume to "/etc/fstab" and re-install the program.
- Differential backup schedule created with version 3.5 or an earlier version and [Do disk based backup] do not work with version 4.1. Since LVM backup procedures have been changed with version 4.0, the backup schedule inherited from version 3.5 or an earlier version must be edited / updated or recreated.
- The use of "fdisk" command in ActiveImage Protector Linux Edition initializes the disks recognized as uninitialized at the following timings.
In the event that a connected disk is used as RAW device and unpartitioned, the data in the first sector may be changed as a result of initialization processing.
The disks as such need to be partitioned so that by allocating a partition to RAW device, you should be able to avoid data loss from the first sector.
- When "aipcontrol diskinfo" command is executed.
- Backup task is started.
- Restore wizard is launched.
- GUI is launched.
- Backup image cannot be restored to the disk of which sector size is different from backup source.
- If a lot of storage devices are connected to the system, start-up of ActiveImage console may take long.
- ActiveImage Protector supports up to the maximum number of 31 disks per system.
Up to the maximum number of 24 volumes per disk are supported.
Top of the topic
- In case working space for snapshot is not reserved during installation, please select [Preference] - [Snapshot] to reserve snapshot working space.
In the event that snapshot working space is not reserved, backup by taking a snapshot or Deduplication Compression feature may fail.
- AIP supports backup of the maximum size of 15TB volume.
For example, in case 20TB disk is partitioned into 10TB and 10TB volumes, both disk based and volume based backup are supported. However, in case that the 20TB disk is not partitioned, backup of 20TB disk is not supported.
- Since loopback device provided by OS is used for backup, you need to change the number of loopback devices according to the number of volumes for backup source.
The number of loopback devices required for backup is the number of backup source volumes + 2.
If necessary, please change the number of loopback devices referring to the following.
For example, if you want to change the number of loopback devices to 16 when OS is booted up, please add the following command to "/etc/rc.local".
MAKEDEV -m 16 /dev/loop
- If the schedule is defined and applied within five minutes or less before the first scheduled start time, the first task will not be executed according to the schedule.
- If your machine is restarted while backup is being executed, restart of the machine does not resume the aborted backup process. The same backup task needs to be executed again.
- In the event that the schedule settings are edited and the destination to save the image files is changed, the file names in the image file set created in the newly specified destination may be duplicated with the already existing image files saved in the previous destination.
The consistency and sequency of the created image files are guaranteed for image file set saved in a single destination.
- If a removable disk such as external USB HDD is specified as backup destination, please make sure you do not disconnect the removable disk while execution of the task is suspended.
The task resumed after reconnecting the USB HDD will fail.
- You are recommended to specify HDD other than backup source or a network shared folder as the destination to save backup image files.
If you need to specify backup source HDD as the destination to save backup image files, you need to reserve working space for snapshot larger than the size of image files.
Also, task process time may take longer.
- If [Continue operation without deduplication] option is selected in [Preference] - [Decuplication], please restart ActiveImage console.
Until ActiveImage console is restarted, the option setting in backup wizard will not be applied.
- When a backup image created for [LVM system] device type is selected as restore source, all of the image files created at the same time are selected.
- Restore of swap area by volume is not supported.
- Restore to Software RAID (mdraid) disk configured with mdadm by volume may fail.
In the event that you encounter this failure, please enter the following command to use aipmng (CUI) and try again.
# aipmng --restore
- The contents in the destination disk in LVM system will be completely purged at the same time restore process is started.
If a destination volume already exists, backup of the existing destination should be created before executing restore processing.
- To restore and overwrite LV except for the rear most in VG where multiple LV's exist, the restored LV will be displayed at the end of the disk map after restore process is completed.
- Mounted volume, Boot volume, PV, mdraid configured volume cannot be specified as restore destination.
With ActiveImage console launched, if the volume mounted in local system is specified as restore destination, please select [View] - [Refresh] after unmounting the volume in the system before executing restore process.
- In disk map in [Restore target] on [Select target] in restore wizard, when multiple adjacent volumes are deleted by selecting [Delete Partition] from the context menu, available space is displayed but not consolidated.
- When a volume is restored to overwrite an existing volume, [Target] indicates to be "unallocated space" in [Summary] page in restore wizard.
- Even when [Purge task log together] option is disabled, information displayed by selecting [Dashboard] - [Task Log] is purged.
- If you change [Port] in [Host settings for connection], connection with AIP agent may not be established.
In such case please restart the system and try again.
- Authentication of shared folder on a computer which static IP address is used may fail.
- A restored partitions may be indicated as [Unknown] in the disk map. In such case, click on [Refresh] button.
