Build a New Server???

[david_252]

Team:

I have maintained HP-UX and Sun servers but have never built one. Next week we are going to have 2 L-class with 7100 array (shared disk) and I have the specs of the filesystem and some raw slices to be built. (Actually I just have to replicate current test servers (all config same), whose configuration I have attached below)
While I am thrilled at the opportunity, I am also little nervous since I have never built this before.
Please let me know how long it would take to build 2 machines with identical configurations (install
O/S, patches, and then build vg00 and then the shared disk (vg01 etc) and some raw slices for the oracle)
Please let me know how long it would take to do these and is there any step-by-step instruction for these? In the output below /dev/vgec is a raw slice. If posting the ???ll??? output of /dev/vgec would help I would do that. I am attaching the bdf outputs of server A (primary) and server B (secondary).

Server A

Filesystem kbytes used avail %used Mounted on
/dev/vg00/lvol3 409600 40376 366416 10% /
/dev/vg00/lvol1 196656 38800 138184 22% /stand
/dev/vg00/lvol7 2097152 450968 1639448 22% /var
/dev/vg00/lvcrash 2097152 1614 1964575 0% /var/adm/crash
/dev/vg00/lvol6 2097152 805032 1282432 39% /usr
/dev/vg00/lvveritas
2048000 45032 1877807 2% /usr/openv
/dev/vg00/lvol5 1048576 71648 969344 7% /tmp
/dev/vg00/lvol4 2097152 676096 1409968 32% /opt
/dev/vg00/lvtivoli 204800 15488 177510 8% /opt/Tivoli
/dev/vg00/lvol8 1048576 3024 1037432 0% /home
/dev/vg00/oracle 5242880 2325619 2734982 46% /opt/oracle
/dev/vg00/dbexport 2097152 22068 1945398 1% /dbexport
/dev/vg02/lvdepot 2097152 2002560 88693 96% /depot
/dev/vgup/programs 1048576 190557 804459 19% /opt/ccpup
/dev/vgup/lvarch 1048576 1357 981775 0% /up/arch
/dev/vglaunch/programs
2093056 391584 1595243 20% /opt/ccp2/ccplchr
/dev/vgec/programs 1048576 207180 788959 21% /opt/ccp2/ec
/dev/vgec/lvarch 1048576 1357 981775 0% /ec/arch


Server B

Filesystem kbytes used avail %used Mounted on
/dev/vg00/lvol3 409600 39504 367864 10% /
/dev/vg00/lvol1 196656 38800 138184 22% /stand
/dev/vg00/lvol7 2097152 403768 1680984 19% /var
/dev/vg00/lvcrash 2097152 1614 1964575 0% /var/adm/crash
/dev/vg00/lvol6 2097152 762944 1323808 37% /usr
/dev/vg00/lvveritas
2048000 17959 1903200 1% /usr/openv
/dev/vg00/lvol5 1048576 111720 929584 11% /tmp
/dev/vg00/lvol4 2097152 676352 1409776 32% /opt
/dev/vg00/oracle 5242880 3226161 1890687 63% /opt/oracle
/dev/vg00/lvtivoli 204800 12916 179922 7% /opt/Tivoli
/dev/vg00/lvol8 1048576 2792 1037672 0% /home
/dev/vg00/dbexport 2097152 1614 1964574 0% /dbexport


Thanks you all for all the help so far,

Best Regards,

David.

[John Bolene]

Easiest way is to get an ignite image of the current servers and load it on the new ones assuming that they have quite similar hardware.

Otherwise, for a new install/patches/disk config, you may be looking at minimum of a week of time.

[Steven E. Protter]

Ignite is the way to go.

