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Upgrading VxVM and/or Solaris using Live Upgrade

Solaris Live Upgrade is the feature that performs an operating system upgrade with no downtime. The upgrade is done on an alternate disk using the current boot environment (BE). After the Live Upgrade, the alternate disk has all the information from the current BE and just one reboot will bring the system up on the alternate disk with the upgraded Solaris Version.

Volume Manager uses Solaris Live Upgrade to upgrade VxVM software in a live environment.

The advantages of using Live Upgrade are:

• Less system downtime - just one reboot will bring the system up and running on the new Solaris version
• You can revert to the previous OS version at any time
• Alternate root disk partitions can be resized to grow or shrink
• If you do not upgrade the disk group version on the alternate boot environment, you can create more than one boot environment with different versions of VxVM/Solaris and easily switch between them with just one reboot

VxVM Live Upgrade requires an alternate disk to upgrade. This disk can be a mirrored root disk or an independent unused disk which supports booting. VxVM Live Upgrade is mainly done using the Solaris Live Upgrade commands.

Upgrading VxVM or Solaris OS or Both Using Live Upgrade

VxVM Live Upgrade supports the following:

• Upgrading VxVM only (both encapsulated and unencapsulated root disk)
• Upgrading Solaris OS only (both encapsulated and unencapsulated root disk)
• Upgrading both Solaris OS and VxVM (both encapsulated and unencapsulated root disk)
• Installing any VxVM or Solaris OS patches

Live Upgrade requires an alternate disk to perform the upgrade. An alternate root disk can be a mirrored root disk (chosen by default), or you can specify an alternate disk. The size of the alternate disk should be greater than or equal to the size of the root disk. This procedure will upgrade all the mounted partitions on the root disk with entry in /etc/vfstab. Unmounted partitions and raw volumes will not be migrated to alternate disk.

Installing Live Upgrade on the current root disk

To begin upgrading the system you must first install the Solaris Live Upgrade software on the system. This Solaris Live Upgrade package is available on the latest Solaris software disc. Load the latest Solaris Software 2 of 2 disc. Run the command liveupgrade20 in the directory /cdrom/cdrom0/Solaris10/Tools/Installer. This installs the Solaris Live Upgrade packages on the system. Read the Solaris Installation Guide for the procedure to install the latest Solaris Live Upgrade package.

VxVM Live Upgrade commands and usage

Volume Manager Live Upgrade uses the two commands vxlustart and vxlufinish. These commands are on the Volume Manager 5.0 software disc. The command vxlustart configures the machine (like virtual unencapsulation, setting up alternate disk, and so on) and performs the Solaris Live Upgrade. The command vxlufinish completes the upgrade process by encapsulating the alternate root disk, if required. The vxlustart command can upgrade the Solaris operating system either from CD-ROM or from a network path. Copy the vxlustart and vxlufinish commands to the local directory so that the CD-ROM can be used to load the Solaris installation discs if you are upgrading the operating system. The usage of these commands is described below.

Using vxlustart

The vxlustart command and its option are:

vxlustart [-DfmVv] [-u {5.8|5.9|5.10}] [-d diskname] \

        [-g diskgroup] [-F filesystem] \

        [-s path_to_solaris_installation_image]
 

vxlustart [-DfmUVv] [-u {5.8|5.9|5.10}] [-d diskname]

vxlustart [-rv] [-u {5.8|5.9|5.10}]

where the option flags are:

-D This is for debugging. With this option ksh turns on the -x option to print every line it executes.

-d Use this option to specify the alternate disk name that is to be used as the new Solaris root disk. If the option is not specified, vxlustart prompts for the mirror root disk to be used.

-F Specify the file system type for the system volumes. The default file system type is ufs.

-f This option forces VTOC creation, if the partitions are not cylinder aligned.

-g This specifies the disk group where the root disk resides. This option is useful only if vxdg bootdg fails.

-m If this option is specified, the command assumes the VTOC is created manually. This is helpful if you want to increase the size of alternate root disk partition size. If this is not specified, the VTOC of the alternate root disk is created very similar to the current root disk.

-r Use this option to remount the alternate root disk in case the system was rebooted, or crashed after running vxlustart command and before completing vxlufinish.

-s Use this option to specify the path to the new Solaris image. This path must be network/directory path which has the complete Solaris image (one like in JumpStart image directory). If this option is not specified, the script assumes that the upgrade is from discs and the script will prompt for loading a disc. After loading the disc, the path to the image must be specified (for example, /cdrom/cdrom0/s0).

-U Use this option to upgrade VxVM only. The command does not prompt for Solaris discs.

-u Option to specify the Solaris version to be upgraded. In case of upgrading only VxVM, the version should be the current Solaris version.

-V Verbose option, which will print the list of commands executed by vxlustart without executing them. This option can be used as a preliminary check for the vxlustart command. This may not find all possible errors.

-v Verbose option to print the list of commands executed by vxlustart.

