Live Upgrade to install the recommended patch cluster on a ZFS snapshot

Live Upgrade used to require that you find some free slices (partitions) and then fidget with the -R "alternate Root" options to install the patch cluster to an ABE. With ZFS all of those pains have just ... gone away ...

Nowadays Live Upgrade on ZFS don't even copy the installation, instead it automatically clones a snapshot of the boot environment, saving much time and disk space! Even the patch install script is geared towards patching an Alternate Boot Environment!

The patching process involves six steps:

1. Apply Pre-requisite patches
2. Create an Alternate Boot Environment
3. Apply the patch cluster to this ABE
4. Activate the ABE
5. Reboot
6. Cleanup

Note: The system remains online throughout all except the reboot step.

In preparation you uncompress the downloaded patch cluster file. I create a zfs file system and mounted it on /patches, and extracted the cluster in there. Furthermore, you have to read the cluster README file - it contains a "password" needed to install, and information about pre-requisites and gotches. Read the file. This is your job!

The pre-requisites are essentially just patches to the patch-add tools, conveniently included in the Patch Cluster!

Step 1 - Install the pre-requisites for applying the cluster to the ABE

# cd /patches/10_x86_Recommended # ./installcluster --apply-prereq

Note - If you get an Error due to insufficient space in /var/run, see my previous blog post here!

Step 2 - Create an Alternate boot environment (ABE)

# lucreate -c s10u9 -n s10u9patched -p rpool Checking GRUB menu... Analyzing system configuration. No name for current boot environment. Current boot environment is named <s10u9>. Creating initial configuration for primary boot environment <s10u9>. The device </dev/dsk/c1t0d0s0> is not a root device for any boot environment; cannot get BE ID. PBE configuration successful: PBE name <s10u9> PBE Boot Device </dev/dsk/c1t0d0s0>. Comparing source boot environment <s10u9> file systems with the file system(s) you specified for the new boot environment. Determining which file systems should be in the new boot environment. Updating boot environment description database on all BEs. Updating system configuration files. Creating configuration for boot environment <s10u9patched>. Source boot environment is <s10u9>. Creating boot environment <s10u9patched>. Cloning file systems from boot environment <s10u9> to create boot environment <s10u9patched>. <B>Creating snapshot</B> for <rpool/ROOT/s10_0910> on <rpool/ROOT/s10_0910@s10u9patched>. <B>Creating clone</B> for <rpool/ROOT/s10_0910@s10u9patched> on <rpool/ROOT/s10u9patched>. Setting canmount=noauto for </> in zone <global> on <rpool/ROOT/s10u9patched>. Saving existing file </boot/grub/menu.lst> in top level dataset for BE <s10u9patched> as <mount-point>//boot/grub/menu.lst.prev. File </boot/grub/menu.lst> propagation successful Copied GRUB menu from PBE to ABE No entry for BE <s10u9patched> in GRUB menu Population of boot environment <s10u9patched> successful. Creation of boot environment <s10u9patched> successful.

There is now an extra boot environment to which we can apply the Patch Cluster. Note - for what it is worth, if you just needed a test environment to play in, you can now luactivate the alternate boot environment and then make any changes to the active system. If the system breaks, all it takes to undo any and all changes is a reboot.

Step 3 - Apply the patch cluster to the BE named s10u9patched.

# cd /patches/10_x86_Recommended # ./installcluster -B s10u9patched

I am not showing the long and boring output from the installcluster script as this blog post is already far too long. The patching runs for quite a while, plan for at least two hours. Monitor the process and check the log for warnings. Depending on how long it has been since the last patches were applied, some severe patches may be applied which can affect your ability to login after rebooting. Again: READ the README!

Step 4 - Activate the ABE.

# luactivate s10u9patched System has findroot enabled GRUB Generating boot-sign, partition and slice information for PBE <s10u9> A Live Upgrade Sync operation will be performed on startup of boot environment <s10u9patched>. Generating boot-sign for ABE <s10u9patched> Generating partition and slice information for ABE <s10u9patched> Copied boot menu from top level dataset. Generating multiboot menu entries for PBE. Generating multiboot menu entries for ABE. Disabling splashimage Re-enabling splashimage No more bootadm entries. Deletion of bootadm entries is complete. GRUB menu default setting is unaffected Done eliding bootadm entries. ********************************************************************** The target boot environment has been activated. It will be used when you reboot. NOTE: You MUST NOT USE the reboot, halt, or uadmin commands. You MUST USE either the init or the shutdown command when you reboot. If you do not use either init or shutdown, the system will not boot using the target BE. ********************************************************************** In case of a failure while booting to the target BE, the following process needs to be followed to fallback to the currently working boot environment: 1. Boot from the Solaris failsafe or boot in Single User mode from Solaris Install CD or Network. 2. Mount the Parent boot environment root slice to some directory (like /mnt). You can use the following commands in sequence to mount the BE: zpool import rpool zfs inherit -r mountpoint rpool/ROOT/s10_0910 zfs set mountpoint=<mountpointName> rpool/ROOT/s10_0910 zfs mount rpool/ROOT/s10_0910 3. Run <luactivate> utility with out any arguments from the Parent boot environment root slice, as shown below: <mountpointName>/sbin/luactivate 4. luactivate, activates the previous working boot environment and indicates the result. 5. Exit Single User mode and reboot the machine. ********************************************************************** Modifying boot archive service Propagating findroot GRUB for menu conversion. File </etc/lu/installgrub.findroot> propagation successful File </etc/lu/stage1.findroot> propagation successful File </etc/lu/stage2.findroot> propagation successful File </etc/lu/GRUB_capability> propagation successful Deleting stale GRUB loader from all BEs. File </etc/lu/installgrub.latest> deletion successful File </etc/lu/stage1.latest> deletion successful File </etc/lu/stage2.latest> deletion successful Activation of boot environment <s10u9patched> successful.

# lustatus Boot Environment Is Active Active Can Copy Name Complete Now On Reboot Delete Status -------------------------- -------- ------ --------- ------ ---------- s10u9 yes no no yes - s10u9patched yes yes yes no -

Carefully take note of the details on how to recover from a failure. Making a hard-copy of this is not a bad idea! Take note that you have to use either init or shutdown to effect the reboot, as the other commands will circumvent some of the delayed action scripts! Hence ...

Step 5 - Reboot using shutdown or init ...

# init 6

Monitor the boot-up sequence. A few handy commands while you are performing the upgrade, includes:

# lustatus # bootadm list-menu # zfs list -t all

You will eventually (after confirming that everything works as expected) want to free up the disk space held by the snapshots. The first command cleans up the redundant Live Upgrade entries as well as the relevant ZFS snapshot storage! The second is to remove the temporary ZFS file system used for the patching.

Step 6 - Cleanup

# ludelete s10u9 # zfs destroy rpool/patches

Again no worries about where the space comes from. ZFS simply manages it! Live Upgrade takes care of your grub boot menu and gives you clear instructions on how to recover it anything goes wrong.