# System Backup and Restoration Guide

# Backing Up the Domain Configuration

The following sections provide information and procedures for backing up the primary configuration artifacts of a Oracle Communications Services Gatekeeper domain:

- Overview of Domain Configuration Backup
- Enabling Automatic Configuration Backups
- Storing the Domain Configuration Offline
- Backing Up Domain Security Data
- Backing Up Additional Configuration Files

## Overview of Domain Configuration Backup

Recovery from the failure of a server instance requires access to the domain’s configuration and security data. Oracle Communications Services Gatekeeper can be configured to perform certain domain backups automatically. The administrator must also perform a manual backup of the domain configuration artifacts and store those backups outside of the actual domain directory.

By default, the Administration Server stores a domain’s primary configuration data in a file called `domain_name``/config/config.xml`, where `domain_name` is the root directory of the domain. The primary configuration file may reference additional configuration files for specific WebLogic Server services, such as JDBC and JMS. The configuration for specific services are stored in additional XML files in subdirectories of the `domain_name``/config` directory, such as `domain_name``/config/jms` and `domain_name``/config/jdbc`.

The Administration Server can automatically archive multiple versions of the domain configuration (the entire `domain-name``/config` directory). The configuration archives can be used for system restoration in cases where accidental configuration changes need to be reversed. For example, if an administrator accidentally removes a configured resource, the prior configuration can be restored by using the last automated backup.

The Administration Server stores a finite number of automated backups locally in `domain-name``\config`. For this reason, automated domain backups are limited in their ability to guard against data corruption, such as a failed hard disk. Automated backups also do not preserve certain configuration data that are required for full domain restoration, such as LDAP repository data and server start-up scripts. Oracle recommends that you also maintain multiple backup copies of the configuration and security offline, in a source control system, as described in Backing Up Domain Security Data.

## Enabling Automatic Configuration Backups

Follow these steps to enable automatic domain configuration backups on the Administration Server for your domain:

1. Access the Administration Console for your domain.
2. In the left pane of the Administration Console, select the name of the domain.
3. In the right pane, click the Configuration->General tab.
4. In the Advanced Options bar, click Show.
5. In the Archive Configuration Count box, enter the maximum number of configuration file revisions to save.
6. Click Apply.

When you enable configuration archiving, the Administration Server automatically creates a configuration JAR file archive each time the Administrator uses the Activate Changes button in the Administration Console to change the active configuration. The JAR file contains a complete copy of the previous configuration (the complete contents of the `domain-name``\config` directory). JAR file archive files are stored in the `domain-name``\configArchive` directory. The files use the naming convention `config-``number``.jar`, where `number` is the sequential number of the archive.

When you save a change to a domain’s configuration, the Administration Server saves the previous configuration in `domain-name``\configArchive\config.xml#``n`. Each time the Administration Server saves a file in the `configArchive` directory, it increments the value of the `#``n` suffix, up to a configurable number of copies—5 by default. Thereafter, each time you change the domain configuration:

- The archived files are rotated so that the newest file has a suffix with the highest number,
- The previous archived files are renamed with a lower number, and
- The oldest file is deleted.

Keep in mind that configuration archives are stored locally within the domain directory, and they may be overwritten according to the maximum number of revisions you selected. For these reasons, you must also create your own off-line archives of the domain configuration, as described in Storing the Domain Configuration Offline.

## Storing the Domain Configuration Offline

Although automatic backups protect against accidental configuration changes, they do not protect against data loss caused by a failure of the hard disk that stores the domain configuration, or accidental deletion of the domain directory. To protect against these failures, you must also store a complete copy of the domain configuration offline, preferably in a source control system.

Oracle recommends storing a copy of the domain configuration at regular intervals. For example, back up a new revision of the configuration when:

- you first deploy the production system
- you add or remove deployed applications
- the configuration is tuned for performance
- any other permanent change is made.

The domain configuration backup should contain the complete contents of the `domain_name``/config` directory. For example:

    cd ~/bea/user_projects/domains/mydomain

    tar cvf domain-backup-06-17-2007.jar config

Store the new archive in a source control system, preserving earlier versions should you need to restore the domain configuration to an earlier point in time.

## Backing Up Domain Security Data

The WebLogic Security service stores its configuration data `config.xml` file, and also in an LDAP repository and other files. As with the `domain_name``/config` directory, a copy of the LDAP repository and security files should be stored offline each time you make a change to the security configuration.

### Backing Up the WebLogic LDAP Repository

The default Authentication, Authorization, Role Mapper, and Credential Mapper providers that are installed with Oracle Communications Services Gatekeeper store their data in an LDAP server. Each Oracle Communications Services Gatekeeper server instance contains an embedded LDAP server. The Administration Server contains the master LDAP server, which is replicated on all Managed Servers. If any of your security realms use these installed providers, you should maintain an up-to-date backup of the following directory tree:

`domain_name`\servers\`adminServer`\data\ldap

where `domain_name` is the domain’s root directory and `adminServer` is the directory in which the Administration Server stores runtime and security data.

Each Oracle Communications Services Gatekeeper server has an LDAP directory, but you only need to back up the LDAP data on the Administration Server—the master LDAP server replicates the LDAP data from each Managed Server when updates to security data are made. WebLogic security providers cannot modify security data while the domain’s Administration Server is unavailable. The LDAP repositories on Managed Servers are replicas and cannot be modified.

The `ldap`/`ldapfiles` subdirectory contains the data files for the LDAP server. The files in this directory contain user, group, group membership, policies, and role information. Other subdirectories under the `ldap` directory contain LDAP server message logs and data about replicated LDAP servers.

Do not update the configuration of a security provider while a backup of LDAP data is in progress. If a change is made—for instance, if an administrator adds a user—while you are backing up the `ldap` directory tree, the backups in the `ldapfiles` subdirectory could become inconsistent. If this does occur, consistent, but potentially out-of-date, LDAP backups are available.

Once a day, a server suspends write operations and creates its own backup of the LDAP data. It archives this backup in a `ZIP` file below the `ldap\backup` directory and then resumes write operations. This backup is guaranteed to be consistent, but it might not contain the latest security data.

For information about configuring the LDAP backup, see Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console on-line help at http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E12840_01/wls/docs103/ConsoleHelp/core/index.html.

### Backing Up SerializedSystemIni.dat and Security Certificates

All servers create a file named `SerializedSystemIni.dat` and place it in the `domain_name``/security` directory. This file contains encrypted security data that must be present to boot the server. You must back up this file.

If you configured a server to use SSL, also back up the security certificates and keys. The location of these files is user-configurable.

## Backing Up Additional Configuration Files

Certain additional files maintained at the operating system level can be helpful when recovering from a system failure. Consider backing up the following information as necessary for your system:

- Load Balancer configuration scripts. For example, any automated scripts used to configure load balancer pools and virtual IP addresses for the engine tier cluster, as well as NAT configuration settings.
- NTP client configuration scripts used to synchronize the system clocks of engine and data tier servers.
- Host configuration files for each Oracle Communications Services Gatekeeper machine (host names, virtual and real IP addresses for multihomed machines, IP routing table information).
- Managed Server start scripts. In a Oracle Communications Services Gatekeeper deployment, the start scripts used to boot Access and Network tier servers are generally customized to include configuration information such as JVM Garbage Collection parameters and other tuning parameters.

As with offline backups of the domain configuration, Oracle recommends storing multiple copies of the above files in a source control repository.