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System Administration Guide: Devices and
Part No: 817–5093–24
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120110@25097
Preface ...................................................................................................................................................21
1 Managing Removable Media (Overview) ........................................................................................ 25
What's New in Removable Media? .................................................................................................... 25
vold is Managed by the Service Management Facility (SMF) ................................................ 25
Improvements to Volume Management (vold) ...................................................................... 26
Where to Find Managing Removable Media Tasks ......................................................................... 27
Removable Media Features and Benefits .......................................................................................... 27
Comparison of Manual and Automatic Mounting ......................................................................... 28
Overview of Accessing Removable Media ........................................................................................ 28
2 Managing Removable Media (Tasks) ............................................................................................... 31
Managing Removable Media (Task Map) ........................................................................................ 31
Formatting Diskettes ........................................................................................................................... 32
Removable Media Hardware Considerations .......................................................................... 32
▼ How to Load Removable Media ................................................................................................. 33
▼ How to Format a Diskette (rmformat) ....................................................................................... 34
▼ How to Create a File System on Removable Media .................................................................. 35
▼ How to Create a File System on a DVD-RAM .......................................................................... 37
▼ How to Check a File System on Removable Media .................................................................. 38
▼ How to Repair Bad Blocks on Removable Media ..................................................................... 38
Applying Read or Write Protection and Password Protection to Removable Media .......... 39
▼ How to Enable or Disable Write Protection on Removable Media ........................................ 39
▼ How to Enable or Disable Read or Write Protection and Set a Password on Removable
Media ............................................................................................................................................. 39
3 Accessing Removable Media (Tasks) ................................................................................................ 41
Accessing Removable Media (Task Map) ......................................................................................... 41
Accessing Removable Media .............................................................................................................. 42
Using Removable Media Names ................................................................................................ 42
Guidelines for Accessing Removable Media Data ................................................................... 43
▼ How to Add a New Removable Media Drive ............................................................................ 43
▼ How to Disable or Enable Removable Media Services ............................................................. 43
▼ How to Access Information on Removable Media .................................................................. 44
▼ How to Copy Information From Removable Media ................................................................ 45
▼ How to Determine If Removable Media Is Still in Use ............................................................ 45
▼ How to Eject Removable Media .................................................................................................. 46
Accessing Removable Media on a Remote System (Task Map) ..................................................... 46
▼ How to Make Local Media Available to Other Systems ........................................................... 47
▼ How to Access Removable Media on Remote Systems ............................................................ 48
4 Writing CDs and DVDs (Tasks) ........................................................................................................... 51
Working With Audio CDs and Data CDs and DVDs ..................................................................... 51
CD/DVD Media Commonly Used Terms ................................................................................ 52
Writing CD and DVD Data and Audio CDs .................................................................................... 53
Restricting User Access to Removable Media With RBAC ..................................................... 54
▼ How to Restrict User Access to Removable Media With RBAC ............................................. 54
▼ How to Identify a CD or DVD Writer ....................................................................................... 55
▼ How to Check the CD or DVD Media ....................................................................................... 55
Creating a Data CD or DVD ....................................................................................................... 56
▼ How to Create an ISO 9660 File System for a Data CD or DVD ............................................. 56
▼ How to Create a Multi-Session Data CD ................................................................................... 57
Creating an Audio CD ................................................................................................................. 59
▼ How to Create an Audio CD ....................................................................................................... 59
▼ How to Extract an Audio Track on a CD ................................................................................... 60
▼ How to Copy a CD ....................................................................................................................... 61
▼ How to Erase CD-RW Media ..................................................................................................... 62
5 Managing Devices (Overview/Tasks) ...............................................................................................63
What's New in Device Management? ................................................................................................ 63
New Hot Plugging Features ........................................................................................................ 64
4 System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems • January 2012
x86: Device Detection Tool ......................................................................................................... 64
Support for PCI Express (PCIe) ................................................................................................. 64
USB and 1394 (FireWire) Support Enhancements .................................................................. 65
Improved Device In Use Error Checking .................................................................................. 65
Where to Find Device Management Tasks ....................................................................................... 66
Managing Devices in the Oracle Solaris OS ..................................................................................... 67
Power Management of Devices .................................................................................................. 67
About Device Drivers .................................................................................................................. 68
Automatic Configuration of Devices ......................................................................................... 68
Displaying Device Configuration Information ........................................................................ 70
Adding a Peripheral Device to a System ........................................................................................... 73
▼ How to Add a Peripheral Device ................................................................................................ 74
▼ How to Add a Device Driver ....................................................................................................... 75
Accessing Devices ................................................................................................................................ 76
How Device Information Is Created .......................................................................................... 76
How Devices Are Managed ......................................................................................................... 76
Device Naming Conventions ..................................................................................................... 77
Logical Disk Device Names ........................................................................................................ 77
Logical Tape Device Names ........................................................................................................ 80
Logical Removable Media Device Names ................................................................................. 80
6 Dynamically Configuring Devices (Tasks) ....................................................................................... 81
Dynamic Reconfiguration and Hot-Plugging .................................................................................. 81
Attachment Points ....................................................................................................................... 83
Detaching PCI or PCIe Adapter Cards ...................................................................................... 84
Attaching PCI or PCIe Adapter Cards ....................................................................................... 85
PCIe Hot-Plugging With the (hotplug) Command ................................................................ 85
SCSI Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command (Task Map) ....................................................... 86
SCSI Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command ............................................................................. 87
▼ How to Display Information About SCSI Devices ................................................................... 87
▼ How to Unconfigure a SCSI Controller ..................................................................................... 88
▼ How to Configure a SCSI Controller ......................................................................................... 88
▼ How to Configure a SCSI Device ................................................................................................ 89
▼ How to Disconnect a SCSI Controller ....................................................................................... 90
▼ SPARC: How to Connect a SCSI Controller ............................................................................. 91
▼ SPARC: How to Add a SCSI Device to a SCSI Bus ................................................................... 91
▼ SPARC: How to Replace an Identical Device on a SCSI Controller ....................................... 92
▼ SPARC: How to Remove a SCSI Device .................................................................................... 93
Troubleshooting SCSI Configuration Problems ...................................................................... 94
▼ How to Resolve a Failed SCSI Unconfigure Operation ........................................................... 96
PCI or PCIe Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command (Task Map) ........................................... 96
PCI or PCIe Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command ................................................................ 97
PCIe Led Indicator Behavior ...................................................................................................... 97
▼ How to Display PCI Slot Configuration Information ............................................................. 97
▼ How to Remove a PCI Adapter Card ......................................................................................... 99
▼ How to Add a PCI Adapter Card .............................................................................................. 100
Troubleshooting PCI Configuration Problems ..................................................................... 102
Reconfiguration Coordination Manager (RCM) Script Overview ............................................. 102
What Is an RCM Script? ............................................................................................................ 103
What Can an RCM Script Do? ................................................................................................. 103
How Does the RCM Script Process Work? ............................................................................. 103
RCM Script Tasks .............................................................................................................................. 104
Application Developer RCM Script (Task Map) .................................................................... 104
System Administrator RCM Script (Task Map) ..................................................................... 105
Naming an RCM Script ............................................................................................................. 106
Installing or Removing an RCM Script ................................................................................... 106
▼ How to Install an RCM Script ................................................................................................... 106
▼ How to Remove an RCM Script ............................................................................................... 107
▼ How to Test an RCM Script ...................................................................................................... 107
Tape Backup RCM Script Example .......................................................................................... 108
7 Using USB Devices (Overview) .........................................................................................................113
What's New in USB Devices? ........................................................................................................... 113
EHCI Isochronous Transfer Support ...................................................................................... 114
Support for CDC ACM Devices ............................................................................................... 114
Changed USB Device Hotpluggable Behavior ....................................................................... 114
Oracle Solaris ZFS Support on USB Devices .......................................................................... 114
Support for Prolific and Keyspan Serial Adapters .................................................................. 115
USB Power Budgeting ............................................................................................................... 115
x86: Support for USB CDs and DVDs in GRUB-Based Booting .......................................... 115
USB Virtual Keyboard and Mouse Support ............................................................................ 115
vold Provides Awareness of Hot-Plugged USB Devices ....................................................... 116
Oracle Solaris Support for USB Devices ......................................................................................... 116
Overview of USB Devices ................................................................................................................. 117
Commonly Used USB Acronyms ............................................................................................ 117
USB Bus Description ................................................................................................................. 118
About USB in the Oracle Solaris OS ................................................................................................ 123
USB 2.0 Features ......................................................................................................................... 123
USB Keyboards and Mouse Devices ........................................................................................ 125
USB Host Controller and Hubs ................................................................................................ 126
Guidelines for USB Cables ........................................................................................................ 127
8 Using USB Devices (Tasks) ................................................................................................................129
Managing USB Devices in the Oracle Solaris OS (Roadmap) ...................................................... 129
Using USB Mass Storage Devices (Task Map) ............................................................................... 130
Using USB Mass Storage Devices .................................................................................................... 131
Using USB Diskette Devices ..................................................................................................... 132
Using Non-Compliant USB Mass Storage Devices ............................................................... 133
Hot-Plugging USB Mass Storage Devices ............................................................................... 134
Preparing to Use a USB Mass Storage Device With vold Running ..................................... 137
▼ How to Display USB Device Information ............................................................................... 138
▼ How to Create a File System on a USB Mass Storage Device ................................................ 138
▼ How to Create a File System on a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running ....... 140
▼ How to Modify Partitions and Create a PCFS File System on a USB Mass Storage Device
Without vold Running ............................................................................................................. 142
▼ How to Create a Solaris Partition and Modify the Slices on a USB Mass Storage Device
▼ How to Mount or Unmount a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running ............ 147
Troubleshooting Tips for USB Mass Storage Devices ........................................................... 149
Disabling Specific USB Drivers ................................................................................................ 149
▼ How to Disable Specific USB Drivers ...................................................................................... 150
▼ How to Remove Unused USB Device Links ........................................................................... 150
Using USB Audio Devices (Task Map) ........................................................................................... 150
Using USB Audio Devices ................................................................................................................ 151
Hot-Plugging Multiple USB Audio Devices ........................................................................... 152
▼ How to Add USB Audio Devices .............................................................................................. 152
▼ How to Identify Your System's Primary Audio Device ......................................................... 153
▼ How to Change the Primary USB Audio Device .................................................................... 153
Troubleshooting USB Audio Device Problems ...................................................................... 154
Hot-Plugging USB Devices With the cfgadm Command (Task Map) ........................................ 154
Hot-Plugging USB Devices With the cfgadm Command ..................................................... 155
▼ How to Display USB Bus Information (cfgadm) .................................................................... 156
▼ How to Unconfigure a USB Device .......................................................................................... 157
▼ How to Configure a USB Device .............................................................................................. 157
▼ How to Logically Disconnect a USB Device ........................................................................... 158
▼ How to Logically Connect a USB Device ................................................................................ 158
▼ How to Logically Disconnect a USB Device Subtree ............................................................. 159
▼ How to Reset a USB Device ....................................................................................................... 159
▼ How to Change the Default Configuration of a Multi-Configuration USB Device ........... 159
9 Using InfiniBand Devices (Overview/Tasks) ..................................................................................161
Overview of InfiniBand Devices ...................................................................................................... 161
Dynamically Reconfiguring IB Devices (Task Map) ..................................................................... 162
Dynamically Reconfiguring IB Devices (cfgadm) ......................................................................... 164
▼ How to Display IB Device Information ................................................................................... 165
▼ How to Unconfigure an IOC Device ........................................................................................ 166
▼ How to Configure an IOC Device ............................................................................................ 167
▼ How to Unconfigure an IB Port, HCA_SVC, or a VPPA Device .......................................... 167
▼ How to Configure a IB Port, HCA_SVC, or a VPPA Device ................................................. 168
▼ How to Unconfigure an IB Pseudo Device .............................................................................. 168
▼ How to Configure an IB Pseudo Device .................................................................................. 169
▼ How to Display Kernel IB Clients of an HCA ......................................................................... 169
▼ How to Unconfigure IB Devices Connected to an HCA ....................................................... 169
Configuring an IB HCA ............................................................................................................ 170
▼ How to Update the IB p_key Tables ......................................................................................... 170
▼ How to Display IB Communication Services ......................................................................... 171
▼ How to Add a VPPA Communication Service ....................................................................... 171
▼ How to Remove an Existing IB Port, HCA_SVC, or a VPPA Communication Service .... 172
▼ How to Update an IOC Configuration .................................................................................... 172
Using the uDAPL Application Interface With InfiniBand Devices ............................................. 173
▼ How to Enable uDAPL .............................................................................................................. 174
Updating the DAT Static Registry ............................................................................................ 174
10 Managing Disks (Overview) .............................................................................................................177
What's New in Disk Management? ................................................................................................. 177
The diskinfo Command .......................................................................................................... 178
Multiple Disk Sector Size Support ........................................................................................... 179
Two-Terabyte Disk Support for Installing and Booting the Oracle Solaris OS .................. 179
iSNS Support in the Solaris iSCSI Target and Initiator ......................................................... 180
Solaris iSCSI Target Support .................................................................................................... 180
x86: Disk Management in the GRUB Boot Environment ..................................................... 180
Support for SCSI Disks That are Larger Than 2 Terabytes ................................................... 181
Where to Find Disk Management Tasks ........................................................................................ 181
Overview of Disk Management ....................................................................................................... 182
Disk Terminology ...................................................................................................................... 182
About Disk Labels ...................................................................................................................... 182
EFI Disk Label ............................................................................................................................ 183
About Disk Slices ....................................................................................................................... 187
format Utility ............................................................................................................................. 191
Partitioning a Disk ............................................................................................................................. 195
Partition Table Terminology .................................................................................................... 195
Displaying Partition Table Information .................................................................................. 196
Using the Free Hog Slice ............................................................................................................ 197
11 Administering Disks (Tasks) .............................................................................................................199
Administering Disks (Task Map) .................................................................................................... 199
Identifying Disks on a System .......................................................................................................... 200
▼ How to Identify the Disks on a System .................................................................................... 200
Formatting a Disk .............................................................................................................................. 202
▼ How to Determine if a Disk Is Formatted ............................................................................... 202
▼ How to Format a Disk ................................................................................................................ 203
Displaying Disk Slices ....................................................................................................................... 204
▼ How to Display Disk Slice Information ................................................................................... 204
Creating and Examining a Disk Label ............................................................................................. 206
▼ How to Label a Disk ................................................................................................................... 206
▼ How to Examine a Disk Label ................................................................................................... 210
Recovering a Corrupted Disk Label ................................................................................................ 212
▼ How to Recover a Corrupted Disk Label ................................................................................. 212
Adding a Third-Party Disk ............................................................................................................... 214
12 SPARC: Setting Up Disks (Tasks) ...................................................................................................... 215
SPARC: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems (Task Map) ........................................................ 215
SPARC: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems ...................................................................... 216
▼ SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for a UFS Root File System ................................................... 216
▼ SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for a UFS File System ............................................................. 217
▼ SPARC: How to Create Disk Slices for a UFS File System ..................................................... 218
▼ SPARC: How to Create a UFS File System ............................................................................... 222
▼ SPARC: How to Install Boot Blocks for a UFS Root File System .......................................... 223
SPARC: Setting up Disks for ZFS File Systems (Task Map) .......................................................... 223
SPARC: Setting Up Disks for ZFS File Systems ...................................................................... 224
▼ SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for a ZFS Root File System .................................................... 225
SPARC: Creating a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File System ..................................................... 225
▼ SPARC: How to Create a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File System ........................................... 226
▼ SPARC: How to Install Boot Blocks for a ZFS Root File System ........................................... 229
▼ SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for a ZFS File System ............................................................. 230
13 x86: Setting Up Disks (Tasks) ........................................................................................................... 233
x86: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems (Task Map) ............................................................... 233
x86: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems ............................................................................ 234
x86: Setting Up Disks for ZFS File Systems (Task Map) ............................................................... 238
x86: Setting Up Disks for ZFS File Systems ............................................................................. 239
Creating and Changing Solaris fdisk Partitions ............................................................................. 246
x86: Guidelines for Creating an fdisk Partition .................................................................... 246
▼ x86: How to Create a Solaris fdisk Partition .......................................................................... 247
Changing the fdisk Partition Identifier .................................................................................. 249
▼ How to Change the Solaris fdisk Identifier ........................................................................... 249
14 Configuring Oracle Solaris iSCSI Targets and Initiators (Tasks) ................................................. 251
iSCSI Technology (Overview) ......................................................................................................... 251
Solaris iSCSI Software and Hardware Requirements ............................................................ 252
10 System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems • January 2012
Setting Up Solaris iSCSI Targets and Initiators (Task Map) ........................................................ 253
Configuring Solaris iSCSI Targets and Initiators ................................................................... 254
▼ How to Prepare for a Solaris iSCSI Configuration ................................................................. 256
Setting Up Your Solaris iSCSI Target Devices ........................................................................ 256
Configuring Authentication in Your iSCSI-Based Storage Network .................................. 258
Using a Third-Party RADIUS Server to Simplify CHAP Management in Your iSCSI
Configuration ............................................................................................................................. 261
▼ How to Configure iSCSI Target Discovery ............................................................................. 262
▼ How to Remove Discovered iSCSI Targets ............................................................................. 263
Accessing iSCSI Disks ................................................................................................................ 264
▼ How to Access iSCSI Disks Upon Reboot ............................................................................... 265
▼ Monitoring Your iSCSI Configuration ................................................................................... 265
Modifying iSCSI Initiator and Target Parameters ................................................................. 267
Setting Up Solaris iSCSI Multipathed Devices ....................................................................... 270
▼ How to Enable Multiple iSCSI Sessions for a Target .............................................................. 271
Troubleshooting iSCSI Configuration Problems .......................................................................... 274
No Connections to the iSCSI Target From the Local System ............................................... 274
iSCSI Device or Disk Is Not Available on the Local System .................................................. 275
Use LUN Masking When Using the iSNS Discovery Method .............................................. 275
General iSCSI Error Messages .................................................................................................. 276
15 The format Utility (Reference) ........................................................................................................281
Recommendations and Requirements for Using the format Utility .......................................... 281
format Menu and Command Descriptions ................................................................................... 282
