Frequently Asked Questions - Backup and Recovery

You should back up your entire system, including networking information. You should also back up your configuration files once configuration has been completed. The GPA 2G comes with a factory restore default image on the machine itself for the purpose of restoring the unit to the factory configuration. These backup procedures are covered below.

If you have a machine that is V1_5 or older, use the Setup menu and select “Manage Rescue Images” --> “Create Rescue Image”. This rescue image will include the current state of your software (including patches and version updates that have been previously applied to the machine).

If you have a machine that is Version 2_0 or newer, use the Setup menu and select “Manage Restore Image Sets” --> “Create Restore Image Set”

For machines that are Version 1_5 or older, if you want to use a pen drive for system rescue purposes (to either perform a factory restore or restore from a user image), you will need to acquire a rescue pen drive from Gcom. Please contact support@gcom.com.

If you have a Version 2_0 or newer machine, use the Setup interface to select “Manage USB Storage Device” --> “Create Pen Drive” --> “Create Bootable Restore Pen Drive”. This pen drive has its own Linux OS on it and is used when your machine has problems booting. This type of pen drive is not used for back up purposes. Note: “restore” and “rescue” are synonymous on the GPA 2G. Depending on the version of your machine, a particular setup menu item might use either term.

On V1_5 and older machines pen drives are also used for installing updates/patches to system software, while configuration and networking information are stored on our PPM (“Portable Personality Module”) flash card.

With Version 2_0 and later machines, the PPM is no longer used and pen drives are used for back up and recovery procedures like updating configuration files (see the following two FAQs for more information).

As of Version 2_0, the terminology “personality transfer” is no longer used with the GPA 2G. Prior to Version 2_0, “personality transfer” referred to physically moving a PPM from one machine to another in order to move all network and legacy stack configuration to a new machine. While helpful in specific fail-over situations, this process cannot be used as a method to “duplicate” the same configuration across multiple machines, since networking information needs to be unique for each machine.

On Version 2_0 and newer machines, the personality transfer function is done via USB pen drive and the Setup menus, all of which are found in “Manage USB Storage Device” --> “Import Configuration Files” sub-menu. On Version 2_0 and newer machines, this is how you back up and recover networking information and specific configuration files.

On Version 1_5 and older machines, you back up your configuration files by creating a tarball and downloading them from the machine. Using the GMC (our web interface), you click the “Management” button --> “Archives” button--> “Create” linktext --> select checkboxes next to desired configurations files --> Type in a name for your tarball --> “Archive Files” linktext --> Click on the name of your newly created tarball...and now you can save it to your local machine. Once the tarball is created, it can be used to restore the machine configuration using the procedure in the document located at: http://web.gcom.com/files/files/gpa_2g_install_tarball_config.pdf

On Version 2_0 and newer machines, you will use a pen drive to backup and restore configuration files. You can back up configuration files and networking information from the Setup interface under “Manage USB Storage Device” --> “Create Pen Drive” -> “Export Configuration Files to Pen Drive”. These exported configuration files can be retrieved later from the same Setup interface, using: “Manage USB Storage Device” --> “Import Configuration Files” (as mentioned in the answer to Question #6) which allows you to retrieve either the configuration files, the networking information, or both.