This chapter describes administration procedures for disks and their device files.
The major sections in this chapter are:
Administration procedures for filesystems and XLV logical volumes are described in later chapters of this guide.
You can list the disks connected to a system by issuing this hinv command from IRIX:
# hinv -c disk |
The output lists the disk controllers and disks present on a system, for example:
Integral SCSI controller 0: Version WD33C93B, revision D Disk drive: unit 2 on SCSI controller 0 Disk drive: unit 1 on SCSI controller 0 |
This output shows a single integral SCSI controller whose number is 0 and two disk drives. These disks are at drive addresses 1 and 2. In hinv output, drive addresses are called units. They are also sometimes called unit numbers. Each disk is uniquely identified by the combination of its controller number and drive address.
If you are in the PROM Monitor, you can also give the hinv command from the Command Monitor:
>> hinv
Output for SCSI disks looks like this:
SCSI Disk: scsi(0)disk(1) SCSI Disk: scsi(0)disk(2) |
In this output, the controller number is the “scsi” number and the drive address is the “disk” number. The type of controller is not listed. As a rule, workstations have integral controllers and servers may have integral SCSI controllers or non-integral controllers that are SCSI or VME. On some Challenge systems, the output of hinv in the PROM monitor shows only disks on the boot IOP (I/O processor).
The controller number and drive addresses of disks are specified, using a variety of syntax, as arguments to the IRIX disk and filesystem commands, such as fx, prtvtoc, dvhtool, and mkfs. For example, for a disk on controller 0 at drive address 1:
To specify the disk on an fx command line, the command line is:
# fx "dksc(0,1)"
To specify the disk (actually, its volume header) on a prtvtoc command line, either of these two commands can be used:
# prtvtoc /dev/rdsk/dks0d1vh # prtvtoc dks0d1vh
To specify the disk 1 (actually, its volume header) on a dvhtool command line, the command is:
# dvhtool /dev/rdsk/dks0d1vh
To specify partition 7 of the second disk above on a mkfs command line for an XFS filesystem, the command is:
# mkfs /dev/rdsk/dks0d1s7
Tip: You can use the Disk Manager in the System Toolchest to get information about the disks on a system. For instructions, see the section “Disk Manager” in Chapter 3 of the Personal System Administration Guide.
When you format a disk, you write timing marks and divide the disk into tracks and sectors that can be addressed by the disk controller. SCSI disks are shipped preformatted; formatting a SCSI disk is rarely required. Formatting is done by fx; see the fx(1M) reference page for details.
 | Caution: Formatting a disk results in the loss of all data on the disk. It is recommended only for experienced IRIX system administrators. |
Formatting a disk destroys information about bad areas on the disk (called bad blocks). Identifying and handling bad blocks is also done by fx; see the fx(1M) reference page for details.
| Caution: Using fx for bad block handling usually results in the loss of all data on the block. It is recommended only for experienced IRIX system administrators. |
Initializing a disk consists of creating a volume header for a disk. Disks supplied by Silicon Graphics are shipped with a volume header, so initialization is not necessary. Disks from third-party vendors or disks whose volume headers have been destroyed must be initialized to create a volume header. Initializing disks is done by fx. No explicit commands are necessary; fx automatically detects if no volume header is present and creates one. (See “Repartitioning a Disk With fx” for information on invoking fx.) When fx creates a volume header, a prompt asks if you want to write the volume header; reply yes.
| Tip: You can use the Disk Information window of the Disk Manager in the System Toolchest to perform disk initialization and other tasks. For more information, see the section “Managing Disk Drives” in Chapter 3 of the Personal System Administration Guide. |
As explained in “Volume Headers” in Chapter 1, the volume header of system disks must contain a copy of the program sash. The procedure in this section explains how to put sash or other programs into a volume header. Before performing this procedure, review the discussion of dvhtool in “Volume Headers” in Chapter 1.
When you add programs to the volume header of a disk, there are two sources for those programs. One is the /stand directory of the system and the other is the /stand directory on an IRIX software release CD. The /stand directory on a CD (usually /CDROM/stand after the CD is mounted) contains copies of sash, fx, and ide that are processor-specific.
As superuser, perform this procedure to add programs to a volume header:
Invoke dvhtool with the raw device name of the volume header of the disk as an argument; for example:
# dvhtool /dev/rdsk/dks0d2vh
(See the “Device Names” in Chapter 1 for information on constructing the device name.)
Display the volume directory portion of the volume header by using the vd (volume directory) and l (list) commands:
Command? (read, vd, pt, dp, write, bootfile, or quit): vd (d FILE, a UNIX_FILE FILE, c UNIX_FILE FILE, g FILE UNIX_FILE or l)? l Current contents: File name Length Block # sgilabel 512 2 sash 159232 3For each program that you want to copy to the volume header, use the a (add) command. For example, to copy sash from the /stand directory to sash in the volume header, use this command:
(d FILE, a UNIX_FILE FILE, c UNIX_FILE FILE, g FILE UNIX_FILE or l)? a /stand/sash sashAs another example, to copy sash from a CD to an IP20 or IP22 system (an Indy™), use this command:
(d FILE, a UNIX_FILE FILE, c UNIX_FILE FILE, g FILE UNIX_FILE or l)? a /CDROM/stand/sashARCS sashCDs contain multiple processor-specific versions of sash; Table 1-3 lists the version of sash for each processor type.
