  restoring a system disk from BACKUP? 
 The Question is:
 
Dear Wizard
Suppose you have a MicroVax which is physically
destroyed.  You purchase a new MicroVax with
equivalent memory and a new disk to be used as
your system disk.  You have backup tapes of the
system disk (not created using standalone backup
but using backup/image).  Can you, to restore the
system,
- boot from standalone backup,
- backup the saveset,
- then do a minimal boot,
- create pagefile and swapfiles, which are not
backed in the saveset
- and then do a full boot?
Thank you.
 
 The Answer is:
 
  Non-standalone system disk files can be restored, as can non-image
  BACKUPs.  The central question of feasibility here involves the level
  of experience of the system manager -- the steps required here may
  be beyond those of an inexperienced OpenVMS system manager.
 
  As part of the restoration, you will potentially have problems with
  the contents of open files -- this often includes SYSUAF and the queue
  database.  In general, these problems can be overcome through various
  means, though there is no set procedure as there is no set pattern for
  the potential for corruption(s), nor are corruptions certain.  The
  restoration of non-image BACKUPs in particular will likely add the
  requirement to reestablish the links among specific system directories,
  and resolving and relocating the files originally restored from the
  non-image BACKUP correctly.
 
  The BACKUP/IMAGE command (without /IGNORE=NOBACKUP) will not record
  the contents of pagefiles and swapfiles, as those files are marked
  as NOBACKUP by default.
 
  It does, however, record the statistics of such files, and your
  restore operation will create files of the same size, ownership, etc.
  The files will not have the same data in them -- for pagefiles and
  swapfiles that is not a problem.
 
  The other notorious BACKUP qualifier is /IGNORE=INTERLOCK.  This
  is akin to requesting the hypothetical /ALLOW=DATA_INCONSISTENCIES
  qualifier -- the interlocks exist not to prevent you from performing
  certain operations or to force you into ignoring them, but to ensure
  that your data is consistent.
 
  If this is a commercial system, the Wizard would recommend a clean
  installation of OpenVMS V7.1 and the layered products from the
  distribution kits, and pulling over those files that are known to be
  needed from the BACKUP of the old system disk.  An option for hobbyists
  involves starting the installation with a clean copy of OpenVMS and
  the associated license acquired via the DECUS hobbyist license program.
  (See the OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for details on the
  DECUS hobbyist license.)
 
