Backing up AIX to a CD or DVD

Ensuring you have a current backup of your operating system is essential for a smooth upgrade. Learn how to back up your current environment and then restore it on your new server.

This procedure provides information about how to back up the IBM® AIX® operating system to a CD or DVD. This procedure assumes that your server might not have a CD-R or CD-RW drive. If your server does not have a CD-R or CD-RW drive, you can back up AIX to a file, and then use FTP to send the AIX backup file to a server that does have a CD-R or CD-RW drive.

If you can migrate your existing server to AIX 5300-06 or later or AIX 6100-02 or later, you can create a mksysb backup image of the older server. You can then use the mksysb image to reinstall AIX on the new server.

This procedure involves performing the following tasks:

  1. Backing up AIX to an ISO image file
  2. Transferring the ISO image to another server
  3. Burning the ISO image to a CD or DVD

The following steps show you how to back up the AIX operating system to a CD or DVD.

  1. Log in to the server as the root user.
  2. Verify your running server.
  3. Check the firmware code level from AIX, and update the firmware, if necessary.
  4. Use the errpt command to generate an error report from entries in the system error log. To display a complete detailed report, type the following command: 
    # errpt -a
    Note: There must be adequate disk space and memory available. For additional release information, see the AIX 5L Release Notes.
  5. Run the smitty mkcd command as follows 
    # smitty mkcd
  6. Select No from the Use an existing mksysb image menu. When you select No, you can create a new system backup that reflects your current running environment.
  7. Select the options that are appropriate to your environment from the Back Up This System to CD menu. You can also leave the default options as they are.
  8. Select Yes for the Do you want the CD to be bootable option.
  9. Select No for the Remove final images after creating CD option.
  10. Select No for the Create the CD now option.
  11. Press Enter to begin the system backup creation when you finish making selections. When the operation completes successfully, there is a file or files located in the /mkcd/cd_images directory.
  12. Transfer the ISO backup image to a server that has a CD-R or CD-RW device.
  13. Create a bootable CD from the ISO backup image using the CD-burning software available in your environment.