partition Menu ........................................................................................................................ 284
x86: fdisk Menu ........................................................................................................................ 284
analyze Menu ............................................................................................................................ 285
defect Menu .............................................................................................................................. 287
format.dat File ................................................................................................................................. 288
Contents of the format.dat File .............................................................................................. 288
Syntax of the format.dat File .................................................................................................. 289
Keywords in the format.dat File ............................................................................................. 289
Partition Tables (format.dat) ................................................................................................. 291
Specifying an Alternate Data File for the format Utility ....................................................... 292
Rules for Input to format Commands ............................................................................................ 292
Specifying Numbers to format Commands ........................................................................... 292
Specifying Block Numbers to format Commands ................................................................. 293
Specifying format Command Names ...................................................................................... 293
Specifying Disk Names to format Commands ....................................................................... 294
Getting Help on the format Utility ................................................................................................. 294
16 Managing File Systems (Overview) ................................................................................................295
What's New in Oracle Solaris File Systems? ................................................................................... 295
File System Monitoring Tool (fsstat) ................................................................................... 295
Oracle Solaris ZFS File System ................................................................................................. 296
Enhancements to UFS File System Utilities (fsck, mkfs, and newfs) .................................. 296
Where to Find File System Management Tasks ............................................................................. 303
Overview of File Systems .................................................................................................................. 303
Types of Oracle Solaris File Systems ........................................................................................ 304
Commands for UFS File System Administration .......................................................................... 310
How File System Commands Determine the File System Type ........................................... 310
Manual Pages for Generic and Specific File System Commands ......................................... 311
Default Oracle Solaris File Systems ................................................................................................. 311
UFS File System ................................................................................................................................. 313
UFS File System Features .......................................................................................................... 313
Planning UFS File Systems ........................................................................................................ 314
Support of Multiterabyte UFS File Systems ............................................................................ 314
UFS Logging ............................................................................................................................... 316
UFS Snapshots ............................................................................................................................ 318
UFS Direct Input/Output (I/O) ............................................................................................... 318
Overview of Mounting and Unmounting File Systems ................................................................ 319
The Mounted File System Table ............................................................................................... 320
The Virtual File System Table ................................................................................................... 321
The NFS Environment .............................................................................................................. 322
Automounting (autofs) ............................................................................................................. 323
Determining a File System's Type ................................................................................................... 324
How to Determine a File System's Type .................................................................................. 324
17 Creating and Mounting File Systems (Tasks) ................................................................................ 327
Creating Oracle Solaris File Systems ............................................................................................... 327
Creating ZFS File Systems ......................................................................................................... 327
Creating UFS File Systems ........................................................................................................ 328
Creating a Temporary File System ........................................................................................... 329
Creating a LOFS File System ..................................................................................................... 329
Mounting and Unmounting Oracle Solaris File Systems ............................................................. 329
Field Descriptions for the /etc/vfstab File ........................................................................... 331
Prerequisites for Unmounting Oracle Solaris File Systems .................................................. 333
Creating and Mounting Oracle Solaris File Systems ..................................................................... 333
▼ How to Create an ZFS File System ........................................................................................... 333
▼ How to Create and Mount a UFS File System ......................................................................... 334
▼ How to Create a Multiterabyte UFS File System .................................................................... 335
▼ How to Expand a Multiterabyte UFS File System .................................................................. 336
▼ How to Expand a UFS File System to a Multiterabyte UFS File System .............................. 337
Troubleshooting Multiterabyte UFS File System Problems ................................................. 338
▼ How to Create and Mount a TMPFS File System ................................................................... 339
▼ How to Create and Mount an LOFS File System .................................................................... 340
▼ How to Add an Entry to the /etc/vfstab File ....................................................................... 341
▼ How to Mount a File System (/etc/vfstab File) ................................................................... 342
▼ How to Mount a UFS File System (mount Command) .......................................................... 343
▼ How to Mount a UFS File System Without Large Files (mount Command) ....................... 344
▼ How to Mount an NFS File System (mount Command) ........................................................ 345
▼ x86: How to Mount a PCFS (DOS) File System From a Hard Disk (mount Command) ... 345
▼ How to Stop All Processes Accessing a File System ............................................................... 346
▼ How to Unmount a File System ................................................................................................ 347
18 Using The CacheFS File System (Tasks) .......................................................................................... 349
High-Level View of Using the CacheFS File System (Task Map) ................................................ 349
Overview of the CacheFS File System ............................................................................................. 350
How a CacheFS File System Works ......................................................................................... 350
CacheFS File System Structure and Behavior ......................................................................... 351
Creating and Mounting a CacheFS File System (Task Map) ........................................................ 352
▼ How to Create the Cache ........................................................................................................... 353
Mounting a File System in the Cache ....................................................................................... 353
▼ How to Mount a CacheFS File System (mount) ...................................................................... 354
▼ How to Mount a CacheFS File System (/etc/vfstab) .......................................................... 356
▼ How to Mount a CacheFS File System (autofs) ...................................................................... 356
Maintaining a CacheFS File System (Task Map) ........................................................................... 357
Maintaining a CacheFS File System ................................................................................................ 358
Modifying a CacheFS File System ............................................................................................ 358
▼ How to Display Information About a CacheFS File System ................................................. 359
Consistency Checking of a CacheFS File System ................................................................... 359
▼ How to Specify Cache Consistency Checking on Demand ................................................... 360
▼ How to Delete a CacheFS File System ...................................................................................... 360
▼ How to Check the Integrity of a CacheFS File System ........................................................... 361
Packing a Cached File System (Task Map) ..................................................................................... 362
Packing a CacheFS File System ........................................................................................................ 363
▼ How to Pack Files in the Cache ................................................................................................. 363
▼ How to Display Packed Files Information .............................................................................. 364
Using Packing Lists .................................................................................................................... 365
▼ How to Create a Packing List .................................................................................................... 366
▼ How to Pack Files in the Cache With a Packing List .............................................................. 366
Unpacking Files or Packing Lists From the Cache ................................................................. 367
▼ How to Unpack Files or Packing Lists From the Cache ......................................................... 367
Troubleshooting cachefspack Errors .................................................................................... 368
Collecting CacheFS Statistics (Task Map) ...................................................................................... 371
Collecting CacheFS Statistics ........................................................................................................... 372
▼ How to Set Up CacheFS Logging ............................................................................................. 373
▼ How to Locate the CacheFS Log File ........................................................................................ 373
How to Stop CacheFS Logging ................................................................................................. 374
▼ How to View the Working Set (Cache) Size ............................................................................ 374
Viewing CacheFS Statistics ....................................................................................................... 375
▼ How to View CacheFS Statistics ............................................................................................... 376
19 Configuring Additional Swap Space (Tasks) ................................................................................. 377
About Swap Space ............................................................................................................................. 377
Swap Space and Virtual Memory ............................................................................................. 378
Swap Space and the TMPFS File System ................................................................................. 378
Swap Space as a Dump Device .................................................................................................. 379
Swap Space and Dynamic Reconfiguration ............................................................................ 379
Configuring Swap Space in a SAN Environment ................................................................... 380
How Do I Know If I Need More Swap Space? ................................................................................ 380
Swap-Related Error Messages .................................................................................................. 380
TMPFS-Related Error Messages .............................................................................................. 381
How Swap Space Is Allocated ........................................................................................................... 381
Swap Areas and the /etc/vfstab File ..................................................................................... 381
Planning for Swap Space ................................................................................................................... 382
Allocating Swap Space for UFS-Based Systems ...................................................................... 383
Allocating Swap Space for ZFS-Based Systems ...................................................................... 383
Monitoring Swap Resources ............................................................................................................ 384
Adding More Swap Space ................................................................................................................. 385
Creating a Swap File in a UFS Root Environment ................................................................. 385
▼ How to Create a Swap File and Make It Available in UFS Root Environment .................... 386
Adding or Changing Swap Space in an Oracle Solaris ZFS Root Environment ......................... 387
▼ How to Add Swap Space in an Oracle Solaris ZFS Root Environment ................................ 388
Removing a Swap File From Use ..................................................................................................... 388
▼ How to Remove Unneeded Swap Space in UFS Root Environment .................................... 389
▼ How to Remove a Swap Volume in a ZFS Root Environment .............................................. 389
20 Checking UFS File System Consistency (Tasks) ............................................................................. 391
UFS File System Consistency ........................................................................................................... 392
How the UFS File System State Is Recorded ................................................................................... 392
What the fsck Command Checks and Tries to Repair ................................................................. 393
Why UFS File System Inconsistencies Might Occur ............................................................. 393
UFS Components That Are Checked for Consistency .......................................................... 394
fsck Summary Message ............................................................................................................ 399
Interactively Checking and Repairing a UFS File System ............................................................. 399
▼ How to Check the UFS root (/), /usr, or /var File Systems From an Alternate Boot
Device .......................................................................................................................................... 400
▼ How to Check Other UFS File Systems (Not root (/), /usr, or /var) ................................. 402
Preening UFS File Systems ........................................................................................................ 404
▼ How to Preen a UFS File System ............................................................................................... 404
Fixing a UFS File System That the fsck Command Cannot Repair .................................... 405
Restoring a Bad UFS Superblock ..................................................................................................... 406
▼ How to Restore a Bad UFS Superblock (Solaris 10 6/06 Release) ......................................... 406
▼ How to Restore a Bad Superblock (Solaris 8, 9, and 10 Releases) ......................................... 409
Syntax and Options for the fsck Command .................................................................................. 411
21 UFS File System (Reference) .............................................................................................................413
Structure of Cylinder Groups for UFS File Systems ...................................................................... 413
Boot Block ................................................................................................................................... 414
Superblock .................................................................................................................................. 414
Inodes .......................................................................................................................................... 414
Data Blocks ................................................................................................................................. 415
Free Blocks .................................................................................................................................. 416
Customizing UFS File System Parameters ..................................................................................... 416
Logical Block Size ....................................................................................................................... 417
Fragment Size ............................................................................................................................. 417
Minimum Free Space ................................................................................................................. 418
Rotational Delay ......................................................................................................................... 418
Optimization Type ..................................................................................................................... 418
Number of Inodes (Files) .......................................................................................................... 419
Maximum UFS File and File System Size ................................................................................ 419
Maximum Number of UFS Subdirectories ............................................................................. 419
22 Backing Up and Restoring UFS File Systems (Overview) ............................................................ 421
Where to Find UFS Backup and Restore Tasks ............................................................................. 421
Introduction to Backing Up and Restoring UFS File Systems ..................................................... 422
Why You Should Back Up File Systems .................................................................................. 422
Planning Which UFS File Systems to Back Up ....................................................................... 423
Choosing the Type of Backup ................................................................................................... 424
Choosing a Tape Device ............................................................................................................ 425
High-Level View of Backing Up and Restoring UFS File Systems (Task Map) ......................... 426
Considerations for Scheduling Backups ................................................................................. 427
Guidelines for Scheduling Backups ......................................................................................... 428
Using Dump Levels to Create Incremental Backups ............................................................. 429
Sample Backup Schedules ......................................................................................................... 430
23 Backing Up UFS Files and File Systems (Tasks) ............................................................................. 437
Backing Up UFS Files and File System (Task Map) ....................................................................... 437
Preparing for File System Backups .................................................................................................. 438
▼ How to Find UFS File System Names ...................................................................................... 438
▼ How to Determine the Number of Tapes Needed for a Full Backup ................................... 439
Backing Up a UFS File System ......................................................................................................... 439
▼ How to Back Up a UFS File System to Tape ............................................................................ 440
24 Using UFS Snapshots (Tasks) ...........................................................................................................447
Using UFS Snapshots (Task Map) ................................................................................................... 447
UFS Snapshots Overview ................................................................................................................. 448
Why Use UFS Snapshots? ......................................................................................................... 448
UFS Snapshots Performance Issues ......................................................................................... 449
Creating and Deleting UFS Snapshots ............................................................................................ 449
Creating a Multiterabyte UFS Snapshot .................................................................................. 450
▼ How to Create a UFS Snapshot ................................................................................................. 451
▼ How to Display UFS Snapshot Information ........................................................................... 452
Deleting a UFS Snapshot ........................................................................................................... 453
▼ How to Delete a UFS Snapshot ................................................................................................. 453
Backing Up a UFS Snapshot ............................................................................................................. 454
▼ How to Create a Full Backup of a UFS Snapshot (ufsdump) ................................................. 454
▼ How to Create an Incremental Backup of a UFS Snapshot (ufsdump) ................................ 455
▼ How to Back Up a UFS Snapshot (tar) ................................................................................... 456
Restoring Data From a UFS Snapshot Backup ....................................................................... 456
25 Restoring UFS Files and File Systems (Tasks) ................................................................................ 457
Restoring UFS Files and File System Backups (Task Map) ........................................................... 457
Preparing to Restore UFS Files and File Systems ........................................................................... 458
Determining the UFS File System Name ................................................................................. 458
Determining the Type of Tape Device You Need .................................................................. 458
Determining the Tape Device Name ....................................................................................... 459
Restoring UFS Files and File Systems .............................................................................................. 459
▼ How to Determine Which Tapes to Use .................................................................................. 459
▼ How to Restore UFS Files Interactively ................................................................................... 460
▼ How to Restore Specific UFS Files Noninteractively ............................................................. 463
▼ How to Restore a Complete UFS File System ......................................................................... 464
▼ How to Restore a UFS root (/) and /usr File System ............................................................. 468
26 UFS Backup and Restore Commands (Reference) ........................................................................ 471
How the ufsdump Command Works ............................................................................................... 471
Determining Device Characteristics ....................................................................................... 471
Detecting the End of Media ...................................................................................................... 472
Copying Data With the ufsdump Command .......................................................................... 472
Purpose of the /etc/dumpdates File ....................................................................................... 472
Backup Device (dump-file) Argument .................................................................................... 473
Specifying Files to Back Up ....................................................................................................... 474
Specifying Tape Characteristics ............................................................................................... 475
Limitations of the ufsdump Command .................................................................................... 475
Specifying ufsdump Command Options and Arguments ............................................................. 475
Default ufsdump Options .......................................................................................................... 476
The ufsdump Command and Security Issues ................................................................................. 476
Specifying ufsrestore Options and Arguments .......................................................................... 476
27 Copying Files and File Systems (Tasks) .......................................................................................... 477
Commands for Copying File Systems ............................................................................................. 477
Copying File Systems Between Disks .............................................................................................. 480
Making a Literal File System Copy ........................................................................................... 480
▼ How to Copy a Disk (dd) ........................................................................................................... 480
Copying Directories Between File Systems (cpio Command) .................................................... 483
▼ How to Copy Directories Between File Systems (cpio) ........................................................ 484
Copying Files and File Systems to Tape .......................................................................................... 485
Copying Files to Tape (tar Command) .......................................................................................... 485
▼ How to Copy Files to a Tape (tar) ........................................................................................... 485
▼ How to List the Files on a Tape (tar) ....................................................................................... 486
▼ How to Retrieve Files From a Tape (tar) ................................................................................ 487
Copying Files to a Tape With the pax Command .......................................................................... 488
▼ How to Copy Files to a Tape (pax) ........................................................................................... 488
Copying Files to Tape With the cpio Command .......................................................................... 489
▼ How to Copy All Files in a Directory to a Tape (cpio) .......................................................... 489
▼ How to List the Files on a Tape (cpio) ..................................................................................... 490
▼ How to Retrieve All Files From a Tape (cpio) ........................................................................ 490
▼ How to Retrieve Specific Files From a Tape (cpio) ................................................................ 491
Copying Files to a Remote Tape Device .......................................................................................... 492
▼ How to Copy Files to a Remote Tape Device (tar and dd) ................................................... 492
▼ How to Extract Files From a Remote Tape Device ................................................................. 494
Copying Files and File Systems to Diskette .................................................................................... 494
What You Should Know When Copying Files to Diskettes .................................................. 495
▼ How to Copy Files to a Single Formatted Diskette (tar) ....................................................... 495
▼ How to List the Files on a Diskette (tar) ................................................................................. 496
▼ How to Retrieve Files From a Diskette (tar) .......................................................................... 496
Archiving Files to Multiple Diskettes ...................................................................................... 497
28 Managing Tape Drives (Tasks) .........................................................................................................499
Choosing Which Media to Use ........................................................................................................ 499
Backup Device Names ...................................................................................................................... 500
Specifying the Rewind Option for a Tape Drive ..................................................................... 501
Specifying Different Densities for a Tape Drive ..................................................................... 502
Displaying Tape Drive Status ........................................................................................................... 502
▼ How to Display Tape Drive Status ........................................................................................... 502
Handling Magnetic Tape Cartridges ............................................................................................... 503
Retensioning a Magnetic Tape Cartridge ................................................................................ 503
Rewinding a Magnetic Tape Cartridge .................................................................................... 504
Guidelines for Drive Maintenance and Media Handling ............................................................. 504
Index ................................................................................................................................................... 505
System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems is part of a set that includes a significant
part of the Oracle Solaris system administration information. This guide contains information
for both SPARC based and x86 based systems.
This book assumes you have completed the following tasks:
■ Installed the SunOS 5.10 Operating System
■ Set up all the networking software that you plan to use
For the Oracle Solaris 10 releases, new features of interest to system administrators are covered
in sections called What's New in ... ? in the appropriate chapters.
Note – This Oracle Solaris release supports systems that use the SPARC and x86 families of
processor architectures. The supported systems appear in the Oracle Solaris Hardware
Compatibility List at http://www.oracle.com/webfolder/technetwork/hcl/index.html. This
document cites any implementation differences between the platform types.
In this document these x86 terms mean the following:
■ "x86" refers to the larger family of 64-bit and 32-bit x86 compatible products.
■ "x64" relates specifically to 64-bit compatible CPUs.
■ "32-bit x86" points out specific 32-bit information about x86 based systems.
Note – Oracle is not responsible for the availability of third-party web sites mentioned in this
document. Oracle does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for any content, advertising,
products, or other materials that are available on or through such sites or resources. Oracle will
not be responsible or liable for any actual or alleged damage or loss caused by or in connection
with the use of or reliance on any such content, goods, or services that are available on or
through such sites or resources.
Who Should Use This Book
This book is intended for anyone responsible for administering one or more systems running
the Oracle Solaris 10 release. To use this book, you should have 1–2 years of UNIX system
administration experience. Attending UNIX system administration training courses might be
helpful.
How the System Administration Guides Are Organized
Here is a list of the topics that are covered by the System Administration Guides.
