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Online Data Manager (ODM) overview and installation

Initializing the Volume Manager

The following describes how to initialize the Volume Manager using the vxinstall program. The vxinstall program places all specified disks under Volume Manager control. These disks are automatically placed in the default disk group, rootdg. If you wish to place some of your disks in another disk group, you must use vxinstall to initialize at least one disk into rootdg and then use vxdiskadm(1M) to initialize or encapsulate additional disks into other disk groups. Refer to the VERITAS Volume Manager User's Guide for information on how to create other disk groups in which to place your disks.


NOTE: At least one disk must remain in rootdg at all times while VxVM is running.

Disks that are not initially placed under Volume Manager control by vxinstall can be added later using a Volume Manager interface (such as vxdiskadm). However, you must add at least one disk to Volume Manager control with vxinstall before you can add disks using other utilities or interfaces.

Once you have completed the package install, initialize the Volume Manager as follows:

  1. Log in as root.

  2. If you want to exclude one or more disks from Volume Manager control, add the names of those disks to the /etc/vx/disks.exclude file.

    vxinstall ignores any disks listed in this file and leaves them untouched. The following is an example of the contents of the disks.exclude file (which you have to create):

       c0b0t0d0
       c0b0t1d0
    

    Similarly, you can exclude all disks on an entire controller by adding the name of that controller to the /etc/vx/cntrls.exclude file. The following is an example of the contents of the cntrls.exclude file:

       c0
       c1
    

  3. Enter the following to start vxinstall:
       vxinstall
    

    The vxinstall program then examines all controllers it finds attached to the system and then lists them:

       Generating list of attached controllers....
       Volume Manager Installation
       Menu: VolumeManager/Install
       The Volume Manager names disks on your system
       using the controller and disk number of the disk,
       substituting them into the following pattern:
       c<controller>b<bus>t<target>d<disk>
       

    Some examples would be: c0b0t0d0 - first controller, bus 0, first target, first disk c1b0t0d0 - second controller, bus 0, first target, first disk c1b0t1d0 - second controller, bus 0, second target, first disk

    The Volume Manager has detected the following controllers on your system:

    c0: c1: c2:

    Hit RETURN to continue.

    Next, vxinstall displays a brief introduction to the initialization process:

       Volume Manager Installation
       Menu: VolumeManager/Install
       You will now be asked if you wish to use Quick
       Installation or Custom Installation. Custom Installation
       allows you to select how the Volume Manager will handle
       the installation of each disk 	attached to your system.
       Quick Installation examines each disk attached to your
       system and attempts to create volumes to cover all disk
       partitions that might be used for file systems or for
       other similar purposes.  If you do not wish to use some
       disks with the Volume Manager, or if you wish to reinitialize
       some disks, use the Custom Installation option. Otherwise,
       we suggest that you use the Quick Installation option.
       

    Hit RETURN to continue.

    vxinstall then displays a menu with the following options

       1  Quick Installation
       2  Custom Installation
       

    ? Display help about menu ?? Display help about menuing system q Exit from menus

    Select an operation to perform:

    The options behave as follows:

  4. Select either 1 Quick Installation or 2 Custom Installation to proceed with the initialization.


    NOTE: Quick Installation will bring every disk attached to your system under Volume Manager control unless you have chosen to exclude some disks (through the disks.exclude or .cntrls.exclude file, described earlier). If you have any disks on your system that you do not want placed under Volume Manager control, either list them in the disks.exclude file, or choose the Custom Installation option (which allows you to leave certain disks alone).


Next topic: Quick installation
Previous topic: Pre-initialization instructions

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UnixWare 7 Release 7.1.4 - 22 April 2004