Determining the Scope of the Backup
Table 11-2 defines directories which should be backed up. This is a good starting point for the scope of the backup. Note that for NNM 6.x you really don’t need to deal with all this, since ovbackup.ovpl is already coded with this information. This script acquiesces the database writes, backs it up to a known location, and logs the results of the backup in the $OV_TMP/ovbackup.log file. See the ovbackup.ovpl manpage for more information.
| Directory | Contents |
|---|---|
| $OV_DB/openview | Map, object, and topology databases |
| $OV_DB/snmpCollect | Historical SNMP data |
| $OV_DB/eventdb | Event database |
| $OV_CONF | Configuration files |
| $OV_LRF | Local registration files |
| $OV_REGISTRATION | Application registration files |
| $OV_DB/analysis | Analytical files |
| $OV_FIELDS | Field registration files |
| $OV_SYMBOLS | Icons |
| /var/opt/OV/tmp | Map customization files |
| $OV_SNMP_MIBS | Raw and compiled MIB files |
An important question to ask is: “Why back up NNM data at all?” After all, given only the seedfile and the map customization file, the network can be rediscovered and the map restored in just a few hours. Assuming the NNM system can be restored from backup in about 10 minutes, the answer to the question is “because it increases the availability of the NNM system.” Another answer is “because you want to restore historical information like events and snmpCollect data.”
Some system administrators adhere to the “keep it simple stupid” (KISS) principle. Rather than back up files in specific directories (and risk missing something), they prefer to back up the entire disk partition (/opt/OV), compress the backup file, and transmit it over the network to a backup system. Whichever backup method you decide to use, remember that NNM uses sparse data files that appear to have a huge allocation (in the gigabyte range), but actually use only a few hundred megabytes. The backup tool must handle this type of file.
See Chapter 6 of the Managing Your Network with HP OpenView Network Node Manager manual for more information about backups.