Install docs
http://docs.hp.com/cgi-bin/fsearch/framedisplay?top=/hpux/onlinedocs/B2355-90767/B2355-90767_top.html&con=/hpux/onlinedocs/B2355-90767/00/00/11-con.html&toc=/hpux/onlinedocs/B2355-90767/00/00/11-toc.html&searchterms=Ignite&queryid=20030407-080335

Updating it.

http://docs.hp.com/cgi-bin/fsearch/framedisplay?top=/hpux/onlinedocs/5951-0642/5971-0642_top.html&con=/hpux/onlinedocs/5971-0642/00/00/10-con.html&toc=/hpux/onlinedocs/5971-0642/00/00/10-toc.html&searchterms=Ignite&queryid=20030407-080335

Installing from an Ignite Server(Replication stuff)
http://docs.hp.com/cgi-bin/fsearch/framedisplay?top=/hpux/onlinedocs/B2355-90772/B2355-90772_top.html&con=/hpux/onlinedocs/B2355-90772/00/00/22-con.html&toc=/hpux/onlinedocs/B2355-90772/00/00/22-toc.html&searchterms=Ignite&queryid=20030407-080335

take a good look at the golden image stuff. Thats the way to go.

SEP

[Scott_14]

Hi There:

Are you doing all the hardware as well? I know that can take a couple days depending on how complex things are or get. When I was doing a lot of server work, for me to just do the install os, it would take all morning usually a day to get the bases set up and configured correctly, and all the patches and such. But since this is your first time, you should allow yourself a few days, and the good thing is, you can go through it, then do it again, if you have the time, the first time would get you familar on how it goes, and its not really all that bad. From what it sounds you have a lot of configurations you need already on paper. If your array is like the 12H array for hp, I found that doing it in Sam was very easy, cause it actually put the daemon in for me, and I was able to unbind the drives, and set it up how I needed.

[Michael Steele_2]

Since you state that you are replicating test servers I'm assuming that they are also L-class like the new ones. If so then use the make_tape_recovery tape from the test server to install the image to the new server. You'll need to use the advanced configuration option instead of the automatic restore option, and do some prep work. You'll need file system sizes for all vg00 lvols, /usr, /opt, etc., factor in your physical memory, hostname, ip, gateway ip, nis ip, ntp ip, etc. For all of these question will be posed to you during the advanced ignite install, as well as the normal cdrom fresh install.

If your test server is not an L-Class then follow the cdrom install and then vgexport map files from the test server. This will keep your LVM configuration intact. Use the vgimport procedure on the new servers after the O/S is stable. I.e. patches et al are loaded.

vgexport -v -p -s -m /tmp/mapfile /dev/vg00/vg##

-p preview will also build a usable map for your new L-Class. Don't vgexport without -p or you'll remove its entry from /etc/lvmtab and the test servers.

ftp
mkdir /dev/vg##
mknod /dev/vg##/group -c 64 -x0000
vgimport -v -p -s -m /tmp/mapfile /dev/vg##

One final note, a test environment isn't always a production environment. Developers will fill up core O/S file systems like /opt for instance, especially if this is for a web application. Note this and their file system sizes. Anything greater than 1 gb for /opt, /usr and /var should be scrutinized.

[Kelli Ward]

Hi,
If you're happy with the configuration of your test boxes, then a full Ignite backup and recovery to your new systems would be the way to go. You can have both new boxes up and running in as little as a couple of hours.

A fresh HP-UX build on one box will take you a couple of hours (use Advanced mode on when booted from the install cd or it will set up a default directory structure)
This will not include and customization time, ie: patches, server setups, etc.
The time included in that will be dependant on what your needs are.

Good luck, it's a fun task to learn on.

Kel

[Michael Tully · Accepted solution]

If the two test servers are relatively new and patches recently:

Create an ignite tape from one:

# /opt/ignite/bin/make_tape_recovery -x inc_entire=vg00 -I -v -a /dev/rmt/0mn

Looking at the current size of your filesystems, '/' (/dev/vg00/lvol3 is too large) 200mb is plenty
You can use the ignite tape to change this as the instructions I've given allow you to interactively change the sizes.

To boot the tape
Interrupt the boot sequence when the ten second warning appears.
run 'SEA' to find the tape path. Sequential type.
bo P? (use the pNumber to boot the tape)
Once the OS is built you can import the existing volumes that are not in your ignite tape as suggested.

if the test servers are not patched recently, I would install from fresh CD media.