ignite and disks

[Chen_7]

Hello all. I was told about this way of installing new HP-UX 11i on a 11.00 box.All these days I followed ignite-ux but this method also looks good. It is installing 11i on different disks. Some systems will have a backup disk for every LV. I can always install 11i on one set of disks. If the install doesn't go well, I can boot using original disks. I can get around the ignite-ux this way? Please tell if it is a good approach. Thanks

[A. Clay Stephenson · Accepted solution]

Yes, that's my favorite way to install a newer OS. Use a fresh set of disks to make up vg00 and then you can vgimport all of your non-vg00 volume groups. If anything goes wrong, you simply put the original disks back in and you are back as you were.

If you have available slots to install the original disks, you can even vgimport the original vg00 disks to copy old files in /etc for example.

[Devender Khatana]

Hi Chen,

This is the very common and useful approach and every system administrator should use this sort of approach if his resources permits him. We have our root vg mirroed in all of our servers (totally around 30). Still while doing some major changes (Like Patch Upgradation Etc.)apart from a copy of ignite backup we check booting from the alternate path having remove primary path and then put back only primary then ,do the updation and keep system running on only primary path for 2-3 days. And then finally resyncs alternate set of disks with primary ones. For OS I think it is must if you are doing it in Production machines and you have minimal time to perform activity.

HTH,
Devender

[Chen_7]

Thanks. Is ignite still needed if I follow this approach? And once I complete a system using this approach, how can I make an archive and upgrade another system quickly? In ignite, you can make core os archive and copy it to any number of clients.

[Bharat Katkar]

Hi Chen,
Thought this link would be useful.
http://www.docs.hp.com/en/IUX/
Regards,

[Devender Khatana]

Hi,
Yes once you are through with one system then take a ignite backup and restore it on other similar systems. The earlier ignite with old version of OS what we have taken was because of being a bit more cautious. ( Allthough it is not required if everything goes fine)

HTH,
Devender

[Chen_7]

Hi Devender,

Thank you very much. Can you also tell how ignite backup can be taken. I think ignite would need another golden image system. Here there is just one upgraded system and other non upgraded systems.

[Devender Khatana]

Hi,

You can continue to take it on the same system on which you took it earlier as you can take an image of new system on a old version of system. Then upgrade it on all systems and finally in the end update the ignite system itself. (You can also use the tape approach if you have external tape drive)
The command for taking backup on tape is with latest version of ignite is
#make_tape_recovery -Ava /dev/rmt/0mn -I

HTH,
Devender

[Chen_7]

Hi Devender,

Thanks for propt response .. but I am little confused about this. Can you please explain it little more? I have one system which is upgraded and other non-upgraded systems. I have to take ignite of upgraded system. Do I need some other system that serves as golden image?

[Devender Khatana]

Hi Chen,

Yes, if you are using a ignite server. You can take backup of server with newos on your ignite server.

But if you have a tape drive that can be connected to all others or all have indivisual drives using same media then another server is not required.

HTH,
Devender