topic replication to vpar in Operating System - HP-UX

replication to vpar

Alex Lavrov — Thu, 28 Aug 2003 09:13:31 GMT

Hi, and thanks for those who answered the previous question.

I have two machines. lets call them A and B.
both are N class with 11i, connected to a HDS machine (the equivalent of XP or EMC).

Machine B is configured as 2 vpars. One is activated (booted) and one is not.

Machine A is not running vpars (it might have the vpar software installed though).

I want to do the follwing:
Phisically replicate the system disk of machine A onto the system disk of the inactive vpar in machine B. I want to be able to then boot that vpar - without affecting the other vpar.

Effectivly, i want to convert a live machine into a vpar in another machine.

Is this possible? what do you say?

Re: replication to vpar

Stefan Farrelly — Thu, 28 Aug 2003 09:21:56 GMT

I dont think you can do it the way you want - ie. using an ignite backup then using it to load onto machine B. The running vpar on machine B needs to be in sync with the downed vpar - so by copying using ignite you will lost this sync - in my opinion.

I think the way to do it is either;
1. copy the files/dirs you want manually from the system on machine A to the downed vpar on machine B.
2. make an ignite backup of machine A, restore it on the downed vpar on machine B (destroying the vpar that was there) then you will have to install the vpar software and patches onto this new vpar on machine B, then run a vparcreate on it from the running vpar. This should work and you can do without affecting the running vpar.

Re: replication to vpar

Stefan Farrelly — Thu, 28 Aug 2003 09:30:15 GMT

After a rethink I cant see how you can do it without affecting the running vpar on machine B. To ignite the downed vpar on machine B you must reboot all of machine B - to boot off tape or an ignite server, then you create the system disk for the new vpar, so you will need a reboot, then a 2nd to boot back off the running vpar.

If you up the downed vpar on machine B and then boot it off a tape or ignite server once its cloned youve lost the vpar software.

Better may be to load vpar software and patches onto the disk on Machine A (needs a reboot) - but of course dont create a vpar, then when you clone/ignite it to the downed vpar on machine B the vpar software is already there - then you should be able to simply issue a vparcreate from the running vpar on machine B, then vparload/boot the new vpar. This would seem the best way to do it without rebooting the running vpar on machine B - if it works. When done you can remove the vpar software off machine A as you dont need it now.

Re: replication to vpar

Alex Lavrov — Thu, 28 Aug 2003 13:22:35 GMT

Your last suggestion sounds the best.

That is: to install the vpar software on machine A in advance, then clone the system disk.

Now we have a running vpar and a cloned system disk on system B. I see a few options from there:
1. issue a vparcreate from the live partition - is this possible? i don't suppose the vparcreate actually changes the vpar database on the downed partition... it supposed to get synchronized in boot. but how will it work?
2. reboot from the cloned disk and run vparcreate on itself.
3. reboot from the cloned disk and somehow import the vpardb of the first partition.

what do you say?