Changing your ontape configuration

You can change the values of the TAPEDEV, TAPEBLK, and TAPESIZE or LTAPEDEV, LTAPEBLK, and LTAPESIZE configuration parameters after performing a backup and reviewing the current and new parameter values.

Prerequisites: Before you change the parameters for ontape:

  • Perform a level-0 backup.
  • Examine your configuration file (the file specified in $INFORMIXDIR/etc/$ONCONFIG) by executing onstat -c while the database server is running.
  • If you plan to change TAPEDEV or LTAPEDEV to a different tape device, verify that the tape device can read the block size that you specify with the TAPEBLK or LTAPEBLK configuration parameter. If not, you cannot restore the tape. (The ontape utility does not check the tape device when you specify the block size.)
  • Be sure that you are logged in as user root or informix.

You can change the values of parameters for ontape while the database server is online.

To change the value of TAPEDEV, TAPEBLK, and TAPESIZE or LTAPEDEV, LTAPEBLK, and LTAPESIZE:

  1. From the command line, use a text editor to edit your onconfig file.
  2. Save the file.

The change takes effect immediately. However, if you set either the TAPEDEV parameter or the LTAPEDEV parameter to /dev/null, you must restart the database server.