LVM OS Cloning

[rccmum]

I would like to make a copy of Production server LVM OS disk to another server's disk.

I do have network recovery archive created of the production server on a IG-UX server. The other server is up and running and has a spare disk and I don't want to reboot this server to boot using network archive.

Is there a way I can make use of the network recovery archive to make copy on the server's disk?
I know there is one way to configure the spare disk in LVM as bootable and then copy the data from network archive
Maybe this would work on same plaform servers, has anyone tried this before?

Secondly if I want to use the archive for another platform, how can I go about it?
In IG-UX, there is option to use different h/w platform. Any gotcha foe kernel rebuild?
Again I don't to use network boot here. How do I follow the IGUX server step excluding the network boot and just copy the image and rebuild the kernel. Is it possible?

Thanks in advance

[Calandrello]

Friend
because you do not use mirror?

[KapilRaj]

No idea mate. AIX has something called alt_disk_install using which you can clone the mksysb of a machine on to a spare disk on the same machine or another machine. It can work online. I have no idea if HPUX has an equivalent.

But If you have a shared storage between the two servers (SAN or a SCSI ).
I will create a VG named 'bootvg' on the SAN disk and create rootvg logical volumes in them. Make sure that you keep in mind the contegious, no BBRA stuff while creating the logical volumes.
Create filesystems (give them another name) and copy the rootvg data onto them. Create a bootimage (mkboot) etc .

export the VG on the first machine , goto second machine and import this VG. lvlnboot and define them as bootable. mount the new root and update /etc/fstab to accomodate the name changes so that when you boot off them, they come with the right names.

Change the boot path and reboot the server. You may probably want to goto LVM maintanance mode using the new disk to fix if there are any errors.

I know the procedure is not very accurate but I think it is logical and we can make it working.

Regards,

Kaps

[Calandrello]

You Can you tambem to use the Ignite server.
www.docs.hp.com

[Mel Burslan]

What you are trying to do is very unorthodox and I am not even sure if it can be done on a live system, even if the disk you are trying to build is not being used.

Since you did not give any server model, I am assuming the server you are planning to clone from is somewhat modern with hot-swappable disks. And I am assuming the same disk can be hot plugged into the server you are planning to build from this image.

I think you've got the idea where I am going with this. You just mirror your OS disk onto the unused disk, move the disk to the new server and boot from that one without involving the ignite-ux at all.

This whole process of course assumes that you have the mirror-ux software licensed on the original system at the least.

Hope this helps.

[rccmum]

Thanks for quick replies guys.

Kapil,

I had thought about similar kind of solution like have a SAN Disk and move around the prod and test servers. But it is little complex considering the copy/changes in prodcuction environment and port it to other server later. Instead, I am thinking of making use of network archive which we are taking at appropriate time anyway. This way I don't have bother about prodcution environment.

I know there are solution in AIX and Solaris
but unfortunatly not in HPUX. Henc I am wondering if it is possible in HPUX with currently stuff (ignite) we have.
The next tough task is making use of this image across different platform.

[rccmum]

Mel,

Physical movement of disk is not feasiable here as it is DRP. Intially I want to have some solution on the same platform but next goal it to achive on differnt platform