can't automatically boot from ALT root disk HP rx4640

[Annelise Wilken]

I have an rx4640 Itanium 2 server - with 2 external 36GB disks (c4t0d0 - primary 0/2/1/0.0.0 and mirror c4t1d0 0/2/1/0.1.0)(no internal disks)and 2 external 72GB data disks. I have put the root disk on one of the 36GB disks and have mirrored this to the other 36GB disk. I have then checked that the boot paths are correct primary was correct, however the HAA and alt paths were incorrect so through setboot I changed the alt to the root mirror disk c4t1d0 0/2/1/0.1.0 and set HAA to the hardware path of the DVD (Is this correct? 0/0/3/0.0.0.0) Autoboot was set to on.

I know that the boot order is PRI; HAA; then ALT - am I correct in thinking that if the pri fails it will try and boot from HAA - if this fails then it will try ALT? I wanted to test this so I shut the box down, pulled out the pri disk and booted up, but the machine kept loping through the boot sequence and stopped at the EFI boot loader screen - is this correct? How can I set it so that in the event of a pri root disk failure it will boot from the mirror ALT disk?

[Luk Vandenbussche · Accepted solution]

Hi,

This is what you need

http://www4.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/enterService.do?admit=-938907319+1128586605299+28353475

Search DocID : KBRC00014526


Submitted Date: 3/31/04
Title: How to mirror vg00 using LVM on IA with 11.23
Document ID: KBRC00014526
Last Modified Date: 8/3/05



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How to mirror vg00 using LVM on IA with 11.23 DocId: KBRC00014526 Updated: 4/19/05 9:21:00 AM

PROBLEM
How do you mirror vg00 on Itanium systems that are running B.11.23 ?
RESOLUTION
NOTE: There are differences in procedure between 11.22 and 11.23.
Please refer to KBRC00011156 for B.11.22.

1. From HPUX, use vgdisplay to identify the disk that is in vg00. Use ioscan
to
find the spare disk.
# vgdisplay -v --> vg00 is on /dev/dsk/c2t1d0s2 in this example
# ioscan -efunC disk --> Let's assume c3t2d0 for this example

2. Create the system, OS, and service partitions.
# vi /tmp/partitionfile
3
EFI 500MB
HPUX 100%
HPSP 400MB
# idisk -wf /tmp/partitionfile /dev/rdsk/c3t2d0
idisk version: 1.31
********************** WARNING ***********************
If you continue you may destroy all data on this disk.
Do you wish to continue(yes/no)? yes <-- Answer "yes" and not "y"

3. Create device files needed for the new partitions.
# insf -eC disk

4. Verify the partition table.
# idisk /dev/rdsk/c3t2d0

5. Verify that the device files were created properly.
# ioscan -efnC disk --> c3t2d0 is 0/1/1/1.2.0

6. Populate the /efi/hpux/ directory in the new EFI system partition.
# mkboot -e -l /dev/rdsk/c3t2d0

7. Change the auto file for the mirror to boot without quorum.
NOTE: Using "s1"
# echo "boot vmunix -lq" > /tmp/AUTO.lq
# efi_cp -d /dev/rdsk/c3t2d0s1 /tmp/AUTO.lq /EFI/HPUX/AUTO

NOTE: We assume that if we boot from the primary, the mirror is fully
functional and therefore we don't need to override quorum. Your site might
require that both disks override quorum.

9. Verify the contents of the auto file on the primary and the mirror.
NOTE: Using "s1"
# efi_cp -d /dev/rdsk/c2t1d0s1 -u /EFI/HPUX/AUTO /tmp/AUTO.pri
# efi_cp -d /dev/rdsk/c3t2d0s1 -u /EFI/HPUX/AUTO /tmp/AUTO.alt
# cat /tmp/AUTO.pri
# cat /tmp/AUTO.alt

10. Add the new partition to vg00.
NOTE: Using "s2"
# pvcreate -fB /dev/rdsk/c3t2d0s2
# vgextend vg00 /dev/dsk/c3t2d0s2

11. Mirror all logical volumes in vg00.
NOTE: Using "s2"
# lvextend -m 1 /dev/vg00/lvol1 /dev/dsk/c3t2d0s2
# lvextend -m 1 /dev/vg00/lvol2 /dev/dsk/c3t2d0s2
# lvextend -m 1 /dev/vg00/lvol3 /dev/dsk/c3t2d0s2
.
.
.
# lvextend -m 1 /dev/vg00/lvol8 /dev/dsk/c3t2d0s2

12. Add the new disk to /stand/bootconf.
NOTE: Using "s2"
# vi /stand/bootconf
l /dev/dsk/c2t1d0s2
l /dev/dsk/c3t2d0s2

13. Verify that the new disk was added to vg00, and the lv's are in sync.
# vgdisplay -v vg00

14. Verify that the BDRA was updated properly. Take note of the HW paths for
step 15.
# lvlnboot -v

15. Add EFI primary and high availability boot path menu entries.
# setboot -p 0/1/1/0.1.0 <-- Set primary disk
# setboot -h 0/1/1/1.2.0 <-- Set mirror disk
# setboot -b on <-- Set autoboot on

16. Verify that the primary and mirror boot paths are configured properly.
# setboot

17. Test the new mirror by booting off of it.
# shutdown -r -y 0

18. Select "HP-UX HA Alternate Boot" to test the mirror.
EFI Boot Manager ver 1.10 [14.61] Firmware ver 2.21 [4334]
Please select a boot option
HP-UX Primary Boot: 0/1/1/0.1.0
HP-UX HA Alternate Boot: 0/1/1/1.2.0
EFI Shell [Built-in]

20. Verify which disk/kernel you booted from.
# grep "Boot device" /var/adm/syslog/syslog.log
vmunix: Boot device's HP-UX HW path is: 0.1.1.1.2.0

21. Remove temporary files.
# rm /tmp/partitionfile /tmp/AUTO*

Done.

Note: For a procedure on how to create an alternate boot disk without LVM
mirroring see:
IA64KBRC00016649 Creating an alternate boot disk on Itanium systems

[Steven E. Protter]

Suggestion:
1) Shut downthe server.
2) Pull out the pri disk
3) disable the connection to HAA
4) Boot

This will test if the ALT disk failover will work.

Also:

lvlnboot -v

should dipslay current configuration prior to this test.

SEP

[Annelise Wilken]

I have already correctly mirrored the root disks, the question I have is if I loose the pri disk when the system boots it won't automatically boot from the ALT disk.

When I run setboot it is as follows:

Primary bootpath: 0/2/1/0.0.0
HAA bootpath: 0/0/3/0.0.0.0
Alternate bootpath: 0/2/1/0.1.0

These are all correct; however when I shut the box down, pull out the primary disk and boot - the system just loops and puts me in the EFI boot screen - where I can then manually select the ALT boot device and boot successfully from this - BUT shouldn't my system automatically boot from this rather than me having to tell it to manually?

How do I disable the HAA boot (Is HAA the DVD drive???)


Many thanks,

[Annelise Wilken]

PROBLEM still exists (see above) can anyone please advise????

[Borislav Perkov]

Hi Annelise,

You need to set vg00 to not check qourum when the system.
you can do it with the command

mkboot -a "hpux -lq /stand/vmunix" /dev/rdsk/c0t3d0

where instead of c0t3d0 you should put the mirror disk of vg00 volume group.

Regards,
Borislav

[Annelise Wilken]

Thanks for last posting - this worked, I have been able to boot from the ALT disk,

Many thanks.