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Primary SRL header error cleanup and recovery

An SRL header failure on the Primary is a serious error. All RLINKs are lost and must be recovered using a Primary checkpoint. Because information about data volume errors is kept in the SRL header, the correct status of data volumes cannot be guaranteed under all occurrences of this error. For this reason, we recommend that the SRL be mirrored.

If an SRL header error occurs during normal operation and you notice it before a reboot occurs, you can be certain that any data volumes that have also (simultaneously) failed will have a status of detached. If the system is rebooted before the vxprint command shows the volumes to be in the detached state, the status of any failed data volumes may be lost. Both these cases involve multiple errors and are unlikely, but it is important to understand that the state of Primary data volumes can be suspect with this type of error.

When a Primary SRL header error occurs, writes to the RVG continue; however, all RLINKs are put in the stale state. The RVG is operating in passthru mode.

Recovering from SRL header error

To recover from an SRL header error, dissociate the SRL from the RVG, repair the SRL, and completely synchronize all the RLINKs.

  1. Stop the RVG.

    # vxrvg -g hrdg stop hr_rvg

  2. Dissociate the SRL from the RVG.

    # vxvol -g hrdg dis hr_srl

  3. Repair or restore the SRL. Even if the problem can be fixed by repairing the underlying subdisks, the SRL must still be dissociated and reassociated to initialize the SRL header.
  4. Make sure the SRL is started, and then reassociate the SRL:

    # vxvol -g hrdg start hr_srl

    # vxvol -g hrdg aslog hr_rvg hr_srl

  5. Start the RVG:

    # vxrvg -g hrdg start hr_rvg

  6. Restore the data volumes from backup if needed. Synchronize all the RLINKs. See Methods to synchronize the Secondary.