Informix engine up on blocks

I'm sure they exist, but I can't remember the last time I encountered an Informix instance running on block devices before.

I find it odd an Informix engine would be built on block device paths.  Is that like putting your sports car up on blocks in the front yard?

Anyway my point is, I am on the long slow journey of performance tuning an Informix engine and the first step is to move it from 'hard-coded' block devices to raw devices (using links).
I have not had to do this in years.

I just want to say it was SO EASY!
  1) ontape backup to tape (or disk)
  2) make sure raw device paths have proper perms; create links to the raw paths.
  3) create chunk rename instruction file (to rename chunk device paths from block to raw paths (links))
  4) take engine down
  5) restore engine from backup tape taken in step 1, passing in chunk rename instruction file.
  6) restore completes successfully
  7) test for speed... this system is a development system, there's not much to test but the tape backup time was cut in 1/2.

This next weekend I am looking forward to moving the production database to raw chunk paths...
just the first step of many, but I am looking forward to happy end users (or maybe not if they have to cut their coffee break short).