Cloning Servers

Because Sun Update Connection – Enterprise focuses on the component level, Sun Update Connection – Enterprise cloning enables you to maintain legacy data and applications. A management tool that focuses on the image level would simply overwrite the existing image with the source image. The Sun Update Connection – Enterprise feature provides a more discerning functionality.

Through the console, you can clone a single managed host to another host in a simple procedure. The scenario included here includes steps for changing Settings (see Chapter 16, Customizing Preferences) that will ensure success of the cloning.

An additional scenario explains how to clone multiple hosts using the Sun Update Connection – Enterprise CLI.

Before You Begin

Run the Check System profile on the host that you are using as the optimal host. This ensures that the comparison does not include conflicts or dependencies.

See Running Predefined Profiles.

Run the Check Withdrawn Patches profile on Solaris machines.

To Clone a Single Server

This procedure uses the Inventory Comparison feature.

1. Make sure that the source managed host is online and as optimal as you think.

   Run the predefined system profiles on this host.

   See Running Predefined Profiles.

2. Make sure the target managed host is online.

3. From the Tools menu, choose Preferences.

   The Preferences window opens. See Accessing and Editing Preferences.

4. In the Console preferences, Jobs category, increase the value of Max items in a job from 20 to 500.

   Submit and confirm the change.

   See Console Preferences.

5. From the Hosts menu, choose Compare Inventories.

   The Inventory Comparison window opens. See Comparing Inventories.

6. Select the Target host and the Source host.

7. Select the current inventory for both hosts.

8. In the Filter field, select the full inventory (Software and Local) or use the Filter Select button to select pieces of the inventory to overwrite.

9. Click the Compare button and select the Tasks to Make Target like Source option.

10. Click the Make Target like Source button and send the clone job.

To Clone Multiple Servers

This procedure uses the CLI feature to create a profile from a complete host inventory. After you have the profile, you can delete requirements from it to lock legacy software and files from being overwritten during the clone job. Then the profile is sent to as many servers as you choose.

1. In a terminal window, type the CLI command to convert an inventory to a profile.

   # uce_cli -cip -P new_profileName -h source_host -u user -p password

   See Convert Inventory to Profile (-cip) Command.

2. View the attributes of the profile (what is required and what is not allowed).

   # uce_cli -lpa -P profileName -u user -p password

   See List Profile Attributes (-lpa) Command.

3. To protect legacy components on the target servers, delete the profile attributes that you do not want to clone over.

   1. Export the profile to an XML file name.

      # uce_cli -exp -ent "Profile" -f path-and-filename.xml -T "profile" -u user -p password

   2. Edit the XML file. Delete the lines that mention components you want to protect on targets.

   3. Import the edited XML file as the profile.

      # uce_cli -imp -f path-and-filename.xml -u user -p password

   See Export (-exp) Command.

4. In the console, create a job that deploys the profile on selected hosts.

   See Creating Complex Jobs.