Backing up by using the db_backup command

• Full online backups
• Incremental online backups
• Delta incremental online backups

For a database backup:

db_backup -type {off|onl|inc} -path path [-compress {no | yes}] [-comprlib compression_library] [-partitioned-backup]
db_backup -type {off|onl|inc} -tsm [-sessions {1|number}] [-compress {no | yes}] [-comprlib compression_library]
db_backup -type {off|onl|inc} -emc [-compress {no | yes}] [-comprlib compression_library]

For a schema backup:

db_backup -type {onl|inc|del} -path path -schema schema_name [-schemafile filepath] [-compress {gzip | lz4 | no}] [-format {binary | text}] [-sessions N] [-image-check [hash | size | rowcount]]

db_backup -type {onl|inc|del} -tsm -schema schema_name [-schemafile filepath]
[-compress {gzip | lz4 | no}] [-format {binary | text}] [-sessions N] [-image-check rowcount]`

To display history or command usage information:

db_backup -history
db_backup -version
db_backup -status
db_backup {-h|--help}

-type {off|onl|inc|del}

The type of backup to run:

off

A full offline backup.

onl

A full online backup. The default backup image target directory is /mnt/bludata0/db2/archive_log.

inc

An incremental online backup. An incremental backup image is a copy of all data that has changed since the most recent, successful, full backup operation. This is also known as a cumulative backup image, because a series of incremental backups taken over time will each have the contents of the previous incremental backup image. The predecessor of an incremental backup image is always the most recent successful full backup of the same object.

Incremental schema backups can only be performed on schemas enabled for row modification tracking.

del

A delta incremental online backup, also known as a differential backup.

Delta incremental schema backups can only be performed on schemas enabled for row modification tracking.

A delta backup image is a copy of all data that has changed since the last successful backup. This could be a full, cumulative or a differential backup. Delta incremental schema backups can only be performed on schemas enabled for row modification tracking.

-path path

A target directory or device. The full path on which the directory resides must be specified. This target directory or device must be locally addressable on the database server. Multiple paths can be specified to improve performance.

Note:

• In a Db2 Warehouse MPP deployment, the target directory or device must exist on all database partitions.
• The target directory must be owned by the db2inst1 user or its group.

-schema schema_name

Name of the database schema to be backed up. If not specified, the entire database is backed up. The schema names must be separated by a space. For more information, refer to Schema enabled for row modification tracking.

Users can specify multiple schema names, however if a schema enabled for row modification tracking (RMT) is specified, only one schema name can be specified.

-compress

Optional parameter. If specified, the data files in the backup are compressed. When used with -schema option default is set to lz4. When used without the -schema option (database backup), default is set to no.

-comprlib compression_library

Indicates the name of the library that is used during the compression or encryption. The name must be a fully qualified path that refers to a file on the server. If this parameter is not specified, the default Db2 compression library libdb2compr.so is used.

Encryption libraries: libdb2encr.so
Compression library: libdb2compr.so
Encryption and compression libraries: libdb2compr_encr.so

If the specified library cannot be loaded, the backup operation fails.

-format {text|binary}

The format the backup files will take. By default, this is set to binary.

-partitioned-backup

Directs backup to create separate sub-folder under provided path for each MLN using format 'MLN $4N', where $4N is a 4-digit number of the node.

-tsm

The backup directly is to be run to IBM Spectrum Protect. Contact your IBM service representative for assistance.

-sessions {1|number}

The number of I/O sessions between IBM Db2 Warehouse and IBM Spectrum Protect or another backup product. This parameter has no effect when you back up to tape, disk, or another local device. The recommended number of sessions is 2; the default number is 1.

-emc

The backup directly is to be run to EMC NetWorker. Contact your IBM representative for assistance.

-schemafile

Specifies the case-sensitive schema names to backup using a file. Each schema name in the file must be provided in a separate line.

-history

Displays up to 10 backup images. If more than 10 backups have been made, information about the latest 10 backups is displayed. The rest of the information is redirected to the /scratch/bluadmin_BNR/backup_history.txt file.

-status

Displays if another db_backup or db_restore is in progress. Each job is displayed on a separate line.

-sessions N

Optional. Spawns N threads to back up individual tables concurrently. The default value is 4. For multi-schema backups, N threads are spawned for each schema.

-image-check [hash|size|rowcount]

Optional. Post-process schema backup files to enable image integrity verification prior to schema-level restore. All values can be selected. No value is set by default. However, a list of names of all files in backup image is always recorded and verified before restore.

hash

Computes and records hash values for all files in a backup image.

size

Records sizes of all files in a backup image.

rowcount

Processes data files and records the number of rows.

When you use Db2 Warehouse on IBM Cloud® Private, you can run a backup command from outside the container in Docker or Podman:

docker exec -it dashDB bash -lc "backup_command_to_execute"

podman exec -it dashDB bash -lc "backup_command_to_execute"

For example, to run the db_backup command for a full offline backup to a shared storage path that is mounted at /mnt/external/backup inside the container, issue the following command:

docker exec -it dashDB bash -lc "db_backup -path /mnt/external/backup -type off"

podman exec -it dashDB bash -lc "db_backup -path /mnt/external/backup -type off"