Book Title Topics
System Administration Guide: Basic Administration User accounts and groups, server and client support, shutting
down and booting a system, and managing services
System Administration Guide: Advanced Administration Terminals and modems, system resources (disk quotas,
accounting, and crontabs), system processes, and troubleshooting
Oracle Solaris software problems
System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems Removable media, disks and devices, file systems, and backing up
and restoring data
System Administration Guide: IP Services TCP/IP network administration, IPv4 and IPv6 address
administration, DHCP, IPsec, IKE, IP filter, Mobile IP, IP network
multipathing (IPMP), and IPQoS
System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services DNS, NIS, and LDAP naming and directory services, including
(DNS, NIS, and LDAP) transitioning from NIS to LDAP and transitioning from NIS+ to
System Administration Guide: Naming and Directory Services NIS+ naming and directory services
(NIS+)
System Administration Guide: Network Services Web cache servers, time-related services, network file systems
(NFS and autofs), mail, SLP, and PPP
System Administration Guide: Printing Printing topics and tasks, using services, tools, protocols, and
technologies to set up and administer printing services and
System Administration Guide: Security Services Auditing, device management, file security, BART, Kerberos
services, PAM, Oracle Solaris Cryptographic Framework,
privileges, RBAC, SASL, and Oracle Solaris Secure Shell
System Administration Guide: Oracle Solaris Containers-Resource Resource management topics projects and tasks, extended
Management and Oracle Solaris Zones accounting, resource controls, fair share scheduler (FSS), physical
memory control using the resource capping daemon (rcapd), and
resource pools; virtualization using Solaris Zones software
partitioning technology and lx branded zones
Oracle Solaris ZFS Administration Guide ZFS storage pool and file system creation and management,
snapshots, clones, backups, using access control lists (ACLs) to
protect ZFS files, using ZFS on a Solaris system with zones
installed, emulated volumes, and troubleshooting and data
Trusted Extensions Administrator's Procedures
Trusted Extensions Configuration Guide Starting with the Solaris 10 5/08 release, describes how to plan for,
enable, and initially configure the Oracle Solaris' Trusted
Extensions feature
Access to Oracle Support
Oracle customers have access to electronic support through My Oracle Support. For
information, visit http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=info or visit
http://www.oracle.com/pls/topic/lookup?ctx=acc&id=trs if you are hearing impaired.
What Typographic Conventions Mean
The following table describes the typographic conventions used in this book.
TABLE P–1 Typographic Conventions
Typeface or Symbol Meaning Example
AaBbCc123 The names of commands, files, and directories; Edit your .login file.
on screen computer output
Use ls -a to list all files.
machine_name% you have mail.
AaBbCc123 What you type, contrasted with on screen machine_name% su
computer output Password:
AaBbCc123 Command-line placeholder: replace with a real To delete a file, type rm filename.
name or value
TABLE P–1 Typographic Conventions (Continued)
AaBbCc123 Book titles, new words or terms, or words to be Read Chapter 6 in User's Guide.
emphasized
These are called class options.
Do not save changes yet.
Shell Prompts in Command Examples
The following table shows the default system prompt and superuser prompt for the C shell,
Bourne shell, and Korn shell.
TABLE P–2 Shell Prompts
Shell Prompt
C shell prompt machine_name%
C shell superuser prompt machine_name#
Bourne shell and Korn shell prompt $
Bourne shell and Korn shell superuser prompt #
C H A P T E R 1
Managing Removable Media (Overview)
This chapter provides general guidelines for managing removable media in the Oracle Solaris
This is a list of the overview information in this chapter.
■ "What's New in Removable Media?" on page 25
■ "Where to Find Managing Removable Media Tasks" on page 27
■ "Removable Media Features and Benefits" on page 27
■ "Comparison of Manual and Automatic Mounting" on page 28
■ "Overview of Accessing Removable Media" on page 28
What's New in Removable Media?
The following section describes new removable media features in the Oracle Solaris release.
■ "vold is Managed by the Service Management Facility (SMF)" on page 25
■ "Improvements to Volume Management (vold)" on page 26
For a complete listing of new Oracle Solaris features and a description of Oracle Solaris releases,
see Oracle Solaris 10 8/11 What's New.
vold is Managed by the Service Management Facility
(SMF)
Solaris 10 1/06: The volume management daemon, vold, is now managed by the Service
Management Facility (SMF). This means you can use the svcadm disable command to disable
the following new volfs service, if appropriate:
# svcadm disable volfs
You can identify the status of the volfs service by using this command:
$ svcs volfs
STATE STIME FMRI
online Sep_29 svc:/system/filesystem/volfs:default
For more information, see smf(5).
You can use the svccfg command to display and to set additional vold properties. For example,
you could temporarily enable vold logging to help troubleshooting a problem. For example:
# svccfg
svc:> select system/filesystem/volfs
svc:/system/filesystem/volfs> setprop vold/log_debuglevel=3
svc:/system/filesystem/volfs> exit
# svcadm enable volfs
You can also use the svccfg command to display a listing of settable vold properties.
svc:> select volfs
svc:/system/filesystem/volfs> listprop vold/*
vold/config_file astring
vold/log_debuglevel count 3
vold/log_file astring
vold/log_nfs_trace boolean false
vold/log_verbose boolean false
vold/root_dir astring
vold/never_writeback_label boolean false
For a description of these properties, see the vold(1M).
Improvements to Volume Management (vold)
Solaris 10 1/06: Removable media management is improved. Previously, vold did not create
device links for removable devices that contain no media. Now, device links are properly
created for devices that contain no media, similar to the following:
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 28 Jun 13 13:09 /vol/dev/aliases/cdrom0 ->
/vol/dev/rdsk/c2t2d0/nomedia
Now, you can use the cdrw and rmformat commands to list devices that have no media when
vold is running.
You can revert back to the previous vold behavior by changing the following support nomedia
entry in the /etc/vold.conf file as follows:
support media
Removable Media Features and Benefits
Then, restart vold. For more information, see vold.conf(4).
In addition, vold is now hot-plug aware. This improvement means that if you insert removable
media, the media is automatically detected and mounted by vold. There should be no need to
restart vold manually to recognize and mount a file system from any removable media device.
If you are using a legacy or non-USB diskette device, then you might need to issue the volcheck
command before vold can recognize the media.
If the media is detected, but for some reason, is unmounted, then you'll need to run the
following commands:
# volrmmount -i rmdisk0
Before you hot-remove a removable media device, eject the media first. For example:
# eject rmdisk0
Where to Find Managing Removable Media Tasks
Use these references to find step-by-step instructions for managing removable media.
Removable Media Management Task For More Information
Access removable media Chapter 3, "Accessing Removable Media (Tasks)"
Format removable media Chapter 2, "Managing Removable Media (Tasks)"
Write data CDs and DVDs and music CDs Chapter 4, "Writing CDs and DVDs (Tasks)"
The Oracle Solaris release gives users and software developers a standard interface for dealing
with removable media. Removable media services provide the following benefits:
■ Automatically mounts removable media. For a comparison of manual and automatic
mounting, see the following section.
■ Enables you to access removable media without having to become superuser.
■ Allows you to give other systems on the network automatic access to any removable media
on your local system. For more information, see Chapter 3, "Accessing Removable Media
(Tasks)."
Chapter 1 • Managing Removable Media (Overview) 27
Comparison of Manual and Automatic Mounting
The following table compares the steps involved in manual mounting (without removable
media services) and automatic mounting (with removable media management) of removable
TABLE 1–1 Comparison of Manual and Automatic Mounting of Removable Media
Steps Manual Mounting Automatic Mounting
1 Insert media. Insert media.
2 Become superuser. For diskettes, use the volcheck command.
3 Determine the location of the media device. Removable media services automatically
perform many of the tasks that are required to
manually mount and work with removable
4 Create a mount point.
5 Make sure you are not in the mount point
directory.
6 Mount the device and use the proper mount
7 Exit the superuser account.
8 Work with files on media. Work with files on media.
9 Become superuser.
10 Unmount the media device.
11 Eject media. Eject media.
12 Exit the superuser account.
Overview of Accessing Removable Media
Essentially, removable media services enable you to access removable media just as manual
mounting does, but more easily and without the need for superuser access.
If your system has more than one type of removable device, see the following table for their
TABLE 1–2 How to Access Data on Removable Media
Access Insert Find the Files Here
Files on the first diskette The diskette and type volcheck on /floppy
the command line
Files on the removable The removable hard disk and type /rmdisk/rmdisk0 or /rmdisk/rmdisk1
hard disk volcheck on the command line
Files on the first CD The CD and wait for a few seconds /cdrom/volume-name
Files on the first DVD The DVD and wait for a few seconds /cdrom/volume-name
TABLE 1–3 Where to Access Removable Media
Access File Systems With This Path Access Raw Data With This Path
/floppy/floppy0 /vol/dev/aliases/floppy0
/cdrom/cdrom0 /vol/dev/aliases/cdrom0
/rmdisk/rmdisk0 or /vol/dev/aliases/rmdisk0 or
/rmdisk/rmdisk1 /vol/dev/aliases/rmdisk1
/pcmem/pcmem0 /vol/dev/aliases/pcmem0
Managing Removable Media (Tasks)
This chapter describes how to manage removable media from the command line in the Oracle
Solaris OS.
For information on the procedures associated with managing removable media, see "Managing
Removable Media (Task Map)" on page 31. For background information on removable media,
see Chapter 1, "Managing Removable Media (Overview)."
Managing Removable Media (Task Map)
The following task map describes the tasks for managing removable media.
Task Description For Instructions
1. Load media. Insert the diskette into the drive and type the "How to Load Removable
volcheck command. Media" on page 33
2. (Optional) Format the Format diskette. "How to Format a Diskette
diskette. (rmformat)" on page 34
3. (Optional) Add a UFS or Add a UFS or PCFS file system to use the "How to Create a File System on
PCFS file system. media for transferring files. Removable Media" on page 35
Add a UFS or UDFS file system to a "How to Create a File System on
DVD-RAM device. a DVD-RAM" on page 37
4. (Optional) Check the Verify the integrity of the file system on the "How to Check a File System on
media. media. Removable Media" on page 38
5. (Optional) Repair bad Repair any bad blocks on the media, if "How to Repair Bad Blocks on
blocks on the media. necessary. Removable Media" on page 38
Formatting Diskettes
6. (Optional) Apply read or Apply read or write protection or password "How to Enable or Disable
write and password protection on the media, if necessary. Write Protection on Removable
protection. Media" on page 39
You can use the rmformat command to format and protect rewritable diskettes. This utility
does not require superuser privilege unless vold is not running. File systems are mounted
automatically. So, you might have to unmount media before you can format it, if the media
contains an existing file system.
The rmformat command has three formatting options:
■ quick – This option formats diskettes without certification or with limited certification of
certain tracks on the media.
■ long – This option completely formats diskettes. For some devices, the use of this option
might include the certification of the whole media by the drive.
■ force – This option formats completely without user confirmation. For diskettes with a
password-protection mechanism, this option clears the password before formatting. This
feature is useful when a password is forgotten. On diskettes without password protection,
this option forces a long format.
Removable Media Hardware Considerations
Keep the following restrictions in mind when working with diskettes:
■ SPARC and x86 UFS formats are different. SPARC uses little-endian bit coding, x86 uses
big-endian. Media formatted for UFS is restricted to the hardware platform on which they
were formatted. So, a diskette formatted for UFS on a SPARC based platform cannot be used
for UFS on an x86 platform. Likewise, a diskette formatted for UFS on an x86 platform
cannot be used on a SPARC platform.
■ A complete format for SunOS file systems consists of the basic "bit" formatting in addition
the structure to support a SunOS file system. A complete format for a DOS file system
consists of the basic "bit" formatting in addition the structure to support either an MS-DOS
or an NEC-DOS file system. The procedures required to prepare a media for each type of file
system are different. Therefore, before you format a diskette, consider which procedure to
follow. For more information, see "Managing Removable Media (Task Map)" on page 31.
Diskette Hardware Considerations
Keep the following in mind when formatting diskettes:
■ For information on diskette names, see Table 3–1.
■ Diskettes that are not named (that is, they have no "label") are assigned the default name of
unnamed_floppy.
floppy.
An Oracle Solaris system can format the following diskette types:
■ UFS
■ MS-DOS or NEC-DOS (PCFS)
■ UDFS
On an Oracle Solaris system (either SPARC or x86), you can format diskettes with the following
densities.
Diskette Size Diskette Density Capacity
3.5" High density (HD) 1.44 MB
3.5" Double density (DD) 720 KB
By default, the diskette drive formats a diskette to a like density. This default means that a 1.44
MB drive attempts to format a diskette for 1.44 MB, regardless of whether the diskette is, in fact,
a 1.44 MB diskette, unless you instruct it otherwise. In other words, a diskette can be formatted
to its capacity or lower, and a drive can format to its capacity or lower.
▼ How to Load Removable Media
For information about removable media hardware considerations, see "Removable Media
Hardware Considerations" on page 32.
1 Insert the media.
2 Ensure that the media is formatted.
If you aren't sure, insert the media and check the status messages in the system console window,
as described in Step 3. If you need to format the media, go to "How to Format a Diskette
(rmformat)" on page 34.
3 (Optional) Notify volume management if you are using a legacy, non-USB diskette device.
$ volcheck -v
Two status messages are possible:
media was found Volume management detected the media and will attempt to mount it
in the directory described in Table 3–1.
Chapter 2 • Managing Removable Media (Tasks) 33
If the media is formatted properly, no error messages appear in the
console.
If the media is not formatted, the "media was found" message is still
displayed. However, error messages similar to the following appear in
the system console window:
fd0: unformatted diskette or no diskette in the drive
fd0: read failed (40 1 0)
fd0: bad format
You must format the media before volume management can mount
it. For more information, see Chapter 2, "Managing Removable
Media (Tasks)."
no media was found Volume management did not detect the media. Ensure that the media
is inserted properly, and run volcheck again. If unsuccessful, check
the media, which could be damaged. You can also try to mount the
media manually.
4 Verify that the media was mounted by listing its contents.
For example, do the following for a diskette:
$ ls /floppy
floppy0 myfiles
Tip – floppy0 is a symbolic link to the actual name of the diskette. In this case, myfiles. If the
diskette has no name but is formatted correctly, the system refers to it as unnamed_floppy.
If nothing appears under the /floppy directory, the diskette was either not mounted or is not
formatted properly. To find out, run the mount command and look for the line that begins with
/floppy (usually at the end of the listing):
/floppy/name on /vol/dev/diskette0/name
If this line does not appear, the diskette was not mounted. Check the system console window for
error messages.
▼ How to Format a Diskette (rmformat)
You can use the rmformat command to format a diskette. By default, this command creates two
partitions on the media: partition 0 and partition 2 (the whole media).
1 Verify that removable media service is running. If so, you can use the shorter nickname for the
device name.
online 10:39:12 svc:/system/filesystem/volfs:default
For information on restarting removable media services, see "How to Disable or Enable
Removable Media Services" on page 43. For information on identifying media device names,
see "Using Removable Media Names" on page 42.
2 Format the diskette.
$ rmformat -F [ quick | long | force ] device-name
See "Formatting Diskettes" on page 32 for more information on rmformat formatting options.
If the rmformat output indicates bad blocks, see "How to Repair Bad Blocks on Removable
Media" on page 38.
3 (Optional) Label the diskette with an 8-character label.
$ rmformat -b label device-name
For information on creating a DOS label, see mkfs_pcfs(1M).
Example 2–1 Formatting a Diskette
This example shows how to format a diskette.
$ rmformat -F quick /dev/rdiskette
Formatting will erase all the data on disk.
Do you want to continue? (y/n) y
▼ How to Create a File System on Removable Media
1 (Optional) Format the diskette.
$ rmformat -F quick device-name
2 (Optional) Create an alternate Solaris partition table.
$ rmformat -s slice-file device-name
A sample slice file appears similar to the following:
slices: 0 = 0, 30MB, "wm", "home" :
1 = 30MB, 51MB :
2 = 0, 94MB, "wm", "backup" :
6 = 81MB, 13MB
4 Determine the appropriate file system type and select one of the following:
■ Create a UFS file system. For example:
# newfs /vol/dev/aliases/floppy0
■ Create a PCFS file system. For example:
# mkfs -F pcfs /dev/rdsk/c0t4d0s2:c
■ Create a UDFS file system. For example:
# mkfs -F udfs /dev/rdsk/c0t1d0s1
Example 2–2 Formatting a Diskette for a UFS File System
The following example shows how to format a diskette and create a UFS file system on the
diskette.
$ rmformat -F quick /vol/dev/aliases/floppy0
# /usr/sbin/newfs /vol/dev/aliases/floppy0
newfs: construct a new file system /dev/rdiskette: (y/n)? y
/dev/rdiskette: 2880 sectors in 80 cylinders of 2 tracks, 18 sectors
1.4MB in 5 cyl groups (16 c/g, 0.28MB/g, 128 i/g)
super-block backups (for fsck -F ufs -o b=#) at:
32, 640, 1184, 1792, 2336,
Do you want to continue? (y/n)y
# /usr/sbin/newfs /dev/rdiskette
Example 2–3 Formatting a Diskette for a PCFS File System
This example shows how to create a PCFS file system with an alternate fdisk partition. In these
examples, vold is not running.
$ rmformat -F quick /dev/rdsk/c0t4d0s2:c
# fdisk /dev/rdsk/c0t4d0s2:c
Construct a new FAT file system on /dev/rdsk/c0t4d0s2:c: (y/n)? y
This example shows how to create a PCFS file system without an fdisk partition.
# mkfs -F pcfs -o nofdisk,size=2 /dev/rdiskette
Construct a new FAT file system on /dev/rdiskette: (y/n)? y
▼ How to Create a File System on a DVD-RAM
Currently, vold doesn't support DVD-RAM devices. So, if you disable vold to use a DVD-RAM
device, you cannot use CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW devices
because vold is not available during the time that it is disabled.
2 Stop vold.
3 Create a file system on the DVD-RAM device.
# newfs /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0s2
4 Mount the file system.
■ Mount a UFS file system. For example:
# mount -F ufs /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s2 /mnt
■ Mount a UDFS file system. For example:
# mount -F udfs /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s2 /mnt
5 Verify that you can read or write to the file system.
6 When finished, eject the DVD-RAM.
7 Restart vold.
▼ How to Check a File System on Removable Media
2 Identify the file system type and select one of the following:
■ Check a UFS file system.
# fsck -F ufs device-name
■ Check a UDFS file system.
# fsck -F udfs device-name
■ Check a PCFS file system.
# fsck -F pcfs device-name
Example 2–4 Checking a PCFS File System on Removable Media
The following example shows how check the consistency of a PCFS file system on media. In this
example, vold is not running.
