Solaris Volume Manager metattach Command Might Fail

If you have a Solaris Volume Manager mirrored root (/) file system in which the file system does not start on cylinder 0, all submirrors you attach must also not start on cylinder 0.

If you attempt to attach a submirror starting on cylinder 0 to a mirror in which the original submirror does not start on cylinder 0, the following error message is displayed:

can't attach labeled submirror to an unlabeled mirror

Workaround: Choose one of the following workarounds:

• Ensure that both the root file system and the volume for the other submirror start on cylinder 0.

• Ensure that both the root file system and the volume for the other submirror do not start on cylinder 0.

By default, the JumpStart installation process starts swap at cylinder 0 and the root (/) file system somewhere else on the disk. Common system administration practice is to start slice 0 at cylinder 0. Mirroring a default JumpStart installation with root on slice 0, but not cylinder 0, to a typical secondary disk with slice 0 that starts at cylinder 0, can cause problems. This mirroring results in an error message when you attempt to attach the second submirror. For more information about the default behavior of Solaris installation programs, see the Solaris 9 12/03 Installation Guide.