This chapter describes backup and restore methods of database.

Introduction

Backup and recovery methods are designed to keep our information safe. In Command Line Interface (CLI) or Graphical User Interface (GUI) using backup and recovery utilities you can take backup or restore the data of databases in DB2 UDB.

Logging

Log files consist of error logs, which are used to recover from application errors. The logs keep the record of changes in the database. There are two types of logging as described below:

Circular logging

It is a method where the old transaction logs are overwritten when there is a need to allocate a new transaction log file, thus erasing the sequences of log files and reusing them. You are permitted to take only full back-up in offline mode. i.e., the database must be offline to take the full backup.

Archive logging

This mode supports for Online Backup and database recovery using log files called roll forward recovery. The mode of backup can be changed from circular to archive by setting logretain or userexit to ON. For archive logging, backup setting database require a directory that is writable for DB2 process.

Backup

Using Backup command you can take copy of entire database. This backup copy includes database system files, data files, log files, control information and so on.

You can take backup while working offline as well as online.

Offline backup

Syntax: [To list the active applications/databases]

db2 list application  

Output:

Auth Id  Application    Appl.      Application Id                                                
DB       # of   
         Name           Handle              
Name    Agents  
-------- -------------- ---------- ---------------------
----------------------------------------- -------- -----  
DB2INST1 db2bp          39         
*LOCAL.db2inst1.140722043938                                   
ONE      1  

Syntax: [To force application using app. Handled id]

db2 "force application (39)"   

Output:

DB20000I  The FORCE APPLICATION command completed 
successfully.  

DB21024I  This command is asynchronous and may not 
be effective immediately. 

Syntax: [To terminate Database Connection]

db2 terminate  

Syntax: [To deactivate Database]

db2 deactivate database one   

Syntax: [To take the backup file]

db2 backup database <db_name> to <location>   

Example:

db2 backup database one to /home/db2inst1/ 

Output:

Backup successful. The timestamp for this backup image is : 
20140722105345  

Online backup

To start, you need to change the mode from Circular logging to Archive Logging.

Syntax: [To check if the database is using circular or archive logging]

db2 get db cfg for one | grep LOGARCH   

Output:

First log archive method (LOGARCHMETH1) = OFF  
 Archive compression for logarchmeth1  (LOGARCHCOMPR1) = OFF 
 Options for logarchmeth1              (LOGARCHOPT1) =   
 Second log archive method             (LOGARCHMETH2) = OFF  
 Archive compression for logarchmeth2  (LOGARCHCOMPR2) = OFF  
 Options for logarchmeth2              (LOGARCHOPT2) =   

In the above output, the highlighted values are [logarchmeth1 and logarchmeth2] in off mode, which implies that the current database in “CIRCULLAR LOGGING” mode. If you need to work with ‘ARCHIVE LOGGING’ mode, you need to change or add path in the variables logarchmeth1 and logarchmeth2 present in the configuration file.

Updating logarchmeth1 with required archive directory

Syntax: [To make directories]

mkdir backup 
mkdir backup/ArchiveDest    

Syntax: [To provide user permissions for folder]

chown db2inst1:db2iadm1 backup/ArchiveDest 

Syntax: [To update configuration LOGARCHMETH1]

db2 update database configuration for one using LOGARCHMETH1 
''DISK:/home/db2inst1/backup/ArchiveDest''

You can take offline backup for safety, activate the database and connect to it.

Syntax: [To take online backup]

db2 backup database one online to 
/home/db2inst1/onlinebackup/ compress include logs   

Output:

db2 backup database one online to 
/home/db2inst1/onlinebackup/ compress include logs    

Verify Backup file using following command:

Syntax:

db2ckbkp <location/backup file>   

Example:

db2ckbkp 
/home/db2inst1/ONE.0.db2inst1.DBPART000.20140722112743.001 

Listing the history of backup files

Syntax:

db2 list history backup all for one    

Output:

                    List History File for one 
  
Number of matching file entries = 4 
 
Op Obj Timestamp+Sequence Type Dev Earliest Log Current Log  
Backup ID  
 -- --- ------------------ ---- --- ------------ ------------ 
 --------------
  B  D  20140722105345001   F    D  S0000000.LOG S0000000.LOG 

