Restoring critical Rational ClearCase data

Like all databases, Rational ClearCase repositories have special backup and restore requirements. The backup requirements are described in Backing up critical Rational ClearCase data. This chapter provides procedures for restoring VOBs, views, and the Rational ClearCase registry.

Because data in multiple repositories is often related, especially if you use UCM, this chapter also describes procedures for detecting and correcting inconsistencies (or skew) between existing and restored members of a group of related repositories.

• Before you restore
  Whenever you restore a VOB, a view, or (if you use Rational ClearQuest® in a UCM environment) a Rational ClearQuest database, you are introducing an artifact from an earlier time into an environment in which that artifact’s history is often critical.
• Restoring a VOB from backup with vob_restore
  The vob_restore utility automates many of the routine steps involved in restoring a VOB from backup.
• Restoring a VOB from backup without vob_restore
  
• Restoring a VOB on network-attached storage
  You cannot use vob_restore to restore a VOB whose database is stored on a NAS device.
• Restoring an individual element from backup
  If you mistakenly delete an element with thermelem command, you can restore it from a VOB backup. This procedure cannot be used to restore an element to a UCM component.
• Restoring a view from backup
  
• Synchronizing VOBs and views after you restore
  VOBs and views maintain persistent references to each other. These references, which are backed up and restored along with the VOB and view data, might need to be corrected after you restore a VOB or view.
• Restoring one or more members of a set of related databases
  You must consider the relationships among VOBs when backing them up and, especially, when restoring them.