Confirm your changes by listing the contents of the volume with the l (list) command:
(d FILE, a UNIX_FILE FILE, c UNIX_FILE FILE, g FILE UNIX_FILE or l)? l Current contents: File name Length Block # sgilabel 512 2 sash 159232 3Make the changes permanent by writing the changes to the volume header using the quit command to exit this “submenu” and the write command:
(d FILE, a UNIX_FILE FILE, c UNIX_FILE FILE, g FILE UNIX_FILE or l)? quit Command? (read, vd, pt, dp, write, bootfile, or quit): write Quit dvhtool by giving the quit command: Command? (read, vd, pt, dp, write, bootfile, or quit): quit
| Caution: The procedure in this section can result in the loss of data if it is not performed properly. It is recommended only for experienced IRIX system administrators. |
You can use the following procedure to remove XLV logical volume labels (for example xlvlab) and files (for example, sash) from the volume header of a disk. Before performing this procedure, review the discussion of dvhtool in “Volume Headers” in Chapter 1.
Using hinv, determine the controller and drive addresses of the disk that has the volume header you want to change. In this procedure, the example commands and output assume that the disk is on controller 0, drive address 2. Substitute the controller and drive addresses of your disk.
As superuser, invoke dvhtool with the raw device name of the volume header of the disk, for example:
# dvhtool /dev/rdsk/dks0d2vh
(See the section “Device Names” in Chapter 1 for information on constructing the device name.)
Display the volume directory portion of the volume header by answering two prompts:
Command? (read, vd, pt, dp, write, bootfile, or quit): vd (d FILE, a UNIX_FILE FILE, c UNIX_FILE FILE, g FILE UNIX_FILE or l)? l Current contents: File name Length Block # sgilabel 512 2 xlvlab 10752 3 lvlab2 512 26Use the d command to delete the file; for example, xlvlab:
(d FILE, a UNIX_FILE FILE, c UNIX_FILE FILE, g FILE UNIX_FILE or l)? d xlvlabTo delete additional files, continue to use the d command, for example:
(d FILE, a UNIX_FILE FILE, c UNIX_FILE FILE, g FILE UNIX_FILE or l)? d lvlab2List the volume directory again to confirm that the files are gone:
(d FILE, a UNIX_FILE FILE, c UNIX_FILE FILE, g FILE UNIX_FILE or l)? l Current contents: File name Length Block # sgilabel 512 2Exit this “menu” and write the changes to the volume header:
(d FILE, a UNIX_FILE FILE, c UNIX_FILE FILE, g FILE UNIX_FILE or l)? q Command? (read, vd, pt, dp, write, bootfile, or quit): writeQuit dvhtool:
Command? (read, vd, pt, dp, write, bootfile, or quit): quit
Use the prtvtoc command to get information about the size and partitions of a disk. Only the superuser can use this command. The command is
# prtvtoc device |
where device is optional. When it is omitted, prtvtoc displays information for the system disk. device is the raw device name of the disk volume header. The /dev/rdsk portion of the device name can be omitted if desired. For example, for a SCSI disk that is drive address 1 on controller 0, device is dks0d1vh. (See “Device Names” in Chapter 1 for more information on device names.)
An example of the output of prtvtoc is:
Printing label for root disk * /dev/root (bootfile “/unix”) * 512 bytes/sector Partition Type Fs Start: sec Size: sec Mount Directory 0 xfs yes 4096 4138249 1 raw 4142345 262144 8 volhdr 0 4096 10 volume 0 4404489 |
The output lists the partitions, their type (name or filesystem type), whether they contain a filesystem, their location on the disk (start and size in blocks and cylinders), and mount directory for filesystems. The partitions in this output are shown graphically in Figure 1-6.
Disks can be repartitioned using the graphical user interface of the xdkm command. Information about xdkm is available from its online help.
| Caution: The procedure in this section can result in the loss of data if it is not performed properly. It is recommended only for experienced IRIX system administrators. |
Repartitioning disks is done from the command line with the fx command. There are two versions of this program, a standalone version and an IRIX version. The standalone version is invoked from the Command Monitor, which enables you to repartition the system disk. Option disks can be repartitioned using the IRIX version.
The subsections that follow describe the procedures for repartitioning a disk. Start with the first subsection, “Before Repartitioning.” Then proceed to the appropriate subsection on invoking fx:
The standard partition layouts described in “System Disks, Option Disks, and Partition Layouts” in Chapter 1 are “built in to” fx. You can partition a disk using one of the standard layouts or you can create custom partition layouts. Two subsections describe how to create standard and custom partition layouts:
The final subsection, “After Repartitioning”, describes how to proceed after the repartitioning is complete.
| Caution: Repartitioning a disk makes the data on the disk inaccessible (you must repartition back to the original partitions to get to it). |
Before repartitioning a disk, back up any files that contain valuable data. If the disk is a system disk and you plan to copy the files from the backup to the disk after repartitioning, you must use either the System Manager or the backup command. Only backups made with backup or the System Manager will be available to the system from the System Recovery menu of the System Maintenance menu. The System Manager is the preferred method of the two and is described completely in the Personal System Administration Guide. Other commands require a full system installation to operate correctly.
