Chapter 19 Disk Sets (Tasks)

This chapter provides information about performing tasks that are associated with disk sets. For information about the concepts that are involved in these tasks, see Chapter 18, Disk Sets (Overview).

Disk Sets (Task Map)

The following task map identifies the procedures that are needed to manage Solaris Volume Manager disk sets and Solaris Volume Manager for Sun Cluster multi-owner disk sets. All commands work for both types of disk sets except where noted. The Solaris Volume Manager GUI is not available for tasks associated with multi-owner disk sets.

Creating Disk Sets

How to Create a Disk Set

Before You Begin

Check Guidelines for Working With Disk Sets.

Steps

1. To create a disk set, use one of the following methods:

   • From the Enhanced Storage tool within the Solaris Management Console, open the Disk Sets node. Choose Action⇒Create Disk Set. Then, follow the instructions in the wizard. For more information, see the online help.

   • To create a disk set from scratch from the command line, use the following form of the metaset command:

     # metaset -s diskset-name -a -h -M hostname

     -s diskset-name

     Specifies the name of a disk set on which the metaset command will work.

     -a

     Adds hosts to the named disk set. Solaris Volume Manager supports up to four hosts per disk set.

     -M

     Specifies that the disk set being created is a multi-owner disk set.

     -h hostname

     Specifies one or more hosts to be added to a disk set. Adding the first host creates the set. The second host can be added later. However, the second host is not accepted if all the disks within the set cannot be found on the specified hostname. hostname is the same name found in the /etc/nodename file.

     See the metaset(1M) man page for more information.

2. Check the status of the new disk set.

   # metaset

Example 19–1 Creating a Disk Set

In the following example, you create a shared disk set called blue, from the host host1. The metaset command shows the status. At this point, the disk set has no owner. The host that adds disks to the set becomes the owner by default.

# metaset -s blue -a -h host1              
# metaset
Set name = blue, Set number = 1

Host                Owner
  host1                

Example 19–2 Creating a Multi-Owner Disk Set

In the following example, you create a multi-owner disk set called red. The first line of the output from the metaset command displays “Multi-owner,” indicating that the disk set is a multi-owner disk set.

# metaset -s red -a -M -h nodeone
# metaset -s red
Multi-owner Set name = red, Set number = 1, Master = 

Host                Owner          Member
  nodeone                          Yes 

Expanding Disk Sets

How to Add Disks to a Disk Set

Do not add disks larger than 1Tbyte to disk sets if you expect to run the Solaris software with a 32–bit kernel or if you expect to use a version of the Solaris OS prior to the Solaris 9 4/03 release. See Overview of Multi-Terabyte Support in Solaris Volume Manager for more information about multi-terabyte volume support in Solaris Volume Manager.

Only disks that meet the following conditions can be added to a disk set:

• The disk must not be in use in a volume or hot spare pool.

• The disk must not contain a state database replica.

• The disk must not be currently mounted, swapped on, or otherwise opened for use by an application.

Before You Begin

Check Guidelines for Working With Disk Sets.

Steps

1. To add disks to a disk set, use one of the following methods:

   • From the Enhanced Storage tool within the Solaris Management Console, open the Disk Sets node. Select the disk set that you want to modify. Then click the right mouse button and choose Properties. Select the Disks tab. Click Add Disk. Then follow the instructions in the wizard. For more information, see the online help.

   • To add disks to a disk set from the command line, use the following form of the metaset command:

     # metaset -s diskset-name -a disk-name

     -s diskset-name

     Specifies the name of a disk set on which the metaset command will work.

     -a

     Adds disks to the named disk set.

     disk-name

     Specifies the disks to add to the disk set. disk names are in the form cxtxdx. N The “sx” slice identifiers are not included when adding a disk to a disk set.

     See the metaset(1M)man page for more information.

   The first host to add a disk to a disk set becomes the owner of the disk set.

   ---

   Caution –

   Do not add a disk with data to a disk set. The process of adding a disk with data to a disk set might repartition the disk, destroying the data.

   ---

2. Verify the status of the disk set and disks.

   # metaset

Example 19–3 Adding a Disk to a Disk Set

# metaset -s blue -a c1t6d0
# metaset
Set name = blue, Set number = 1

Host                Owner
  host1            Yes 

Drive               Dbase
  c1t6d0             Yes 

In this example, the host name is host1. The shared disk set is blue. Only the disk, c1t6d0, has been added to the disk set blue.

Optionally, you could add multiple disks at once by listing each disk on the command line. For example, you could use the following command to add two disks to the disk set simultaneously:

# metaset -s blue -a c1t6d0 c2t6d0

How to Add Another Host to a Disk Set

This procedure explains how to add another host to an existing disk set that only has one host. Solaris Volume Manager supports up to four hosts per disk set.

