How to use Ignite to clone a server without tape

[Stefan Schulz]

Hi all,

i need some help / best practice for cloning a server without using a tape drive.

What i have is:

A server (source) which is configured as Oracle server running HP-UX 11i (11.11). This server has no tape drive. Besides the vg00 which contains all configurations an software there is a LUN on a SAN mounted to /data.

I don't want to include /data in the image, because the target server can mount this itselve.

A target server which should act as an cold standby server. So it needs to be exact clone of above server. Both servers are rp3440 with GBit lancards and a FC connection to the SAN.

I also have a rp2470 which can act as an ignite server.

Until now i did use make_tape_recovery to clone some systems and to make systembackups for desaster recovery. In this case i don't have a tape drive so i need something else.

I tried to use make_net_recovery but havent been able to install the target server with this.

So i think make_sys_image should be the tool to use. My experience with ignite is minimal and the documentation is big. I just can't find the correct set of steps i need.

Can anyone provide me a step by step instruction to accomplish this task?

1. make a image of the existing source server without the /data directory.
2. install/clone the target server with this image
3. use the rp2470 as ignite server

Kind Regards

Stefan

[Gavin Clarke]

Probably a silly question this, how do you backup the SAN?

The reason I ask is that we still use make_tape_recovery because we have a tape library attached to the SAN.

I think make_net_recovery is your answer if there really is no tape drive available for use.

[Stefan Schulz]

Hi Gavin,

yes we do have a tape attached to the SAN for backups. But using this tape would most likely collide with the backupprocess.

As i have the HP-UX servers under my control alone i would prefer this. The backups are managed by several people and there would be only a very limited time window to use this tape anyway.

As for using make_net_recovery: I tried this with no successs. I mad a make_net_recovery and it showed up in the Ignite server as a client. But i couldn't get the target server to use this image.

When i booted the target server on the Ignite Server it showed up in the Ignite Serve as a new client. On the target servers console i had no way of selecting the source servers image.

I think im missing a lot of configuration steps.

Kind Regards

Stefan

[Gavin Clarke]

Have you looked at Chapter 8 in the software recovery handbook? There seems to be quite alot in there about make_net_recovery.

[Gavin Clarke · Accepted solution]

It seems like you can install from the server to the client.

http://docs.hp.com/en/B2355-90875/ch04s02.html?btnPrev=%AB%A0prev

A link to the Ignite Admin Guide:

http://docs.hp.com/en/B2355-90875/index.html

[Stefan Schulz]

Hi again,

you helped me a lot. I found the german Version of this admin guide. There i recognized what i missed before.

The trick is to create a config file manually and tell Ignite where it is (chapter 5 of the admin guide).

Now im able to use the make_sys_image i create earlier and the Ignite GUI to install my target server.

Thanks for your time and help

Regards Stefan

[Gavin Clarke]

Good stuff, although to be honest I didn't think my answers were that helpful.

I've always thought that igniting servers over the network has something magical about it. I've never really got round to trying to set it up myself though.

I'm glad I could help.