Sun Cluster System Administration Guide for Solaris OS

Overview of Patching Sun Cluster

Due to the nature of a cluster, all cluster member nodes must be at the same patch level for proper cluster operation. Occasionally, when patching a node with a Sun Cluster patch, you might need to temporarily remove a node from cluster membership or stop the entire cluster before installing the patch. This section describes these steps.

Before applying a Sun Cluster patch, check the patch's README file. Also, check the upgrade requirements for your storage devices to determine which patch method they require.


Note –

For Sun Cluster patches, always defer to the patch's README file and to SunSolve for instructions that supersede procedures in this chapter.


Patch installation on all cluster nodes can be described by one of the following scenarios:

Rebooting patch (node)

A node must be booted to single-user mode, using the command boot -sx or shutdown -g -y -i0, before the patch or firmware can be applied, then rebooted to join the cluster. First you need to put the node into a “quiet” state by switching any resource groups or device groups from the node to be patched to another cluster member. Also, apply the patch or firmware to one cluster node at a time to avoid shutting down the entire cluster.

The cluster itself remains available during this type of patch application, even though individual nodes are temporarily . A patched node is able to rejoin a cluster as a member node even though other nodes are not yet at the same patch level.

Rebooting patch (cluster)

The cluster must be and each node must be booted to single-user mode, using the command boot -sx or shutdown -g -y -i0, to apply the software or firmware patch. Then, reboot the nodes to rejoin the cluster. For this type of patch, the cluster is unavailable during patch application.

Nonrebooting patch

A node does not have to be in a “quiet” state (it can still be mastering resource groups or device groups), nor does it have to be or rebooted when applying the patch. However, you should still apply the patch to one node at a time and verify that the patch works before patching another node.


Note –

Underlying cluster protocols do not change because of a patch.


Use the patchadd command to apply a patch to the cluster, and patchrm to remove a patch (when possible).

Sun Cluster Patch Tips

Use the following tips to help you administer Sun Cluster patches more efficiently: