Hot Swap RX2620

[William E Howard]

New to Integrity servers. With Proliants I was able to install an OS on a drive, and then hot swap that drive into another box with ease. However, when I try this with an RX2620, the second machine's EFI refuses to load it. Is this even possible on an RX box, or is there something simple I'm missing?

Thank you

[Torsten.]

If you are using a smart array controller this could work, I guess (never tried). But normaly you need to import the disk. The best way to "clone" a server (with HP-UX) is to use ignite. What OS you are using?

[William E Howard]

Oops, totally forgot to include that, sorry. Running Windows 2k3 x64.

I tried to use the boot from file option, and pointed it to the .efi file under \efi\microsoft\win2k3\ or something along those lines, but it comes back and says this:

"Windows could not start because there was an error reading the boot setings from NVRam

Please check the firmware settings, you may need to restore your NVRam settings from a backup."

Is there any way to export the settings from one box and import them into the second? These are two absolutely identical boxes.

[Sameer_Nirmal]

Hi Will,

Moving of OS drive across Rx boxes is possible. You need to use "NVRBOOT.INI" utility. It is interactive utility having option for Export and Import of boot options list. The error you see is bacause of contents mis-match of NVRAM and BOOT0000 file. This utility is in
efi shell> fs0: -> MSUTIL

You need create a new export file of boot list using NVRBOOT "export" option in \EFI\Microsoft\WINNT50 directory in the first server. Move the drive to the other Rx box. Use "import" option of NVRBOOT to import in the box.

[Sameer_Nirmal]

correction...

read as "NVRBOOT.EFI" ( EFI based utility ) instead of "NVRBOOT.INI"

[Marco Hogeveen]

Will,

See my post on a previous thread a couple of days ago:
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1027111
This describes how to restore your NVRAM boot setting in Windows.

Marco

[kris rombauts · Accepted solution]

Will,

pls note that a few months ago HP posted a NVRAM backup/restore utility for the entry level Itanium systems which can help to facilitate what you are doing here.

Have a look here:

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=15351&prodSeriesId=447331&swItem=ux-40532-1&prodNameId=441910&swEnvOID=1060&swLang=13&taskId=135&mode=3

What you basically do is :

- download this utility and copy it on the
EFI partition
- go to EFI shell and run the utility and
save the backup file on your EFI system
partition
- move the disk to the other system
- boot up, go to EFI and restore the
backup file using the same utility and
read the file saved in the first step.


HTH

Kris

[rick jones]

To amplify a bit on previous posts, if you want "hot-swap" you need a RAID controller in the rx2620.

With the "plain" SCSI controller the discs are simply "hot-plug."

What is the difference? "Hot-plug" simply means you won't fry anything from an electrical standpoint. You still need to invoke misc commands (say break a mirror and then later rebuild it).

Hot-swap is hot-plug with the addition of no manual intervention being required.

What may seem like a small, but what is a very important distinction :) Don't use one when you mean the other or sorrow and woe will be the eventual result.

[William E Howard]

Sameer Nirmal & Marco Hogeveen: I tried what you recommended before, and all it does is try to add an option into the boot menu of ???????????????????PO?????, or something along those lines. If I try to use the Edit feature in the nvrboot, and select that entry, it says it can only modify Windows entries, so that one is a no Go. Unless, of course, I did something wrong here. Not having to install additional software would be highly preferable(as in Kris's solution)

kris rombauts: That sounds like it is what I need. I will try it out once I get access to my test boxes again.

rick jones: I didn't know that, but it does explain why this didn't work as I thought it would. Thanks.

[William E Howard]

kris rombauts: Your solution worked perfectly. That little tool works wonders, thank you very much!