How do I make disk non-bootable?

[John Hall]

Currently, I have a server running HP-UX 11.0 from a particular disk. Several years ago, after the install of 11.0 the 10.20 boot disk remained (on a different disk). Even though we are booted from the 11.0 disk there is a file system on the 10.20 disk that is being used (/tmp1_mnt) -- this is normal for us. The other day the 11.0 disk went bad and when the server was rebooted it came up under the 10.20 disk -- this is bad. To prevent the system from booting from the 10.20 disk I would like to make the 10.20 disk non-bootable.

Is there a command (mkboot, lifcp, etc.) that I can use while the server is up and running to merely render this 10.20 disk unbootable?

It is vital that any such command (or procedure) provide the following:
1) Not disturb the currently mounted "/tmp1_mnt" file system on this 10.20 disk.
2) Not affect the 250 user's ability to continuously access the server.
3) Not affect the ability of the server (11.0) to remount "/tmp1_mnt" during the next reboot.

Please provide exact syntax and indicate if the command or procedure would work for HP-UX 11i.

[Todd McDaniel_1]

When you create a bootable disk you pvcreate is as such.

I am 99% sure that you will have to reformat the disk pvcreate again to remove that bootable and the boot areas on the disk. AFAIK, there is no way to remove the boot headers without reformatting.

[Jeff Schussele]

Hi,

Use

lvrmboot -r /dev/vg_name

That will remove the root/swap/dump areas & update the BDRA. It will no longer be bootable.

HTH,
Jeff

[Patrick Wallek]

You can also use the setboot command to check your boot paths, and if the 10.20 disk is the alternate boot path, set that path to something else with 'setboot -a'.

[Kent Ostby · Accepted solution]

I think that ensuring that you have a good alternate boot disk (i.e. a mirror of the 11.0 disk) would be the best way and making sure it is set as an alternate boot via setboot.

The other thing you can do is:

lifrm /dev/rdsk/<1020disk>:ISL

This removes the ISL utility from the boot disk and would make it unbootable.

Best regards,

Kent M. Ostby

[John Hall]

Kent hit the nail on the head. If I used the lvlnboot solution it would effect my ability to boot to the good 11.0 disk also.

[James A. Donovan]

The 'rmboot' command would remove the boot files from the boot area of the specified disk

#man rmboot