Before You Begin

Check Guidelines for Working With Disk Sets.

Steps

1. To add a host to a disk set, use one of the following methods:

   • From the Enhanced Storage tool within the Solaris Management Console, open the Disk Sets node and choose the disk set you want to modify. Select the disk set you want to modify. Then click the right mouse button , and choose Properties. Select the Hosts tab. Click Add Host. Then follow the instructions in the wizard. For more information, see the online help.

   • To add hosts to a disk set from the command line, use the following form of the metaset command:

     # metaset -s diskset-name -a -h hostname

     -s diskset-name

     Specifies the name of a disk set on which to add the host.

     -a

     Adds the host to the named disk set.

     -h hostname

     Specifies one or more host names to be added to the disk set. Adding the first host creates the disk set. The host name is the same name found in the /etc/nodename file.

     See the metaset(1M) man page for more information.

2. Verify that the host has been added to the disk set.

   # metaset

Example 19–4 Adding Another Host to a Disk Set

# metaset -s blue -a -h host2
# metaset
Set name = blue, Set number = 1
 
Host                Owner
  host1                Yes
  host2
 
Drive               Dbase
  c1t6d0             Yes 
  c2t6d0             Yes 

This example shows the addition of the host, host2, to the disk set, blue.

How to Create Solaris Volume Manager Components in a Disk Set

After you create a disk set, you can create volumes and hot spare pools using the disks you added to the disk set. You can use either the Enhanced Storage tool within the Solaris Management Console or the command-line utilities.

Step

To create volumes or other Solaris Volume Manager components within a disk set, use one of the following methods:

• From the Enhanced Storage tool within the Solaris Management Console, open the Volumes, State Database Replicas, or Hot Spare Pools node. Choose Action⇒Create. Then follow the instructions in the wizard. For more information, see the online help.

• Use the same command line utilities with the same basic syntax to create volumes, state database replicas, or hot spare pools. However, add -s disk-set immediately after the command for every command.

  # command -s disk-set

Example 19–5 Creating Solaris Volume Manager Volumes in a Disk Set

The following example shows the creation of a mirror, d10, in the disk set, blue. The mirror consists of submirrors (RAID-0 volumes), d11 and d12.

# metainit -s blue d11 1 1 c1t6d0s0
blue/d11: Concat/Stripe is setup
# metainit -s blue d12 1 1 c2t6d0s0
blue/d12: Concat/Stripe is setup
# metainit -s blue d10 -m d11           
blue/d10: Mirror is setup
# metattach -s blue d10 d12
blue/d10: submirror blue/d12 is attached

# metastat -s blue
blue/d10: Mirror
    Submirror 0: blue/d11
      State: Okay         
    Submirror 1: blue/d12
      State: Resyncing    
    Resync in progress: 0 % done
    Pass: 1
    Read option: roundrobin (default)
    Write option: parallel (default)
    Size: 17674902 blocks

blue/d11: Submirror of blue/d10
    State: Okay         
    Size: 17674902 blocks
    Stripe 0:
        Device              Start Block  Dbase State        Reloc  Hot Spare
        c1t6d0s0                   0     No    Okay                


blue/d12: Submirror of blue/d10
    State: Resyncing    
    Size: 17674902 blocks
    Stripe 0:
        Device              Start Block  Dbase State        Reloc  Hot Spare
        c2t6d0s0                   0     No    Okay                

Maintaining Disk Sets

How to Check the Status of a Disk Set

Step

Use one of the following methods to check the status of a disk set.

• From the Enhanced Storage tool within the Solaris Management Console, open the Disk Sets node. Click the right mouse button on the Disk Set you want to monitor. Then choose Properties from the menu. For more information, see the online help.

• Use the following form of the metaset command to view disk set status.

  # metaset -s diskset-name

  See the metaset(1M) man page for more information.

  ---

  Note –

  Disk set ownership is only shown on the owning host.

  ---

Example 19–6 Checking the Status of a Specified Disk Set

The following example shows the metaset command with the -s option followed by the name of the disk set, blue. The output from this command displays status information for that disk set. The output indicates that host1 is the disk set owner. The metaset command also displays the disks in the disk set.

red# metaset -s blue


Set name = blue, Set number = 1

Host                Owner
  host1             Yes 

Drive               Dbase
  c1t6d0             Yes 
  c2t6d0             Yes 

The metaset command by itself displays the status of all disk sets.

How to Delete Disks From a Disk Set

Steps

1. To delete a disk from a disk set, use one of the following methods:

   • From the Enhanced Storage tool within the Solaris Management Console, open the Disk Sets node. Click the right mouse on the Disk Set that you want to release. Then choose Properties from the menu. Click the Disks tab. Follow the instructions in the online help.

