bosinst.data target_disk_data stanza

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The target_disk_data stanza contains variables for disks in the machine where the program is to install BOS.

The default bosinst.data file has one target_disk_data stanza, but you can add new stanzas to install BOS on multiple disks, one stanza for each disk.

Multiple target_disk_data stanzas can exist. They define the disks that are to contain the root volume group. Only one field (PVID, PHYSICAL_LOCATION, SAN_DISKID, CONNECTION, LOCATION, SIZE_MB, HDISKNAME) must be non-null for BOS installation to choose a disk. The order of precedence is PVID (Physical Volume ID), PHYSICAL_LOCATION, SAN_DISKID, then CONNECTION (parent attribute//connwhere attribute), then LOCATION, then SIZE_MB, and then HDISKNAME. The BOS installation process uses the following logic to determine how to use the target_disk_data stanza information:

  • If PVID is set, BOS installation checks to see if a disk matches the value. If so, other attributes are ignored.
  • If PVID is empty and PHYSICAL_LOCATION is set, then BOS installation checks to see if the parent and connwhere attributes (separated by "//") match a disk. If they do, other attributes are ignored.
  • If either PVID or PHYSICAL_LOCATION is set, and neither value matches a disk on the target system, and no other attributes are set, an error message is generated, and a disk must be explicitly selected.
  • If PVID and PHYSICAL_LOCATION are empty, and SAN_DISKID is set, then, for fibre channel-attached disks, BOS installation interprets the SAN_DISKID as a World Wide Port Name and a Logical Unit ID (separated by "//"). The World Wide Port Name (ww_name) and Logical Unit ID (lun_id) can be obtained on a running system from the lsattr command.

    The SAN_DISKID field is checked before the CONNECTION field.

  • If the ww_name and lun_id match a disk, other attributes are ignored.
  • If either PVID or SAN_DISKID is set, and neither value matches a disk on the target system, and no other attributes are set, an error message is generated and a disk must be explicitly selected.
  • If PVID and SAN_DISKID are empty and CONNECTION is set, BOS installation verifies if the parent and connwhere attributes (separated by "//") match a disk. If this is true, other attributes are ignored.
  • If CONNECTION is set, the value does not match a disk on the target system, and no other attributes are set, an error message is generated and a disk must be explicitly selected.
  • If other attributes are specified, processing occurs as described below:
    • If LOCATION is set, BOS installation ignores SIZE_MB and HDISKNAME.
    • If LOCATION is not set and SIZE_MB is, BOS installation selects disks based on SIZE_MB and ignores HDISKNAME.
    • If LOCATION and SIZE_MB are both empty, BOS installation chooses the disk specified in HDISKNAME.
    • If all fields are empty, BOS installation chooses a disk for you.
For the PVID, PHYSICAL_LOCATION, SAN_DISKID, and CONNECTION fields, the BOS installation process uses the following logic to determine how to use the target_disk_data stanza information:
  • Does the information in one or more of the PVID, PHYSICAL_LOCATION, SAN_DISKID, and CONNECTION fields match the disk information?
  • If the disk information matches the information in one of these four fields, use that information.
  • If the disk information does not match the information in one of these four fields, and if the LOCATION, SIZE_MB, and HDISKNAME fields are not set, display an error message and prompt the user for the correct disk information.
The PHYSICAL_LOCATION information can be retrieved using the lsdev command. For example: 
# lsdev -Cc disk -l hdisk0 -F "name physloc"
returns the hdisk0 diskname and the P2/Z1-A8 physical location.

Attention: If prompt=no, do not leave the target_disk_data stanzas empty, unless it is unimportant which disk BOS installation overwrites. This is because the algorithm that determines the default disk for the installation is not always predictable.

The SIZE_MB field can contain either a size or the word largest. If a size is listed, BOS installation does a "best-fit" on the disks. If the word largest is in that field, BOS installation selects the largest disk. If there is more than one target_disk_data stanza, BOS installation selects the two "largest" disks, and so on.

Item Description
PVID Specifies the 16-digit physical volume identifier for the disk.
PHYSICAL_LOCATION The physical location code provides a way to identify fibre channel disks during BOS Install. For fibre channel disks the PHYSICAL_LOCATION field includes the World Wide Port Name and Lun ID that are included in the SAN_DISKID field. The information in the PHYSICAL_LOCATION field supercedes the information in the SAN_DISKID field.
SAN_DISKID Specifies the World Wide Port Name and a Logical Unit ID for fibre channel-attached disks. The ww_name and lun_id are separated by two slashes (//). This information can be obtained on a running system from the lsattr command.
CONNECTION Specifies the combination of the parent attribute and the connwhere attribute associated with a disk. The parent and connwhere values are separated by two slashes (//). If the parent value is scsi0 and the connwhere value is 0,1, then the CONNECTION value is scsi0//0,1.
This information can be obtained on a running system from the lsdev command. For example the disk name, parent, and connwhere values for all disks can be obtained by entering the following command:
lsdev -Cc disk -F "name parent connwhere"
SIZE_MB Specifies the formatted size of the disk, in megabytes, where the program is to install BOS. The default value is blank. You can specify the size of your target disk by typing the number of megabytes available on the formatted disk. Also, you can type largest if you want to use the largest disk (that has not already been selected) found by the installation program.
LOCATION Specifies a location code for the disk where the program is to install BOS. The default value is blank. If you do not specify a value, the installation program assigns a value based on the next two variables. For more information about physical location codes, refer to the Diagnostic Information for Multiple Bus Systems guide.
HDISKNAME Specifies the path name of the target disk. The default value is blank. To name a target disk, use the hdiskname format, where hdiskname is the device name of your disk (for example, hdisk0).