One ignite on different machines

[Ronelle van Niekerk]

We're upgrading 3 servers that are "identical" apart from their hostnames, network details and omniback database content from 11.00 to 11i.

Is it possible to do the upgrade on one server and then make an ignite tape and use it to "upgrade" the other 2 servers?
ThenI just ahv to change the hostname and network details?

Will the volume groups and logical volumes on the other disks come up fine once the OS is "restored"?

[A. Clay Stephenson · Accepted solution]

This is the typical "Golden Image" Ignite scenario and yes, it works very well. Typically, in this method, you use Ignite to capture vg00 and then vgimport is used to re-import the other VG's. You should do vgexport -p -m mapfile /dev/vg00 for all the non-vg00 VG's before the upgrade.

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Hi,

Yes. This is what I usually do to clone the systems. However, the local volume groups and the logical volumes will not come up automatically. A bit of work is involved.

Here is what I suggest.

1. Create map files for volume groups on all the servers and preserve them. If these systems do not have many disks, I would suggest you use "-s" option with vgexport. To create map files use the syntax -

vgexport -p -v -s -m /tmp/vg0x.map vg0x

Copy these map files onto a different server.
2. Copy /etc/fstab also to the remote server.

Take ignite images of all the systems for backout plan.

1. UPgrade one server. Do not import the volume groups yet. Make sure all the customizations are done.
2. Take the ignite images and use them to upgrade other servers. I suggest you disconnect the cables to the storage while during the restoration.
3. Once the image is loaded, change the hostname and network details. Get them upto multi-user mode.
4. Connect the storage cables. Run "ioscan" followed by "insf" to create device files for the storage.
5. Copy the map files and fstabs that you previously stored from the remote system into /tmp. Create necessary device files for import. Ex.,
#mkdir /dev/vg0x
#mknod /dev/vg0x/group c 64 0x0n0000 (where n is a unique number)
#vgimport -v -s -m /tmp/vg0x.map vg0x
#vgchange -a y vg0x.
6. Add the entries from the /tmp/fstab
grep vg0x /tmp/fstab >> /etc/fstab
7. Create the mount points as required
mkdir /mount1
8. Issue mount -a to mount the filesystems.



-Sri

[Ronelle van Niekerk]

Thanks guys - sounds easy enough.

Just one more question:
what if, like I said, the systems are identical?
The volume groups and logical volumes all are the same and reside on the same disk addresses.

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Hi,

Even though the disks and VGs are identical, VGIDs are not going to match. For this reason, it is better to manually import the VGs.

-Sri

[Ronelle van Niekerk]

Will do!

Thanks.