   • Use the following form of the metaset command to delete a disk from a disk set.

     # metaset -s diskset-name -d disk-name

     -s diskset-name

     Specifies the name of a disk set on which to delete the disk.

     -d disk-name

     Specifies the disks to delete from the disk set. Disk names are in the form cxtxdx. The “sx” slice identifiers are not included when deleting a disk from a disk set.

     See the metaset(1M) man page for more information.

2. Verify that the disk has been deleted from the disk.

   # metaset -s diskset-name

   ---

   Note –

   To delete a disk set, you must first delete all the disks from the disk set.

   ---

Example 19–7 Deleting a Disk from a Disk Set

The following example shows the deletion of the disk, c1t6d0 from the disk set, blue.

host1# metaset -s blue -d c1t6d0
host1# metaset -s blue
 
Set name = blue, Set number = 1

Host                Owner
  host1            
	host2 

Drive               Dbase
  c2t6d0             Yes 
 

How to Take a Disk Set

This option is not available for multi-owner disk sets.

Step

Use one of the following methods to take a disk set:

• From the Enhanced Storage tool within the Solaris Management Console, open the Disk Sets node. Click the right mouse on the disk set you want to take. Then, hen choose Take Ownership from the menu. For more information, see the online help.

• Use the following form of the metaset command.

  # metaset -s diskset-name -t -f

-s diskset-name

Specifies the name of a disk set to take.

-t

Specifies to take the disk set.

-f

Specifies to take the disk set forcibly.

See the metaset(1M) man page for more information.

Only one host at a time can own a disk set. When one host in a disk set takes the disk set, the other host in the disk set cannot access data on the disks in the disk set.

The default behavior of the metaset command is to allow your host to take the disk set only if a release is possible on the host that has ownership of the disk set. Use the -f option to forcibly take the disk set. This option takes the disk set whether or not another host currently has the set. Use this method when a host in the disk set is down or not communicating. If the other host had the disk set taken at this point, it would panic when it attempts to perform an I/O operation on the disk set.

---

Note –

Disk set ownership is only shown on the owning host.

---

Example 19–8 Taking a Disk Set

In the following example, the host, host1, communicates with the host, host2. This communication ensures that the host host2 has released the disk set before the host, host1, attempts to take the disk set.

host1# metaset
...
Set name = blue, Set number = 1
 
Host                Owner
  host1
  host2
...
host1# metaset -s blue -t
host2# metaset
...
Set name = blue, Set number = 1
 
Host                Owner
  host1                Yes
  host2
...

If host2 owned the disk set, blue, the “Owner” column in the preceding output would still have been blank. The metaset command only shows whether the host issuing the command owns the disk set.

Example 19–9 Taking a Disk Set Forcibly

In the following example, the host that is taking the disk set does not communicate with the other host. Instead, the -f option allows the disks in the disk set to be forcibly taken without warning. If the other host had owned the disk set, that host would panic when it attempted an I/O operation on the disk set.

# metaset -s blue -t -f

How to Release a Disk Set

Releasing a disk set is useful when you perform maintenance on the physical disks in the disk set. When a disk set is released, it cannot be accessed by the host. If both hosts in a disk set release the set, neither host in the disk set can access directly the volumes or hot spare pools that are defined in the disk set . However, if both hosts release the disk set, the hosts can access the disks directly through their c*t*d* names.

This option is not available for multi-owner disk sets.

Before You Begin

Check Guidelines for Working With Disk Sets.

Steps

1. Use one of the following methods to release a disk set:

   • From the Enhanced Storage tool within the Solaris Management Console, open the Disk Sets node. Click the right mouse on the disk set that you want to release. Then choose Release Ownership from the menu. For more information, see the online help.

   • To release ownership of the disk set, use the following form of the metaset command:

     # metaset -s diskset-name -r

     -s diskset-name

     Specifies the name of a disk set on which the metaset command will work.

     -r

     Releases ownership of a disk set. The reservation of all the disks within the disk set is removed. The volumes within the disk set are no longer accessible.

     See the metaset(1M) man page for more information.

     ---

     Note –

     Disk set ownership is only shown on the owning host.

