Upgrade from 11.23 to 11.31

[Jeffrey F. Goldsmith]

Currently I have an rp3440-4 server with HP-UX 11.23 installed on it. Two weeks ago I was asked what steps were necessary to upgrade the server to HP-UX 11.31. After spending a lot of time doing research using Google and searching this website I have not come up with an acceptable way to do the upgrade.

So far, from what I have found out, some people suggest I should not do an upgrade. They say that I should do a cold install. That isn’t possible at this point in time because I don’t have a second server that my users can use during the new install because they are going to want to do several days/weeks of testing to make sure that the new version is acceptable.

What are the risks if I do an upgrade? I will create an ignite tape before trying to do the upgrade or the cold install so I can restore my system if it fails.

Anyone have any insight as to how I should proceed?

[Torsten.]

>> What are the risks if I do an upgrade?


Something may not work and leave you with an unusable system.


Do some backups (ignite, put one of the boot disks at a secure place), do the upgrade and test. The safed disk or the ignite backup is your fallback strategy.

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi:

> I donâ t have a second server that my users can use during the new install because they are going to want to do several days/weeks of testing to make sure that the new version is acceptable.

Then it would seem that your only choice would be to take an Ignite backup; cold-install or upgrade; let your "users" decide that they like or don't like the result and either live with it or ask you to restore the Ignite image.

If you have a mirrored vg00 you might consider eliminating one member of the mirror and use it as the target in a cold-install while preserving the other member as your 11.23 safety-net.

Regards!

...JRF...

[P Arumugavel]

Risk and issues are different voices.

Risk - You may or may not meet yor target.

Issue - You will not meet your target.

Here risk is there.

Rgds...

[Michael Mike Reaser]

>>I donâ t have a second server that my users can use during the new install because they are going to want to do several days/weeks of testing to make sure that the new version is acceptable.

Then you have an unsolvable problem. You state that you need two systems for this - one for testing the upgrade, one for maintaining current production activities - yet you have only *one* rp3440 system.

I have to agree with Torsten and JRF. Do lots of backups (Ignite, etc.) and make sure you've got 11.23 bootable media in case your users decide 11.31 is unacceptable.

[Raj D.]

Jeff,
You have to calculate the downtime needed for the activity for that server & either way in cold install or update-ux the system has to be handed over for the activity, and it will go through several phase and couple of reboots.

As mentioned earlier if you have two boot disk, and if mirrored , you can break the mirror prior to the upgrade(cold install or update-ux [prefered is cold install]) , and use the alternate disk for the new OS. So the primary disk will still be having the original OS in case of backout.

And to keep make_tape_recovery and make_net_recovery image prior to upgrade, and system configuration informations, (like LVM info, lan info, ioscan ,kernel parameters , performance statistics, bdf, uptime etc).

The steps are depends how the install can be kick off, from an ignite server or fresh from a DVD media. And you can plan accordingly.

Hth,
Raj.

[chocku_pl]

Hi,

I am also in a similiar situation, I have a mirrored VG. I guess I can remove one of the idsk and preseve it for the backout plan. But Should I break the mirror using lvsplit or Should I just remove one of the disk and keep it safe?

[Robert_Jewell]

To preserve the mirror, use lvsplit (just pulling the disk could cause IO issues leaving you with a corrupt file system).  Another option is to consider using DRD (dynamic root disk).  This is an included product designed for testing upgrades, etc.

www.hp.com/go/drd

-Bob

[chocku_pl]

Hi,

I would not need the old mirror again, as only in case of the upgrade fails, I would need the other disk for the roll back. If am rolling back, I can always remiror. If I simply remove the disk, Can't I boot with only the removed disk?

In other words, Assuming My upgrade has failed. SInce, I have already removed the disk and kept it safe. Now can I boot with the removed disk and my old OS will be back up. Or the procedure would be to do a lvsplit and the nremove the disk and for the roll back simply plug the removed disk and all set?

Thanks!!

[user001]

This is interesting, i would have thought simiply powering off the server and removing 1 half o the mirror would have been sufficient to bring the old 11.23 back up again.

E.g. it would simiulate a disk failure, you'd just have to boot and tell it not to quorum check unless already specified?

Why lvsplit?

I'd also through in an ignite backup.

I'd be inclined to try booting off 1 disk to make sure your mirror is actually mirrored OK.

I just went through a cold install 11.31 upgrade and installed new disks as part of the upgrade (more capacity) but it sure was handy to have the system on a completely different set of disks.

So i guess my steps would be

1) copy configs hosts, netconf, apa, cluster, ssh keys etc..

2) ignite backup

3) remove disk and test boot off single disk

4) cold install 11.31 on disk

5) restore configs

6) all good? (may want to wait some time)..mirror disk

Carefull on the remove disk and booting off single disk you may need to mirror the disk again when you add it back to the mirror...can't remember.

Hope this helps.

If you really screw things up and you ignite backed up the root disk you'll be right.

I'd suggest running through this on a spare dev server first, i was able to test my ignite backup this way and my 11.31 install.

Cheers.