Using vxlufinish

The vxlufinish command and its options are:

vxlufinish [-fDv] [-u {5.8|5.9|5.10}]

where the option flags are:

-D This is for debugging. With this option ksh turns on the -x option to print every line it executes.

-f This command option forces the upgrade to complete in case Volume Manager is not upgraded. Before using this option make sure the Volume Manager drivers in the alternate disks are compatible to the upgraded Solaris operating system. Otherwise Volume Manager may not perform optimally.

-u Specify the upgraded Solaris version. This Solaris version must be the same as specified in the vxlustart command.

-v This is a verbose option to print the list of commands executed by vxlustart.

Beginning the Live Upgrade

 To begin the Live Upgrade

1. If you have not already obtained and installed a VxVM 5.0 license key, do so now. See Symantec product licensing for details.
2. Load and mount the installation media by starting the volmgt daemon.

   # /etc/init.d/volmgt start

3. The two commands which are involved in Live Upgrade are vxlustart and vxlufinish. These commands are on the software disc. The vxlustart command configures the machine (like unencapsulation, setting up alternate disk, and so on) and performs the upgrade. The vxlufinish command completes the upgrade process by encapsulating the root disk if required. The vxlustart command can upgrade the Solaris operating system either from the software discs or from a network directory path. Copy these two commands to the local directory so that the DVD-ROM drive can be used to load the Solaris installation discs.

   # cp /cdrom/cdrom0/volume_manager/scripts/vxlustart .

   # cp /cdrom/cdrom0/volume_manager/scripts/vxlufinish .

4. Run vxlustart with the -V option to detect any problems that might prevent a successful upgrade. If this command reports success, proceed with running the vxlustart script. If it reports errors, correct the problem, and run vxlustart -V again. Note that this option does not catch failures that are reported by Solaris Live Upgrade commands.

   For example:

   • If you want to upgrade from Solaris 9 to Solaris 10, run the following command to check whether the upgrade will run successfully.

     # vxlustart -u 5.10 -V -d c#t#d# -s path_to_image_or_disc

   • If you want to upgrade just VxVM on Solaris 9, run:

     # vxlustart -u 5.9 -V -d c#t#d# -U

5. Now upgrade Solaris from the software discs or a network path:
   • Upgrading Solaris from the software discs
   • Upgrading Solaris from network directory path.

Upgrading Solaris from the software discs

Load the Solaris software disc 1 of 1. Run the vxlustart command to upgrade to the version which is on the disc.

For example: to upgrade from Solaris 9 to Solaris 10, use the following command

# vxlustart -u 5.10 -d c#t#d# -s /cdrom/sol_10_404_sparc/s0

Once all the packages are installed from disc 1, the command prompts for the second disc. Load the second disc and specify the disc path at the prompt. For example: /cdrom/cdrom0. After you have installed the second disc, install the language disc if required. Enter NONE after installing all the required discs. The -s option is optional. If -s is not specified, the command will prompt to load the discs starting with the first.

Upgrading Solaris from network directory path

Upload the disc images to a network directory. Once completed, all the packages are available in one location so path to the directory will upgrade the complete Solaris operating system. To upgrade from Solaris 9 to Solaris 10, use the following command:

# vxlustart -u 5.10 -d c#t#d# -s \

  /network_directory_path/jumpstart/solaris2.10

This command upgrades the packages and activates the boot environment.

Completing the Solaris upgrade

 To complete the Solaris upgrade using Live Upgrade

1. If upgrading to Solaris 10, reinstall the existing VRTSvxvm package from the currently installed version of VxVM:

   # pkgrm VRTSvxvm

   # pkgadd VRTSvxvm

   If required, you can also apply these commands to the VRTSvxfs package.

   This reinstallation is necessary to install Solaris 10 SMF support for VxVM.

2. Use the vxlufinish command to complete the Live Upgrade process. Use the following command if the Solaris operating system is upgraded from Solaris 9 to 10 and Volume Manager is installed.

   # vxlufinish -u 5.10

   The upgrade process is now complete.

3. The alternate disk is mounted on the current root disk as /altroot.5.OS_VERSION. For example, if the alternate root disk is upgraded to Solaris 10 with two system partitions, / and /usr, these are mounted as /altroot.5.10 and /altroot.5.10/usr. These two directories must be remounted manually in case the system crashes, or if the partition is accidentally unmounted before going to the next step.
4. Shut down the machine using shutdown or init 6 to reboot the machine on the alternate root disk.

   # init 6

   ---

     Note   Don't use the reboot command to reboot the machine on an alternate root disk. If the alternate root disk has a problem rebooting or any upgrade issue, reboot the machine from the older disk.