     ---

2. Verify that the disk set has been released on this host.

   # metaset

Example 19–10 Releasing a Disk Set

The following example shows the release of the disk set, blue. Note that there is no owner of the disk set. Viewing status from the host host1 could be misleading. A host can only determine if it does or does not own a disk set. For example, if he host, host2, were to take ownership of the disk set, the ownership would not appear from the host, host1. Only the host, host2, would display that host2 has ownership of the disk set.

host1# metaset -s blue -r
host1# metaset -s blue
 
Set name = blue, Set number = 1

Host                Owner
  host1            
	host2

Drive               Dbase
  c1t6d0             Yes 
  c2t6d0             Yes 
 

How to Delete a Host or Disk Set

Deleting a disk set requires that the disk set contains no disks and that no other hosts are attached to the disk set. Deleting the last host destroys the disk set.

Steps

1. Use one of the following methods to delete a host from a disk set, or to delete a disk set:

   • From the Enhanced Storage tool within the Solaris Management Console, open the Disk Sets node. Click the right mouse on the disk set you want to release, then choose Delete from the menu. Follow the instructions in the online help.

   • To delete the host use the following form of the metaset command.

     metaset -s diskset-name -d -h hostname

     -s diskset-name

     Specifies the name of a disk set on which the metaset command will work.

     -d

     Deletes a host from a disk set.

     -h hostname

     Specifies the name of the host to delete.

     Use the same form of the preceding metaset command to delete a disk set. Deleting a disk set requires that the disk set contains no disks and that no other hosts own the disk set. Deleting the last host destroys the disk set.

     See the metaset(1M) man page for more information.

2. Verify that the host has been deleted from the disk set by using the metaset command. Note that only the current (owning) host is shown. Other hosts have been deleted.

   # metaset -s disk-set

Example 19–11 Deleting a Host From a Disk Set

The following example shows the deletion of the host, host2 from the disk set, blue.

# metaset -s blue
Set name = blue, Set number = 1

Host                Owner
  host1            Yes 
..host2

Drive               Dbase
  c1t2d0             Yes 
  c1t3d0             Yes 
  c1t4d0             Yes 
  c1t5d0             Yes 
  c1t6d0             Yes 
  c2t1d0             Yes

# metaset -s blue -d -h host2

# metaset -s blue
Set name = blue, Set number = 1

Host                Owner
  host1            Yes 

Drive               Dbase
  c1t2d0             Yes 
  c1t3d0             Yes 
  c1t4d0             Yes 
  c1t5d0             Yes 
  c1t6d0             Yes 
  c2t1d0             Yes

Example 19–12 Deleting the Last Host from a Disk Set

The following example shows the deletion of the last host from the disk set, blue.

host1# metaset -s blue -d -h host1
host1# metaset -s blue
 
metaset: host: setname "blue": no such set 

Importing Disk Sets

importing a disk set

The metaimport command allows you to import disk sets from one system to another.

How to Print a Report on Disk Sets Available for Import

Steps

1. Become superuser.

2. Obtain a report on disk sets available for import.

   # metaimport -r -v

   -r

   Provides a report of the unconfigured disk sets available for import on the system.

   -v

   Provides detailed information about the state database (metadb) replica location and status on the disks of unconfigured disk sets available for import on the system.

Example 19–13 Reporting on Disk Sets Available for Import

The following examples show how to print a report on disk sets available for import. The output from the metaimport command distinguishes between regular disk sets and replicated disk sets.

# metaimport -r
# metaimport -r
Drives in regular diskset including disk c1t2d0:
   c1t2d0
   c1t3d0
 More info:
   metaimport -r -v c1t2d0 
Import:   metaimport -s <newsetname> c1t2d0 
 Drives in replicated diskset including disk c1t4d0:
   c1t4d0
   c1t5d0
 More info:
   metaimport -r -v c1t4d0 
Import:   metaimport -s <newsetname> c1t4d0
# metaimport -r -v c1t2d0
Import: metaimport -s <newsetname> c1t2d0
Last update: Mon Dec 29 14:13:35 2003
Device       offset       length replica flags
c1t2d0           16         8192      a        u     
c1t3d0           16         8192      a        u     

How to Import a Disk Set From One System to Another System

Steps

1. Become superuser.

2. Verify that a disk set is available for import.

   # metaimport -r -v

3. Import an available disk set.

   # metaimport -s diskset-name disk-name

   - s diskset-name

   Specifies the name of the disk set being created.

   disk-name

   Identifies a disk (c#t#d#) containing a state database replica from the disk set being imported.

4. Verify that the disk set has been imported.

   # metaset -s diskset-name

Example 19–14 Importing a Disk Set

The following example shows how to import a disk set.

# metaimport -s red c1t2d0
Drives in diskset including disk c1t2d0:
  c1t2d0
  c1t3d0
  c1t8d0
More info:
  metaimport -r -v c1t2d0
# metaset -s red


Set name = red, Set number = 1

Host                Owner
  host1            Yes

Drive    Dbase

c1t2d0   Yes  

c1t3d0   Yes  

c1t8d0   Yes