Solstice DiskSuite 4.2.1 User's Guide

Finding Solstice DiskSuite 4.2.1 Information

Solstice DiskSuite 4.2.1 User's Guide describes how to set up and maintain systems using Solstice DiskSuite 4.2.1.

If you want to begin using the DiskSuite product right away, use the information presented in this chapter. Organized as a "roadmap," this chapter serves as a high-level guide to find information for certain DiskSuite tasks, such as setting up storage capacity. It does not address all the tasks that you will need to use DiskSuite. Instead, it provides an easy way to find procedures describing how to perform common tasks associated with the following DiskSuite concepts:

Storage Capacity
Availability
I/O Performance
Administration
Troubleshooting

This chapter also provides a complete listing of tasks organized by feature. See "DiskSuite Task Summary."

Caution -

If you do not use DiskSuite correctly, you can destroy data. DiskSuite provides a powerful way to manage your disks and data on them. As a minimum safety precaution, you should make sure you understand how DiskSuite works before attempting to use it.

Getting Started With DiskSuite

Table P-3 DiskSuite Roadmap-Storage Capacity


Task	Description	For Instructions, Go To
Set Up Storage Capacity	You can create storage capacity that spans slices by creating a striped metadevice or a RAID5 metadevice. The stripe or RAID5 metadevice can then be used for a file system or any application, such as a database, that accesses the raw device.	"How to Create a Striped Metadevice (DiskSuite Tool)" "How to Create a RAID5 Metadevice (DiskSuite Tool)"

Expand an Existing File System	Increase the capacity of an existing file system by creating a concatenation then adding additional slices.	"How to Expand a Slice Containing Existing Data (DiskSuite Tool)"

Expand an Existing Concatenation/Stripe	Use DiskSuite Tool to create a concatenated stripe to expand an existing concatenation or stripe.	"How to Expand an Existing Concat/Stripe (DiskSuite Tool)"

Expand a RAID5 Metadevice	If you need to expand the capacity of a RAID5 metadevice, you can concatenate additional slices to it.	"How to Expand a RAID5 Metadevice (DiskSuite Tool)"

Increase the Size of UFS	The `growfs(1M)` command expands the size of a UFS while it is mounted and without disrupting access to the data.	"How to Grow a File System (Command Line)"

Create a File System	You can create a file system on a stripe, concatenation, mirror, RAID5 metadevice, or trans metadevice.	"How to Create a File System on a Metadevice (File System Manager)"

Table P-4 DiskSuite Roadmap-Availability


Task	Description	For Instructions, Go To
Maximize Data Availability	If you want maximum availability of your data, use DiskSuite's mirroring feature to maintain multiple copies of your data. You can create a mirror from unused slices in preparation for data, or mirror an existing file system, including root (`/`) and `/usr`.	"How to Create a Mirror From Unused Slices (DiskSuite Tool)" "How to Create a Mirror From a File System That Can Be Unmounted (DiskSuite Tool)" "How to Create a Mirror From a File System That Cannot Be Unmounted (DiskSuite Tool)"

Add Data Availability With Minimum Hardware Cost	To increase data availability with a minimum of hardware, use DiskSuite's RAID5 Metadevice feature.	"How to Create a RAID5 Metadevice (DiskSuite Tool)"

Add Increased Data Availability to an Existing Mirror or RAID5 Metadevice	To increase data availability for a mirror or a RAID5 metadevice, create a hot spare pool then associate it with a mirror's submirrors, or a RAID5 metadevice.	"How to Create a Hot Spare Pool (DiskSuite Tool)"

Increase File System Availability After Reboot	To increase overall file system availability after reboot, add UFS logging (trans metadevice) to the system. Logging a file system reduces the amount of time `fsck(1M)` has to run when the system reboots.	"How to Create a Trans Metadevice for a File System That Can Be Unmounted (DiskSuite Tool)" "How to Create a Trans Metadevice for a File System That Cannot Be Unmounted (DiskSuite Tool)"

Table P-5 DiskSuite Roadmap-I/O Performance


Task	Description	For Instructions, Go To
Increase Mirror Performance	Adding additional state database replicas before creating the mirror helps improve a mirror's performance.	"How to Create Additional State Database Replicas (DiskSuite Tool)"

Tune Mirror Read and Write Policies	The read and write policies for a mirror can be specified to improve performance for a given configuration.	"How to Change a Mirror's Options (DiskSuite Tool)"

Optimize Device Performance	Creating stripes optimizes performance of devices that make up the stripe. The stripe's interlace value can be optimized for random or sequential access.	"How to Create a Striped Metadevice (DiskSuite Tool)"

Maintain Device Performance Within an Existing Stripe	A concatenated stripe expands a stripe or concatenation that has run out of space. A concatenation of stripes is better for performance than a concatenation of slices.	"How to Expand a Slice Containing Existing Data (Command Line)"

Improve System Performance	UFS logging (trans metadevice) helps performance by decreasing the number of synchronous disk writes.	"How to Create a Trans Metadevice for a File System That Can Be Unmounted (DiskSuite Tool)" "How to Create a Trans Metadevice for a File System That Cannot Be Unmounted (DiskSuite Tool)"

Table P-6 DiskSuite Roadmap-Administration


Task	Description	For Instructions, Go To
Simplify Administration of Large Configurations	The DiskSuite Tool graphical interface makes working with many disks quick and easy. It supports drag-and-drop operations and provides physical and logical views of the system.	Solstice DiskSuite 4.2.1 Reference Guide, Chapter 4, "DiskSuite Tool"

Graphically Administer Slices/File Systems	DiskSuite is integrated with the Solstice Storage Manager graphical user interface. Use it to administer your disks and file systems, performing such tasks as partitioning disks and constructing UFS file systems.	Appendix A, Using Storage Manager

Administer SPARCstorage Arrays	The DiskSuite Tool graphical interface enables you to perform a number of maintenance tasks on SPARCstorage Arrays, such as starting and stopping trays of disks, and working with NVRAM.	Chapter 6, Managing the System

Reconfigure Metadevices	Administering metadevices is made easier through the `metarename(1M)` command.	"How to Rename a Metadevice (Command Line)"

Optimize Solstice DiskSuite 4.2	DiskSuite performance is dependent on a well-designed configuration. Once created, the configuration needs monitoring and tuning.	"How to Graph Device Statistics (DiskSuite Tool)"

Plan for Future Expansion	Because file systems tend to run out of space, you can plan for future growth by putting a file system into a concatenation.	"How to Expand a Slice Containing Existing Data (DiskSuite Tool)"

Automate DiskSuite Monitoring	Use DiskSuite's SNMP features to integrate alerts with SunNet Manager.	"How to Enable SunNet Manager to Launch DiskSuite Tool (SunNet Manager)" "How to Configure DiskSuite SNMP Support (Command Line)"

Table P-7 DiskSuite Roadmap-Troubleshooting


Task	Description	For Instructions, Go To
Replace a Failed Slice	The situation could arise when a failing slice in a metadevice needs replacing. In the case of stripes and concatenation, you have to use a new slice, delete and recreate the metadevice, then restore data from a backup. Slices in mirrors and RAID5 metadevices might be able to be replaced and resynced without loss of data.	"How to Recreate a Stripe or Concatenation After Slice Failure (DiskSuite Tool)" "How to Enable a Slice in a Submirror (DiskSuite Tool)" "How to Enable a Slice in a RAID5 Metadevice (DiskSuite Tool)"

Recover From Boot Problems	Special problems can arise when booting the system, due to a hardware problem or operator error.	"How to Recover From Improper `/etc/vfstab` Entries (Command Line)" "How to Recover From Insufficient State Database Replicas (Command Line)" "How to Recover From a Boot Device Failure (Command Line)"

Work With an SSA Disk Problem	For the most part, using DiskSuite with a SPARCstorage Array is transparent. Some procedures, such as resolving disk problems, have slightly different steps.	"How to Replace a Failed SPARCstorage Array Disk in a Mirror (DiskSuite Tool)"

Work With Trans Metadevice Problems	Problems with trans metadevices can occur on either the master or logging device, and they can either be caused by errored data or device problems. All trans metadevices sharing the same logging device must be fixed before they return to a usable state.	"How to Recover a Trans Metadevice With a File System Panic (Command Line)" "How to Recover a Trans Metadevice With Hard Errors (Command Line)"

DiskSuite Task Summary

The information in this section, organized by DiskSuite feature, serves as a quick reference for all DiskSuite tasks. Keyboard accelerators (if available) and the command line equivalents are given for each task.

