If you want to create a backup of an existing boot environment, for example, prior to modifying the original boot environment, you can use the beadm command to create and mount a new boot environment that is a clone of your active boot environment. This clone is listed as an alternate boot environment in the boot menu for the compute server.
localsys% ssh systemname -l root Password: Last login: Wed Nov 13 20:27:29 2011 from dhcp-vpn-r Oracle Corporation SunOS 5.11 solaris April 2011 root@sup46:~#
root@sup46:~# beadm list BE Active Mountpoint Space Policy Created ---------------------------------------------------------- solaris NR / 2.17G static 2011-07-13 12:01
root@sup46:~# beadm create solaris_backup root@sup46:~# beadm list BE Active Mountpoint Space Policy Created ----------------------------------------------------------------- solaris NR / 2.17G static 2011-07-13 12:01 solaris_backup - - 35.0K static 2011-07-17 21:01
root@sup46:~# beadm activate solaris_backup root@sup46:~# beadm list BE Active Mountpoint Space Policy Created ----------------------------------------------------------------- solaris_backup R - 2.17G static 2011-07-17 21:01 solaris N / 1.86G static 2011-07-13 12:01
root@sup46:~# reboot Connection to systemname closed by remote host. Connection to systemname closed. localsys% ssh systemname -l root Password: Last login: Thu Jul 14 14:37:34 2011 from dhcp-vpn- Oracle Corporation SunOS 5.11 solaris April 2011 root@sup46:~# beadm list BE Active Mountpoint Space Policy Created ----------------------------------------------------------------- solaris_backup NR - 2.19G static 2011-07-17 21:01 solaris - / 4.12G static 2011-07-13 12:01