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Check metadevices

Solaris Volume Manager metadevices may need changes before starting the conversion.

• Extended RAID-5 metadevices can not be converted. A RAID-5 metadevice becomes extended when you add space after the device is first initialized.

  To find extended RAID-5 metadevices, use the metastat -p command of the Solaris Volume Manager software for each diskset. Look for RAID-5 devices in the output that have a -o option showing more original partitions than current partitions. The following example of output from metastat -p shows an extended metadevice:

  d100 -r clt65d0s3 clt66d0s3 clt67d0s3 clt99d0s3 -k -i 32b -0 3

  The example lists four partitions: 65, 66, 67, and 99. The -o entry shows the number of original partitions, three in this case.

  Use either of the following options to deal with extended RAID-5 devices:

  • Use the Solaris Volume Manager commands or the Solaris Volume Manager user interface to create a new metadevice large enough to contain all the data. Copy the data to the new metadevice.
  • Dump the data from the metadevice to tape and restore it to a VxVM volume after the conversion process finishes.
• Metadevices using a hot spare can not be converted. Use the metastat command of the Solaris Volume Manager software to identify metadevices that currently use hot spares. The following example of output from metastat shows a metadevice using a hot spare:

  d3: Submirror of d51
  State: Okay
  Hot spare pool: hsp000

  Size 5922252 blocks

  Stripe 0:

  Device Start Block Dbase State Hot Spare
  clt75d0s1 0 No Okay clt66d0s6

  With no hot spare in use, the "Hot Spare" column at the far right is empty.

  Use either of the following options to deal with hot spares:

  • Use the metareplace command of the Solaris Volume Manager software to move data from the hot spare onto the original partition (if there is room).
  • Use the metareplace and metahs commands of the Solaris Volume Manager software to move the hot spare partition from the hot spare pool into the metadevice.