# fsck -F pcfs /dev/rdsk/c0t4d0s2
** /dev/rdsk/c0t4d0s2
** Scanning file system meta-data
** Correcting any meta-data discrepancies
1457664 bytes.
0 bytes in bad sectors.
0 bytes in 0 directories.
0 bytes in 0 files.
1457664 bytes free.
512 bytes per allocation unit.
2847 total allocation units.
2847 available allocation units.
▼ How to Repair Bad Blocks on Removable Media
You can only use the rmformat command to verify, analyze, and repair bad sectors that are
found during verification if the drive supports bad block management. Most diskettes and USB
memory sticks do not support bad block management.
If the drive supports bad block management, a best effort is made to rectify the bad block. If the
bad block cannot be rectified despite the best effort mechanism, a message indicates the failure
to repair the media.
1 Repair bad blocks on removable media.
$ rmformat -c block-numbers device-name
Supply the block number in decimal, octal, or hexadecimal format from a previous rmformat
2 Verify the media.
$ rmformat -V read device-name
Applying Read or Write Protection and Password
Protection to Removable Media
You can apply read protection or write protection, and set a password, on removable media that
support this feature.
▼ How to Enable or Disable Write Protection on
1 Determine whether you want to enable or disable write protection and select one of the
■ Enable write protection.
$ rmformat -w enable device-name
■ Disable write protection.
$ rmformat -w disable device-name
2 Verify whether the media's write protection is enabled or disabled.
$ rmformat -p device-name
▼ How to Enable or Disable Read or Write Protection and
Set a Password on Removable Media
You can apply a password with a maximum of 32 characters for removable media that support
this feature.
You will receive a warning message if you attempt to apply a password on media that does not
1 Determine whether you want to enable or disable read protection or write protection and set a
password. Select one of the following:
■ Enable read protection or write protection.
Please enter password (32 chars maximum): xxx
Please reenter password:
$ rmformat -R enable device-name
■ Disable read protection or write protection and remove the password.
$ rmformat -R disable device-name
2 Verify whether the media's read protection or write protection is enabled or disabled.
Example 2–5 Enabling or Disabling Read or Write Protection and Password Protection
This example shows how to enable write protection and set a password on a diskette.
$ rmformat -W enable /vol/dev/aliases/floppy0
Please reenter password: xxx
This example shows to disable read protection and remove the password on a diskette.
$ rmformat -R disable /vol/dev/aliases/floppy0
Accessing Removable Media (Tasks)
This chapter describes how to access removable media from the command line in the Oracle
For information on the procedures associated with accessing removable media, see the
■ "Accessing Removable Media (Task Map)" on page 41
■ "Accessing Removable Media on a Remote System (Task Map)" on page 46
For background information on removable media, see Chapter 1, "Managing Removable Media
(Overview)."
Accessing Removable Media (Task Map)
The following task map describes the tasks for accessing removable media.
1. (Optional) Add the removable Add the removable media drive to "How to Add a New Removable
media drive. your system, if necessary. Media Drive" on page 43
2. (Optional) Decide whether you Volume management (vold) runs "How to Disable or Enable
want to use removable media with by default. Decide whether you Removable Media Services" on
or without volume management want to use removable media with page 43
(vold). or without volume management.
3. Access removable media. Access different kinds of removable "How to Access Information on
media with or without volume Removable Media" on page 44
management running.
4. (Optional) Copy files or Copy files or directories from the "How to Copy Information From
directories. media as you would from any other Removable Media" on page 45
location in the file system.
Accessing Removable Media
5. Find out if the media is still in Before ejecting the media, find out "How to Determine If Removable
use. if it is still in use. Media Is Still in Use" on page 45
6. Eject the media. When you finish, eject the media "How to Eject Removable Media"
from the drive. on page 46
You can access information on removable media with or without using volume management.
For information on accessing information on removable media with GNOME's File Manager,
see the GNOME desktop documentation.
Volume management (vold) actively manages all removable media devices. So, any attempt to
access removable media with device names such as /dev/rdsk/cntndnsn or
/dev/dsk/cntndnsn will be unsuccessful.
Using Removable Media Names
You can access all removable media with different names. The following table describes the
different media names that can be accessed with or without volume management.
TABLE 3–1 Removable Media Names
Volume Management Device
Media Name Volume Management Device Alias Name Device Name
First diskette /floppy /vol/dev/aliases/floppy0 /dev/rdiskette
/vol/dev/rdiskette0/
volume-name
First, second, /cdrom0 /vol/dev/aliases/cdrom0 /vol/dev/rdsk/cntn[dn]/
third CD-ROM or
/cdrom1 /vol/dev/aliases/cdrom1 volume-name
drives /cdrom2 /vol/dev/aliases/cdrom2
USB memory /rmdisk/noname /vol/dev/aliases/rmdisk0 /vol/dev/dsk/cntndn/volume-name:c
Guidelines for Accessing Removable Media Data
Most CDs and DVDs are formatted to the ISO 9660 standard, which is portable. So, most CDs
and DVDs can be mounted by volume management. However, CDs or DVDs with UFS file
systems are not portable between architectures. So, they must be used on the architecture for
which they were designed.
For example, a CD or DVD with a UFS file system for a SPARC platform cannot be recognized
by an x86 platform. Likewise, an x86 UFS CD cannot be mounted by volume management on a
SPARC platform. The same limitation generally applies to diskettes. However, some
architectures share the same bit structure, so occasionally a UFS format specific to one
architecture will be recognized by another architecture. Still, the UFS file system structure was
not designed to guarantee this compatibility.
To accommodate the different formats, the CD or DVD is split into slices. Slices are similar in
effect to partitions on hard disks. The 9660 portion is portable, but the UFS portion is
architecture-specific. If you are having trouble mounting a CD or DVD, particularly if it is an
installation CD or DVD, make sure that its UFS file system is appropriate for your system's
architecture. For example, you can check the label on the CD or DVD.
▼ How to Add a New Removable Media Drive
Generally, most modern bus types support hot-plugging. This means you can insert a disk in an
empty slot and the system recognizes it.
For more information about hot-plugging devices, see Chapter 6, "Dynamically Configuring
Devices (Tasks)."
2 Connect the new media drive.
See your hardware handbook for specific instructions.
3 Confirm that the system sees the new media drive.
# rmformat
Looking for devices...
▼ How to Disable or Enable Removable Media Services
Occasionally, you might want to manage media without using removable media services. This
section describes how to disable and enable removable media services.
Disabling these services means that you would have to mount all media manually by using the
mount command.
Chapter 3 • Accessing Removable Media (Tasks) 43
1 Ensure that the media is not being used.
If you are not sure whether you have found all users of the media, use the fuser command, see
"How to Determine If Removable Media Is Still in Use" on page 45.
3 Select one of the following:
■ Disable removable media services.
■ Enable removable media services.
volume management starting.
▼ How to Access Information on Removable Media
The media is mounted after a few seconds.
2 List the contents of the media.
% ls /media
Use the appropriate device name to access information by using the command-line interface.
See Table 3–1 for an explanation of device names.
Example 3–1 Accessing Information on Removable Media
This example shows how to access information on a diskette.
myfile
This example shows how to access information on a USB memory stick.
$ ls /rmdisk
rmdisk0/ rmdisk1/
This example shows how to access information on a DVD.
$ ls /cdrom
cdrom0 sol_10_910_sparc
▼ How to Copy Information From Removable Media
You can access files and directories on removable media as with any other file system. The only
significant restrictions are related to ownership and permissions.
For instance, if you copy a file from a DVD into your file system, you are the owner. However,
you won't have write permissions because the file on the DVD never had them. You must
change the permissions yourself.
1 Ensure that the media is mounted.
$ ls /media
The ls command displays the contents of a mounted media. If no contents are displayed, see
"How to Access Information on Removable Media" on page 44.
2 (Optional) Copy the files or directories.
For example, for a DVD, you would do the following:
$ cp /cdrom/sol_10_910_sparc/Solaris_10/Tools/add_install_client .
$ ls -l
-rwxr-xr-x 1 pmorph gelfs 64065 Jul 12 2010 add_install_client
▼ How to Determine If Removable Media Is Still in Use
2 Identify the processes that are accessing the media.
# fuser -u /media
The -u displays the user of the media.
For more information, see fuser(1M).
3 (Optional) Kill the process accessing the media.
# fuser -u -k /media
The -k kills the processes accessing the media.
Caution – Killing the processes that are accessing the media should only be used in emergency
4 Verify that the process is gone.
# pgrep process-ID
Accessing Removable Media on a Remote System (Task Map)
Example 3–2 Determining If the Media Is Still in Use
The following example shows that the user pmorph, is accessing the
/cdrom/sol_10_910_sparc/Solaris_10/Tools directory.
# fuser -u /cdrom/sol_10_910_sparc/Solaris_10/Tools
/cdrom/sol_910_sparc/Solaris_10/Tools: 902c(pmorph) 339c(pmorph)
▼ How to Eject Removable Media
Remember, media is "being used" if a shell or an application is accessing any of its files or
directories. If you are not sure whether you have found all users of a DVD (for example, a shell
hidden behind a desktop tool might be accessing it), use the fuser command. See "How to
Determine If Removable Media Is Still in Use" on page 45.
2 Eject the media.
# eject media
# eject cdrom
For example, for a USB memory stick, you would do the following:
Tip – You can view the removable device name with the eject -l command.
The following task map describes the tasks need to access removable media on a remote system.
1. Make local media available to configure your system to share its "How to Make Local Media
remote systems. media drives to make any media in Available to Other Systems" on
those drives available to other page 47
2. Access removable media on Access the remote media on the "How to Access Information on
remote systems. local system. Removable Media" on page 44
▼ How to Make Local Media Available to Other Systems
You can configure your system to share its media drives to make any media in those drives
available to other systems. One exception is musical CDs. Once your media drives are shared,
other systems can access the media they contain simply by mounting them. For instructions, see
"How to Access Removable Media on Remote Systems" on page 48.
2 Confirm that the media is loaded.
3 Add the following entry to the /etc/dfs/dfstab file.
share -F nfs -o ro /cdrom/sol_10_910_sparc
4 Determine whether the NFS server service is running.
# svcs *nfs*
The following output is returned from the svcs command if NFS server service is running:
online 14:28:43 svc:/network/nfs/server:default
5 Identify the NFS server status, and select one of the following:
■ If the NFS server service is running, go to Step 7.
■ If the NFS server service is not running, go to the next step.
6 Start the NFS server service.
# svcadm enable network/nfs/server
Verify that the NFS daemons are running.
# svcs -p svc:/network/nfs/server:default
online Aug_30 svc:/network/nfs/server:default
Aug_30 319 mountd
Aug_30 323 nfsd
7 Verify that the media is indeed available to other systems.
If the media is available, its share configuration is displayed.
# share
- /cdrom/sol_10_910_sparc ro ""
Example 3–3 Making Local DVDs or CDs Available to Other Systems
The following example shows how to make any local DVD available to other systems on the
# vi /etc/dfs/dfstab
(Add the following line:)
# share -F nfs -o ro /media
Example 3–4 Making Local Diskettes Available to Other Systems
The following example shows how to make any local diskette available to other systems on the
(Add the following line, for example)
share -F nfs -o ro /floppy/myfiles
# volcheck -v
media was found
- /floppy/myfiles rw ""
▼ How to Access Removable Media on Remote Systems
You can access media on a remote system by manually mounting the media into your file
system. Also, the remote system must have shared its media according to the instructions in
"How to Make Local Media Available to Other Systems" on page 47.
1 Select an existing directory to serve as the mount point. Or create a mount point.
$ mkdir /directory
where /directory is the name of the directory that you create to serve as a mount point for the
remote system's DVD.
2 Find the name of the media you want to mount.
$ showmount -e system-name
3 As superuser, mount the media.
# mount -F nfs -o ro system-name:/media/media-name local-mount-point
system-name: Is the name of the system whose media you will mount.
media-name Is the name of the media you want to mount.
local-mount-point Is the local directory onto which you will mount the remote media.
4 Log out as superuser.
5 Verify that the media has been mounted.
Example 3–5 Accessing DVDs or CDs on Remote Systems
The following example shows how to automatically access the remote DVD named
sol_10_910_sparc from the remote system starbug using autofs.
% showmount -e starbug
export list for starbug:
/cdrom/sol_10_910_sparc (everyone)
$ /net/starbug/cdrom/sol_10_910_sparc
Example 3–6 Accessing Diskettes on Other Systems
The following example shows how to automatically access myfiles from the remote system
mars using autofs.
$ showmount -e mars
$ cd /net/mars
Writing CDs and DVDs (Tasks)
This chapter provides step-by-step instructions for writing and copying data CDs and DVDs
and audio CDs with the cdrw command.
■ "How to Restrict User Access to Removable Media With RBAC" on page 54
■ "How to Identify a CD or DVD Writer" on page 55
■ "How to Check the CD or DVD Media" on page 55
■ "How to Create an ISO 9660 File System for a Data CD or DVD" on page 56
■ "How to Create a Multi-Session Data CD" on page 57
■ "How to Create an Audio CD" on page 59
■ "How to Extract an Audio Track on a CD" on page 60
■ "How to Copy a CD" on page 61
■ "How to Erase CD-RW Media" on page 62
Working With Audio CDs and Data CDs and DVDs
You can use the cdrw command to write file systems for CDs and DVDs in ISO 9660 format
with Rock Ridge or Joliet extensions on CD-R,CD-RW, DVD-RW, or DVD+RW media
You can use the cdrw command to perform the following tasks:
■ Create data CDs and DVDs.
■ Create audio CDs.
■ Extract audio data from an audio CD.
■ Copy CDs and DVDs.
■ Erase CD-RW media.
For information on recommended CD-R or CD-RW devices, go to:
http://www.oracle.com/us/sun/index.html
CD/DVD Media Commonly Used Terms
This section defines commonly used terms related to CD/DVD media.
Term Description
CD-R CD read media that can be written once and after that, can only be
read from.
CD-RW CD rewritable media that can be written to and erased. CD-RW
media can only be read by CD-RW devices.
DVD-R Digital video disk (recordable) that can be written once and after
that, can only be read from. These devices have much larger capacity
than CD-R media.
DVD+R Digital video disk (recordable) that can be written once and after
that, can only be read from. DVD+R devices have more complete
error management system than DVD-R, which allows for more
accurate burning to media, independent of the quality of the media.
DVD-RW Digital video disk (rewritable) with storage capacity equal to a
DVD-R. This media can be re-recorded by first erasing the entire
disk.
DVD+RW Digital video disk (random-access rewritable) with storage capacity
equal to a DVD+R. This medium allows overwriting of individual
blocks without erasing the entire disk.
DVD-RAM Digital video disk (random access memory, rewritable) with circular
rather than spiral tracks and hard sectoring.
ISO 9660 ISO, an acronym for Industry Standards Organization, is an
organization that sets standards for computer storage formats.
An ISO 9660 file system is a standard CD or DVD file system that
enables you to read the same CD or DVD on any major computer
platform. The standard, issued in 1988, was written by an industry
group named High Sierra, named after the High Sierra Hotel in
Nevada. Almost all computers with CD or DVD drives can read files
from an ISO 9660 file system.
Joliet extensions Adds Windows file system information.
Rock Ridge extensions Adds UNIX file system information. (Rock Ridge is named after the
town in the movie Blazing Saddles.)
Note – These extensions are not exclusive. You can specify both
mkisofs -R and -j options for compatibility with both systems. (See
mkisofs(1M) for details.)
Writing CD and DVD Data and Audio CDs
MMC-compliant recorder Acronym for Multi Media Command, which means these recorders
comply with a common command set. Programs that can write to
one MMC-compliant recorder should be able to write to all other
recorders.
Red Book CDDA Acronym for Compact Disc Digital Audio, which is an industry
standard method for storing digital audio on compact discs. Also
known by the term "Red Book" format. The official industry
specification calls for one or more audio files sampled in 16-bit stereo
sound at a sampling rate of 44.1 kilohertz (kHz).
Commonly used terms when writing to CD media are:
blanking The process of erasing data from the CD-RW media.
mkisofs The command to create ISO file system on a CD.
session A complete track with lead-in and lead-out information.
track A complete data or audio unit.
The process of writing to a CD or DVD cannot be interrupted and needs a constant stream of
data. Consider using the cdrw -S option to simulate writing to the media to verify that the
system can provide data at a sufficient rate for writing to the CD or DVD.
Write errors can be caused by one of the following problems:
■ The media cannot handle the drive speed. For example, some media are only certified for 2x
or 4x speeds.
■ The system is running too many heavy processes that are starving the writing process.
■ Network congestion is causing delays in reading the image, and the image is on a remote
■ The source drive is slower than the destination drive.
If any of these problems occur, you can lower the writing speed of the device by using the cdrw
-p option.
For example, the following command shows how to simulate writing at 4x speed:
$ cdrw -iS -p 4 image.iso
Chapter 4 • Writing CDs and DVDs (Tasks) 53
Note – CD-R, CD-RW (not MRW formatted), DVD-R, and DVD-RW media support
simulation mode (-S), but DVD-RAM, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and any MRW-formatted media
and some others do not support simulation mode. The following message is displayed if
simulation mode is not supported:
Media does not support simulated writing
For more information about media types, see "CD/DVD Media Commonly Used Terms" on
page 52.
You can also use the cdrw -C option to use the stated media capacity for copying an 80-minute
CD. Otherwise, the cdrw command uses a default value of 74 minutes for copying an audio CD.
For more information, see cdrw(1).
Restricting User Access to Removable Media With
RBAC
By default, all users can access removable media starting in the Solaris 9 release. However, you
can restrict user access to removable media by setting up a role through role-based access
control (RBAC). Access to removable media is restricted by assigning the role to a limited set of
users.
For a discussion of using roles, see "Role-Based Access Control (Overview)" in System
Administration Guide: Security Services.
▼ How to Restrict User Access to Removable Media With
1 Become superuser or assume an equivalent role.
2 Start the Solaris Management Console.
$ /usr/sadm/bin/smc &
For more information on starting the console, see "Starting the Solaris Management Console"
in System Administration Guide: Basic Administration.
3 Set up a role that includes the Device Management rights.
For more information, see Chapter 9, "Using Role-Based Access Control (Tasks)," in System
# roleadd -m -d /export/home/muser -c "mediauser role" -A solaris.device.cdrw -P All muser
4 Add users who need to use the cdrw command to the newly created role.
# usermod -R muser joe
5 Comment the following line in the /etc/security/policy.conf file:
AUTHS_GRANTED=solaris.device.cdrw
If you do not do this step, all users still have access to the cdrw command, not just the members
of the device management role.
