Upgrading a System Already Using Oracle VM Server for SPARC

This section describes the process of upgrading the Oracle Solaris OS, firmware, and Logical Domains Manager components on a system that is already using the Oracle VM Server for SPARC software.

If your system is already configured with the Oracle VM Server for SPARC software, then the control domain has to be upgraded. The other existing domains also have to be upgraded if you want to be able to use all features of the Oracle VM Server for SPARC 2.1 software.

Upgrading the Oracle Solaris OS

Refer to Required Software and Patches in Oracle VM Server for SPARC 2.1 Release Notes to find the Oracle Solaris 10 OS that you should use for this version of the Oracle VM Server for SPARC software, and the required and recommended patches for the different domains. Refer to the Oracle Solaris 10 installation guide for complete instructions for upgrading the Oracle Solaris OS.

When reinstalling the Oracle Solaris OS in the control domain, you need to save and restore the Logical Domains autosave configuration data and the constraints database file, as described in this section.

Saving and Restoring Autosave Configuration Directories

You can save and restore autosave configuration directories prior to reinstalling the operating system on the control domain. Whenever you reinstall the operating system on the control domain, you must save and restore the Logical Domains autosave configuration data, which is found in the /var/opt/SUNWldm/autosave-autosave-name directories.

You can use the tar or cpio command to save and restore the entire contents of the directories.

Note - Each autosave directory includes a timestamp for the last SP configuration update for the related configuration. If you restore the autosave files, the timestamp might be out of sync. In this case, the restored autosave configurations are shown in their previous state, either [newer] or up to date.

For more information about autosave configurations, see Managing Logical Domains Configurations.

Save and Restore Autosave Directories

This procedure shows how to save and restore the autosave directories.

Save the autosave directories.

# cd /
# tar -cvpf autosave.tar var/opt/SUNWldm/autosave-*

(Optional) Remove the existing autosave directories to ensure a clean restore operation.
Sometimes an autosave directory might include extraneous files, perhaps left over from a previous configuration, that might corrupt the configuration that was downloaded to the SP. In such cases, clean the autosave directory prior to the restore operation as shown in this example:
```
# cd /
# rm -rf var/opt/SUNWldm/autosave-*
```
Restore the autosave directories.
These commands restore the files and directories in the /var/opt/SUNWldm directory.
```
# cd /
# tar -xvpf autosave.tar
```

Saving and Restoring the Logical Domains Constraints Database File

Whenever you upgrade the operating system on the control domain, you must save and restore the Logical Domains constraints database file that can be found in /var/opt/SUNWldm/ldom-db.xml.

Note - Also, save and restore the /var/opt/SUNWldm/ldom-db.xml file when you perform any other operation that is destructive to the control domain's file data, such as a disk swap.

Preserving the Logical Domains Constraints Database File When Using Live Upgrade

If you are using live upgrade on the control domain, consider adding the following line to the /etc/lu/synclist file:

/var/opt/SUNWldm/ldom-db.xml     OVERWRITE

This causes the database to be copied automatically from the active boot environment to the new boot environment when switching boot environments. For more information about /etc/lu/synclist and synchronizing files between boot environments, refer to Synchronizing Files Between Boot Environments in Oracle Solaris 10 9/10 Installation Guide: Solaris Live Upgrade and Upgrade Planning.

Upgrading From Oracle Solaris 10 OS Older Than Oracle Solaris 10 5/08 OS

If the control domain is upgraded from a Oracle Solaris 10 OS version older than Oracle Solaris 10 5/08 OS (or without patch 127127-11), and if volume manager volumes were exported as virtual disks, then the virtual disk back ends must be re-exported with options=slice after the Logical Domains Manager has been upgraded. See Exporting Volumes and Backward Compatibility for more information.

Upgrading the Logical Domains Manager and the System Firmware

This section shows how to upgrade to Oracle VM Server for SPARC 2.1 software.

First download the Logical Domains Manager to the control domain. See Downloading the Logical Domains Manager.

Then stop all domains (except the control domain) running on the platform:

Stop All Domains Running on the Platform, Except the Control Domain

Bring down each domain to the ok prompt.
Stop all domains by using the -a option.
```
primary# ldm stop-domain -a
```
Issue the unbind-domain subcommand from the control domain for each domain.
```
primary# ldm unbind-domain ldom
```

Upgrading to Oracle VM Server for SPARC 2.1 Software

This section explains how to upgrade to the Oracle VM Server for SPARC 2.1 software.

Upgrade to the Oracle VM Server for SPARC 2.1 Software

Perform a flash upgrade of the system firmware.
For the entire procedure, see Upgrade System Firmware.
Disable the Logical Domains Manager daemon (ldmd).
```
# svcadm disable ldmd
```
Remove the old SUNWldm package.
```
# pkgrm SUNWldm
```
Add the new SUNWldm package.
Specifying the -d option assumes that the package is in the current directory.
```
# pkgadd -Gd . SUNWldm
```
Use the ldm list command to verify that the Logical Domains Manager is running.
The ldm list command should list all domains that are currently defined on the system. In particular, the primary domain should be listed and be in the active state. The following sample output shows that only the primary domain is defined on the system.
```
# ldm list
NAME             STATE    FLAGS   CONS    VCPU  MEMORY   UTIL  UPTIME
primary          active   ---c-   SP      32    3264M    0.3%  19d 9m
```

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