Rules for Specifying Dump Devices

You can specify the dump device as a literal, a local variable, or a parameter to a stored procedure.

When you specify a dump device:

You cannot dump to or load from the “null device” (on UNIX, /dev/null; not applicable to PC platforms ).
When dumping to or loading from a local device, you can use any of these forms to specify the dump device:
- An absolute path name
- A relative path name
- A logical device name from the sysdevices system table
The Backup Server resolves relative path names using the SAP ASE current working directory.
When dumping or loading over the network:
- You must specify the absolute path name of the dump device. You cannot use a relative path name or a logical device name from the sysdevices system table.
- The path name must be valid on the machine on which the Backup Server is running.
- If the name includes any characters except letters, numbers, or the underscore (_), you must enclose it in quotes.
If you dump a transaction log using with standby_access, you must load the dump using with standby_access.

These examples use a single tape device for dumps and loads. You need not use the same device for dumps and loads.

On UNIX:

dump database pubs2 to "/dev/nrmt4"
load database pubs2 from "/dev/nrmt4"

On Windows:

dump database pubs2 to "\\.\tape0"
load database pubs2 from "\\.\tape0"

You can also dump to an operating system file. The following example is for Windows:

dump database pubs2 to "d:\backups\backup1.dat"
load database pubs2 from "d:\backupbackup1.dat"