Installing a ZFS Root File System (Oracle Solaris Flash Archive Installation)

Starting in the Solaris 10 10/09 release, you can create a flash archive on a system with a UFS root file system or a ZFS root file system. A flash archive of a ZFS root pool contains the entire pool hierarchy, except for the swap and dump volumes, and any excluded datasets. The swap and dump volumes are created when the flash archive is installed. You can use the flash archive installation method as follows:

Create a flash archive that can be used to install and boot a system with a ZFS root file system.
Perform a JumpStart installation or initial installation of a clone system by using a ZFS flash archive. Creating a ZFS flash archive clones an entire root pool, not individual boot environments. Individual datasets within the pool can be excluded by using the -D option to the flarcreate and flar commands.

Review the following limitations before you consider installing a system with a ZFS flash archive:

Starting in the Oracle Solaris 10 8/11 release, you can use the interactive installation's flash archive option to install a system with a ZFS root file system. In addition, you use a flash archive to update an alternate ZFS BE by using the luupgrade command.
You can only install a flash archive on a system that has the same architecture as the system on which you created the ZFS flash archive. For example, an archive that is created on a sun4v system cannot be installed on a sun4u system.
Only a full initial installation of a ZFS flash archive is supported. You cannot install a differential flash archive of a ZFS root file system or install a hybrid UFS/ZFS archive.
Starting in the Solaris 10 8/11 release, you can use a UFS flash archive to install a ZFS root file system. For example:
- If you use the pool keyword in JumpStart profile, the UFS flash archive installs into a ZFS root pool.
```
pool rpool auto auto auto mirror c0t0d0s0 c0t1d0s0
```
- During interactive installation of a UFS flash archive, select ZFS as the file system type.
Although the entire root pool, except for any explicitly excluded datasets, is archived and installed, only the ZFS BE that is booted when the archive is created is usable after the flash archive is installed. However, pools that are archived with the -R rootdir option of the flarcreate or flar command can be used to archive a root pool other than the root pool that is currently booted.
The flarcreate and flar command options that are used to include and exclude individual files are not supported in a ZFS flash archive. You can only exclude entire datasets from a ZFS flash archive.

The flar info command is not supported for a ZFS flash archive. For example:

# flar info -l zfs10upflar
ERROR: archive content listing not supported for zfs archives.

After a master system is installed with or upgraded to at least the Solaris 10 10/09 release, you can create a ZFS flash archive to be used to install a target system. The basic process follows:

Create the ZFS flash archive with the flarcreate command on the master system. All datasets in the root pool, except for the swap and dump volumes, are included in the ZFS flash archive.
Create a JumpStart profile to include the flash archive information on the installation server.
Install the ZFS flash archive on the target system.

The following archive options are supported for installing a ZFS root pool with a flash archive:

Use the flarcreate or flar command to create a flash archive from the specified ZFS root pool. If not specified, a flash archive of the default root pool is created.
Use flarcreate -D dataset to exclude the specified dataset from the flash archive. This option can be used multiple times to exclude multiple datasets.

After a ZFS flash archive is installed, the system is configured as follows:

The entire dataset hierarchy that existed on the system where the flash archive was created is re-created on the target system, except for any datasets that were specifically excluded at the time of archive creation. The swap and dump volumes are not included in the flash archive.
The root pool has the same name as the pool that was used to create the archive.
The BE that was active when the flash archive was created is the active and default BE on the deployed systems.

Example 5-2 Installing a System With a ZFS Flash Archive (JumpStart Installation)

After the master system is installed or upgraded to at least the Solaris 10 10/09 release, you then create a flash archive of the ZFS root pool. For example:

# flarcreate -n zfsBE zfs10upflar
Full Flash
Checking integrity...
Integrity OK.
Running precreation scripts...
Precreation scripts done.
Determining the size of the archive...
The archive will be approximately 6.77GB.
Creating the archive...
Archive creation complete.
Running postcreation scripts...
Postcreation scripts done.

Running pre-exit scripts...
Pre-exit scripts done.

On the system that will be used as the installation server, you then create a JumpStart profile as you would to install any system. For example, the following profile is used to install the zfs10upflar archive:

install_type flash_install
archive_location nfs system:/export/jump/zfs10upflar
partitioning explicit
pool rpool auto auto auto mirror c0t1d0s0 c0t0d0s0

Example 5-3 Initial Installation of a Bootable ZFS Root File System (Flash Archive Installation)

You can install a ZFS root file system by selecting the Flash installation option. This option assumes that a ZFS flash archive has already been created and is available.

From the Solaris Interactive Installation screen, select the F4_Flash option.
From the Reboot After Installation screen, select the Auto Reboot or Manual Reboot option.
From the Choose Filesystem Type screen, select ZFS.
From the Flash Archive Retrieval Method screen, select the retrieval method, such as HTTP, FTP, NFS, Local File, Local Tape, or Local Device.

For example, select NFS if the ZFS flash archive is shared from an NFS server.
From the Flash Archive Addition screen, specify the location of the ZFS flash archive.

For example, if the location is an NFS server, identify the server by its IP address and then specify the path to the ZFS flash archive.
```
NFS Location: 12.34.567.890:/export/zfs10upflar
```

From the Flash Archive Selection screen, confirm the retrieval method and the ZFS BE name.

Flash Archive Selection                                                  
                                                                                
  You selected the following Flash archives to use to install this system.  If  
  you want to add another archive to install select "New".                      
                                                                                
        Retrieval Method      Name                                              
        ====================================================================    
        NFS                   zfsBE

Review the next set of screens, similar to an initial installation, and select the options that match your configuration:

Select Disks
Preserve Data?

Configure ZFS Settings

Review the summary information and then select the Continue option.

For example:

Configure ZFS Settings                                                   
  Specify the name of the pool to be created from the disk(s) you have chosen.  
  Also specify the name of the dataset to be created within the pool that is    
  to be used as the root directory for the filesystem.                          
                                                                                
                                                                                
              ZFS Pool Name: rpool                                              
      ZFS Root Dataset Name: s10zfsBE                                           
      ZFS Pool Size (in MB): 69995                                              
  Size of Swap Area (in MB): 2048                                               
  Size of Dump Area (in MB): 1024                                               
        (Pool size must be between 7591 MB and 69995 MB)

If the flash archive is a ZFS send stream, the combined or separate /var file system options are not presented. In this case, whether /var is combined or not depends on how it is configured on the master system.

Press Continue at the Mount Remote File Systems? screen.

Review the Profile screen, and press F4 to make any changes. Otherwise, press Begin_Installation (F2).

For example:

Profile                                                                  
                                                                                
  The information shown below is your profile for installing Solaris software.  
  It reflects the choices you've made on previous screens.                      
                                                                                
  ============================================================================  
                                                                                
                Installation Option: Flash                                      
                        Boot Device: c1t0d0                                     
              Root File System Type: ZFS                                        
                    Client Services: None                                       
                                                                                
                           Software: 1 Flash Archive                            
                                       NFS: zfsBE                        
                          Pool Name: rpool                                      
              Boot Environment Name: s10zfsBE                             
                          Pool Size: 69995 MB                                   
                    Devices in Pool: c1t0d0

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