It is much easier to make a backup copy of the system image and reload the image than to reinstall the software and reconfigure the system if something goes wrong. The system image includes all of the LPP files in addition to data created using SMIT, such as the SNA profiles.
Back up the system image before making any major system changes, such as installing a new level of AIX or making major changes to the configuration of the system. This ensures that the system can be restored to its original state if the changes fail for some reason. Also back up the system image after any major system changes have been made and have been proven to work satisfactorily.
If the system is fairly stable and you do not reconfigure it often, back up the system image about once a month.
Use the SMIT Backup Systems option to back up system information. System Management Guide; Operating System and Devices includes information on how to use SMIT and how to create an image backup. Before you start, make sure that you are logged on to AIX as root.
You must shut down Blueworx Voice Response before you make a system image backup (using SMIT or the AIX mksysb command) or a backup using the AIX backup command or tar command.
If the system you are backing up is a single system image (SSI) server, you must configure the same clients if the image is restored. Likewise, when you back up a client you must restore it as a client.
The client saves information about the server, and the server saves information about its configured clients; if you don't keep the server-client information synchronized, Blueworx Voice Response might not function.
If the server-client configuration information gets out of step, unconfigure all the nodes of the single system image, then reconfigure them (for information on how to do this, see the Configuring the System information).
If you are using a separate voice server in your single system image, make sure that you back both the voice server and the database server.