PH52174: INFORMIX RSS BACKUP FUNCTIONALITY IN RATIONAL SYNERGY 7.2.2 UNIX/LINUX ENVIRONMENTS NOT AVAILABLE

7.2.2.6-Rational-RATISYNE-Windows-FP06
7.2.2.6-Rational-RATISYNE-AIX-FP06
7.2.2.6-Rational-RATISYNE-Linux-FP06

APAR status

• Closed as suggestion for future release.

Error description

• The directions in the Rational Synergy Documentation for
  'Creating and configuring a remote stand-alone secondary server
  for UNIX'
  https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/rational-synergy/7.2.1?topic=ursassi
  -creating-configuring-remote-stand-alone-secondary-server-unix
  guide a user to apparently successfully create a Remote
  Stand-alone Secondary (RSS) Informix server.
  
  Implementation of the RSS server using the existing Synergy
  7.2.1 documentation cannot be done without using rsh and rexec
  protocols to establish trust between the hosts, which is
  insecure.  Updated instructions for implenting RSS backups in
  Synergy 7.2.2 using Informix 12.10 have not been provided.
  
  If machine trust is established using rsh/rexec, attempts to
  perform a 'hot' backup from the RSS server host proceed to
  perform the backup on the primary production server, thereby
  blocking use of the production database for an extended period
  rather than a few seconds, thereby negating 'hot' backups.
  

Local fix

Problem summary

Problem conclusion

Temporary fix

Comments

• worked around by modifying $CCM_HOME/bin/dbutil/ccmdb_backup
  script.
  
  This script, attempts to connect to the primary database server
  using the command
  
      dbaccess << EOF
      database //<primary_server>/database_name;
      EOF
  
  If this succeeds, the backup is taken from the primary server.
  Otherwise it connects to and takes the backup from the secondary
  server.
  
  I found a workaround that seems to work for me,
  
  1. As user informix, make a copy of
  $CCM_HOME/informix/etc/sqlhosts to a filename like
  'sqlhosts_rss'.
  
  2. Edit this new file and remove the line starting with 'brick'
  (i.e the primary server). You should be left with 3 lines that
  look something like this:
  
      brick_net      onsoctcp        brick         brick_brick
      rss_brick      onipcshm        rss_brick
  rss_brick_rss_brick
      rss_brick_net  onsoctcp        rss_brick
  rss_brick_rss_brick
  
      Don't make any other changes to the file, just remove the
  one line.
  
  3. For user ccm_root on host the RSS server host (rss_brick),
  set the INFORMIXSQLHOSTS environment variable to point to this
  file:
  
      export INFORMIXSQLHOSTS=$CCM_HOME/informix/etc/sqlhosts_rss
  
      Do NOT set this environment variable on host brick.
  
  4. On the RSS server rss_brick, attempt a backup using 'ccmdb
  backup -synced_files ...' and observe what the down times are.
  

APAR Information

• APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

• APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

Applicable component levels