The procedure in this section describes how to invoke the standalone version of fx from the Command Monitor. It is only necessary for the system disk. You can use the IRIX version of fx for other disks (see, “Invoking fx From IRIX”).
Shut the system down into the System Maintenance menu.
Bring up the Command Monitor by choosing the fifth item on the System Maintenance menu.
Identify the copy of fx that you will boot. Some possible locations are: fx in the /stand directory of the system disk or fx on an IRIX software distribution CD in a CD-ROM drive on the local system or on a remote system.
A single copy of fx is in the /stand directory, but IRIX software distribution CDs contain several processor-specific versions of fx. Booting fx from a CD on a local CD-ROM drive requires a processor-specific copy of sash on the CD, too.
Table 2-1 shows which versions of sash and fx to use according to your processor type.
Table 2-1. sash and fx Versions
Processor Type
sash Version
fx Version
IP17
sashIP17
fx.IP17
IP19, IP20, IP22
sashARCS
fx.ARCS
IP21, IP25, IP26, IP27
sash64
fx.64
Boot fx from the Command Monitor. The command to boot fx depends upon the location of the copy of you are booting.
This command boots fx from the /stand directory on the system disk:
>> boot stand/fx --x
This command boots fx from an IRIX software release CD in a local CD-ROM drive, where the CPU type of the system is IP19, IP20, or IP22 and the CD-ROM drive is at drive address 4 on controller 0:
>> boot -f dksc(0,4,8)sashARCS dksc(0,4,7)stand/fx.ARCS --x
This command boots fx from an IRIX software release CD in a CD-ROM drive mounted at /CDROM on a remote system named dist, where the CPU type of the local system is IP21, IP25, IP26, or IP27:
>> boot -f bootp()dist:/CDROM/stand/fx.64 --x
fx prompts you for each part of the disk name. The default answer is in parentheses and matches the system disk. The prompts are:
fx: "device-name" = (dksc) fx: ctlr# = (0) fx: drive# = (1) fx: lun# = (0)
The default device name is dksc, which indicates a SCSI disk on a SCSI controller. (See the fx(1M) reference page for other device names.) The next two prompts ask you to specify the disk controller number and the drive address (unit) of the disk. The final prompt asks for the lun (logical unit) number. The logical unit number is typically used by only a few SCSI devices such as RAIDs (an array of disks with built-in redundancy) to address disks within the device. For regular disks, use logical unit number 0.
For each prompt, press the Enter key for the default value or enter another value, followed by Enter.
Once you answer the prompts, fx performs a disk drive test and you see the fx main menu:
---- please choose one (? for help. .. to quit this menu)---- [exi]t [d]ebug/ [l]abel/ [b]adblock/ [exe]rcise/ [r]epartition/ fx>
The exit option quits fx, while the other commands take you to submenus. (The slash [/] character after a menu option indicates that choosing that option leads to a submenu.) For complete information on all fx options, see the fx(1M) reference page.
The procedure in this section describes how to invoke fx from IRIX.
Make sure that the disk drive to be partitioned is not in use. That is, make sure that no filesystems are mounted and no programs are accessing the drive.
As superuser, give the fx command:
# fx "controller_type(controller,address,logical_unit)"
The variables are:
controller_type The controller type. It is dksc for SCSI controllers. For other controller types, see the fx(1M) reference page.
controller The controller number for the disk.
address The drive address of the disk.
logical_unit The logical unit number for the device. It is used by only a few SCSI devices such as RAIDs (an array of disks with built-in redundancy) to address disks within the device. The logical_unit is normally 0.
If you give the q command without arguments, you are prompted for these values. fx first performs a drive test, then displays this menu:
---- please choose one (? for help. .. to quit this menu)---- [exi]t [d]ebug/ [l]abel/ [b]adblock/ [exe]rcise/ [r]epartition/ fx>
The exit option quits fx, while the other commands take you to submenus. (The slash [/] character after a menu option indicates that choosing that option leads to a submenu.) For complete information on all fx options, see the fx(1M) reference page.
This section shows the procedure for repartitioning a disk so that it has one of the standard partition layouts. The example in this section changes a disk from separate root and usr partitions to a combined root and usr partition.
From the fx main menu, choose the repartition option:
---- please choose one (? for help. .. to quit this menu)---- [exi]t [d]ebug/ [l]abel/ [b]adblock/ [exe]rcise/ [r]epartition/ fx> repartition ----- partitions----- part type blocks Megabytes (base+size) 0: efs 3024 + 50652 1 + 25 1: raw 53676 + 81648 26 + 40 6: efs 135324 + 1925532 66 + 940 8: volhdr 0 + 3024 0 + 1 10: volume 0 + 2060856 0 + 1006 capacity is 2061108 blocks ----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)----- [ro]otdrive [o]ptiondrive [e]xpert [u]srrootdrive [re]size
You see the partition layout for the disk that you specified when fx was started, followed by the repartition menu. The rootdrive, usrrootdrive, and optiondrive options are used for standard partition layouts, and the resize option is used for custom partition layouts. The expert option, which appears only if fx is invoked with the -x option, enables custom partitioning functions. These functions can severely damage the disk when performed incorrectly, so they are unavailable unless explicitly requested with -x.
