Updating an Oracle Solaris Boot Environment

You always need an update profile to update an Oracle Solaris Boot environment. You can use the update profile in an update deployment plan or the Update Job Wizard.

You can update an alternate boot environment as part of a Software Deployment / Update deployment plan by selecting the alternate boot environment as the target. See the Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center Updating Your Oracle Solaris 10 Operating System for an example of how to use this plan.

You can create a customized update job, including the option to use an alternate boot environment (ABE) to perform a live upgrade of your Oracle Solaris 10 operating system. With Live Upgrade, you create an inactive ABE, update and patch the ABE, synchronize the ABE and BE, and then switch boot environments. When you switch boot environments, the patched and tested ABE becomes the active boot environment.

Note:

Do not use Live Upgrade on your Enterprise Controller or Proxy Controllers. Live Upgrade does not synchronize all of the files that are required for these components.

You must run a separate update job for systems that use an ABE from those that do not use an ABE. When creating a job, you must define the following job parameters:

• Name and description of the update job.

• Alternate Boot Environment: Whether to use an alternate boot environment.

• Profile: Defines what updates are to be installed, uninstalled, or updated on an operating system. Select a profile from the list of predefined and customized profiles.

• Policy: Defines how a job is performed and sets the automation level of the job. Select a policy from the list of available policies. You can also create your own policies.

• Target Settings: Defines whether the target is different or similar for each task in the job.

• Actual Run: Defines whether this job is in simulation mode. You can choose to deploy the job, or to run a job simulation. A job simulation determines the actions and results of a job, and estimates how much time is required to complete the job. A job simulation also indicates whether your policy and profile responses will enable the job to succeed.

• Task Execution Order: Specifies whether the tasks is run in parallel or sequentially.

• Task Failure Policy: Specifies the action to take if a task fails.

• Targets: Select one or more target hosts for this job.

To create an ABE as part of this job, you must write at least one script that uses the lucreate command and then upload the script to the Local Content.

Note:

The ABE name defined in the script must match the ABE name that you use when you run the update job to create the ABE.

Updating a Boot Environment

Procedure to update a boot environment.

1. Click Assets in the Navigation pane.
2. Expand All Assets, or use the All Assets filter to locate the Oracle Solaris 10 operating system instance.
3. Click New Update OS Job from the Actions pane. The New Update OS Job Wizard is displayed. The Job Information window is displayed first.
4. Complete the following Job parameters:

   • Type a job name.

   • Select the Run Type:

     • Simulation. To download the required updates as part of the simulation, select the Download check box.

     • Actual Run. Updates the operating system.

   • Select the task execution order:

     • Sequential

     • Parallel

   • Choose the Target Setting:

     • Use the same Targets for all tasks in the job

     • Use different Targets for each task in the job

   • Choose the Task Failure Policy:

     • Complete as much of the job as possible

     • Stop at failure and notify

   • Select the ABE check box.

   • (Optional) To create an alternate boot environment during this job by running an ABE Pre-Action Script, click the Enable check box.

     Note:

     You must create the script and upload it to the library before you can use this option.

5. Define the profile, policy and target for each task, or edit the profile and policy.
6. (Optional) To edit the profile or policy of the default task, click the Profile or Policy cell for the task to display a drop-down menu. Select the profile or policy from the menu.
7. (Optional) To add a new task, click the Add (+) icon.

   • A second row appears. Click the Profile cell for that row to display a drop-down menu. Select the new profile that you want to add.

   • To change the policy for the new profile, click the Policy cell and select a new policy from the drop-down menu.

   • When you chose the parameter to use a different target for each task, click the Targets cell to display the Select Targets page. Select one or more target from the list of Available Items, then click Select to include the asset in the Target List. Click Add to Target List to close the page.

   • Click Next.

8. If you selected the option to create an ABE as part of the job, the Create ABE page appears.
9. When you have only one ABE, the Boot Environment Workflow page appears, go to step 10. When you have multiple alternate boot environments, the ABE Selection page appears.

   • One or more of the targets has more than one possible associated ABE. Select the ABE from the drop-down menu for each of the Targets. You can use the Select ABE field to filter for the ABE name.

   • Click Next. The Boot Environment Workflow page is displayed.

10. If you selected Simulation in the job parameters, the boot environment workflow cannot be edited. Skip to step 12.
11. If you selected Actual Run in the job parameters, you can edit the pre-actions and post-actions in the workflow.

    • Pre-actions by default will unmount and then mount the ABE. To synchronize the ABE with the BE before mounting, click the Sync ABE check box.

    • Post-Actions by default will unmount the ABE.

      • Click Modify Current BE to edit the description of the current boot environment. You might use this to describe the state of the current BE. For example, Boot environment running Oracle Solaris 10 5/08 operating system before applying the Oracle Solaris 10 operating system September baseline.

      • Click Modify Alternate BE to edit the description of the ABE. You might use this to describe the state of the ABE. For example, boot environment running Oracle Solaris 10 5/08 operating system after applying the Oracle Solaris 10 operating system September baseline.

    • Click Activate and Reboot ABE to switch boot environments after update.

12. Schedule the job, then click Next.

    • Run Now starts the job immediately after you click Finish in the Job Summary.

    • Start Date enables you to select a date and time to start the job.

    • On a recurring schedule enables you to run the same job on a monthly or daily scheduled time.

13. Review the Job Summary, then click Finish to run the job as scheduled in the previous step.