After this file is modified, the device management role members are the only users who can use
the cdrw command. Everyone else is denied access with the following message:
Authorization failed, Cannot access disks.
▼ How to Identify a CD or DVD Writer
1 Identify the CD or DVD writers on the system.
$ cdrw -l
Looking for CD devices...
Node | Connected Device | Device type
----------------------+--------------------------------+-----------------
cdrom0 | YAMAHA CRW8824S 1.0d | CD Reader/Writer
2 Identify a specific CD or DVD writer.
$ cdrw -a filename.wav -d cdrom2
3 Identify whether the media is blank or whether a table of contents exists on the media.
$ cdrw -M
Device : YAMAHA CRW8824S
Firmware : Rev. 1.00 (26/04/00)
Media is blank
▼ How to Check the CD or DVD Media
The cdrw command works with or without removable media services running. For more
information about disabling or enabling removable media services, see "How to Disable or
Enable Removable Media Services" on page 43.
1 Insert a CD or DVD into the drive.
The CD or DVD can be any CD or DVD that the drive can read.
2 Check that the drive is connected properly by listing the drive.
Node Connected Device Device type
3 (Optional) If you do not see the drive in the list, select one of the following so that the system
recognizes the drive.
■ Perform a reconfiguration boot.
# touch /reconfigure
# init 6
■ Add the drive without rebooting the system
# drvconfig
# disks
Then restart removable media services.
Creating a Data CD or DVD
Prepare the data first by using the mkisofs command to convert the file and file information
into the High Sierra format used on CDs or DVDs.
▼ How to Create an ISO 9660 File System for a Data CD or
1 Insert a blank CD or DVD into the drive.
2 Create the ISO 9660 file system on the new CD or DVD.
$ mkisofs -r /pathname > cd-file-system
-r Creates Rock Ridge information and resets file ownerships to zero.
/pathname Identifies the path name used to create the ISO 9660 file system.
> cd-file-system Identifies the name of the file system to be put on the CD or DVD.
3 Copy the file system onto the CD or DVD.
$ cdrw -i cd-file-system
The -i cd-file-system specifies the image file for creating a data CD or DVD.
Example 4–1 Creating an ISO 9660 File System for a Data CD or DVD
The following example shows how to create an ISO 9660 file system for a data CD or DVD.
$ mkisofs -r /home/dubs/ufs_dir > ufs_cd
Total extents actually written = 56
Total translation table size: 0
Total rockridge attributes bytes: 329
Total directory bytes: 0
Path table size(bytes): 10
Max brk space used 8000
56 extents written (0 Mb)
Then, copy the file system onto the CD or DVD.
$ cdrw -i ufs_cd
Initializing device...done.
Writing track 1...done.
Finalizing (Can take several minutes)...done.
▼ How to Create a Multi-Session Data CD
This procedure describes how to put more than one session on a CD. This procedure includes
an example of copying the infoA and infoB directories onto the CD.
1 Create the file system for the first CD session.
$ mkisofs -o infoA -r -V my_infoA /data/infoA
Total rockridge attributes bytes: 24507
Total directory bytes: 34816
Max brk space used 2e000
8929 extents written (17 Mb)
-o infoA Identifies the name of the ISO file system.
-V my_infoA Identifies a volume label to be used as the mount point by removable media
/data/infoA Identifies the ISO image directory to create.
2 Copy the ISO file system for the first session onto the CD.
$ cdrw -iO infoA
-i infoA Identifies the name of the image file to write to the CD.
-O Keeps the CD open for writing.
3 Re-insert the CD after it is ejected.
4 Identify the path name of the CD media to include in the next write session.
$ eject -n
cdrom0 -> /vol/dev/rdsk/c2t4d0/my_infoA
Note the /vol/dev/... path name.
5 Identify the next writeable address on the CD to write the next session.
% cdrw -M /cdrom
Firmware : Rev. 1.0d (06/10/99)
Track No. |Type |Start address
----------+--------+-------------
1 |Audio |0
2 |Audio |33057
3 |Data |60887
Leadout |Data |84218
Last session start address: 75287
Next writable address: 91118
Note the address in the Next writable address output so that you can provide this address
when you write the next session.
6 Create the next ISO file system for the next CD session, and write it onto the CD.
$ mkisofs -o infoB -r -C 0,91118 -M /vol/dev/rdsk/c2t4d0/my_infoA
/data/infoB
Max brk space used 20000
97196 extents written (189 Mb)
-o infoB Identifies the name of the ISO file system.
-r Creates Rock Ridge information and resets file
ownerships to zero.
-C 0,91118 Identifies the starting address of the first session and
the next writable address.
-M /vol/dev/rdsk/c2t4d0/my_infoA Specifies the path of the existing ISO image to be
merged.
/data/infoB Identifies the ISO image directory to create.
Creating an Audio CD
You can use the cdrw command to create audio CDs from individual audio tracks or from .au
and .wav files.
The supported audio formats are describes in the following table:
sun Oracle .au file with data in Red Book CDDA format
wav RIFF (.wav) file with data in Red Book CDDA format
cda .cda file with raw CD audio data, which is 16-bit PCM stereo at 44.1
kHz sample rate in little-endian byte order
aur .aur files with raw CD data in big-endian byte order
If no audio format is specified, the cdrw command tries to determine the audio file format based
on the file extension. The case of the characters in the extension is ignored.
▼ How to Create an Audio CD
This procedure describes how to copy audio files onto a CD.
1 Insert a blank CD into the CD-RW drive.
2 Change to the directory that contains the audio files.
$ cd /myaudiodir
3 Copy the audio files onto the CD.
$ cdrw -a track1.wav track2.wav track3.wav
The -a option creates an audio CD.
Example 4–2 Creating an Audio CD
The following example shows how to create an audio CD.
$ cdrw -a bark.wav chirp.au meow.wav
The following example shows how to create a multisession audio CD. The CD is ejected after
the first session is written. You would need to re-insert the CD before the next writing session.
$ cdrw -aO groucho.wav chico.au harpo.wav
<Re-insert CD>
$ cdrw -a zeppo.au
▼ How to Extract an Audio Track on a CD
Use the following procedure to extract an audio track from a CD and copy the audio track to a
new CD.
If you don't use the cdrw -T option to specify the audio file type, the cdrw command uses the
filename extension to determine the audio file type. For example, the cdrw command detects
that this file is a .wav file.
$ cdrw -x 1 testme.wav
1 Insert an audio CD into the CD-RW drive.
2 Extract an audio track.
$ cdrw -x -T audio-type 1 audio-file
-x Extracts audio data from an audio CD.
T audio-type Identifies the type of audio file to be extracted. Supported audio types are sun,
wav, cda, or aur.
audio-file Identifies the audio track to be extracted.
3 Copy the track to a new CD.
$ cdrw -a audio-file
Example 4–3 Extracting and Creating Audio CDs
The following example shows how to extract the first track from an audio CD and name the file
song1.wav.
$ cdrw -x -T wav 1 song1.wav
Extracting audio from track 1...done.
This example shows how to copy a track to an audio CD.
$ cdrw -a song1.wav
▼ How to Copy a CD
This procedure describes how to extract all the tracks from an audio CD into a directory and
then copy all of them onto a blank CD.
Note – By default, the cdrw command copies the CD into the /tmp directory. The copying might
require up to 700 MB of free space. If there is insufficient space in the /tmp directory for copying
the CD, use the -m option to specify an alternate directory.
1 Insert an audio CD into a CD-RW drive.
2 Create a directory for the audio files.
$ mkdir /music_dir
3 Extract the tracks from the audio CD.
$ cdrw -c -m music_dir
An Extracting audio ... message is display for each track.
The CD is ejected when all the tracks are extracted.
4 Insert a blank CD and press Return.
After the tracks are extracted, the audio CD is ejected. You are prompted to insert a blank CD.
Example 4–4 Copying a CD
This example shows how to copy one CD to another CD. You must have two CD-RW devices to
do this task.
$ cdrw -c -s cdrom0 -d cdrom1
▼ How to Erase CD-RW Media
You have to erase existing CD-RW data before the CD can be rewritten.
● Erase the entire media or just the last session on the CD by selecting one of the following:
■ Erase the last session only.
$ cdrw -d cdrom0 -b session
Erasing just the last session with the -b session option is faster than erasing the entire
media with the -b all option. You can use the -b session option even if you used the cdrw
command to create a data or audio CD in just one session.
■ Erase the entire media.
$ cdrw -d cdrom0 -b all
Managing Devices (Overview/Tasks)
This chapter provides overview information and step-by-step instructions for managing
peripheral devices, such as disks, DVD drives, and tape devices, in the Oracle Solaris release.
■ "What's New in Device Management?" on page 63
■ "Where to Find Device Management Tasks" on page 66
■ "About Device Drivers" on page 68
■ "Automatic Configuration of Devices" on page 68
■ "Displaying Device Configuration Information" on page 70
■ "Accessing Devices" on page 76
This is a list of the step-by-step instructions in this chapter.
■ "How to Display System Configuration Information" on page 71
■ "How to Add a Device Driver" on page 75
■ "How to Add a Peripheral Device" on page 74
Device management in the Oracle Solaris release usually involves adding and removing
peripheral devices from systems, possibly adding a third-party device driver to support a device,
and displaying system configuration information.
What's New in Device Management?
This section provides information about new device management features in the Oracle Solaris
■ "New Hot Plugging Features" on page 64
■ "x86: Device Detection Tool" on page 64
■ "Support for PCI Express (PCIe)" on page 64
■ "USB and 1394 (FireWire) Support Enhancements" on page 65
■ "Improved Device In Use Error Checking" on page 65
New Hot Plugging Features
Oracle Solaris 10 9/10: In this Oracle Solaris release, the hotplug command is available to
manage hot pluggible connections on PCI Express (PCIe) and PCI SHPC (Standard Hot Plug
Controller) devices. This feature is not supported on other bus types, such as USB and SCSI.
You would still use the cfgadm to manage hot pluggible USB and SCSI devices as in previous
Solaris releases. The benefit of using the hotplug features in this release is that in addition to
enable and disable operations, the hotplug command provides offline and online capabilities
for your supported PCI devices.
For more information, see "PCIe Hot-Plugging With the (hotplug) Command" on page 85.
x86: Device Detection Tool
Solaris 10 5/08: You can use the device detection tool to identify whether your x86 hardware is
supported in this Oracle Solaris release. For more information, go to the following site:
http://www.oracle.com/webfolder/technetwork/hcl/hcts/device_detect.jsp
Support for PCI Express (PCIe)
Solaris 10 11/06: This Oracle Solaris release provides support for the PCI Express (PCIe)
interconnect, which is designed to connect peripheral devices to desktop, enterprise, mobile,
communication, and embedded applications, on both SPARC and x86 systems.
The PCIe interconnect is an industry-standard, high-performance, serial I/O bus. For details on
PCIe technology, go to the following site:
http://www.pcisig.com/home
The PCIe software provides the following features in this Oracle Solaris release:
■ Support for extended PCIe configuration space
■ Support for PCIe baseline error handling and MSI interrupts
■ Modified IEEE-1275 properties for PCIe devices
■ PCIe hotplug support (both native and ACPI-based) by enhancing the cfgadm_pci
component of the cfgadm command
■ ATTN Button usage based PCIe peripheral autoconfiguration
The administrative model for hotplugging PCIe peripherals is the same as for PCI peripherals,
which uses the cfgadm command.
Check your hardware platform guide to ensure that PCIe and PCIe hotplug support is provided
on your system. In addition, carefully review the instructions for physically inserting or
removing adapters on your system and the semantics of device auto-configuration, if
applicable.
For information about using the cfgadm command with PCIe peripherals, see "PCI or PCIe
Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command (Task Map)" on page 96.
USB and 1394 (FireWire) Support Enhancements
Solaris 10 6/06: In this Oracle Solaris release, both non-removable USB storage devices and
1394 mass storage devices are identified as hotpluggable devices at the driver level. This new
behavior means that these devices can be connected or disconnected without rebooting the
system and configured or unconfigured automatically without intervention. These changes are
made at the kernel level and do not impact the use of these devices. For example, the
responsibility of mounting and unmounting these devices is controlled by the removable media
management services.
In addition, non-removable USB devices and 1394 mass storage devices can be accessed and
labeled by using the format utility. However, you can override the new hotpluggable behavior
of these devices by setting the remvalue to true in the /kernel/drv/scsa2usb.conf file. Setting
this parameter to true means that the device is treated as a removable media device at the driver
level, if that behavior is preferred.
For more information on using these devices, see scsa1394(7D) and "Using USB Mass Storage
Devices (Task Map)" on page 130.
Improved Device In Use Error Checking
Solaris 10 6/06: This feature was undocumented previously.
The following utilities have been enhanced to detect when a specified device is in use:
■ dumpadm
■ format
■ mkfs and newfs
■ swap
These enhancements mean that the above utilities might detect some of the following usage
■ Device is part of a ZFS storage pool
■ Device is a dump or swap device
■ Mounted file system or an entry for the device exists in the /etc/vfstab file
Chapter 5 • Managing Devices (Overview/Tasks) 65
Where to Find Device Management Tasks
■ Device is part of live upgrade configuration
■ Device is part of a Solaris Volume Manager configuration or Veritas Volume Manager
For example, if you attempt to use the format utility to access an active device, you will see a
message similar to the following:
# format
Specify disk (enter its number): 1
selecting c0t1d0
[disk formatted]
Warning: Current Disk has mounted partitions.
/dev/dsk/c0t1d0s0 is currently mounted on /. Please see umount(1M).
/dev/dsk/c0t1d0s1 is currently used by swap. Please see swap(1M).
However, these utilities do not detect all scenarios in the same way. For example, you can use
the newfs command to create a new file system on a device in a live upgrade configuration. You
cannot use the newfs command to create a new file system on a device that is part of a live
upgrade configuration if it also has a mounted file system.
The following table describes where to find step-by-step instructions for hot-plugging devices
and adding serial devices, such as printers and modems, and peripheral devices, such as a disk,
DVD drive, or tape device.
TABLE 5–1 Where to Find Instructions for Adding a Device
Device Management Task For More Information
Add a disk that is not hot-pluggable. Chapter 12, "SPARC: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)," or Chapter 13,
"x86: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)"
Hot-plug a SCSI or PCI device. "SCSI Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command" on page 87 or
"PCI or PCIe Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command" on
Hot-plug a USB device. "Using USB Mass Storage Devices (Task Map)" on page 130
Add a DVD drive or tape device. "How to Add a Peripheral Device" on page 74
Add a modem. Chapter 1, "Managing Terminals and Modems (Overview)," in
System Administration Guide: Advanced Administration
Add a printer. System Administration Guide: Printing
Managing Devices in the Oracle Solaris OS
TABLE 5–1 Where to Find Instructions for Adding a Device (Continued)
Secure a device. Chapter 4, "Controlling Access to Devices (Tasks)," in System
Administration Guide: Security Services
The following sections provide overview information about features that manage devices in the
Oracle Solaris OS. For information about accessing devices, see "Accessing Devices" on
Power Management of Devices
The United States Environmental Protection Agency created the Energy Star guidelines for
computer products to encourage the use of energy-efficient computer systems and to reduce air
pollution associated with energy generation. To meet these guidelines, Oracle hardware is
designed to use power efficiently. In addition, power management software is provided to
configure the power management settings.
For more information about power managing your system, see your specific hardware
documentation or power.conf(4).
Power Management of Fibre Channel Devices
Power management of Oracle systems has been provided in many previous Oracle Solaris
releases. For example, the internal drives on the following systems are power managed by
■ SunBlade 1000 or 2000
■ SunBlade 100 or 150
The default settings in the /etc/power.conf file ensure Energy Star compliance and fully
support power management of these systems.
The following adapters connect external Fibre Channel storage devices:
■ Oracle's Sun StorEdge PCI Dual Fibre Channel Host Adapter
■ Oracle's Sun StorEdge PCI Single Fibre Channel Network Adapter
If a combination of the above adapters and Oracle systems are used to attach external Fibre
Channel storage devices, the external storage devices will also be power managed by default.
Under the following conditions, power management should be disabled:
■ If the system has Fibre Channel attached disks that are connected to a storage area network
(SAN)
■ If the system has Fibre Channel attached disks that are used in a multi-initiator
configuration, such as with the SunCluster software
■ If the system is using IP over a Fibre Channel interface (see fcip(7D))
Power management should not be enabled when more than one Oracle Solaris system might
share the same devices, as in the above conditions.
You can disable power management for the system by changing the autopm keyword in the
/etc/power.conf file as follows:
autopm disable
Then, reconfigure power management by running the pmconfig command or by rebooting the
For more information, see power.conf(4) and pmconfig(1M).
About Device Drivers
A computer typically uses a wide range of peripheral devices and mass-storage devices. Your
system, for example, probably has a disk drive, a keyboard and a mouse, and some kind of
magnetic backup medium. Other commonly used devices include the following:
■ DVD drives
■ Printers and plotters
■ Light pens
■ Touch-sensitive screens
■ Digitizers
■ Tablet-and-stylus pairs
The Oracle Solaris software does not directly communicate with all these devices. Each type of
device requires different data formats, protocols, and transmission rates.
A device driver is a low-level program that allows the operating system to communicate with a
specific piece of hardware. The driver serves as the operating system's "interpreter" for that
piece of hardware.
Automatic Configuration of Devices
The kernel consists of a small generic core with a platform-specific component and a set of
modules. The kernel is configured automatically in the Oracle Solaris release.
A kernel module is a hardware or software component that is used to perform a specific task on
the system. An example of a loadable kernel module is a device driver that is loaded when the
device is accessed.
The platform-independent kernel is /kernel/genunix. The platform-specific component is
/platform/'uname -m'/kernel/unix.
The kernel modules are described in the following table.
TABLE 5–2 Description of Solaris Kernel Modules
Location Directory Contents
/platform/'uname -m'/kernel Platform-specific kernel components
/kernel Kernel components common to all platforms that are
needed for booting the system
/usr/kernel Kernel components common to all platforms within a
particular instruction set
The system determines what devices are attached to it at boot time. Then, the kernel configures
itself dynamically, loading needed modules into memory. At this time, device drivers are loaded
when devices, such as disk devices and tape devices, are accessed. This process is called
autoconfiguration because all kernel modules are loaded automatically when they are needed.
You can customize the way in which kernel modules are loaded by modifying the /etc/system
file. For instructions on modifying this file, see system(4).
