A P P E N D I X C - Setting Up Solaris Blades Using Web Start Flash Archives

A P P E N D I X C

Setting Up Solaris Blades Using Web Start Flash Archives

This appendix supplements the instructions in the Solaris 8 Advanced Installation Guide on how to configure a Network Install Server.

When you have booted the first Solaris blade from the Network Install Server, you can add the application software you intend to run on the blade, then follow the instructions in the Solaris Advanced Installation Guide to create a Web Start Flash Archive.

Using Web Start Flash Archives on the Sun Fire B100s Solaris server blades (in the Sun Fire B1600 Blade System Chassis) enables you to replicate one blade's Operating Environment and application software on other blades.

This appendix contains the following sections:

Section C.1, Using Web Start Flash Archives to Speed up Blade Configuration

C.1 Using Web Start Flash Archives to Speed up Blade Configuration

A Flash Archive is a snap-shot of a Solaris system and, as such, includes all the files on that system (or, more accurately, all the files that you specify should be included). You need to create the Flash Archive after all the software has been installed onto the blade but before the blade has gone into use. Depending on the software involved and the intended use for the blade, the Flash Archive might need to be created after the software has been installed but before it has been configured. For example, a database server would need its Flash Archive created after the database management software had been installed but before the databases had been created.

If you do not yet know what software applications you want to run on the blades, you can still use the Web Start Flash Archive method to replicate Solaris on multiple blades. This will be quicker than performing individual Jumpstarts.

C.1.1 Creating the Web Start Flash Archive

To create a Flash Archive of the software on a blade, follow the instructions on creating Flash Archives in the Solaris Advanced Installation Guide.

C.1.2 Installing an Archived Blade Image Onto Other Blades

To install the archived image onto other blades, follow the instructions on installing a Flash Archive in the Solaris Advanced Installation Guide.

C.1.3 Increasing the Performance of the Web Start Flash Archive Installation

You can take advantage of the Gigabit interconnect between the server blades to increase the performance of the Web Start Flash Archive installation.

To do so, use NFS to share the location of the Flash Archive you created (that is, to share the archived image of the first blade's software). Follow the instructions below:

1. At the Solaris prompt on the blade whose image you intend to replicate, type:

#share -F ufs flash location

where flash location is the location of the blade's Flash Archive. For example:

#share -F ufs /var/tmp

2. On the Network Install Server, modify the install profile to make it point to the location of the Flash Archive on the first blade.