Question & Answer
Question
What are the options for cloning a PowerVM Virtual I/O Server (VIOS)?
Cause
This document describes the supported methods for cloning a VIOS rootvg for different scenarios.
Answer
Scenario 1 - Cloning a VIOS from one system to another
Suppose you got a new Power System to be managed using the HMC and need to install the VIOS partitions with similar configuration on the new system. This can be done by using the
AIX NIM ios_mksysb resource.The
ios_mksysb images enable you to clone one system image onto multiple target systems. For details, refer to Installing the Virtual I/O Server using ios_mksysb or contact your local AIX NIM Support Representative.Scenario 2 - Cloning a VIOS rootvg from a mksysb of the sister VIOS
In this scenario, VIOS1 is broken and needs to be restored but there is no good
backupios image to restore from. VIOS2 (the sister VIOS) is in a running state and hosting the client partitions. Can I restore VIOS1 by using a mksysb from VIOS2?Yes, you can. This clone method can be accomplished by using backkupios command on VIOS2 to create the mksysb image. Then, use that image to restore VIOS1 using an AIX NIM Server with '
RECOVER_DEVICES' to NO in the bosinst.data file. The main benefit of recovering the VIOS via clone versus a new VIOS install is if the sister VIOS has custom software installed, such as multipathing software for SAN storage or other software not included with the VIOS OS, by default, and that similar software is needed on the VIOS being rebuilt.Note: Keep in mind the VIOS clone (and new install) will only re-create the VIOS rootvg. It does not account for user-defined virtual devices.
Best practice for backing up a VIOS is to backup the VIOS rootvg using
backupios command and the user-defined virtual devices using viosbr command in the event of a system failure. User-defined virtual devices include metadata, such as virtual device mappings, that define the relationship between the physical environment and the virtual environment.Since in this scenario the broken VIOS is not being recovered from a
backupios image of its own, once the VIOS is up and running, all user-defined virtual devices will need to be restored from a) a viosbr backup of the VIOS being rebuilt or b) by manually re-creating them if there is no viosbr backup to restore from. This also applies if the VIOS is recovered by doing a new install.In situations where you plan to clone the VIOS to a new or different system, you need to back up both the VIOS and user-defined virtual devices. For example, in the event of a system failure or disaster. For more details, refer to
Scenario 3 - Cloning VIOS rootvg to an alternate disk ***
You can use the alt_root_vg command to clone your VIOS to another disk on the same VIOS partition. Cloning the running rootvg allows for the creation of a backup copy of the root volume group. This disk copy can be used as a backup to boot from in case the original rootvg fails.
To create the clone to new_hdisk, run:
Where <new_hdisk> is a spare disk, not in use.
$ alt_root_vg -target <new_hdisk>Where <new_hdisk> is a spare disk, not in use.
To boot from the new cloned disk, change the
bootlist to point to that disk by running:$ bootlist -mode normal <new_hdisk>To display new
bootlist, run:$ bootlist -mode normal -lsTo clean up an
old_rootvg, run:$ oem_setup_env# alt_rootvg_op -X old_rootvgScenario 4 - Cloning VIOS rootvg to an alternate disk and update VIOS simultaneously ***
With IBM Power virtualization, the VIOS plays an important role and all running VIOS client LPARs are fully dependent on the Virtual I/O Servers. In such an environment, updating VIOS to a next fix pack level can be challenging, without taking the system down for an extended period of time and incurring an outage. This can be mitigated by creating a copy of the current root volume group (rootvg) on an alternate disk and simultaneously applying fix pack updates first on the cloned rootvg on a new disk.
You can use the alt_root_vg command to clone a VIOS rootvg to an alternate disk and update the VIOS to the next Fix Pack, Service Pack, or Mini Pack level. This option is typically used when updating the VIOS in order to minimize an outage in the event something goes wrong with the VIOS update.
The disk clone can be done either simultaneously or in a 2-step process.
To clone and update the VIOS simultaneously:
For more details, refer to the
To clone and update the VIOS using 2-Step Process:
To clone and update the VIOS simultaneously:
$ alt_root_vg -target <new_hdisk> -bundle update_all -location /mntFor more details, refer to the
IBM PowerVM Best Practices Redbook, section 2.3.3 Applying fix packs, service packs, and interim fixes.To clone and update the VIOS using 2-Step Process:
1. First, clone VIOS rootvg to an alternate disk:
2. Then update the VIOS using updateios command. For more details, refer to VIOS update procedure described on the VIOS readme file for the
$ alt_root_vg -target <new_hdisk>2. Then update the VIOS using updateios command. For more details, refer to VIOS update procedure described on the VIOS readme file for the
ioslevel you plan to update to available in Fix Central.This topic is covered in further detail in the following document:
The alt_root_vg bundle option does not install new base filesets
The alt_root_vg bundle option does not install new base filesets
*** UNSUPPORTED METHOD
Using an alternate disk clone created using
alt_root_vg command to clone a VIOS to the same or to a different managed system is not supported.
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Modified date:
16 September 2024
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