 ------------------------------------------------------------ 
 ----------------   
 
 Contains 4 tablespace(s): 
 00001 SYSCATSPACE  
 
 00002 USERSPACE1
 
 00003 SYSTOOLSPACE 
 
 00004 TS1 
  ------------------------------------------------------------ 
  ---------------- 
  Comment: DB2 BACKUP ONE OFFLINE  
  
 Start Time: 20140722105345  
 
   End Time: 20140722105347
   
     Status: A
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 
 ---------------- 
 EID: 3 Location: /home/db2inst1 

 
 Op Obj Timestamp+Sequence Type Dev Earliest Log Current Log  
 Backup ID
 -- --- ------------------ ---- --- ------------ ------------ 
 --------------  
  B  D  20140722112239000   N       S0000000.LOG S0000000.LOG   
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 
 ------------------------------------------------------------- 
 ------------------------------- 
 
 Comment: DB2 BACKUP ONE ONLINE  
 
 Start Time: 20140722112239 
 
   End Time: 20140722112240  
   
     Status: A 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 
 ----------------  
  EID: 4 Location: 
SQLCA Information 
 
 sqlcaid : SQLCA     sqlcabc: 136   sqlcode: -2413   sqlerrml: 0 
 
 sqlerrmc:   
 sqlerrp : sqlubIni  
 sqlerrd : (1) 0                (2) 0                (3) 0 
 
           (4) 0                (5) 0                (6) 0  
		   
 sqlwarn : (1)      (2)      (3)      (4)        (5)       (6)  
 
           (7)      (8)      (9)      (10)       (11)  
 sqlstate: 
 
 Op Obj Timestamp+Sequence Type Dev Earliest Log Current Log  
 Backup ID
  -- --- ------------------ ---- --- ------------ ------------ 
  -------------- 
   B  D  20140722112743001   F    D  S0000000.LOG S0000000.LOG   
 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 
 ---------------- 
 Contains 4 tablespace(s): 
 
 00001 SYSCATSPACE 
 
 00002 USERSPACE1 
 
 00003 SYSTOOLSPACE 
 
 00004 TS1
  ------------------------------------------------------------- 
  ---------------- 
  Comment: DB2 BACKUP ONE OFFLINE 
  
 Start Time: 20140722112743 
 
   End Time: 20140722112743 
   
     Status: A 
 ------------------------------------------------------------- 
  ---------------- 
 EID: 5 Location: /home/db2inst1 
 
 Op Obj Timestamp+Sequence Type Dev Earliest Log Current Log 
 Backup ID   
  ------------------------------------------------------------- 
  ----------------
  
R  D  20140722114519001   F                                
20140722112743 

 ------------------------------------------------------------ 
 ----------------  
 Contains 4 tablespace(s):  
 
 00001 SYSCATSPACE 
 
  00002 USERSPACE1 
  
 00003 SYSTOOLSPACE  
 
 00004 TS1
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 
 ----------------  
Comment: RESTORE ONE WITH RF
  
 Start Time: 20140722114519 
 
   End Time: 20140722115015  
     Status: A  
	 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 
 ----------------  
  EID: 6 Location:  

Restoring the database from backup

To restore the database from backup file, you need to follow the given syntax:

Syntax:

db2 restore database <db_name> from <location> 
taken at <timestamp>    

Example:

db2 restore database one from /home/db2inst1/ taken at 
20140722112743  

Output:

SQL2523W  Warning!  Restoring to an existing database that is 
different from  
 
the database on the backup image, but have matching names. 
The target database  
 
will be overwritten by the backup version.  The Roll-forward 
recovery logs

associated with the target database will be deleted.  

Do you want to continue ? (y/n) y 
 
DB20000I  The RESTORE DATABASE command completed successfully.   

Roll forward all the logs located in the log directory, including latest changes just before the disk drive failure.

Syntax:

db2 rollforward db <db_name> to end of logs and stop   

Example:

db2 rollforward db one to end of logs and stop  

Output:

                                 Rollforward Status  
 Input database alias                   = one  
 Number of members have returned status = 1  
 Member ID                              = 0  
 Rollforward status                     = not pending  
 Next log file to be read               =  
 Log files processed                    = S0000000.LOG - 
 S0000001.LOG  
 Last committed transaction            = 2014-07-22- 
 06.00.33.000000 UTC  
DB20000I  The ROLLFORWARD command completed successfully.