How to Create and Register a Disk Group

Use this procedure to create your VxVM disk groups and volumes.

After a disk group is registered with the cluster as a disk device group, you should never import or deport a VxVM disk group by using VxVM commands. The Sun Cluster software can handle all cases where disk groups need to be imported or deported. See the Sun Cluster 3.0 12/01 System Administration Guide for procedures on how to manage Sun Cluster disk device groups.

Perform this procedure from a node that is physically connected to the disks that make up the disk group you add.

1. Have available the following information.

   • Mappings of your storage disk drives. See the appropriate Sun Cluster 3.0 12/01 Hardware Guide chapter on how to perform an initial installation for your storage device.

   • The following completed configuration planning worksheets from the Sun Cluster 3.0 12/01 Release Notes.

     • "Local File System Layout Worksheet"

     • "Disk Device Group Configurations Worksheet"

     • "Volume Manager Configurations Worksheet"

     See "Planning Volume Management" for planning guidelines.

2. Become superuser on the node that will have ownership of the disk group.

3. Create a VxVM disk group and volume.

   If you are installing Oracle Parallel Server/Real Application Clusters, create shared VxVM disk groups by using the cluster functionality of VxVM as described in the VERITAS Volume Manager Administrator's Reference Guide. Otherwise, create VxVM disk groups by using the standard procedures documented in the VxVM documentation.

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   Note -

   You can use Dirty Region Logging (DRL) to decrease volume recovery time in the event of a node failure. However, DRL might decrease I/O throughput.

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4. Is the VxVM cluster feature enabled?

   • If yes, go to Step 7. If the VxVM cluster feature is enabled, do not register a shared disk group as a Sun Cluster disk device group.

   • If no, go to Step 5.

5. Register the disk group as a Sun Cluster disk device group.

   1. Start the scsetup(1M) utility.

      # scsetup

   2. To work with disk device groups, type 4 (Device groups and volumes).

   3. To register a disk device group, type 1 (Register a VxVM disk group).

      Follow the instructions and type the VxVM disk device group to be registered as a Sun Cluster disk device group.

   4. If you encounter the following error when you attempt to register the disk device group, reminor the disk device group.

      scconf: Failed to add device group - in use

      To reminor the disk device group, use the procedure "How to Assign a New Minor Number to a Disk Device Group". This procedure enables you to assign a new minor number that does not conflict with a minor number used by existing disk device groups.

   5. When finished, type q (Quit) to leave the scsetup utility.

6. Verify that the disk device group is registered.

   Look for the disk device information for the new disk displayed by the following command.

   # scstat -D

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   Note -

   If you change any configuration information for a VxVM disk group or volume, you must reregister the Sun Cluster disk device group by using scsetup. Such configuration changes include adding or removing volumes, as well as changing the group, owner, or permissions of existing volumes. Reregistration after configuration changes ensures that the global namespace is in the correct state. See the Sun Cluster 3.0 12/01 System Administration Guide for procedures for how to reregister a disk device group.

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7. Verify the configuration of your VxVM disk groups and volumes.

   Go to "How to Verify the Disk Group Configuration".