New Ignite Server install?

[Robert Anderson]

We currently have 5 HP 9000s installed. 3 L-Class and 2 N-Class. I don't want to install a new server, I just want to use the make recovery features of Ignite. It seems when it tries to find a new client that it wants to re-boot the client and start an install. Is this correct? Or does it just want to re-boot the client? Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Your question is unclear. When you install a client, you can either create a system image of that system (for this Ignite Server pushes Ignite code onto the box) or boot the client for installation. Before booting the client Ignite server makes adjustments to the client by copying INSTALLFS and other boot files and sets the auto string so that it will boots from this INSTALL file.

If you have few systems, then you don't really need an ignite server. Get one system per each H/W type installed with patches and softwares. Prepare make_recovery tapes and use them to install all other systems.

-Sri

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Your question is unclear. When you install a client, you can either create a system image of that system (for this Ignite Server pushes Ignite code onto the box) or boot the client for installation. Before booting the client Ignite server makes adjustments to the client by copying INSTALLFS and other boot files and sets the auto string so that it will boot from this INSTALL file.

If you have few systems, then you don't really need an ignite server. Get one system per each H/W type installed with patches and softwares. Prepare make_recovery tapes and use them to install all other systems.

-Sri

[James R. Ferguson]

Hi Robert:

If you merely want to create a recovery tape using the latest Ignite, do the following to capture vg00:

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

The '-I' option specifies an interactive session if/when you *later* boot from the tape you created. In about 45-minutes the Ignite tape will be loaded and messages from the session will be written to /var/opt/ignite/local/install.log.

For the latest Ignite software and documentation see here:

http://www.software.hp.com/products/IUX/index.html

Regards!

...JRF...

[Sanjay_6]

Hi Robert,

You should clarify what you want to do. Anyway we'll make our own guesses.

If you want to take a ignite backup of your working box, you use make_recovery to do that. More info available thru man pages of the same and innumerable discussions on this forum.

If you want to install a system using ignite server, you either push the boot files from the ignite server to the Client (the server you want to install fresh). For this your client should be already available and reachable on the network by the ignite server.

The other way to install the client using ignite server is to interrupt the boot process at the client and using the lan port on core IO, boot the client using Ignite server. For this your client need not be already working on the network.

See if these threads are of more help.

http://forums.itrc.hp.com:80/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,1150,0xf6ac72234586d5118ff00090279cd0f9,00.html

http://forums.itrc.hp.com:80/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,1150,0x699fee3e323bd5118fef0090279cd0f9,00.html

Thanks

[Robert Anderson]

I'm sorry about the confusion. All of our boxes are already configured and running. Just want to use Ignite for it's make recovery features. It sounds like I should just install ignite on all my boxes.

[Patrick Wallek]

Robert,

In my opinion, you will be better off installing Ignite/UX on all of you servers and then use the make_tape_recovery command to make a bootable recovery TAPE of each of your servers. I have played with doing a make_net_recovery to an Ignite server, but if I have a tape drive available, I much prefer running the backup to a tape.

The Ignite tape is also a part of my disaster recovery plans. I do a make_tape_recovery every Sunday and send the tape off-site. If we have a disaster, I have the latest tape to rebuild my system from at the DR site.