iSCSI Devices Using IPoIB

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On the servers, the Oracle Solaris boot process has been enhanced to:

Allow the root pool to reside on an iSCSI device accessed using IP over Infiniband (IPoIB). This storage is not accessible from OpenBoot. The root pool is a dataset that is a complete Oracle Solaris image or a boot environment (BE). When a root pool is created on an iSCSI device using IPoIB, a new dataset called the boot pool is automatically created on emulated USB devices, which are OpenBoot-accessible devices.
Access boot archives in a special pool on firmware-accessible devices. This new pool is called the boot pool. The boot archive includes the set of files needed to boot the Oracle Solaris kernel for the BE that is associated with the boot dataset. In addition to the boot archives, the boot pool includes boot loader data files, as well as recovery data. Each dataset in the boot pool is linked to a boot environment.
Boot from a fallback image if no devices in the boot pool are accessible from OpenBoot. The fallback miniroot image is located on the SP-emulated USB device. The fallback image is directly available to any domain that has access to the SP and its associated rKVMS services. You can also use a virtual disk connection from the control domain to a guest domain to provide the fallback option.

Related Information

Fallback Images for iSCSI Devices Using IPoIB

If you replace a faulty SP, the Active SP automatically updates the fallback boot image, or miniroot.

When you apply Oracle Solaris support repository updates (SRUs) you must also update the fallback boot image that is on the Active SP's emulated USB device. You can download the fallback boot image from My Oracle Support and load it onto the Active SP.

Note - If the system has both M7 and M8 DCUs, the fallback boot image must match the Oracle Solaris version running on the M8 DCUs.

See Oracle Solaris 11.3 Support Repository Updates (SRU) Index (Doc ID 2045311.1) for download links to the Fallback Boot Images for each SRU.

For information about how to update the Oracle Solaris fallback boot image, see How to Update the Fallback Image in Booting and Shutting Down Oracle Solaris 11.3 Systems.

For information about loading the new miniroot, see Uploading a New Solaris Miniroot Package From SP to Host in Oracle ILOM Administrator’s Guide for Configuration and Maintenance Firmware Release 4.0.x.