Table P-8 DiskSuite Feature/Task List


Feature/Task	DiskSuite Tool Menu or Action	Keyboard Command
Concatenations
Checking status	Object -> Info	`metastat(1M)`
Creating	Edit -> Create -> Concat/Stripe	`metainit(1M)`
Expanding	Drag an unused slice to the object	`metattach(1M)`
Recreating after slice failure	Delete and recreate metadevice	`metaclear(1M)`, `metainit(1M)`
Removing	Edit -> Delete	`metaclear(1M)`
Configurations
Renaming a metadevice	Use the Info window	`metarename(1M)`
Restoring uncommitted configuration	File -> Restore From File
Reversing all uncommitted operations	Edit -> Undo All
Reversing an uncommitted operation	Edit -> Undo Last
Saving uncommitted configuration	File -> Save To File
DiskSuite Tool
Collapsing an object	Object -> Collapse
Committing an object	Object -> Commit	`metainit(1M)`
Configuration Log, viewing	Browse -> Configuration Log
Deleting an object	Edit -> Delete	`metaclear(1M)`
Disks, viewing	Browse -> Disk View
Displaying entire object	Object -> Expand
Duplicating an object	Edit -> Duplicate
Evaluating an object	Object -> Evaluate
Exiting	File -> Exit
Finding metadevices	Browse -> Find
Metadevices, viewing	Browse ->Metadevices
Object information	Object -> Info	`metastat(1M)`
Problems, viewing	Browse -> Problem List
Putting away an object	Object -> Put Away
Reorganizing objects on the canvas	Edit -> Cleanup Canvas
Slices, viewing	Browse -> Slices	`prtvtoc(1M)`, `format(1M)`
Hot Spares
Adding a slice to a hot spare pool	Drag an available slice to the hot spare pool object	`metahs(1M)`
Associating a hot spare pool	Drag a hot spare pool object onto submirror or RAID5 object	`metaparam(1M)`
Changing the associated hot spare pool	Drag a replacement hot spare pool object onto submirror or RAID5 object	`metaparam(1M)`
Checking status	Object -> Info	`metahs(1M)`
Creating hot spare pool	Edit -> Create -> Spare Pool	`metainit(1M)`
Enabling a hot spare	Use the Hot Spare Pool Info window	`metahs(1M)`
Removing a hot spare	Use the Hot Spare Pool Info Window	`metahs(1M)`
Removing a hot spare pool	Edit -> Delete	`metaparam(1M)`, `metahs(1M)`
Replacing a component	Drag a replacement slice to the Hot Spare Pool object	`metahs(1M)`
Viewing a hot spare pool	Browse -> Hot Spare Pool	`metastat(1M)`
Mirrors
Attaching a submirror	Drag a submirror to a Mirror object	`metattach(1M)`
Changing options	Use the Mirror Info window	`metaparam(1M)`
Checking status	Object -> Info	`metastat(1M)`
Creating	Edit -> Create -> Mirror	`metainit(1M)`
Detaching a submirror	Use the Mirror Info window	`metadetach(1M)`
Expanding	Drag unused slices to the submirrors	`metattach(1M)`, `growfs(1M)`
Placing a submirror offline/online	Use the Mirror Info window	`metaonline(1M)`, `metaoffline(1M)`
Replacing failed components	Drag a replacement slice to the errored slice	`metareplace(1M)`
Removing	Edit -> Delete	`metadetach(1M)`, `metaclear(1M)`
Unmirroring a File System
Performance Monitoring
Displaying device statistics	Object -> Statistics	`iostat(1M)`
Displaying graphs	Browse -> Statistics Graphs	`iostat(1M)`
RAID5 Metadevices
Checking Status	Object -> Info	`metastat(1M)`
Creating	Edit -> Create -> RAID	`metainit(1M)`
Expanding	Drag an unused slice to the RAID5 object	`metattach(1M)`
Replacing failed components	Drag a replacement slice to the errored slice	`metareplace(1M)`
Removing	Edit -> Delete	`metaclear(1M)`
SPARCstorage Arrays
Checking status of fan and battery	Disk View -> Object -> Info	`ssaadm(1M)`
Displaying controller information	Disk View -> Object -> Info	`ssaadm(1M)`
Disabling NVRAM	Disk View -> Object -> Fast Write Disable	`ssaadm(1M)`
Enabling NVRAM	Disk View -> Object -> Fast Write Enable	`ssaadm(1M)`
Enabling NVRAM (synchronous writes)	Disk View -> Object -> Fast Write Synchronous	`ssaadm(1M)`
Flushing outstanding writes from NVRAM	Disk View -> Object -> Sync NVRAM	`ssaadm(1M)`
Purging fast write data from NVRAM	Select the object, display its pop-up menu and choose Purge NVRAM	`ssaadm(1M)`
Reserving a Disk	Disk View -> Object -> Reserve Disks	`ssaadm(1M)`
Releasing a Disk	Disk View -> Object -> Release Disks	`ssaadm(1M)`
Starting a disk /tray/controller	Disk View -> Object -> Start Disks	`ssaadm(1M)`
Stopping a disk/tray/controller	Disk View -> Object -> Stop Disks	`ssaadm(1M)`
State Database Replicas
Adding more	Drag slices to the initialized Metadevice State Database object	`metadb(1M)`
Attaching	Use the MetaDB Info window	`metadb(1M)`
Checking status	Object -> Info	`metadb(1M)`
Creating initial	Drag slices to the uninitialized Metadevice State Database object	`metadb(1M)`
Removing	Display the Metadevice State Database Information window and choose Remove.	`metadb(1M)`
Restoring	Display the Metadevice State Database Information window and choose Restore.
Viewing and modifying	Use the Metadevice State Database Info window
Stripes
Checking status	Object -> Info	`metastat(1M)`
Creating	Edit -> Create -> Concat/Stripe	`metainit(1M)`
Expanding	Drag an unused slice to the object	`metattach(1M)`
Recreating after slice failure	Delete and recreate metadevice	`metaclear(1M)`, `metainit(1M)`
Removing	Edit -> Delete	`metaclear(1M)`
Trans Metadevices
Attaching logging device	Drag slice or metadevice to log rectangle of trans device.	`metattach(1M)`
Checking status	Object -> Info	`metastat(1M)`
Creating	Edit -> Create -> Trans	`metainit(1M)`
Detaching logging device	Drag logging device out of trans metadevice.	`metadetach(1M)`
Removing	Edit -> Delete	`metaclear(1M)`
Sharing a log among trans metadevices	Edit -> Create -> Trans; for the log, use the same slice already in use by another trans metadevice.	`metainit(1M)`; for the log, use the same slice already in use by another trans metadevice.