   ---

Upgrading VxVM

 To upgrade VxVM using Live Upgrade

1. If only Volume Manager needs to be upgraded, specify the -U option and the current Solaris version to the command. For example, if you want to upgrade only Volume Manager on Solaris 8, use the following command,

   # vxlustart -u 5.8 -s path_to_image_or_disc -d c#t#d# -U

2. Load and mount the software disc by starting the volmgt daemon.

   # /etc/init.d/volmgt start

3. If /opt is configured a separate file system, ensure that it is mounted.
4. If VxVM 3.5 MP4 was previously installed, remove the old VxVM packages on the alternate root by entering:

   # rm /altroot.5.X/var/vx/isis/vxisis.lock

   # /opt/VRTSob/bin/vxsvc -k

   # pkgrm -R /altroot.5.X VRTSvmman VRTSvmdoc VRTSvmpro

   # pkgrm -R /altroot.5.X VRTSfspro VRTSvxvm VRTSobgui \

     VRTSob VRTSvlic

   where the X in /altroot.5.X corresponds to the Solaris version (8, 9 or 10).

   If VxVM 4.0 or 4.1 was previously installed, remove the old VxVM packages on the alternate root by entering:

   # rm /altroot.5.X/var/vx/isis/isis.lock

   # /opt/VRTSob/bin/vxsvc -k

   # pkgrm -R /altroot.5.X VRTSvmdoc VRTSvmman VRTScpi

        # pkgrm -R /altroot.5.X VRTStep VRTSap VRTSvrdoc \

       VRTSvrw
 
        # pkgrm -R /altroot.5.X VRTSweb VRTSjre VRTSvcsvr \

       VRTSvrpro
 
        # pkgrm -R /altroot.5.X VRTSfspro VRTSalloc


        # pkgrm -R /altroot.5.X VRTSvmpro VRTSddlpr VRTSjre \

       VRTSperl
 
        # pkgrm -R /altroot.5.X VRTSvxvm VRTSobgui VRTSob \

       VRTSmulic VRTSvlic
 
  where the X in /altroot.5.X corresponds to the Solaris version (8, 9 or 10).

 
 
Note
  Your system may not have all listed packages installed.

If you still have clients running previous versions of VxVM, refer to VMSA and VEA co-existence.

Licensing in VxVM 5.0 requires the new VRTSvlic package. You do not need to remove the existing VRTSlic package.

5. Install the VxVM 5.0 packages from the distribution media by entering the command:

   # cd /cdrom/cdrom0/volume_manager

   # ./installvm `hostname` -rootpath /altroot.5.X

6. After installing the Volume Manager software and patches, use the vxlufinish command to complete the Live Upgrade process.

   # vxlufinish -u 5.8

   The upgrade process is now complete.

7. Shut down the machine using shutdown or "init 6" to reboot the machine on the alternate root disk.

   # init 6

   ---

     Note   Do not use the reboot command to reboot the machine on an alternate root disk. If the alternate root disk has a problem rebooting or any upgrade issue, reboot the machine from the older disk.

   ---

8. Configure the VxVM 5.0 packages from the distribution media by entering the following commands:

   # cd /cdrom/cdrom0/volume_manager

   # ./installvm `hostame` -configure

9. To verify the upgrade, check the Volume Manager version:

   # pkginfo -l VRTSvxvm

10. Verify that all the file systems that were under VxVM control prior to the upgrade are now under VxVM control.

    # df -k

Upgrading VEA Windows Client Package

To upgrade the Windows Client Package, you need to uninstall the existing packages, and then install the new versions.

 To upgrade the VEA Windows client package

1. Click Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs and select "Veritas Enterprise Administrator language pack" for removal.
2. Uninstall the base VEA package the same way.
3. Install the base and language packages as described in the section entitled Installing on Windows.

Upgrading CVM protocol and disk group version

If you want to take advantage of the new features in this release, you must upgrade the Veritas Cluster Volume Manager (CVM) protocol version (70), and upgrade to the latest disk group version (140).

1. To upgrade the CVM protocol version to version 70, enter the following command on the master node:

   # vxdctl upgrade

2. To upgrade the disk group version to 140, enter the command:

   # vxdg -T 140 upgrade dgname

3. After upgrading CVM in a VCS environment, you should run the command:

   # vxcvmconfig upgrade

   If this command is not run, you will see a warning in the engine log file,
   /opt/VRTSvcs/log/engine_A.log.

   ---

     Note   Downgrading disk group versions is not supported. If a Veritas cluster is used, the disk group version should match the lowest Volume Manager version installed in the cluster.

   ---

Updating variables

In /etc/profile, update the PATH and MANPATH variables as needed.

Default disk group

In releases prior to Volume Manager 4.0, the default disk group was rootdg (the root disk group). For Volume Manager to function, the rootdg disk group had to exist and it had to contain at least one disk.

This requirement no longer exists, however you may find it convenient to create a system wide default disk group. For instructions on how to change the default disk group, see the Veritas Volume Manager System Administrator's Guide. The main benefit of creating a default disk group is that VxVM commands default to the default disk group and you will not need to use the -g option. If you want to confirm that the root disk is encapsulated, enter the command:

# vxdg bootdg