Solaris 7 (SPARC Platform Edition) Installation Library

Upgrade Instructions

This section provides information on upgrading and backing up a system.

To Upgrade a System

  1. Consider the following information before you upgrade an existing system to a new version of the Solaris operating environment.

    • Check the section "Software Features No Longer Supported" in the Solaris Release Notes and your vendor release notes to see if there is any software that you use that is no longer provided in the new release.

    • See Chapter 2, What's New at a Glance and your vendor release notes to see if any of the changes or enhancements to the Solaris operating environment will affect anything that you currently do.

    • See the documentation that came with your system to make sure your system and devices are supported by the new release.

    • Check other software documentation.


      Caution - Caution -

      To avoid loss of data during upgrade, check Table 5-1 for known problems. This list is not complete. Always check co-packaged, vendor, and third-party software documentation for upgrading instructions.


      Table 5-1 Software That Requires Changes Before Upgrading

      Software 

      Problem Summary 

      SolsticeTM DiskSuiteTM

      Metadevices cannot be upgraded automatically. For instructions, see Appendix B, "Upgrading to Other Solaris Versions," in the Solstice DiskSuite Reference Guide.

      Prestoserve 

      If you start the upgrade process by shutting down the system using init 0, you can lose data. See the Prestoserve documentation for shutdown instructions.

    • Check for all the available patches that you may need. The most updated patch list is provided by SunSolveTM on the internet (http://sunsolve.sun.com/).

  2. Back up your system.

    Always back up existing file systems before using the upgrade option and installing a new version of the Solaris operating environment. Backing up file systems means copying them to removable media (such as tape) to safeguard data against loss, damage, or corruption. If you do not have a backup procedure in place, see "To Back Up a System" to find out how to perform a full backup of file systems. For information on setting up scheduled backups and using other backup commands, see the System Administration Guide, Volume I.

  3. Insert the Solaris CD into the CD-ROM drive.

  4. Boot the system from the Solaris CD.

    Get your system to the ok prompt and type:

    boot cdrom


    Note -

    For older SPARCTM-based systems, use the following boot command: boot sd(0,6,2)



    Note -

    If you experience any problems from this point on, see Chapter 6, Troubleshooting.


  5. Wait for booting to complete.

    After you type the boot command, the system will go through a booting phase where various hardware and system components are checked. This lasts for several minutes. While the system is rebooting, you may should see messages similar to the following:


    ok boot cdrom
    Booting from: sd(0,6,2)
    SunOS Release x.x Version [UNIX(R) System V Release]
    Copyright (c), Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Configuring devices 
    Starting OpenWindows...
     
  6. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the Solaris operating environment.

    The Solaris installation program is a menu-driven, interactive step-by-step guide to installing the Solaris operating environment. It also provides online help to answer your questions.

  7. Wait while the Solaris operating environment is installed on the system.

    A log of the installation (how the system was installed) is saved to the following files:

    • Before the system reboots: /a/var/sadm/system/logs/upgrade_log

    • After the system reboots: /var/sadm/system/logs/upgrade_log

To Back Up a System

  1. Become superuser.

  2. Shut down the system.


    # init 0
    
  3. Bring the system to run-level S (single-user mode).


    ok boot -s
    
  4. (Optional) Check the file system for consistency with the fsck command.

    Running the fsck command using the -m option checks for file system consistency. For example, power failure can leave files in an inconsistent state.


    # fsck -m /dev/rdsk/device-name
    
  5. (Optional)If you will be backing up file systems onto a remote tape drive:

    1. Add the following entry to the ./rhosts file of the system that is initiating the backup:


      host root
      
    2. Verify that the host name added to the /.rhosts file above is accessible via the local /etc/inet/hosts file or available through an NIS or NIS+ name server.

  6. Identify the device name of the tape drive.

    The default tape drive is /dev/rmt/0.

  7. Insert a tape that is not write-protected into the tape drive.

  8. Back up file systems using one of the ufsdump commands listed in Table 5-2.

    Table 5-2 Full Backup Commands

    To Do Full Backups To ... 

    Use This Command ... 

    Local diskette 

    ufsdump9ucf /vol/dev/ files_to_backup

    Local cartridge tape drive 

    ufsdump9ucf /dev/rmt files_to_backup

    Remote cartridge tape drive 

    ufsdump0ucf remote_host:/ files_to_backup

  9. When prompted, remove the tape and replace it with the next volume.

  10. Label each tape with the volume number, level, date, system name, and file system.

  11. Bring the system back to run-level 3 by pressing Control-D.

  12. Verify the backup was successful by using the ufsrestore command to display the tape contents.