make_tape_recovery for different class servers.

[Andy Torres]

In regard to this thread: http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/0,,0x62abee3e323bd5118fef0090279cd0f9,00.html

What I'd like to do is cut just one make_tape_recovery for each of our servers that will Ignite on a K-, L- or N-class server at our disaster recovery site interactively.

Has anyone been able to accomplish that?

[Sandip Ghosh]

It has already been mentioned in your link about the solution. Do accordingly and it should work. I assume that your K class Servers are supported by 64 bit.
'
Sandip

[Andy Torres]

So the reply from Michael Roberts hold true then?:
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"With make_tape_recovery both the 32bit INSTALL kernel and the 64bit WINSTALL kernel will be included in the lif area of the tape if the system is running a 64bit kernel. This is not the case with make_recovery.

When booting the N4000 off of a tape created with make_tape_recovery it will automatically pick the correct kernel to boot. The secondary loader (hpux) in the lif is sensitive to the hardware it is running on and will load the appropriate kernel for the hardware (INSTALL for 32bit and WINSTALL for 64bit).

This is what happens when you boot the core/install CD too. The boot area of the CD contains INSTALL/WINSTALL/VINSTALL and the correct one is selected at boot time without user interaction."
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As long as I use make_tape_recovery instead of make_recovery I only need the one tape, right? I just want to be sure. I don't want to find out I didn't cut enough of the right tapes after I get to the recovery site. I don't have any servers to test this on right now. Thanks for the reply.

[Sanjay_6]

Hi Andy,

There is no way to cut a single ignite tape to reinstall os on all the different classes of hardware. There had been lot of discussion before on the forum about that.

Regds

[Darrell Allen · Accepted solution]

Hi Andy,

I think you're playing with fire and may get burned. Even if the INSTALL / WINSTALL issue is not a problem, you still have different drivers for different hardware on each server that may not be included on the tape, not to mention hardware related patches.

Best practice: make a tape for each server. You're dealing with DR. You want your company to be able to survive the disaster ('cause you want to draw a paycheck, don't you?). You should plan and test just as if you really had a disaster. You will not want to be trying to figure out what may not have been loaded from the Ignite tape or what was loaded that you didn't need (sometimes just as bad).

Incidentally, make_tape_recovery does include INSTALL, WINSTALL, and VINSTALL in the bootimage. You can verify that with copy_boot_tape. If using make_recovery, you can get around the INSTALL / WINSTALL issue when booting from an Ignite tape. If the system tries to load one or the other and it's not on the tape, just reboot, interact with ISL, and specify the one it wants.

Just my opinion.

Darrell

[Andy Torres]

I will be cutting a tape for all classes for each server. Thanks for confirming what I originally thought was the way to go any way.