Comparison of the ON-Bar and ontape utilities

This topic contains information to help you compare the ON-Bar and ontape utilities, so you can determine when to use each utility.

ON-Bar

Backs up and restores storage spaces (dbspaces) and logical files, by using a storage manager to track backups and storage media. Use this utility when you need to:

Select specific storage spaces
Back up to a specific point in time
Perform separate physical and logical restores
Back up and restore different storage spaces in parallel
Use multiple tape drives concurrently for backups and restores
Perform imported restores
Perform external backups and restores

ontape

Logs, backs up, and restores data, and enables you to change the logging status of a database. It does not use a storage manager. Use this utility when you need to:

Back up and restore data without a storage manager
Back up without selecting storage spaces
Change the logging mode for databases

Important: The backup that ontape and ON-Bar produce are not compatible. You cannot create a backup with ontape and restore it with ON-Bar, or vice versa.

The following table compares ON-Bar and ontape.

Table 1. Differences between ON-Bar and ontape
Can the utility…	ON-Bar	ontape
Use a storage manager to track backups and storage media?	yes	no
Back up all database server data?	yes	yes
Back up selected storage spaces?	yes	no
Back up logical-log files?	yes	yes
Perform continuous logical-log backups?	yes	yes
Perform continuous logical-log restore?	yes	yes
Back up while the database server is online?	yes	yes
Back up while the database server is in quiescent mode?	yes	yes
Restore all database server data?	yes	yes
Restore selected storage spaces?	yes	yes
Back up and restore storage spaces serially?	yes	yes
Perform cold restores with the database server offline?	yes	yes
Initialize high availability data replication?	yes	yes
Restore data to a specific point in time?	yes	no
Perform separate physical and logical restores?	yes	yes
Back up and restore different storage spaces in parallel?	yes	no
Use multiple tape drives concurrently for backups and restores?	yes	no
Restart a restore?	yes	no
Rename a chunk path name or device during a cold restore?	yes	yes
Perform imported restores?	yes	yes
Perform external backups and restores?	yes	yes
Monitor performance?	yes	no
Change logging mode for databases?	no	yes
Transform data with external programs?	yes	yes
Back up to or restore from cloud storage?	no	yes
Encrypt or decrypt a storage space during a restore?	yes	yes

Additional differences:

Emergency boot files and sysutils database
The ontape utility does not use the sysutils database or the emergency boot files.
Simultaneous sessions
ON-Bar, with IBM® Informix® Primary Storage Manager, supports simultaneous sessions.
Device support and storage management
The ontape utility supports remote backup devices on other hosts.

ON-Bar, with the Informix Primary Storage Manager, supports the export of backup generations into specified directories and devices.

You can also use ON-Bar with the Tivoli® Storage Manager or third-party storage managers to obtain device support and storage management.
Changing the logging mode of a database
You cannot change the logging mode for ON-Bar; however you can use the ondblog utility to do this task when using ON-Bar.

You can also use the SQL administration API alternative, ALTER LOGMODE to change the logging mode.

For details about each utility, see Back up with ON-Bar and Back up with ontape.