Features and Benefits of Autoconfiguration
The benefits of autoconfiguration are as follows:
■ Main memory is used more efficiently because modules are loaded when needed.
■ There is no need to reconfigure the kernel when new devices are added to the system.
■ Drivers can be loaded and tested without having to rebuild the kernel and reboot the system.
Autoconfiguration is used when you add a new device (and driver) to the system. At this time,
you might need to perform reconfiguration boot so that the system recognizes the new device
unless the device is hot-pluggable. For information about hot-plugging devices, see Chapter 6,
"Dynamically Configuring Devices (Tasks)."
What You Need for Unsupported Devices
Device drivers needed to support a wide range of standard devices are included in the Oracle
Solaris release. These drivers can be found in the /kernel/drv and /platform/'uname
-m'/kernel/drv directories.
However, if you have purchased an unsupported device, the manufacturer should provide the
software that is needed for the device to be properly installed, maintained, and administered.
At a minimum, this software includes a device driver and its associated configuration (.conf)
file. The .conf files reside in the drv directories. This software might also include custom
maintenance and administrative utilities because the device might be incompatible with Oracle
Solaris utilities.
For more information about what you need for unsupported devices, contact your device
Displaying Device Configuration Information
Three commands are used to display system and device configuration information.
Command Description Man Page
prtconf Displays system configuration information, including the total prtconf(1M)
amount of memory and the device configuration as described by the
system's device hierarchy. The output displayed by this command
depends upon the type of system.
sysdef Displays device configuration information, including system sysdef(1M)
hardware, pseudo devices, loadable modules, and selected kernel
parameters.
dmesg Displays system diagnostic messages as well as a list of devices dmesg(1M)
attached to the system since the last reboot.
For information on the device names that are used to identify devices on the system, see "Device
Naming Conventions" on page 77.
driver not attached Message
The following driver-related message might be displayed by the prtconf and sysdef
device, instance #number (driver not attached)
This message does not always mean that a driver is unavailable for this device. This message
means that no driver is currently attached to the device instance because no device exists at this
node or the device is not in use. Drivers are loaded automatically when the device is accessed.
They are unloaded when the device is not in use.
▼ How to Display System Configuration Information
Use the output of the prtconf and sysdef commands to identify which disk, tape, and DVD
devices are connected to the system. The output of these commands displays the driver not
attached messages next to the device instances. Because these devices are always being
monitored by some system process, the driver not attached message is usually a good
indication that no device exists at that device instance.
Use the sysdef command to display system configuration information that include pseudo
devices, loadable modules, and selected kernel parameters.
● Display system and device configuration information.
■ Display all the devices connected to a system.
For example, the following prtconf -v output on a SunBlade 1000 identifies the disk
devices connected to the system. The detailed disk information is described in the Device
Minor Nodes section within the ssd/fp driver section.
$ /usr/sbin/prtconf -v | more
Device Minor Nodes:
dev=(118,8)
dev_path=/pci@8,600000/SUNW,qlc@4/fp@0,0/ssd@w210000
2037bde864,0:a
spectype=blk type=minor
dev_link=/dev/dsk/c0t1d0s0
2037bde864,0:a,raw
spectype=chr type=minor
dev_link=/dev/rdsk/c0t1d0s0
2037bde864,0:b
2037bde864,0:b,raw
■ Display information about one specific device connected to the system.
For example, the following prtconf output on a SunBlade 1000 displays the ssd instance
number for /dev/dsk/c0t1d0s0.
# prtconf -v /dev/dsk/c0t1d0s0
ssd, instance #1
■ Display only the devices that are attached to the system.
# prtconf | grep -v not
■ Display device usage information.
For example, the following fuser command displays which processes are accessing the
/dev/console device.
# fuser -d /dev/console
/dev/console: 346o 323o
Example 5–1 Displaying System Configuration Information
The following prtconf output is displayed on a SPARC based system.
# prtconf
System Configuration: Oracle Corporation i86pc
Memory size: 8192 Megabytes
System Peripherals (Software Nodes):
i86pc
scsi_vhci, instance #0
pci, instance #0
pci108e,4843, instance #0
pci8086,25e2, instance #0
pci8086,3500, instance #7
pci8086,3518, instance #10
pci8086,350c, instance #8
pci8086,25e3 (driver not attached)
pci8086,25f8, instance #2
pci108e,286, instance #0
disk, instance #0
pci8086,25f9 (driver not attached)
pci108e,4843, instance #0 (driver not attached)
pci108e,4843 (driver not attached)
pci108e,125e, instance #2
device, instance #0
keyboard, instance #0
mouse, instance #1
storage, instance #0
Adding a Peripheral Device to a System
The following sysdef output is displayed from an x86 based system.
# sysdef
* Hostid
29f10b4d
* i86pc Configuration
* Devices
+boot (driver not attached)
memory (driver not attached)
aliases (driver not attached)
chosen (driver not attached)
i86pc-memory (driver not attached)
i86pc-mmu (driver not attached)
openprom (driver not attached)
options, instance #0
packages (driver not attached)
delayed-writes (driver not attached)
itu-props (driver not attached)
isa, instance #0
motherboard (driver not attached)
pnpADP,1542, instance #0
asy, instance #0
lp, instance #0 (driver not attached)
fdc, instance #0
fd, instance #0
fd, instance #1 (driver not attached)
kd (driver not attached)
kdmouse (driver not attached)
Adding a new peripheral device that is not-pluggable usually involves the following:
■ Shutting down the system
■ Connecting the device to the system
■ Rebooting the system
Use "How to Add a Peripheral Device" on page 74 to add the following devices that are not
hot-pluggable to a system:
■ DVD drive
■ Secondary disk drive
■ Tape drive
■ SBUS card
In some cases, you might have to add a third-party device driver to support the new device.
For information on hot-plugging devices, see Chapter 6, "Dynamically Configuring Devices
▼ How to Add a Peripheral Device
2 (Optional) If you need to add a device driver to support the device, complete the procedure
"How to Add a Device Driver"on page 75.
3 Create the /reconfigure file.
The /reconfigure file causes the Solaris software to check for the presence of any newly
installed devices the next time you turn on or boot your system.
4 Shut down the system.
# shutdown -i0 -g30 -y
-i0 Brings the system to the 0 init state, which is the appropriate state for turning the
system power off for adding and removing devices.
-g30 Shuts the system down in 30 seconds. The default is 60 seconds.
-y Continues the system shutdown without user intervention. Otherwise, you are
prompted to continue the shutdown process.
5 Select one of the following to turn off power to the system after it is shut down:
■ For SPARC platforms, it is safe to turn off power if the ok prompt is displayed.
■ For x86 platforms, it is safe to turn off power if the type any key to continue prompt is
6 Turn off power to all peripheral devices.
For the location of power switches on any peripheral devices, refer to the hardware installation
guides that accompany your peripheral devices.
7 Install the peripheral device, making sure that the device you are adding has a different target
number than the other devices on the system.
Often, a small switch is located at the back of the disk for selecting the target number.
Refer to the hardware installation guide that accompanies the peripheral device for information
on installing and connecting the device.
8 Turn on the power to the system.
The system boots to multiuser mode, and the login prompt is displayed.
9 Verify that the peripheral device has been added by attempting to access the device.
For information on accessing the device, see "Accessing Devices" on page 76.
▼ How to Add a Device Driver
This procedure assumes that the device has already been added to the system. If not, see "What
You Need for Unsupported Devices" on page 69.
2 Place the tape, diskette, or DVD into the drive.
3 Install the driver.
# pkgadd [-d] device package-name
4 Verify that the package has been added correctly.
# pkgchk package-name
The system prompt returns with no response if the package is installed correctly.
Example 5–2 Adding a Device Driver
The following example shows how to install and verify a package called XYZdrv.
# pkgadd XYZdrv
(licensing messages displayed)
Installing XYZ Company driver as <XYZdrv>
Installation of <XYZdrv> was successful.
# pkgchk XYZdrv
Accessing Devices
You need to know how to specify device names when using commands to manage disks, file
systems, and other devices. In most cases, you can use logical device names to represent devices
that are connected to the system. Both logical and physical device names are represented on the
system by logical and physical device files.
How Device Information Is Created
When a system is booted for the first time, a device hierarchy is created to represent all the
devices connected to the system. The kernel uses the device hierarchy information to associate
drivers with their appropriate devices. The kernel also provides a set of pointers to the drivers
that perform specific operations.
How Devices Are Managed
The devfs file system manages the /devices directory, which is the name space of all devices on
the system. This directory represents the physical devices that consists of actual bus and device
The dev file system manages the /dev directory, which is the name space of logical device
names.
By default, the devfsadm command attempts to load every driver in the system and attach to all
possible device instances. Then, devfsadm creates the device files in the /devices directory and
the logical links in the /dev directory. The devfsadm command also maintains the
path_to_inst instance database.
Updates to the /dev and /devices directories in response to dynamic reconfiguration events or
file system accesses are handled by devfsadmd, the daemon version of the devfsadm command.
This daemon is started by the service management facility when a system is booted.
Because the devfsadmd daemon automatically detects device configuration changes generated
by any reconfiguration event, there is no need to run this command interactively.
For more information, see the following references:
■ devfsadm(1M)
■ dev(7FS)
■ devfs(7FS)
■ path_to_inst(4)
Device Naming Conventions
Devices are referenced in three ways in the Oracle Solaris OS.
■ Physical device name – Represents the full device path name in the device information
hierarchy. The physical device name is created by when the device is first added to the
system. Physical device files are found in the /devices directory.
■ Instance name – Represents the kernel's abbreviation name for every possible device on the
system. For example, sd0 and sd1 represent the instance names of two disk devices. Instance
names are mapped in the /etc/path_to_inst file.
■ Logical device name – The logical device name is created by when the device is first added
to the system. Logical device names are used with most file system commands to refer to
devices. For a list of file commands that use logical device names, see Table 5–3. Logical
device files in the /dev directory are symbolically linked to physical device files in the
/devices directory.
The preceding device name information is displayed with the following commands:
■ dmesg
■ sysdef
■ prtconf
Logical Disk Device Names
Logical device names are used to access disk devices when you perform the following tasks:
■ Add a new disk to the system.
■ Move a disk from one system to another system.
■ Access or mount a file system residing on a local disk.
■ Back up a local file system.
Many administration commands take arguments that refer to a disk slice or file system.
Refer to a disk device by specifying the subdirectory to which it is symbolically linked, either
/dev/dsk or /dev/rdsk, followed by a string identifying the particular controller, disk, and
slice.
FIGURE 5–1 Description of Logical Device Names
/dev/[r]dsk/cvtwdx[sy,pz]
Slice number (s0 to s7) or fdisk partition number (p0 to p4)
Drive number
Physical bus target number
Logical controller number
Raw disk device subdirectory
Devices directory
Specifying the Disk Subdirectory
Disk and file administration commands require the use of either a raw (or character) device
interface, or a block device interface. The distinction is made by how data is read from the
Raw device interfaces transfer only small amounts of data at a time. Block device interfaces
include a buffer from which large blocks of data are read at once.
Different commands require different interfaces:
■ When a command requires the raw device interface, specify the /dev/rdsk subdirectory.
(The "r" in rdsk stands for "raw.")
■ When a command requires the block device interface, specify the /dev/dsk subdirectory.
■ When you are not sure whether a command requires use of /dev/dsk or /dev/rdsk, check
the man page for that command.
The following table shows which interface is required for some commonly used disk and file
system commands.
TABLE 5–3 Device Interface Type Required by Some Frequently Used Commands
Command Reference Interface Type Example of Use
df(1M) Block df /dev/dsk/c0t3d0s6
fsck(1M) Raw fsck -p /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0s0
mount(1M) Block mount /dev/dsk/c1t0d0s7 /export/home
newfs(1M) Raw newfs /dev/rdsk/c0t0d1s1
prtvtoc(1M) Raw prtvtoc /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0s2
Direct and Bus-Oriented Controllers
You might access disk partitions or slices differently depending upon whether the disk device is
connected to a direct or bus-oriented controller. Generally, direct controllers do not include a
target identifier in the logical device name.
The conventions for both types of controllers are explained in the following subsections.
Note – Controller numbers are assigned automatically during system initialization. The
numbers are strictly logical and imply no direct mapping to physical controllers.
x86: Disks With Direct Controllers
To specify a slice on a disk with an IDE controller on an x86 based system, follow the naming
convention shown in the following figure.
FIGURE 5–2 x86: Disks With Direct Controllers
cwdx [sy, pz]
To indicate the entire Solaris fdisk partition, specify slice 2 (s2).
If you have only one controller on your system, w is usually 0.
Disks With Bus-Oriented Controllers
To specify a slice on a disk with a bus-oriented controller, SCSI for instance, follow the naming
FIGURE 5–3 Disks With Bus-Oriented Controllers
cvtwdx[sy,pz]
On a SPARC based system with directly connected disks such as the IDE disks on an
UltraSPARC system, the naming convention is the same as that for systems with bus-oriented
controllers.
For SCSI controllers, x is the target address set by the switch on the back of the unit, and y is the
logical unit number (LUN) of the drive attached to the target. If the disk has an embedded
controller, y is usually 0.
To indicate the whole disk, specify slice 2 (s2).
Logical Tape Device Names
Logical tape device files are found in the /dev/rmt/* directory as symbolic links from the
FIGURE 5–4 Logical Tape Device Names
/dev/rmt/xy
Optional density
l low
h high
c compressed
Drive number (0-n)
Raw magnetic tape device directory
The first tape device connected to the system is 0 (/dev/rmt/0). Tape density values (l, m, h, c,
and u) are described in Chapter 28, "Managing Tape Drives (Tasks)."
Logical Removable Media Device Names
Since removable media is managed by removable media management services, the logical
device name is usually not used unless you want to mount the media manually.
The logical device name that represents the removable media devices on a system are described
in Chapter 3, "Accessing Removable Media (Tasks)."
Dynamically Configuring Devices (Tasks)
This chapter provides instructions for dynamically configuring devices in the Oracle Solaris OS.
You can add, remove, or replace devices in the Oracle Solaris OS while the system is still
running, if the system components support hot-plugging. If the system components do not
support hot-plugging, you can reboot the system to reconfigure the devices.
For information on the procedures associated with dynamically configuring devices, see the
■ "SCSI Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command (Task Map)" on page 86
■ "PCI or PCIe Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command (Task Map)" on page 96
■ "Application Developer RCM Script (Task Map)" on page 104
■ "System Administrator RCM Script (Task Map)" on page 105
For information on hot-plugging USB devices with the cfgadm command, see "Hot-Plugging
USB Devices With the cfgadm Command" on page 155.
For information on hot-plugging InfiniBand devices with cfgadm command, see Chapter 9,
"Using InfiniBand Devices (Overview/Tasks)."
For information about accessing devices, see "Accessing Devices" on page 76.
Dynamic Reconfiguration and Hot-Plugging
Hot-plugging is the ability to physically add, remove, or replace system components while the
system is running. Dynamic reconfiguration refers to the ability to hot-plug system
components. This term also refers to the general ability to move system resources (both
hardware and software) around in the system or to disable them in some way without physically
removing them from the system.
Generally, you can hot-plug the following bus types:
■ USB
■ Fibre Channel
■ 1394
■ ATA
■ SCSI
■ Infiniband
In addition, you can hot-plug the following devices with the cfgadm command:
■ USB devices on SPARC and x86 platforms
■ SCSI devices on SPARC and x86 platforms
■ PCI devices on SPARC and x86 platforms
■ PCIe devices on SPARC or x86 platforms
■ InfiniBand devices on SPARC and x86 devices
Features of the cfgadm command include the following:
■ Displaying system component status
■ Testing system components
■ Changing component configurations
■ Displaying configuration help messages
The benefit of using the cfgadm command to reconfigure systems components is that you can
add, remove, or replace components while the system is running. An added benefit is that the
cfgadm command guides you through the steps needed to add, remove, or replace system
components.
For step-by-step instructions on hot-plugging components, see the following:
■ "SCSI Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command" on page 87
■ "PCI or PCIe Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command" on page 97
■ cfgadm(1M)
Note – Not all SCSI and PCI controllers support hot-plugging with the cfgadm command.
As part of Oracle's high availability strategy, dynamic reconfiguration is expected to be used in
conjunction with additional layered products, such as alternate pathing or fail over software.
Both products provide fault tolerance in the event of a device failure.
Without any high availability software, you can replace a failed device by manually stopping the
appropriate applications, unmounting noncritical file systems, and then proceeding with the
add or remove operations.
Note – Some systems have slots that hot-pluggable and slots that are not hot-pluggable. For
information about hot-plugging devices on your specific hardware configuration, such as on
enterprise-level systems, refer to your hardware configuration documentation.
Attachment Points
The cfgadm command displays information about attachment points, which are locations in the
system where dynamic reconfiguration operations can occur.
An attachment point consists of the following:
■ An occupant, which represents a hardware component that can be configured into the
■ A receptacle, which is the location that accepts the occupant
Attachment points are represented by logical and physical attachment point IDs (Ap_Ids). The
physical Ap_Id is the physical path name of the attachment point. The logical Ap_Id is a
user-friendly alternative for the physical Ap_Id. For more information on Ap_Ids, refer to
cfgadm(1M).
The logical Ap_Id for a SCSI Host Bus Adapter (HBA), or SCSI controller, is usually represented
by the controller number, such as c0.
In cases where no controller number has been assigned to a SCSI HBA, then an internally
generated unique identifier is provided. An example of a unique identifier for a SCSI controller
fas1:scsi
The logical Ap_Id for a SCSI device usually has this format:
HBA-logical-apid::device-identifier
In the following example, c0 is the logical Ap_Id for the SCSI HBA:
c0::dsk/c0t3d0
The device identifier is typically derived from the logical device name for the device in the /dev
directory. For example, a tape device with logical device name, /dev/rmt/1, has the following
logical Ap_Id:
c0::rmt/1
If a logical Ap_Id of a SCSI device cannot be derived from the logical name in the /dev directory,
then an internally generated unique identifier is provided. An example of an identifier for the
/dev/rmt/1 tape device is the following:
Chapter 6 • Dynamically Configuring Devices (Tasks) 83
c0::st4
For more information on SCSI Ap_Ids, refer to cfgadm_scsi(1M).
The cfgadm command represents all resources and dynamic reconfiguration operations in
terms of a common set of states (such as configured and unconfigured) and operations (such as
connect, configure, unconfigure, and so on). For more information on these common states and
operations, see cfgadm(1M).
