Sun Enterprise 10000 Dynamic Reconfiguration User Guide

Introduction to the DR 3.0 Model

The DR 3.0 model is based on the use of the domain configuration server, dcs(1M), to control DR operations. This model includes the Automated DR (ADR) commands, such as addboard(1M), deleteboard(1M), and moveboard(1M). The showusage(1M) command is no longer supported. DR 3.0 includes three new commands:

showdevices(1M) displays the usage of devices (see "Showing Device Information" for more information).
rcfgadm(1M) displays the status of attachment points on the domain.
cfgadm(1M) lists the status of the dynamically reconfigurable hardware resources on the domain (see also cfgadm_sbd(1M) for more information).

Automatic DR

Automatic DR enables an application to execute DR operations without requiring user interaction. This ability is provided by an enhanced DR framework that includes a reconfiguration coordination manager (RCM) and a system event facility called sysevent. The RCM enables application-specific loadable modules to register callbacks with the RCM. The callbacks perform preparatory tasks before a DR operation, error recovery during a DR operation, or clean-up after a DR operation. The sysevent facility enables applications to register for system events and to receive notifications of those events. The automatic DR framework interfaces with the RCM and with sysevent to notify applications to give up resources automatically prior to unconfiguring them, and to capture new resources as they are configured into the domain.

Note -

Automatic DR is a different feature from Automated DR (ADR)

For more information about RCM, refer to the Solaris 8 System Administration Supplement in the Solaris 8 4/01 Update Collection.

Enhanced System Availability

The DR feature enables you to hot-swap system boards without bringing the server down. It is used to unconfigure the resources on a faulty system board from a domain so that the system board can be removed from the server. The repaired, or replacement, board can be inserted into the domain while the Solaris Operating Environment is running. DR then configures the resources on the board into the domain.

DR on I/O Boards

You must use caution when you add or remove system boards with I/O devices. Before you can remove a board with I/O devices, all of its devices must be closed and all its file systems must be unmounted.

If you need to remove a board with I/O devices from a domain temporarily and then re-add it before any other boards with I/O devices are added, reconfiguration is not necessary and need not be performed. In this case, device paths to the board devices will remain unchanged. However, if you add another board with I/O devices after the first was removed, then re-add the first board; reconfiguration is required because the paths to devices on the first board have changed.

Sun Enterprise 10000 Domains

The Sun Enterprise 10000 server can be divided into domains that contain system boards, I/O boards, and components such as CPUs, memory chips, and CompactPCI cards that are connected to the boards. Each domain is electrically isolated into hardware partitions, which ensures that any failure in one domain does not affect the other domains in the server.