Definition: Backing Up and Restoring File Systems

Backing up file systems means copying file systems to removable media, such as tape, to safeguard against loss, damage, or corruption. Restoring file systems means copying reasonably current backup files from removable media to a working directory.

This chapter describes the ufsdump and ufsrestore commands for backing up and restoring UFS file systems. Other commands are available for copying files and file systems for the purpose of sharing or transporting files. The following table provides pointers to all commands that copy individual files and file systems to other media.

Table 22–1 Commands for Backing Up and Restoring Files and File Systems

Task	Command	For More Information
Back up one or more file systems to a local tape device or a remote tape device	ufsdump	Chapter 23, Backing Up Files and File Systems (Tasks) or Chapter 26, UFS Backup and Restore Commands (Reference)
Create read-only copies of file systems	fssnap	Chapter 24, Using UFS Snapshots (Tasks)
Back up all file systems for systems on a network from a backup server	Solstice Backup software	Solstice Backup 5.1 Administration Guide
Back up and restore an NIS+ master server	nisbackup and nisrestore	System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services (FNS and NIS+)
Copy, list, and retrieve files on tape or diskette	tar, cpio, or pax	Chapter 27, Copying UFS Files and File Systems (Tasks)
Copy master disk to a clone disk	dd	Chapter 27, Copying UFS Files and File Systems (Tasks)
Restore complete file systems or individual files from removable media to a working directory	ufsrestore	Chapter 25, Restoring Files and File Systems (Tasks)