To create a combined root and usr partition, choose the rootdrive option.
fx/repartition> rootdrive
A prompt appears that asks about the partition type. The possible types are shown in Table 1-2. For this example, choose efs:
fx/repartition/rootdrive: type of data partition = (xfs) efs
A warning appears; answer yes to the prompt after the warning:
Warning: you will need to re-install all software and restore user data from backups after changing the partition layout. Changing partitions will cause all data on the drive to be lost. Be sure you have the drive backed up if it contains any user data. Continue? yes ----- partitions----- part type blocks Megabytes (base+size) 0: efs 3024 + 1976184 1 + 965 1: raw 1979208 + 81648 966 + 40 8: volhdr 0 + 3024 0 + 1 10: volume 0 + 2060856 0 + 1006 capacity is 2061108 blocks ----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)----- [ro]otdrive [u]srrootdrive [o]ptiondrive [re]size
The partition layout after repartitioning is displayed and the repartition submenu appears again.
To return to the fx main menu, enter .. at the prompt:
fx/repartition> .. ----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)----- [exi]t [d]ebug/ [l]abel/ [b]adblock/ [exe]rcise/ [r]epartition/ fx>
The following procedure describes how to repartition a disk so that it has a custom partition layout. As an example, this procedure repartitions a 380 MB SCSI drive to increase the size of the root partition.
At the fx main menu, choose the repartition command:
---- please choose one (? for help. .. to quit this menu)---- [exi]t [d]ebug/ [l]abel/ [b]adblock/ [exe]rcise/ [r]epartition/ fx> repartition ----- partitions----- part type blocks Megabytes (base+size) 0: efs 2835 + 32400 1 + 16 1: rawdata 35235 + 81810 17 + 40 6: efs 117045 + 513945 57 + 251 7: efs 2835 + 628155 1 + 307 8: volhdr 0 + 2835 0 + 1 10: entire 0 + 630990 0 + 308 capacity is 631017 blocks ----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)----- [ro]otdrive [u]srrootdrive [o]ptiondrive [re]size
You see the partition layout for the disk that you specified when fx was started, followed by the repartition menu. Look at the size column for partitions 0, 1, and 6. In this example, you have 32400 + 81810 + 513945 = 628155 blocks to use. Look at the start block numbers, and notice that partition 7 overlaps 0, 1, and 6. Partition 0 is the root filesystem, and is mounted on the system's root directory (/). Partition 1 is your system's swap space. Partition 6 is the usr filesystem, and it is mounted on the /usr directory. In this example, you will take space from the usr filesystem and expand the root filesystem.
Choose the resize option to change the size of partitions on the disk and answer y to the warning message:
fx/repartition> resize Warning: you will need to re-install all software and restore user data from backups after changing the partition layout. Changing partitions will cause all data on the drive to be lost. Be sure you have the drive backed up if it contains any user data. Continue? y After changing the partition, the other partitions will be adjusted around it to fit the change. The result will be displayed and you will be asked whether it is OK, before the change is committed to disk. Only the standard partitions may be changed with this function. Type ? at prompts for a list of possible choices
The prompt after the warning message offers the swap space partition as the default partition to change, but in this example you will designate the root partition to be resized. Enter root at the prompt:
fx/repartition/resize: partition to change = (swap) root current: type efs base: 2835 blks, 1 Mb len: 32400 blks, 16 MbThe next prompt asks for the partitioning method (partition size units) with megabytes as the default. Other options are to use percentages of total disk space or numbers of disk blocks. Megabytes and percentages are the easiest methods to use to partition your disk. Press Enter to use megabytes as the method of repartitioning:
fx/repartition/resize: partitioning method = (megabytes (2^20 bytes)) Enter
The next prompt asks for the size of the root partition in megabytes. The default is the current size of the partition. For this example, increase the size to 20 MB:
fx/repartition/resize: size in megabytes (max 307) = (16) 20 ----- partitions----- part type blocks Megabytes (base+size) 0: efs 2835 + 40960 1 + 20 1: rawdata 43795 + 73250 21 + 36 6: efs 117045 + 513945 57 + 251 8: volhdr 0 + 2835 0 + 1 10: entire 0 + 630990 0 + 308
The new partition map is displayed. Note that the 4 megabytes that you added to your root partition were taken from the swap partition. Ultimately, you want those megabytes to come from the usr partition, but for the moment, accept the new partition layout.
To accept the new partition layout, enter yes at the prompt:
Use the new partition layout? (no) yes
The new partition table is printed again, along with the total disk capacity. Then you are returned to the repartition menu.
Select resize again to transfer space from the usr partition to the swap area:
fx/repartition> resize
You see the same warning message again.
