Solaris Advanced Installation Guide

What to Do Before Upgrading

  1. Consider the following information before you upgrade an existing system to the new Solaris release.

    • Check the Solaris Release Notes to see if:

      • There is any Solaris software that you use that is no longer provided in the new release.

      • Any of the changes or enhancements to the Solaris software will affect anything that you currently do.

      • You need any of the available patches. The most current patch list is provided by SunSolve on the Internet: http://sunsolve.sun.com/

    • Make sure the system is supported by the new Solaris release.

    • Make sure the third-party or co-packaged software you are using will run on the new Solaris release.

    • To avoid upgrade problems or loss of data, check the documentation of the third-party or co-packaged software you are running before upgrading.


      Caution - Caution -

      Table 4-1 provides a list of known software requiring additional instructions before upgrading. Because this list is not complete, always check the documentation of the third-party or co-packaged software you are running before upgrading.


      Table 4-1 Software Requiring Additional Instructions Before Upgrading

      Software 

      Problem Summary 

      Solstice DiskSuite(TM) 

      Metadevices cannot be upgraded automatically. For instructions, see Appendix B, "Upgrading to Other Solaris Versions," in the Solstice DiskSuite Reference Guide.

      Prestoserve 

      If you start the upgrade process by shutting down the system using init 0, you can lose data. See the Prestoserve documentation for shutdown instructions.

  2. Back up your system.

    Always back up an existing system before upgrading a system. The safest backup to perform is a level 0 dump of all the file systems connected to the system being upgraded. If you do not have an established backup procedure, see the System Administration Guide, Volume I.

  3. If the configuration information for your system isn't preconfigured (see Chapter 6, Preconfiguring System Configuration Information), use the following table to find the needed system configuration information that you will be prompted for:

    Configuration Information 

    Example 

    Command for Finding Information 

    System's name (host name) 

    crater

    uname -n

    Primary network interface 

    le0

    ifconfig -a

    IP address 

    129.221.2.1

    ypmatch host_name hosts

    or 

    nismatch host_name hosts.org_dir

    Domain name 

    chandy.West.Arp.COM

    domainname

    System part of subnet? 

     

    Check for existing subnet in /etc/netmasks

    Netmask 

    255.255.255.0

    more /etc/netmasks

  4. Make sure you have a form of backup media ready for the upgrade (if necessary).

    If some of the Solaris-based files systems (for example, root (/), /usr) on the system to be upgraded don't have much space left, you'll probably need to reallocate disk space during the upgrade. If so, the Solaris Interactive Installation program prompts you for a backup location, which is required to temporarily back up file systems that need to be reallocated.

    You can use one of the following types of backup media:

    • Local file system - You can use a local file system on the system to be upgraded. However, the local file system can't be used to help reallocate disk space during the upgrade. You'll need to provide the installation program with either the file system's block device path or the file system's mount point name.

    • Local tape - Make sure a tape drive is connected to the system to be upgraded and the system knows about the tape drive. You'll need to provide the installation program with the character (raw) device path for the diskette.

    • Local diskette - Make sure the system to be upgraded has a diskette drive. You'll need to provide the installation program with the character (raw) device path for the diskette drive.

    • Remote file system (NFS) - If you want to use an NFS file system on a remote system, the system to be upgraded must be on the same network as the NFS file system, and the NFS file system must be shared properly. You'll need to provide the installation program with the name or IP address of the NFS server and the absolute path to the NFS file system.

    • Remote system (rsh) - If you want to use a directory on a remote system that can be reached by a remote shell (rsh), the system to be upgraded must be on the same network as the remote system, and it must have access to the remote system through the remote system's .rhosts file. You'll need to provide the installation program with the name of the remote system, the user login, and the absolute path to the directory.