HP's documentation tells us we need to have a current SLT. And that it can be created using the TAPE command within SYSGEN. If you look hard enough you will also find the warning that the CSLT you may have created when doing an update or manage patch is not adequate. That is about it for SLT recommendations.

Is this recommendation correct? Well, in the sense that it is necessary to have an SLT created by the TAPE command, then, yes, it is correct. You can re-install your system in the event you lose a drive in the system volume set using this SLT and appropriate other backups. But is this recommendation complete? I think not.

To efficiently re-create your fully functional HP3000 system from a SYSGEN SLT tape and your regular backups you need, at a minimum, the following:

The SYSGEN files (the TAPE command).

The SYS account minus those files already stored by SYSGEN TAPE.

The TELESUP account (Certain programs in TELESUP are version and, sometimes, patch level specific. Consider CHECKSLT and FSCHECK. Also, if you have any problems, the RC will likely want to run utilities from TELESUP).

The system directory.

Technically optional, but I would not create an SLT without including these:

The directories for any user volume sets.

Copies of the two jobs produced by BULDACCT (unless already included above).

Any site-specific utility groups/accounts, including 3^rd party utilities such as backup software needed to restore user files (also unless already included above). Note that if you include TELESUP, you should exclude any old dumps that might be out there.

I like to STORE the directories for all volume sets on the SLT tape because if you have to rebuild a volume set, restoring it's directory is the quick and easy way to get the appropriate accounting structure in place before the reload of files. I find this much more convenient than BULDACCT, though I run it also just to cover all bases.

The SLT should contain everything required to get the system up and operational (note: the system and not the applications). The reason that it is important to store these critical files on the SLT is because the normal SLT does not contain all of the subsystems and configurations required to fully recover the system and the network. This information is hopefully contained on your full system backup, but if you backup your system with @.@.@, then the SYS account is near the end of the backup.

What you need to recover first may be at the end. My full backup stores the SYS account first to avoid this problem but since we keep these tapes offsite there would be a delay in getting the tapes required to start a recovery. I always keep a current SLT on site for emergencies.

If everything you need to recover the system is on your SLT, then once the install is complete, rebuild the system volume set and restore @.@.@ with the "DIRECTORY" option (and optionally ONVS) off of your SLT, perform a START NORECOVERY and your system is operational. When your backup tapes arrive from their offsite storage you can simply restore @.@.@ with the "KEEP", "DIRECTORY" and "ONVS" options to recover the user data. For this approach to work, your custom SLT tape must be kept current. Most people recommend creating an SLT before and after all patches and creating an SLT at least every 2 to 4 weeks, keeping it where you can get to it. If you possibly can, create two copies.

The following job stream will create an SLT according to the above rules (assuming the BULDACCT jobs and any site-specific utilities are in either the SYS or TELESUP accounts). Note that the STORE parameter on the TAPE command references an indirect file that contains the actual STORE statement for a system with three user volume sets (uvs1, uvs2 and uvs3). Note also, that you should create the SLT on the SAME drive you may have to read it on if at all possible.

!job slt,manager.sys;hipri

!comment the following assumes LDEV 7 is the alternate boot path and

!comment has autoreply enabled (otherwise, respond to a tape request)

!file sysgtape;dev=7

!sysgen

tape verbose store=^slt.indirect.sys

e

!tell manager.sys; slt complete

!tellop slt complete

!eoj

:print slt.indirect.sys

@.pub.sys,@.@.sys-@.pub.sys,@.@.telesup;show;directory;onvs=mpexl_system_volume_set,uvs1,uvs2,uvs3

The indirect file may look a little confusing in print because it is actually all one line. This is because continuation lines are not supported; however, you are also not limited to just 72 or 80 characters. In case you are concerned about HFS files, note that when the first filename component of a fileset name in the STORE command is "@", the name is converted to an HFS (POSIX) name, such that all HFS and MPE-named files are selected.

After creating your SLT(s) you should check them with CHKECKSLT.MPEXL.SYS and VSTORE, ideally on a different drive then they were created on. This is because the absolute wrong time to find out you have a head alignment problem on a tape drive is when you go to do an INSTALL with your SLT on another system.