At the partition to change prompt, press Enter to change the size of the swap partition:
fx/repartition/resize: partition to change = (swap) Enter current: type raw base: 43795 blks, 21 Mb len: 73250 blks, 36 MbPress Enter again to use megabytes as the method of repartition:
fx/repartition/resize: partitioning method = (megabytes (2^20 bytes)) Enter
The next prompt requests the new size of the swap partition. Since you added 4 megabytes to expand the root filesystem from 16 to 20 megabytes, enter 40 and press Enter at this prompt to expand the swap space to its original size. (If your system is chronically short of swap space, you can take this opportunity to add some space by entering a higher number.)
fx/repartition/resize: size in megabytes (max 307) = (36) 40 ----- partitions----- part type blocks Megabytes (base+size) 0: efs 2835 + 40960 1 + 20 1: rawdata 43795 + 81920 21 + 40 6: efs 125715 + 505275 61 + 247 8: volhdr 0 + 2835 0 + 1 10: entire 0 + 630990 0 + 308
You see the new partition table. Note that the partition table now reflects that 4 megabytes have been taken from partition 6 (usr) and placed in the swap partition.
At the prompt, enter yes to accept the new partition layout:
Use the new partition layout? (no) yes
The new partition table and the repartition submenu are displayed again.
Enter .. at the prompt to return to the fx main menu:
fx/repartition> .. ----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)----- [exi]t [d]ebug/ [l]abel/ [b]adblock/ [exe]rcise/ [r]epartition/ fx>
From the fx main menu, enter exit to quit fx.
fx> exit
If you repartitioned the system disk, you must now install software on it in one of two ways:
Bring up the miniroot (choose Install System Software from the System Maintenance menu); use the mkfs command on the Administrative Commands menu to make filesystems on the disk partition; and install an IRIX release and optional software.
Choose System Recovery from the System Maintenance menu and use the backup or system manager backup tape you created earlier to return the original files to the disk.
If you repartitioned an option disk, use the mkfs command to create new filesystems on the disk partitions.
Restore user files from backup tapes as necessary.
Device file names, for example /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 and /dev/rdsk/dks0d2s7, can be difficult to remember and type. Mnemonic device names can solve this problem. They are filenames in the /dev directory that are symbolic links to the real device files. By default, IRIX has several of these mnemonic device file names. For example, /dev/root is a mnemonic device file name for /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 (or whatever partition contains the root filesystem) and /dev/rswap is a mnemonic device file name for /dev/rdsk/dks0d1s1 (or whatever partition is the swap partition). You can create additional mnemonic device file names using the ln command:
# ln device_file mnemonic_name |
For more information on the ln command, see the ln(1) reference page.
This section describes how to install a system disk on a system that does not currently have a working system disk. It is used in these situations:
The new disk has no formatting or partitioning information on it at all, or the partitioning is incorrect.
It is an option disk that you must turn into a system disk.
If the system already has a working disk, you can use the procedure in“Creating a New System Disk From IRIX”
To turn a disk into a system disk, you must have an IRIX system software release CD available and a CD-ROM drive attached to the system or available on the network. If you are using a CD-ROM drive attached to a system on the network, that system must be set up as an installation server. See the IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing guide for instructions.
These instructions assume that the system disk is installed on controller 0 at drive address 1. This is the standard location for workstations; the controller number is system-specific on servers. Follow these steps:
Bring the system up into the System Maintenance menu.
Invoke the Command Monitor by choosing the fifth item on the System Maintenance menu.
Issue the hinv command, and use the CPU type and Table 2-1 to determine the version of standalone fx that you need to invoke. For example, a system with an IP19 processor is an ARCS processor, so the version of standalone fx needed is stand/fx.ARCS.
Determine the controller and drive address of the device that contains the copy of fx that you plan to use (a CD-ROM drive attached to the system or a CD-ROM drive on a workstation on the network). For example, for a local CD-ROM drive, if hinv reports that the CD-ROM drive on the system is scsi(0), cdrom(4), the controller is 0 and the drive address is 4. The remainder of this example uses that device, although your device may be different or may be located on a different workstation.
If you are installing over a network connection, get the IP address of the workstation with the CD-ROM drive.
Insert the CD containing the IRIX system software release into the CD-ROM drive.
Give a Command Monitor command to boot fx. For this example the command is:
>> boot -f dksc(0,4,8)sashARCS dksc(0,4,7)stand/fx.ARCS --x 72912+9440+3024+331696+23768d+3644+5808 entry: 0x89f9a950 112784+28720+19296+2817088+59600d+7076+10944 entry: 0x89cd74d0 SGI Version 5.3 ARCS Oct 18, 1994
See Appendix A of the guide IRIX Admin, Software Installation and Licensing for a complete listing of appropriate commands to boot fx from CD-ROM on this or another workstation.
Respond to the prompts by pressing the Enter key. These responses select the system disk:
fx: “device-name” = (dksc) fx: ctlr# = (0) Enter fx: drive# = (1) Enter fx: lun# = (0) ...opening dksc(0,1,) ...drive selftest...OK Scsi drive type == SGI SEAGATE ST31200N8640 ----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)----- [exi]t [d]ebug/ [l]abel/ [a]uto [b]adblock/ [exe]rcise/ [r]epartition/ [f]ormat
Display the partitioning of the disk with the repartition command:
fx> repartition ----- partitions----- part type blocks Megabytes (base+size) 7: efs 3048 + 2074164 1 + 1013 8: volhdr 0 + 3048 0 + 1 10: volume 0 + 2077212 0 + 1014 capacity is 2077833 blocks
Check the partition layout to see whether the disk needs repartitioning. See “System Disks, Option Disks, and Partition Layouts” in Chapter 1 for information about standard partition layouts.