The following table shows the receptacle and occupant states for the SCSI HBA attachment
points.
Receptacle State Description Occupant State Description
empty N/A for SCSI HBA configured One or more devices is
configured on the bus
disconnected Bus quiesced unconfigured No devices are configured
connected Bus active
The following table shows the receptacle and occupant states for SCSI device attachment points.
empty N/A for SCSI devices configured Device is configured
disconnected Bus quiesced unconfigured Device is not configured
The state of SCSI attachment points is unknown unless special hardware indicates otherwise.
For instructions on displaying SCSI component information, see "How to Display Information
About SCSI Devices" on page 87.
Detaching PCI or PCIe Adapter Cards
A PCI adapter card that is hosting nonvital system resources can be removed if the device driver
supports hot-plugging. A PCI adapter card is not detachable if it is a vital system resource. For a
PCI adapter card to be detachable, the following conditions must be met:
■ The device driver must support hot-plugging.
■ Critical resources must be accessible through an alternate pathway.
For example, if a system has only one Ethernet card installed in it, the Ethernet card cannot be
detached without losing the network connection. This detachment requires additional layered
software support to keep the network connection active.
Attaching PCI or PCIe Adapter Cards
A PCI adapter card can be added to the system as long as the following conditions are met:
■ There are slots available.
■ The device driver supports hot-plugging for this adapter card.
For step-by-step instructions on adding or removing a PCI adapter card, see "PCI or PCIe
Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command" on page 97.
PCIe Hot-Plugging With the (hotplug) Command
You can use the hotplug command to manage hot pluggible connections, where a connection
can be a connector or port, on PCI Express (PCIe) and PCI SHPC devices only. A hotplug
connector is a physical representation in the system where a component is inserted or removed.
A hotplug port is a logical representation in the system device tree where the connection of a
device to the system is managed.
You can use the hotplug features to online or offline a device, even an on-board device, without
physically adding or removing the device from the system.
You must enable the hotplug service to manage devices with the hotplug command.
# svcadm enable svc:/system/hotplug:default
The following examples describe how to use the hotplug command.
Display all the PCI/PCIe hot pluggible connectors/ports (virtual and physical) in the system as
# hotplug list -lv
Configure an Ethernet card in a PCIe slot. For example:
# hotplug enable /pci0,0 pcie0
Unconfigure an Ethernet card in a PCIe slot. For example:
# hotplug disable /pci0,0 pcie0
Offline a PCI device node, which means detach the device driver for that node. For example:
# hotplug offline /pci0,0/pci1 pci.0,2
Online a PCI device node, which means attach the driver for that node. For example:
# hotplug online /pci0,0/pci1 pci.0,2
SCSI Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command (Task Map)
Troubleshooting PCI Hot Plug Operations (hotplug)
The following service must be running to use the hotplug command.
svc:/system/hotplug:default
Otherwise, you will see the following message:
ERROR: hotplug service is not available.
The following error message is displayed on systems that do not have any supported I/O buses:
ERROR: there are no connections to display.
(See hotplug(1m) for more information.)
The above message could mean that the system might have other hot-pluggible I/O devices, but
you need to use the cfgadm command rather than the hotplug command to manage these
Display information about SCSI Display information about SCSI "How to Display Information
devices. controllers and devices. About SCSI Devices" on page 87
Unconfigure a SCSI controller. Unconfigure a SCSI controller. "How to Unconfigure a SCSI
Controller" on page 88
Configure a SCSI controller. Configure a SCSI controller that "How to Configure a SCSI
was previously unconfigured. Controller" on page 88
Configure a SCSI device. Configure a specific SCSI device. "How to Configure a SCSI Device"
on page 89
Disconnect a SCSI controller. Disconnect a specific SCSI "How to Disconnect a SCSI
controller. Controller" on page 90
Connect a SCSI controller. Connect a specific SCSI controller "SPARC: How to Connect a SCSI
that was previously disconnected. Controller" on page 91
Add a SCSI device to a SCSI bus. Add a specific SCSI device to a "SPARC: How to Add a SCSI
SCSI bus. Device to a SCSI Bus" on page 91
Replace an identical device on a Replace a device on the SCSI bus "SPARC: How to Replace an
SCSI controller. with another device of the same Identical Device on a SCSI
type. Controller" on page 92
Remove a SCSI device. Remove a SCSI device from the "SPARC: How to Remove a SCSI
system. Device" on page 93
SCSI Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command
Troubleshoot SCSI configuration Resolve a failed SCSI unconfigure "How to Resolve a Failed SCSI
problems. operation. Unconfigure Operation" on
This section describes various SCSI hot-plugging procedures that you can perform with the
cfgadm command.
Note – The SCSI framework generally supports hot-plugging of SCSI devices. However, you
should consult your hardware documentation to confirm whether hot-plugging is supported
for your SCSI devices.
These procedures use specific devices as examples to illustrate how to use the cfgadm command
to hot-plug SCSI components. The device information that you supply, and that the cfgadm
command displays, depends on your system configuration.
▼ How to Display Information About SCSI Devices
The following procedure uses SCSI controllers c0 and c1 and the devices that are attached to
them in the examples of the type of device configuration information that you can display with
the cfgadm command.
Note – If the SCSI device is not supported by the cfgadm command, the device does not display
in the cfgadm command output.
2 Display information about attachment points on the system.
# cfgadm -l
Ap_Id Type Receptacle Occupant Condition
c0 scsi-bus connected configured unknown
In this example, c0 and c1 represent two SCSI controllers.
3 Display information about a system's SCSI controllers and their attached devices.
# cfgadm -al
c0::dsk/c0t0d0 disk connected configured unknown
c0::rmt/0 tape connected configured unknown
c1::dsk/c1t4d0 unavailable connected unconfigured unknown
Note – The cfgadm -l commands displays information about SCSI HBAs but not SCSI devices.
Use the cfgadm -al command to display information about SCSI devices such as disk and
tapes.
▼ How to Unconfigure a SCSI Controller
The following procedure uses SCSI controller c1 in the example of unconfiguring a SCSI
controller.
2 Unconfigure a SCSI controller.
# cfgadm -c unconfigure c1
3 Verify that the SCSI controller is unconfigured.
c1 scsi-bus connected unconfigured unknown
Notice that the Occupant column for c1 specifies unconfigured, indicating that the SCSI bus
has no configured occupants.
If the unconfigure operation fails, see "How to Resolve a Failed SCSI Unconfigure Operation"
on page 96.
▼ How to Configure a SCSI Controller
The following procedure uses SCSI controller c1 in the example of configuring a SCSI
2 Configure a SCSI controller.
# cfgadm -c configure c1
3 Verify that the SCSI controller is configured.
The previous unconfigure procedure removed all devices on the SCSI bus. Now all the devices
are configured back into the system.
▼ How to Configure a SCSI Device
The following procedure uses SCSI disk c1t4d0 in the example of configuring a SCSI device.
2 Identify the device to be configured.
3 Configure the SCSI device.
# cfgadm -c configure c1::dsk/c1t4d0
4 Verify that the SCSI device is configured.
▼ How to Disconnect a SCSI Controller
Caution – Disconnecting a SCSI device must be done with caution, particularly when you are
dealing with controllers for disks that contain critical file systems such as root (/), usr, var, and
the swap partition. The dynamic reconfiguration software cannot detect all cases where a system
hang might result. Use this procedure with caution.
The following procedure uses SCSI controller c1 in the example of disconnecting a SCSI device.
2 Verify that the device is connected before you disconnect it.
3 Disconnect the SCSI controller.
# cfgadm -c disconnect c1
WARNING: Disconnecting critical partitions may cause system hang.
Continue (yes/no)? y
Caution – This command suspends all I/O activity on the SCSI bus until the cfgadm -c connect
command is used. The cfgadm command does some basic checking to prevent critical partitions
from being disconnected, but it cannot detect all cases. Inappropriate use of this command can
result in a system hang and could require a system reboot.
4 Verify that the SCSI bus is disconnected.
c1 unavailable disconnected configured unknown
c1::dsk/c1t3d0 unavailable disconnected configured unknown
The controller and all the devices that are attached to it are disconnected from the system.
▼ SPARC: How to Connect a SCSI Controller
The following procedure uses SCSI controller c1 in the example of connecting a SCSI
2 Verify that the device is disconnected before you connect it.
3 Connect the SCSI controller.
# cfgadm -c connect c1
4 Verify that the SCSI controller is connected.
▼ SPARC: How to Add a SCSI Device to a SCSI Bus
SCSI controller c1 is used in the example of how to add a SCSI device to a SCSI bus.
Note – When you add devices, you specify the Ap_Id of the SCSI HBA (controller) to which the
device is attached, not the Ap_Id of the device itself.
2 Identify the current SCSI configuration.
3 Add the SCSI device to the SCSI bus.
a. Type the following cfgadm command.
# cfgadm -x insert_device c1
Adding device to SCSI HBA: /devices/sbus@1f,0/SUNW,fas@1,8800000
This operation will suspend activity on SCSI bus: c1
b. Type y at the Continue (yes/no)? prompt to proceed.
SCSI bus quiesced successfully.
It is now safe to proceed with hotplug operation.
I/O activity on the SCSI bus is suspended while the hot-plug operation is in progress.
c. Connect the device and then power it on.
d. Type y at the Enter y if operation is complete or n to abort (yes/no)? prompt.
Enter y if operation is complete or n to abort (yes/no)? y
4 Verify that the device has been added.
A new disk has been added to controller c1.
▼ SPARC: How to Replace an Identical Device on a SCSI
The following procedure uses SCSI disk c1t4d0 in the example of replacing an identical device
on a SCSI controller.
3 Replace a device on the SCSI bus with another device of the same type.
# cfgadm -x replace_device c1::dsk/c1t4d0
Replacing SCSI device: /devices/sbus@1f,0/SUNW,fas@1,8800000/sd@4,0
c. Power off the device to be removed and remove it.
d. Add the replacement device. Then, power it on.
The replacement device should be of the same type and at the same address (target and lun)
as the device to be removed.
e. Type y at the Enter y if operation is complete or n to abort (yes/no)? prompt.
4 Verify that the device has been replaced.
▼ SPARC: How to Remove a SCSI Device
The following procedure uses SCSI disk c1t4d0 in the example of removing a device on a SCSI
3 Remove the SCSI device from the system.
# cfgadm -x remove_device c1::dsk/c1t4d0
Removing SCSI device: /devices/sbus@1f,0/SUNW,fas@1,8800000/sd@4,0
Note – This step must be performed if you are removing a SCSI RAID device from a SCSI RAID
array.
4 Verify that the device has been removed from the system.
Troubleshooting SCSI Configuration Problems
This section provides error messages and possible solutions for troubleshooting SCSI
configuration problems. For more information on troubleshooting SCSI configuration
problems, see cfgadm(1M).
cfgadm: Component system is busy, try again: failed to offline:
device-path
------------------ --------------------------
/dev/dsk/c1t0d0s0 mounted filesystem "/file-system"
You attempted to remove or replace a device with a mounted file system.
Unmount the file system that is listed in the error message and retry the cfgadm operation.
/dev/dsk/device-name swap area
If you use the cfgadm command to remove a system resource, such as a swap device or a
dedicated dump device, a similar error message is displayed if the system resource is still
active.
Unconfigure the swap areas on the device that is specified and retry the cfgadm operation.
/dev/dsk/device-name dump device (swap)
You attempted to remove or replace a dump device that is configured on a swap area.
Unconfigure the dump device that is configured on the swap area and retry the cfgadm
operation.
/dev/dsk/device-name dump device (dedicated)
You attempted to remove or replace a dedicated dump device.
PCI or PCIe Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command (Task Map)
Unconfigure the dedicate dump device and retry the cfgadm operation.
▼ How to Resolve a Failed SCSI Unconfigure Operation
Use this procedure if one or more target devices are busy and the SCSI unconfigure operation
fails. Otherwise, future dynamic reconfiguration operations on this controller and target
devices will fail with a dr in progress message.
2 Reconfigure the controller.
# cfgadm -c configure device-name
PCI or PCIe Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command (Task
Map)
The following task map describes the tasks for managing PCI or PCIe devices on your system.
Display PCI slot configuration Display the status of PCI "How to Display PCI Slot
information. hot-pluggable devices and slots on Configuration Information" on
the system. page 97
Remove a PCI adapter card. Unconfigure the card, disconnect "How to Remove a PCI Adapter
power from the slot, and remove Card" on page 99
the card from the system.
Add a PCI adapter card. Insert the adapter card into a "How to Add a PCI Adapter Card"
hot-pluggable slot, connect power on page 100
to the slot, and configure the card.
Troubleshoot PCI configuration Identify error message and possible "Troubleshooting PCI
problems. solutions to resolve PCI Configuration Problems" on
configuration problems. page 102
PCI or PCIe Hot-Plugging With the cfgadm Command
This section provides step-by-step instructions for hot-plugging PCI or PCIe adapter cards on
SPARC and x86 systems.
In addition to the cfgadm command, the prtconf command is helpful during hot-plug
operations. The prtconf command displays additional configuration information that pertains
to the hardware.
After adding hardware, you can use the prtconf command to verify that the hardware is
configured correctly. For example, after a configure operation, use the prtconf -D command to
verify that the driver is attached to the newly installed hardware device. If the device driver has
not been added to the system prior to hardware configuration, it may be manually added by
using the add_drv command.
For more information, see prtconf(1M) and add_drv(1M).
In the examples, only PCI attachment points are listed, for brevity. The attachment points that
are displayed on your system depend on your system configuration.
PCIe Led Indicator Behavior
You might observe the LED indicators on the system to get a visual indication about the status
of the slot's hot-plug operation. The LED behavior, in case of PCI Express, matches that defined
in the PCI Express specification or the behavior might otherwise be platform dependent.
Please refer to your platform guide for specific details. In case of PCI Express, when the
Attention Button is pressed, the power indicator blinks, which indicates the beginning of a state
transition. The blinking ends when the state transition has ended.
▼ How to Display PCI Slot Configuration Information
This procedure has been updated to include PCIe configuration information.
The cfgadm command displays the status of PCI hot-pluggable devices and slots on a system.
For more information, see cfgadm(1M).
2 Display PCI configuration information.
■ Display PCI slot configuration information.
# cfgadm
pci1:hpc0_slot0 unknown empty unconfigured unknown
pci1:hpc0_slot3 ethernet/hp connected configured ok
■ Display specific PCI device information.
# cfgadm -s "cols=ap_id:type:info" pci
Ap_Id Type Information
pci1:hpc0_slot0 unknown Slot 7
pci1:hpc0_slot3 ethernet/hp Slot 10
pci1:hpc0_slot4 unknown Slot 11
The logical Ap_Id, pci1:hpc0_slot0, is the logical Ap_Id for hot-pluggable slot, Slot 7. The
component hpc0 indicates the hot-pluggable adapter card for this slot, and pci1 indicates
the PCI bus instance. The Type field indicates the type of PCI adapter card that is present in
the slot.
■ Display PCIe slot configuration information.
# cfgadm pci
pcie1 unknown empty unconfigured unknown
pcie4 etherne/hp connected configured ok
pcie5 pci-pci/hp connected configured ok
pcie6 unknown disconnected unconfigured unknown
■ Display specific PCIe device information.
# cfgadm -s "cols=ap_id:busy:o_state" pci
Ap_Id Busy Occupant
pcie1 n unconfigured
pcie4 n configured
Note – The logical Ap_Id in most cases should match the slot label that is silk-screened on the
system chassis. Refer to your platform guide for the cfgadm output of the hot-pluggable
slots. The Busy field can be displayed to ensure that the Ap_Id is not transitioning to another
state before a hot-plug operation is attempted.
▼ How to Remove a PCI Adapter Card
The following procedure has been updated for removing a PCIe adapter card. However, the
procedure to remove an adapter card is the same whether you are using PCI or PCIe.
2 Determine which slot the PCI adapter card is in.
3 Stop the application that has the device open.
For example, if the device is an Ethernet card, use the ifconfig command to bring down the
interface and unplumb the interface.
4 Unconfigure the device manually by using the cfgadm command as shown below. Or, if you
have a PCIe adapter card, use the auto-configuration method, such as pressing the slot's
Attention Button as defined by your platform guide.
# cfgadm -c unconfigure pcie4
5 Confirm that the device has been unconfigured.
pcie4 unknown connected unconfigured unknown
Note – The Type and Condition also become unknown when the device is unconfigured.
6 Disconnect the power to the slot manually. If the auto-configuration method is used, this step is
not necessary. Refer to your platform guide for more information.
# cfgadm -c disconnect pcie4
7 Confirm that the device has been disconnected.
8 Follow appropriate instructions in your platform guide to remove the PCI adapter card. After the
card is removed, the Receptacle state is empty.
Note – The auto-configuration method can be enabled or disabled at boot, depending on the
platform implementation. Set the auto-configuration method as appropriate for your
▼ How to Add a PCI Adapter Card
The following procedure has been updated for adding a PCIe adapter card. However, the
procedure to add an adapter card is the same whether you are using PCI or PCIe.
2 Identify the hot-pluggable slot and open latches.
For example, pcie3.
3 Follow the appropriate instructions in your platform guide to insert a PCI adapter card into the
slot.
100 System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems • January 2012
4 Determine which slot the PCI adapter card is in after it is inserted.
5 Connect the power to the slot manually using the cfgadm command. Or, if you have a PCIe
adapter card, use the auto-configuration method, such as pressing the slot's Attention Button
as defined by your platform guide.
# cfgadm -c connect pcie3
6 Confirm that the attachment point is connected.
7 Configure the PCI adapter card manually by using the cfgadm command as shown below. If
using the auto-configuration method, this step should not be necessary. Refer to your platform
guide for more information.
# cfgadm -c configure pcie3
8 Verify the configuration of the PCI adapter card in the slot.
pcie3 etherne/hp connected configured unknown
9 Configure any supporting software if this device is a new device.
For example, if this device is an Ethernet card, use the ifconfig command to set up the
Chapter 6 • Dynamically Configuring Devices (Tasks) 101
Reconfiguration Coordination Manager (RCM) Script Overview
Troubleshooting PCI Configuration Problems
cfgadm: Configuration operation invalid: invalid transition
An invalid transition was attempted.
Check whether the cfgadm -c command was issued appropriately. Use the cfgadm
command to check the current receptacle and occupant state and to make sure that the
Ap_Id is correct.
cfgadm: Attachment point not found
The specified attachment point was not found.