- In the event that you click on [Back] to edit settings in a specific page, a message warning about the settings before you changed may be displayed.
- In [Restore Image Wizard], a backup image of Software RAID (mdraid) configured by using mdadm is indicated as Basic disk. This is just an indication error and correctly recognized as Software RAID (mdraid).
- When you try to select an image file, spirit files (CHNK file) are allowed to be selected, however, please do not select them.
If you select sprit files, console may crash.
- If a volume of tracking target is restored and overwritten, since the changes occurred as a result of restore are identified as the changes, the size of the image file created by the firtst incremental backup is larger.
To avoid this, run a full backup task or run the following command before the next incremental backup task is started and reboot the device of tracking target.
After tracking is enabled again, the first scheduled backup is a full backup instead of an incremental.
#/etc/aipsnap disable_tracker <Block Device Name>
#/etc/aipsnap enable_tracker <Block Device Name>
- In RedHat5 or CentOS5 environment, in the event that block device mapped with udev.rules is not mounted in advance, the block device cannot be recognied as backup target.Once the block device is mounted, even after unmounted, the device is recognized as backup target.
Top of the topic
- In [Image Mount], file system of the following volumes is recognized as "Unknown".
- GPT Volume
- Volumes in the image file created with an earlier version of ActiveImage Protector.
- In the event that a part of backup image file which includes multiple volumes is mounted as read only, aix file cannot be created for other volumes mounted as writable.
- If you mount an image in the environment wherer mount driver is not correctly applied, you get the message "[19] Unknown AIP error".
- Operation log in Image Explorer is not recorded in task log.
- In case that the image files in network folder which is not mounted on local system are consolidated, or in case that some data are deleted from an incremental image file which is included in an archived file, the archived file size is not decreased by the deleted data size but the size may grow up.
Top of the topic
- To copy files / folders in [Open Image File] or [Select Folder] dialog, please edit the extended attributes of the copy source such as permission, owner user / group, SE Linux context, etc., accordingly.
- With ActiveImage console launched, the volume mounted in local system is indicated to be available for [Device for tracking] in [Tracking settings] in [Preference].
In the event that a volume is mounted in rebooted local system, please restart ActiveImage console.
- You cannot use "/" in [Create support info].
- If a comment is entered in Backup Wizard, line feeds may be inserted to the comment to be indicated in [Summary] page.
- ActiveImage Protector CLI menu cannot be called as a user belonging to Wheel group.
Top of the topic
- To connect to a remote host using ActiveImage console, the following settings need to be configured.
Remote Host (Managed)
Please make sure Windows Firewall (iptables) exception settings are configured to open the following TCP/UDP ports.
When you install ActiveImage agent, you can select [Set firewall exception] option to automatically configure the exception settings to open the following ports.
- TCP port 48236 (to connect to a remote computer)
- UDP port 48238 (to connect to a remote computer)
- UDP port 137 (to browse shared folders)
If [system-config-firewall] (firewall setting tool provided by GUI) is used, please manually configure the settings to open the following TCP/UDP ports instead of using program's installer.
- TCP Port 48236
- UDP Port 48238
- UDP Port 137
ActiveImage console (Managing)
Select [Set firewall exception] option when installing the program, the following ports are automatically set as firewall (iptables) exception.
- UDP port 48239 (to connect to a remote computer)
If [system-config-firewall] (firewall setting tool provided by GUI) is used, please manually configure the settings to open the ports.
To install Windows management console, the required settings must be configured by using the program's installer.
- When you try to establish connection with a remote computer by using ActiveImage console configured on Linux 64 bit OS, restart of the system on the connecting host causes ActiveImage console crash.
- When connection is established via remote console, the schedule information may not be refreshed in [Dashboard].
Top of the topic
- "/tmp" is used as the temporary work folder for backup with Deduplication Compression option enabled in Boot Environment.
In the event that the size of duplicate data grows to exceed the space in "/tmp" folder, the location specified with the following parameter in "/opt/Netjapan/aip.ini" is used as temporary work folder.
If necessary, use "vi" to edit the following parameters to specify the alternate folder.
default_dd_bdb_tmpdir
- [Continue operation without deduplication] option cannot be selected when [Deduplication Compression] is selected to back up in Boot Environment.
- Encrypted system environment may not boot into Boot Environment.
Top of the topic
- A volume / LV may not be selected to restore to available space.
- Restore of Software RAID (mdraid) volume configured with mdadm by using [Restore a partition] may encounter with "-553 No open file" error.
Then, please enter the following command and try again.
# aipcontrol restorevolume <image path> <md dev path>
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