If the disk doesn't need repartitioning, skip to step 13.
Choose a disk partition layout. You can choose a standard system disk partition layout (described in “System Disks, Option Disks, and Partition Layouts” in Chapter 1) or a custom partition layout.
If you choose a standard system disk partition layout, follow the directions in “Creating Standard Partition Layouts”. If you choose a custom partition layout, follow the instructions in “Creating Custom Partition Layouts”.
In preparation for a future step, check the contents of the volume header by giving this command:
----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)----- [ro]otdrive [o]ptiondrive [e]xpert [u]srrootdrive [re]size fx/repartition> label/show/directory 0: sgilabel block 3 size 512 2: sash block 1914 size 159232 1: ide block 4 size 977920
Verify that the volume header contains sash, a required file (it is listed as item 2 in this example).
Quit fx and the Command Monitor so that you return to the System Maintenance menu:
----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)----- [para]meters [part]itions [b]ootinfo [a]ll [g]eometry [s]giinfo [d]irectory fx/label/show> ../../exit >> exit
Choose the second option, Install System Software, from the System Maintenance menu.
Because there is no filesystem on the root partition, error messages may appear. One example is the following message:
Mounting file systems: /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0: Invalid argument No valid file system found on: /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 This is your system disk: without it we have nothing on which to install software.
Another possible message indicates a problem, but does mount the root partition and bring up inst:
Mounting file systems: mount: /root/dev/usr on /root/usr: No such file or directory mount: giving up on: /root/usr Unable to mount all local efs, xfs file systems under /root Copy of above errors left in /root/etc/fscklogs/miniroot /dev/miniroot on / /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 on /root Invoking software installation.If the system offers to make a filesystem, answer yes to the prompts:
Make new file system on /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 [yes/no/sh/help]: yes About to remake (mkfs) file system on: /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 This will destroy all data on disk partition: /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0. Are you sure? [y/n] (n): yes Block size of filesystem 512 or 4096 bytes? 4096 Doing: mkfs -b size=512 /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 meta-data=/dev/rdsk/dks0d1s0 isize=256 agcount=8, agsize=248166 blks data = bsize=4096 blocks=248165 log =internal log bsize=512 blocks=1000 realtime =none bsize=4096 blocks=0, rtextents=0 Mounting file systems: NOTICE: Start mounting filesystem: /root NOTICE: Ending clean XFS mount for filesystem: /root /dev/miniroot on / /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 on /rootIf the system offers to put you into a shell, go into the shell and manually make the root and, if appropriate, the usr filesystem. For example:
Please manually correct your configuration and try again. Press Enter to invoke C Shell csh: Enter # mkfs /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 meta-data=/dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 isize=256 agcount=8, agsize=31021 blks data = bsize=4096 blocks=248165 log =internal log bsize=4096 blocks=1000 realtime =none bsize=4096 blocks=0, rtextents=0 # exitIf the inst main menu comes up and you did not make a root filesystem in step 16 or step 17, make the root and, if used, the usr filesystems, and mount them. For example:
Inst> admin ... Admin> mkfs /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 Make new file system on /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 [yes/no/sh/help]: yes About to remake (mkfs) file system on: /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 This will destroy all data on disk partition: /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0. Are you sure? [y/n] (n): yes Block size of filesystem 512 or 4096 bytes? 4096 Doing: mkfs -b size=512 /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 meta-data=/dev/rdsk/dks0d1s0 isize=256 agcount=8, agsize=248166 blks data = bsize=4096 blocks=248165 log =internal log bsize=512 blocks=1000 realtime =none bsize=4096 blocks=0, rtextents=0 Mounting file systems: NOTICE: Start mounting filesystem: /root NOTICE: Ending clean XFS mount for filesystem: /root /dev/miniroot on / /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 on /root Re-initializing installation history database Reading installation history .. 100% Done. Checking dependencies .. 100% Done. Admin> EnterInstall IRIX software from the CD as usual.
Install option software and patches from other CDs, if desired.
If you don't need to modify the volume header to add sash (see step 13),you have finished creating the new system disk. You don't need to do the remaining steps in this procedure.
In preparation for adding programs to the volume header of the disk, start a shell:
Inst> sh
Follow the instructions in the procedure in “Adding Files to the Volume Header With dvhtool” to add sash, if necessary, to the volume header of the system disk. Remember that the /stand directory is mounted at /root/stand.
Exit from the shell:
# exit
Quit inst and bring up the system as usual.
Inst> quit
This procedure describes how to turn an option disk into a system disk. The option disk does not need to have a filesystem or be mounted prior to starting the procedure.
| Caution: The procedure in this section destroys all data on the option disk. If the option disk contains files that you want to save, back up all files on the option disk to tape or another disk before beginning this procedure. |
You can use this procedure when you want to change to a larger system disk, for example from a 1 GB disk to a 2 GB disk, or when you want to create a system disk that you can move to another system. With this procedure, you create a “fresh” disk by installing software from an IRIX system software CD. (To create an exact copy of a system disk, use “Creating a New System Disk by Cloning” instead.) Note that if you plan to create a system disk for another system, the systems must be identical because of hardware dependencies in IRIX.
You must perform this procedure as superuser. The procedure requires several system reboots, so other users should not be using the system.
Follow these steps to convert an option disk to a system disk:
Using hinv, determine the controller and drive addresses of the disk to be turned into a system disk. In this procedure, the example commands and output assume that the disk is on controller 0 and drive address 2. Substitute your controller and drive address throughout these instructions.
To repartition the disk so that it can be used as a system disk, begin by invoking fx:
# fx fx version 6.4, Sep 29, 1996
Answer the prompts with the correct controller number and drive address for the disk you are converting and 0 for the lun number, for example:
fx: “device-name” = (dksc) Enter fx: ctlr# = (0) Enter fx: drive# = (1) 2 fx: lun# = (0) Enter ...opening dksc(0,2,0) ...drive selftest...OK Scsi drive type == SGI SEAGATE ST31200N8640 ----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)----- [exi]t [d]ebug/ [l]abel/ [b]adblock/ [exe]rcise/ [r]epartition/
Enter the repartition command:
fx> repartition ----- partitions----- part type blocks Megabytes (base+size) 7: efs 3024 + 2057832 1 + 1005 8: volhdr 0 + 3024 0 + 1 10: volume 0 + 2060856 0 + 1006 capacity is 2061108 blocks
Choose rootdrive or usrrootdrive, depending on whether you want a combined root and usr partition or separate root and usr partitions. (See the section “System Disks, Option Disks, and Partition Layouts” in Chapter 1 for advantages and disadvantages of each.) In this example, a combined root and usr disk, configured for XFS, is chosen:
----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)----- [ro]otdrive [u]srrootdrive [o]ptiondrive [re]size fx/repartition> rootdrive fx/repartition/rootdrive: type of data partition = (xfs) Enter Warning: you will need to re-install all software and restore user data from backups after changing the partition layout. Changing partitions will cause all data on the drive to be lost. Be sure you have the drive backed up if it contains any user data. Continue? y ----- partitions----- part type blocks Megabytes (base+size) 0: xfs 3024 + 1976184 1 + 965 1: raw 1979208 + 81648 966 + 40 8: volhdr 0 + 3024 0 + 1 10: volume 0 + 2060856 0 + 1006 capacity is 2061108 blocks
Quit fx:
----- please choose one (? for help, .. to quit this menu)----- [ro]otdrive [u]srrootdrive [o]ptiondrive [re]size fx/repartition> ../exit
Use the procedure in “Adding Files to the Volume Header With dvhtool” to examine the contents of the volume header of the disk to be converted and to add sash to its volume header if it is not there already.
Make a root filesystem on the root partition of the disk you are converting. For example, to make an XFS root filesystem with 4 KB block size and a 1000 block internal log (the default values), give this command:
# mkfs /dev/dsk/dks0d2s0
For additional instructions on making an XFS filesystem, see “Planning an XFS Filesystem” in Chapter 6 and “Making an XFS Filesystem” in Chapter 6. There is no need to mount the filesystem after making it.
If the disk has a separate usr partition, make a filesystem on that partition, too. For example:
# mkfs /dev/dsk/dks0d2s6
Insert a CD containing the IRIX release you plan to install into either your system's CD-ROM drive or a CD-ROM drive on a remote system.
Shut down the system and bring up the miniroot from the CD. For instructions, see the guide IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing.
Switch to the Administrative Commands menu, unmount the root and usr (if used) partitions from the old system disk, and mount the root and usr (if used) partitions of the new disk in their place. For example, if the old system disk has root and usr partitions and the new system disk has only a root partition, the commands are:
Inst> admin Admin> umount /root Admin> umount /root/usr Admin> mount /dev/dsk/dks0d2s0 /root Admin> Enter
Confirm that the root and usr (if used) partitions of the new system disk are mounted as /root and /root/usr (if used). This example shows the output for the example in step 12:
Inst> sh df Filesystem Type blocks use avail %use Mounted on /dev/miniroot xfs 49000 32812 16188 67 / /dev/dsk/dks0d1s0 xfs 1984325 251 1984074 0 /root
Caution: If the wrong partitions are mounted, inst installs system software onto the wrong partitions, which destroys the data on those partitions. Install system software from this CD and options and patches from other CDs as usual. Instructions are in the guide IRIX Admin: Software Installation and Licensing.
Quit inst and bring the system back to IRIX (the system boots the old system disk).
To test the new system disk before replacing the old system disk or moving the disk to a different system, begin by shutting down the system to the PROM Monitor.
Bring up the Command Monitor by choosing the fifth item on the System Maintenance menu.
Boot the system in single user mode from the new system disk by issuing the following commands. This example uses controller 0 and drive address 2; substitute the values for the new system disk in the first and second positions of each of the three triples of numbers in this example.
>> setenv initstate s >> boot -f dksc(0,2,8)sash dksc(0,2,0)unix root=dks0d2s0
Run MAKEDEV and autoconfig:
# cd /dev # ./MAKEDEV # /etc/autoconfig -f
Restart the system in multiuser mode with the reboot command.
The new system disk is ready to replace the system disk on this system or another system with the same hardware configuration.
