[comp.os.vms] Network Questions

nagy%warner.hepnet@LBL.ARPA (05/29/87)

>Well, it's Grinnell's turn to ask novice VAX networking questions.  Any
>help will be greatly appreciated!
     
>First question:  Is it possible to do disk backup/restore of the served
>Ultrix disks over the Ethernet to a tape drive on the VMS system, using
>either TCP/IP or DECnet?
     
	It is not possible to directly access tape drives across DECnet
	without writing your own network task to do so (FAL cannot ask
	for the tape to be mounted is the reason why).  The trick which
	has been circulated for doing VMS-to-VMS BACKUP across DECnet
	(and which is used in Digital's Remote System Manager product)
	is to:

		a. RUN BACKUP on the system to which the disks to be
		   backed up are installed ('cause BACKUP needs more
		   access to the file system than FAL gives).

		b. The output saveset is to <node>::"Task=object".
		   This object is a command procedure which mounts the
		   tape and then uses CONVERT to copy the saveset
		   records BACKUP is sending down the SYS$NET link to
		   the tape.  What is lost in this is the sophisticated
		   handling of tape errors by BACKUP.

	A similar trick is likely possible to an Ultrix-to-VMS backup
	(and restore) operation.  But seeing as how I am unfamiliar with
	Ultrix...

= Frank J. Nagy
= Fermilab Research Division EED/Controls
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