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From: thompson@pan.ssec.honeywell.com (John Thompson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: re: Hp/Apollo OmniBack software
Message-ID: <9102222240.AA08767@pan.ssec.honeywell.com>
Date: 22 Feb 91 22:40:12 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 51


> Does anyone out there use HP/Apollo's OmniBack product ? OmniBack is our main
> backup tool here at Westinghouse for our 140+ node network. It does backups
> fairly well, but I have some, IMHO, serious gripes about restores. I'd
> like to voice the gripes here in order to see if I'm being unreasonable
> or if HP/Apollo is at fault. 
Yes.  We have had version 1.2 going now for almost a year.  (1.1 for about a 
month or 2 before that).

> Here's a description of the situation :
>    Backups can be scripted and run unattended via cron. Restores can't be
>    done in a similar fashion. Why not ???
Sure they can.  If you do a restore, and specify the input-device AND the 
tape-label, nbsrestore doesn't bother to ask questions unless the tape drive 
is offline when it tries to access it.

>    You see, we're pretty security conscious around here. While it is true 
>    that I could script the individual nbsrestore commands and dump them
>    into a DM shell, I still have to deal with the dialog screen that
>    comes up asking for the "go" command. Yes, the "go" can be patched into 
>    the shell dump as well, but if I leave and go home, I leave an
>    unattended workstation, which is a security violation. :-(( Yes, there
>    are screen locking programs, but a crp and sigp -b kills the screen
>    locking every time.
ACL the `node_data/node_owners file.  Anybody who has 'p' rights to it can 
sigp a process.  Anyone else can't.  I have used this w/ no problems at 10.1,
10.2 and 10.3 (also 10.x.p).  What's your's set at?  

> 
>    I submitted an APR two months ago in the naive belief that I would actually
>    get a response. Ha ! Nothing, zip, el-zilcho. No acknowledgement 
>    whatsoever. 
Yes, HP/Apollo has had some problems w/ this.  In general, I have found that
/etc/mkapr is a good way to remind yourself what problems you had a year ago,
since that's how long it takes to see a response.

> Does anyone have a way to make the OmniBack restore process run safely in 
> the background ? Does anyone else need unattended restores ?
Try the above items.  We don't use unattended restore, though maybe we should.
(In general, we try to not be paranoid).

> Many thanks in advance and warmest regards :-)
Many welcomes, and the best of luck.

-- jt --
John Thompson
Honeywell, SSEC
Plymouth, MN  55441
thompson@pan.ssec.honeywell.com

Me?  Represent Honeywell?  You've GOT to be kidding!!!


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