Dynamic Root Disk Frequently Asked Questions (August 2010)

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2-4. Q: If I am running multiple drd runcmd operations, can I avoid mounting and unmounting the inactive system
image for each runcmd execution?
A: You can avoid multiple mounts and unmounts by using drd mount to mount the inactive system image before the first runcmd
operation and drd umount to unmount the inactive system image after the last runcmd operation. When drd runcmd finds the file
systems in the clone already mounted, it does not unmount them (nor will it export the volume group) at the completion of the runcmd
operation.
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2-5. Q: Does the DRD clone operation verify that the target is not in use or part of another VG? Once the root disk is
cloned, is there anything in the operating system that prevents the non-active target from being reused?
How can inactive targets be identified?
A: If the disk is currently in use by another volume group that is visible on the system, the disk will not be used. If, on the other hand, the
disk contains LVM, VxVM, or boot records but is not in use on the system, you must use the -x overwrite option to tell DRD to
overwrite the disk. Already-created clones will contain boot records; a preview using the drd mount or drd activate commands will
show the disk that is currently in use as an inactive system image.
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2-6. Q: Can I vgimport the target disk as /dev/vgtmp?
A: The drd mount command will vgimport the target disk, vgchange it to make it active, and mount all the file systems in the cloned
volume group. However, these operations do not use the lvmtab on the clone itself. After booting the clone, you can also mount the
original system image. (You can also vgimport the clone manually, but it is much easier to use the drd mount command.).
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2-7. Q: Can DRD show whether DRD is configured or not configured?
A: You can run the drd status command to determine whether a clone has been created. The drd status command output shows,
among other data, the disk that was cloned and the target disk of the drd clone operation. For further information on the drd status
command, see the drd_status(1M) manpage. To determine the validity of all software installed on the inactive system image, execute:
drd runcmd swverify \*
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2-8. Q: Some processes in DRD, particularly drd clone and drd runcmd, take a significant amount of time. Can these
processes be interrupted?
A: All DRD processes, including drd clone and drd runcmd, can be safely interrupted issuing Control/C (SIGINT) from the controlling
terminal or by issuing kill -HUP<pid> (SIGHUP). This action causes DRD to abort processing and perform any necessary clean up.
Do not interrupt DRD using the kill -9 <pid> command (SIGKILL), which fails to abort safely and does not perform cleanup.
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3- Troubleshooting Dynamic Root Disk
3-1. Why can't I see the inactive system image file systems when I run the bdf command?
3-2. When I run DRD, what information should I collect before calling HP about a problem?
3-3. I can't remember which disk was used as the target of my clone operation. How can I identify it?
3-4. I issued a drd activate command but changed my mind and do not want to boot the clone. How can I undo the drd activate command
3-5. Can I change file system sizes when I create a clone?
3-6. How will fbackup|frecover handle “busy” files?
3-7. What happens with the configuration scripts if I install patch A and later install patch B, which then supersedes patch A?
3-8. If I use the IgniteUX server; is it aware of the DRD clone?
3-1. Q: Why can't I see the inactive system image file systems when I run the bdf command?
A: You have to mount the inactive system image before you can see the file systems using bdf. Use the drd mount command to mount
the inactive system image.
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3-2. Q: When I run DRD, what information should I collect before calling HP about a problem?
A: Before you contact HP, be sure to gather the following useful information:
Find the HP-UX revision of your system by entering: