To Create a Solaris Flash Differential Archive With an Updated a Master Image

Before creating a differential archive, you need two images to compare: an unchanged master image and an updated master image. One image is the unchanged master image that has been kept unchanged. This image was stored and needs to be accessed. The second image is the unchanged master image that is updated with minor changes. The root (/) file system is the default for the new image, but you can access this image if it has been stored elsewhere. After you have the two images, you can create a differential archive, which contains only the differences between the two images. The differential archive can then be installed on clones that were installed previously with the unchanged master image.

1. Prepare the master system with changes. Before changes are made, the master system should be running a duplicate of the original archive.

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   Note - A copy of the unchanged master image must be kept protected from changes and available for mounting later.

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2. Update the unchanged master image with any of the following changes.

   • Delete packages.

   • Add packages or patches.

   • Modify configuration files.

   • Add support for peripheral devices on the clone system.

3. (Optional) Create custom scripts. See Creating Customization Scripts.

4. Deliver the unchanged-master image in a mount point.

   • If the unchanged master image is stored on an inactive boot environment, retrieve by using the lumount command.

     # lumount BE_name mountpoint

     
     

     BE_name	Specifies the boot environment name where the unchanged master image is stored
     mountpoint	Specifies a root (/) file system where the image is stored

     In the following example, the inactive boot environment is named unchanged_master1. The mount point is the directory /a on the master system.

     # lumount unchanged_master1 /a

     
     

   • If the image is stored on a clone, mount the clone by using NFS.

     1. On the master system, share the clone's root (/) file system and give the master root permissions on the clone system.

        # share -F nfs -o rw,root=master_system "/"

        
        

        master_system is the name of the master system.

     2. On the master system, mount the clone.

        # mount -F nfs clone_system:/ master_dir

        
        

        clone_system	Specifies the name of the system to be mounted
        master_dir	Specifies the directory where the unchanged master image is stored

   • If you saved the image with the ufsdump command, use the ufsrestore command to retrieve a copy. For information on how to use these commands, see "UFS Backup and Restore Commands (Reference)" in System Administration Guide: Basic Administration.

5. Create the differential archive.

   # flar create -n archive_name -A unchanged_master_image_dir\ options path/filename

   
   

   archive_name	Specifies the name that you give the archive. The archive_name you specify is the value of the content_name keyword. The name is listed in the archive identification section.
   -A unchanged_master_image_dir	Creates a differential archive by comparing a new system image with the image that is specified by the unchanged_master_image_dir argument. By default, the new system image is root (/). You can change the default with the -R option. unchanged_master_image_dir is a directory where the unchanged system image is stored or mounted through UFS, NFS, or lumount. You can include and exclude some files by using the options for contents selection. For a list of options, see flar create.
   options	For a description of options, see flar create.
   path	Specifies the path to the directory in which you want to save the archive file. If you do not specify a path, flar create saves the archive file in the current directory.
   filename	Specifies the name of the archive file.

   • If the differential archive creation is successful, the flar create command returns an exit code of 0.

   • If the differential archive creation fails, the flar create command returns a nonzero exit code.

   For procedures on installing an archive, see To Prepare to Install a Solaris Flash Archive With a Custom JumpStart Installation.

Examples--Creating a Differential Archive

Example 21-13 Creating a Differential Archive With the New Master Image On the Master System

In this example, the directory for unchanged master image is named unchanged_master1. The new master image that contains changes is the root (/) directory. The new master image is compared to the unchanged master image and the resulting differential archive is then compressed. The differential archive is stored in diffarchive1.flar file. The archive contains files that are to be deleted, changed, or added when installed.

# flar create -n diffarchive1 -A /a/unchanged_master1 -c diffarchive1.flar

Example 21-14 Creating a Differential Archive With the Images Stored on an Inactive Boot Environment

In this example, the unchanged master image, unchanged_master1, is stored on an inactive boot environment and is accessed by mounting the boot environment. The new master image is the root (/) directory. The new master image is compared to the unchanged master and the resulting differential archive is then compressed. The archive is stored in diffarchive4.flar. The archive contains files that are to be deleted, changed, or added when installed.

# lumount unchanged_master1 /a
# flar create -n diffarchive4 -A /a -c  diffarchive4.flar

To Create a Solaris Flash Differential Archive By Using Solaris Live Upgrade

To manage system updates, you can use Solaris Live Upgrade to copy the operating environment, which creates a new boot environment. This copy can be compared to the master system that has been updated with minor changes. The resulting Solaris Flash differential archive can then be installed on clone systems.

For more information about Solaris Live Upgrade, see Chapter 32, Solaris Live Upgrade (Topics).

1. From the unchanged master system, create a new boot environment by using the lucreate command.

   This new boot environment is an exact copy of the master system and can be used to create the differential archive.

2. Check the status of the two boot environments.

   # lustatus copy_BE boot environment Is Active Active Can Copy Name Complete Now OnReboot Delete Status ------------------------------------------------------------------------ master_BE yes yes yes no - copy_BE yes no no yes -

   
   

3. Update the master image with any of the following changes.

   • Delete packages.

   • Add packages or patches.

   • Modify configuration files.

   • Add support for peripheral devices on the clone system.

4. (Optional) Create custom scripts. See Creating Customization Scripts.

5. Create the differential archive.

   1. Mount the newly created boot environment.

      # lumount BE_name /a

      
      

   2. Create the differential archive by comparing the master system to the boot environment.

      # flarcreate -n archive_name -A new_BE_dir\ options path/filename

      
      

      archive_name	Specifies the name that you give the archive.
      -A new_BE_dir	Creates a differential archive by comparing a new system image with the image that is specified by the new BE_dir argument.
      options	For a list of options, see flar create.
      path	Specifies the path to the directory in which you want to save the archive file. If you do not specify a path, flar create saves the archive file in the current directory.
      filename	Specifies the name of the archive file.

   3. Unmount the new boot environment.

      # luumount copy_BE

      
      

   The flar create command returns an exit code.

   • If the creation is successful, an exit code of 0 is returned.

   • If a failure occurs, a nonzero exit code is returned.

6. Install the Solaris Flash differential archive by using a JumpStart profile.

   The clone systems that are to be installed must be a duplicate of the original master system or the installation fails.

   The following example profile installs a differential archive, test.diff, on the device c1t1d0s0.

   JumpStart profile ----------------------- install_type flash_update archive_location http server /rw/test.diff root_device c1t1d0s0