This procedure describes how to turn an option disk into an exact copy of a system disk. Use this procedure when you want to set up two or more systems with identical system disks. The systems must have identical processor and graphics types.
| Caution: The procedure in this section destroys all data on the option disk. If the option disk contains files that you want to save, back up all files on the option disk to tape or another disk before beginning this procedure. |
You must perform this procedure as superuser. To ensure that the system disk that you create is identical to the original system disk, the system should be in single user mode.
List the disk partitioning of the system (root) disk by invoking prtvtoc without parameters, for example:
# prtvtoc Printing label for root disk * /dev/root (bootfile “/unix”) * 512 bytes/sector Partition Type Fs Start: sec Size: sec Mount Directory 0 xfs yes 4096 4138249 1 raw 4142345 262144 8 volhdr 0 4096 10 volume 0 4404489
List the disk partitioning of the option disk that is to be the clone, for example:
# prtvtoc /dev/rdsk/dks0d2vh ... Partition Type Fs Start: sec Size: sec Mount Directory 0 efs 3024 50652 1 raw 53676 81648 6 efs 135324 1925532 8 volhdr 0 3024 10 volume 0 2060856
Compare the disk partitioning of the two disks. They must have the same layout for the root and (if used) the usr partition. If they are not the same, repartition the option disk to match the system disk using the procedure in “Repartitioning a Disk With fx”.
Use the procedure in “Adding Files to the Volume Header With dvhtool” to check the contents of the volume header of the option disk and add programs, if necessary, by copying them from the system disk.
Make a new filesystem on the root partition of the option disk. For example, to make an XFS root filesystem with a 4 KB block size and a 1000 block internal log (the default values), give this command:
# mkfs /dev/dsk/dks0d2s0
For additional instructions on making an XFS filesystem, see “Planning an XFS Filesystem” in Chapter 6 and “Making an XFS Filesystem” in Chapter 6. There is no need to mount the filesystem after making it.
If there is a separate usr partition, make a new filesystem on the usr partition of the option disk, for example:
# mkfs /dev/dsk/dks0d2s6
Create a temporary mount point for the option disk filesystems, for example:
# mkdir /clone
Mount the root filesystem of the option disk and change directories to the mount point, for example:
# mount /dev/dsk/dks0d2s0 /clone # cd /clone
Use dump (for EFS filesystems) or xfsdump (for XFS filesystems) to copy the root filesystem on the system disk to the root filesystem of the option disk. The dump command is:
# dump 0f - / | restore xf -
The xfsdump command is:
# xfsdump -l 0 - / | xfsrestore - .
If the disks do not have a usr partition, skip to step 13.
In preparation for copying the usr filesystem, mount the usr filesystem instead of the root filesystem:
# cd .. # umount /clone # mount /dev/dsk/dks0d2s6 /clone # cd /clone
Use dump (for EFS filesystems) or xfsdump (for XFS filesystems) to copy the usr filesystem on the system disk to the usr filesystem of the option disk. The dump command is:
# dump 0f - /usr | restore xf -
The xfsdump command is:
# xfsdump -l 0 - /usr | xfsrestore - .
Unmount the filesystem mounted at the temporary mount point and remove the mount point, for example:
# cd .. # umount /clone # rmdir /clone
The option disk is now an exact copy of the system disk. It can be moved to a system with the same hardware configuration.
| Tip: You can use the Disk Manager in the System Toolchest to add a new option disk. For instructions, see “Setting Up a New Hard Disk ” in Chapter 3 of the Personal System Administration Guide. The section “Taking Advantage of a Second Disk” in Chapter 6 of the Personal System Administration Guide provides ideas for making effective use of an option disk. |
To add a new option disk to a system using shell commands, follow these steps:
Install the hardware. See the owner's guide for the system.
Initialize the volume header, if necessary. See “Formatting and Initializing a Disk With fx”.
Partition the new disk, if necessary. It should be partitioned as an option disk. See “Repartitioning a Disk With fx” for instructions.
In preparation for the next step, identify the type of controller that the new disk is attached to (integral SCSI controller or non-integral controller). See the section “Listing the Disks on a System With hinv” for instructions.
To add an option disk on an integral SCSI controller to a system, use the Add_disk command to perform the remaining steps to configure the disk:
# Add_disk controller_number drive_address lun_number
If you are adding a second disk on controller 0 to your system, you do not have to specify the disk, controller number, or logical unit number; adding disk 2 on controller 0 is the default. If you are adding a third (or greater) disk, or if you are adding a disk on a controller other than controller 0, you must specify the disk and controller. If the disk device has a logical unit number different from zero, it must be specified.
Add_disk checks for valid filesystems on the disk, and if any filesystems are present, you are warned and asked for permission before the existing filesystems are destroyed and a new filesystem is made.
The Add_disk command performs these tasks:
Creates the character and raw device files for the new disk
Creates an XFS filesystem on the disk
Creates the mount directory
Mounts the filesystem
Adds the mount order to the /etc/fstab file
For an option disk on a non-integral controller, complete the configuration of the new option disk by making a filesystem. Use the instructions in one of these sections in Chapter 6, “Creating and Growing Filesystems”: “Making an XFS Filesystem” in Chapter 6 or “Making a Filesystem From inst” in Chapter 6.