Check whether the attachment point is correct. Use the cfgadm command to display a list of
available attachment points. Also check the physical path to see if the attachment point is still
Reconfiguration Coordination Manager (RCM) Script
The Reconfiguration Coordination Manager (RCM) is the framework that manages the
dynamic removal of system components. By using RCM, you can register and release system
resources in an orderly manner.
You can use the new RCM script feature to write your own scripts to shut down your
applications, or to cleanly release the devices from your applications during dynamic
reconfiguration. The RCM framework launches a script automatically in response to a
reconfiguration request, if the request impacts the resources that are registered by the script.
You can also release resources from applications manually before you dynamically remove the
resource. Or, you can use the cfgadm command with the -f option to force a reconfiguration
operation. However, this option might leave your applications in an unknown state. Also, the
manual release of resources from applications commonly causes errors.
The RCM script feature simplifies and better controls the dynamic reconfiguration process. By
creating an RCM script, you can do the following:
■ Automatically release a device when you dynamically remove a device. This process also
closes the device if the device is opened by an application.
■ Run site-specific tasks when you dynamically remove a device from the system.
What Is an RCM Script?
■ An executable shell script (Perl, sh, csh, or ksh) or binary program that the RCM daemon
runs. Perl is the recommended language.
■ A script that runs in its own address space by using the user ID of the script file owner.
■ A script that is run by the RCM daemon when you use the cfgadm command to dynamically
reconfigure a system resource.
What Can an RCM Script Do?
You can use an RCM script to release a device from an application when you dynamically
remove a device. If the device is currently open, the RCM script also closes the device.
For example, an RCM script for a tape backup application can inform the tape backup
application to close the tape drive or shut down the tape backup application.
How Does the RCM Script Process Work?
You can invoke an RCM script as follows:
$ script-name command [args ...]
An RCM script performs the following basic steps:
1. Takes the RCM command from command-line arguments.
2. Executes the command.
3. Writes the results to stdout as name-value pairs.
4. Exits with the appropriate exit status.
The RCM daemon runs one instance of a script at a time. For example, if a script is running, the
RCM daemon does not run the same script until the first script exits.
RCM Script Tasks
RCM Script Commands
You must include the following RCM commands in an RCM script:
■ scriptinfo – Gathers script information
■ register – Registers interest in resources
■ resourceinfo – Gathers resource information
You might include some or all of the following RCM commands:
■ queryremove – Queries whether the resource can be released
■ preremove – Releases the resource
■ postremove – Provides post-resource removal notification
■ undoremove – Undoes the actions done in preremove
For a complete description of these RCM commands, see rcmscript(4).
RCM Script Processing Environment
When you dynamically remove a device, the RCM daemon runs the following:
■ The script's register command to gather the list of resources (device names) that are
identified in the script.
■ The script's queryremove and preremove commands prior to removing the resource if the
script's registered resources are affected by the dynamic remove operation.
■ The script's postremove command if the remove operation succeeds. However, if the
remove operation fails, the RCM daemon runs the script's undoremove command.
The following sections describe the RCM script tasks for application developers and system
administrators.
Application Developer RCM Script (Task Map)
The following task map describes the tasks for an application developer who is creating an RCM
script.
1. Identify the resources your Identify the resources (device cfgadm(1M)
application uses. names) your application uses that
you could potentially dynamically
remove.
2. Identify the commands to release Identify the commands for Application documentation
the resource. notifying the application to cleanly
release the resource from the
3. Identify the commands for Include the commands for rcmscript(4)
post-removal of the resource. notifying the application of the
resource removal.
4. Identify the commands if the Include the commands for rcmscript(4)
resource removal fails. notifying the application of the
available resource.
5. Write the RCM script. Write the RCM script based on the "Tape Backup RCM Script
information identified in tasks 1-4. Example" on page 108
6. Install the RCM script. Add the script to the appropriate "How to Install an RCM Script" on
script directory. page 106
7. Test the RCM script Test the script by running the "How to Test an RCM Script" on
script commands manually and by page 107
initiating a dynamic
reconfiguration operation.
System Administrator RCM Script (Task Map)
The following task map describes the tasks for a system administrator who is creating an RCM
script to do site customization.
1. Identify the resources to be Identify the resources (device cfgadm(1M)
dynamically removed. names) to be potentially removed
by using the cfgadm -l command.
2. Identify the applications to be Identify the commands for Application documentation
stopped. stopping the applications cleanly.
3. Identify the commands for Identify the actions to be taken rcmscript(4)
pre-removal and post-removal of before and after the resource is
the resource. removed.
6. Test the RCM script. Test the script by running the "How to Test an RCM Script" on
Naming an RCM Script
A script must be named as vendor,service where the following applies:
vendor Is the stock symbol of the vendor that provides the script, or any distinct name that
identifies the vendor.
service Is the name of the service that the script represents.
Installing or Removing an RCM Script
You must be superuser (root) to install or remove an RCM script. Use this table to determine
where you should install your RCM script.
TABLE 6–1 RCM Script Directories
Directory Location Script Type
/etc/rcm/scripts Scripts for specific systems
/usr/platform/'uname -i'/lib/rcm/scripts Scripts for a specific hardware implementation
/usr/platform/'uname -m'/lib/rcm/scripts Scripts for a specific hardware class
/usr/lib/rcm/scripts Scripts for any hardware
▼ How to Install an RCM Script
2 Copy the script to the appropriate directory.
See Table 6–1.
# cp SUNW,sample.pl /usr/lib/rcm/scripts
3 Change the user ID and the group ID of the script to the desired values.
# chown user:group /usr/lib/rcm/scripts/SUNW,sample.pl
4 Send SIGHUP to the RCM daemon.
# pkill -HUP -x -u root rcm_daemon
▼ How to Remove an RCM Script
2 Remove the script from the RCM script directory.
# rm /usr/lib/rcm/scripts/SUNW,sample.pl
▼ How to Test an RCM Script
1 Set environment variables, such as RCM_ENV_FORCE, in the command-line shell before running
your script.
For example, in the Korn shell, use the following:
$ export RCM_ENV_FORCE=TRUE
2 Test the script by running the script commands manually from the command line.
$ script-name scriptinfo
$ script-name register
$ script-name preremove resource-name
$ script-name postremove resource-name
3 Make sure that each RCM script command in your script prints appropriate output to stdout.
4 Install the script in the appropriate script directory.
For more information, see "How to Install an RCM Script" on page 106.
5 Test the script by initiating a dynamic remove operation.
For example, assume your script registers the device, /dev/dsk/c1t0d0s0. Try these
$ cfgadm -c unconfigure c1::dsk/c1t0d0
$ cfgadm -f -c unconfigure c1::dsk/c1t0d0
$ cfgadm -c configure c1::dsk/c1t0d0
Caution – Make sure that you are familiar with these commands because they can alter the state
of the system and cause system failures.
Tape Backup RCM Script Example
This example illustrates how to use an RCM script for tape backups.
What the Tape Backup RCM Script Does
The tape backup RCM script performs the following steps:
1. Sets up a dispatch table of RCM commands.
2. Calls the dispatch routine that corresponds to the specified RCM command and exits with
status 2 for unimplemented RCM commands.
3. Sets up the scriptinfo section.
rcm_script_func_info=Tape backup appl script for DR
4. Registers all tape drives in the system by printing all tape drive device names to stdout.
rcm_resource_name=/dev/rmt/$f
If an error occurs, the script prints the error information to stdout.
rcm_failure_reason=$errmsg
5. Sets up the resource information for the tape device.
rcm_resource_usage_info=Backup Tape Unit Number $unit
6. Sets up the preremove information by checking if the backup application is using the device.
If the backup application is not using the device, the dynamic reconfiguration operation
continues. If the backup application is using the device, the script checks RCM_ENV_FORCE. If
RCM_ENV_FORCE is set to FALSE, the script denies the dynamic reconfiguration operation and
prints the following message:
rcm_failure_reason=tape backup in progress pid=...
If RCM_ENV_FORCE is set to TRUE, the backup application is stopped, and the reconfiguration
operation proceeds.
Outcomes of the Tape Backup Reconfiguration Scenarios
Here are the various outcomes if you use the cfgadm command to remove a tape device without
the RCM script.
■ If you use the cfgadm command and the backup application is not using the tape device, the
operation succeeds.
■ If you use the cfgadm command and the backup application is using the tape device, the
operation fails.
Here are the various outcomes if you use the cfgadm command to remove a tape device with the
RCM script.
■ If you use the cfgadm command without the -f option and the backup application is using
the tape device, the operation fails with an error message similar to the following:
tape backup in progress pid=...
■ If you use the cfgadm -f command and the backup application is using the tape device, the
script stops the backup application and the cfgadm operation succeeds.
Example—Tape Backup RCM Script
#! /usr/bin/perl -w
# A sample site customization RCM script.
# When RCM_ENV_FORCE is FALSE this script indicates to RCM that it cannot
# release the tape drive when the tape drive is being used for backup.
# When RCM_ENV_FORCE is TRUE this script allows DR removing a tape drive
# when the tape drive is being used for backup by killing the tape
# backup application.
my ($cmd, %dispatch);
$cmd = shift(@ARGV);
# dispatch table for RCM commands
%dispatch = (
"scriptinfo" => \&do_scriptinfo,
"register" => \&do_register,
"resourceinfo" => \&do_resourceinfo,
"queryremove" => \&do_preremove,
"preremove" => \&do_preremove
if (defined($dispatch{$cmd})) {
&{$dispatch{$cmd}};
exit (2);
sub do_scriptinfo
print "rcm_script_version=1\n";
print "rcm_script_func_info=Tape backup appl script for DR\n";
sub do_register
my ($dir, $f, $errmsg);
$dir = opendir(RMT, "/dev/rmt");
if (!$dir) {
$errmsg = "Unable to open /dev/rmt directory: $!";
print "rcm_failure_reason=$errmsg\n";
while ($f = readdir(RMT)) {
# ignore hidden files and multiple names for the same device
if (($f !~ /^\./) && ($f =~ /^[0-9]+$/)) {
print "rcm_resource_name=/dev/rmt/$f\n";
closedir(RMT);
sub do_resourceinfo
my ($rsrc, $unit);
$rsrc = shift(@ARGV);
if ($rsrc =~ /^\/dev\/rmt\/([0-9]+)$/) {
$unit = $1;
print "rcm_resource_usage_info=Backup Tape Unit Number $unit\n";
print "rcm_failure_reason=Unknown tape device!\n";
sub do_preremove
my ($rsrc);
# check if backup application is using this resource
#if (the backup application is not running on $rsrc) {
# allow the DR to continue
# exit (0);
# If RCM_ENV_FORCE is FALSE deny the operation.
# If RCM_ENV_FORCE is TRUE kill the backup application in order
# to allow the DR operation to proceed
if ($ENV{RCM_ENV_FORCE} eq 'TRUE') {
if ($cmd eq 'preremove') {
# kill the tape backup application
# indicate that the tape drive can not be released
# since the device is being used for backup by the
# tape backup application
print "rcm_failure_reason=tape backup in progress pid=...\n"
Using USB Devices (Overview)
This chapter provides an overview of Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices in the Oracle Solaris
■ "What's New in USB Devices?" on page 113
■ "Overview of USB Devices" on page 117
■ "About USB in the Oracle Solaris OS" on page 123
For recent information about USB devices, go to the following site:
For general information about USB devices, go to the following site:
http://developers.sun.com/solaris/developer/support/driver/usb.html
For step-by-step instructions on using USB devices in the Oracle Solaris OS, see Chapter 8,
"Using USB Devices (Tasks)."
For general information about dynamic reconfiguration and hot-plugging, see Chapter 6,
For information on configuring USB printers, see System Administration Guide: Printing.
What's New in USB Devices?
The following section describes new USB features in the Oracle Solaris release.
■ "EHCI Isochronous Transfer Support" on page 114
■ "Support for CDC ACM Devices" on page 114
■ "Changed USB Device Hotpluggable Behavior" on page 114
■ "USB Power Budgeting" on page 115
■ "Oracle Solaris ZFS Support on USB Devices" on page 114
■ "Support for Prolific and Keyspan Serial Adapters" on page 115
■ "x86: Support for USB CDs and DVDs in GRUB-Based Booting" on page 115
■ "USB Virtual Keyboard and Mouse Support" on page 115
■ "vold Provides Awareness of Hot-Plugged USB Devices" on page 116
EHCI Isochronous Transfer Support
Solaris 10 8/07 USB EHCI host controller driver provides isochronous transfer support for
USB 2.0 or high-speed isochronous devices. For more information, see usb_isoc_request(9S).
Support for CDC ACM Devices
Solaris 10 8/07Support for CDC ACM devices is provided in this release. For more
information, see "USB Driver Enhancements" on page 120.
Changed USB Device Hotpluggable Behavior
Solaris 10 6/06: This Solaris release introduces a new device attribute, hotpluggable, to identify
those devices that can be connected or disconnected without rebooting the system and
configured or unconfigured automatically without user intervention. All USB and 1394 devices
are identified as hotpluggable devices to gain those benefits described in "Using USB Mass
Storage Devices" on page 131. In addition, non-removable media USB and 1394 devices are no
longer identified as removable-media devices and no longer have a removable-media attribute.
The changes are primarily made at the kernel level to improve support for non-removable
media USB and 1394 devices, and improve the performance for those devices. However, theses
changes do not impact the use of these devices. For example, the responsibility of mounting and
unmounting these devices is controlled by vold. From a user's perspective, the only visible
changes are the hotpluggable and removable-media attributes of a device.
For more information, see "USB and 1394 (FireWire) Support Enhancements" on page 65.
Oracle Solaris ZFS Support on USB Devices
Solaris 10 6/06: You can create and mount ZFS file systems on USB mass storage devices. For
information about using USB mass storage devices, see "Using USB Mass Storage Devices" on
page 131.
For information about creating and mounting ZFS file systems, see zfs(1M) and zpool(1M).
Support for Prolific and Keyspan Serial Adapters
Solaris 10 6/06: Support for Prolific and Keyspan serial adapters is provided in this release. For
more information, see "USB Driver Enhancements" on page 120.
USB Power Budgeting
Solaris 10 6/06: This Solaris release includes power budgeting of USB devices to better manage
the power that is distributed to USB devices. Power budget control helps prevent over-current
conditions from occurring and generally makes using USB devices safer. For more information
about Solaris USB power budgeting limitations, see "Bus-Powered Devices" on page 125.
x86: Support for USB CDs and DVDs in GRUB-Based
Booting
Solaris 10 1/06: You can use the following USB features in the GRUB-based booting
■ Installing from USB CD or DVD drives
■ Booting from USB storage devices. You must install the Solaris release on the USB drive
before you can boot from it.
For more information about GRUB-based booting, see Chapter 9, "Shutting Down and Booting
a System (Overview)," in System Administration Guide: Basic Administration.
USB Virtual Keyboard and Mouse Support
Solaris 10 1/06: USB virtual keyboard and mouse support enables you to hook up multiple
keyboards and multiple mice, where the set of keyboards or mice behave as one virtual
keyboard or mouse. This means that the input of each physical device is coalesced into a single
input stream. For example, if you type SHIFT on one keyboard and A on another, the character
echoed is an uppercase A.
Also supported is the ability to add a USB keyboard or mouse to a laptop and have these devices
work as one device with the laptop's PS/2 keyboard and pad.
In addition, support for barcode readers is provided by the virtual keyboard and mouse feature.
For more information, refer to virtualkm(7D).
Chapter 7 • Using USB Devices (Overview) 115
Oracle Solaris Support for USB Devices
vold Provides Awareness of Hot-Plugged USB Devices
Solaris 10 1/06: The removable media manager (vold) is now hotplug aware. There is no need
to restart this daemon to mount a USB mass storage device that has been hot-inserted.
However, for some devices, it might still be necessary to manually mount the devices as vold is
not always successful. In the case where vold fails to automatically mount a USB device, stop
vold, like this:
# /etc/init.d/volmgt stop
For information about manually mounting a USB mass storage device, see "How to Mount or
Unmount a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running" on page 147.
Use the following table to identify Solaris support information for specific USB 1.1 and USB 2.0
Solaris 8 HW 5/03 and Later
USB Device Releases Solaris 9 Releases Solaris 10 Releases
General USB 1.1 device support SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86
General USB 2.0 device support SPARC only SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86
(Solaris 9 4/04)
Specific USB 1.1 and USB 2.0
audio devices (See notes below.) USB 1.1 only: USB 1.1 only: USB 1.1 only:
Not supported on a Not supported on a Supported on a USB 2.0
USB 2.0 hub USB 2.0 hub hub
generic USB driver (ugen(7D)) SPARC only SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86
hid devices (keyboard and SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86
mouse devices, hid(7D))
hubs (hubd(7D)) SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86
printers SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86
serial devices (Edgeport SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86
(usbser_edge(7D)), Prolific
(usbsprl(7D)), Keyspan
(usbsksp(7D))
storage devices (scsa2usb(7D)) SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86 SPARC and x86
Overview of USB Devices
user-space USB device Not supported Not supported SPARC and x86
management library
(libusb(3LIB))
■ Only USB 1.x audio devices are supported. No USB 2.0 audio devices are supported.
■ A USB 1.x audio device that is connected to a USB 2.0 hub, which is connected to a USB 2.0
port, can be used. For more information, see usb_ac(7D) and usb_as(7D).
■ Devices that are not supported by a USB driver might have libusb applications such as
gphoto2, gtkam, and pilotlink. For more information, refer to
/usr/sfw/share/doc/libusb/libusb.txt.
■ Solaris 8 and Solaris 9 releases – For USB dual framework issues, refer to the following site:
For task information associated with mass storage devices, see Chapter 8, "Using USB Devices
For more information about ugen, see "USB Driver Enhancements" on page 120.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) was developed by the PC industry to provide a low-cost solution for
attaching peripheral devices, such as keyboards, mouse devices, and printers, to a system.
USB connectors are designed to fit only one type of cable, in one way. The primary design
motivation for USB was to alleviate the need for multiple connector types for different devices.
This design reduces the clutter on the back panel of a system.
Devices connect to USB ports on external USB hubs, or on a root hub that is located on the
computer itself. Since hubs have several ports, several branches of a device tree can stem from a
hub.
For more information, see usba(7D) or go to the following site:
http://www.usb.org/home
Commonly Used USB Acronyms
The following table describes the USB acronyms that are used in the Oracle Solaris OS. For a
complete description of USB components and acronyms, go to:
Acronym Definition For More Information
UGEN USB generic driver ugen(7D)
USB Universal Serial Bus usb(7D)
USBA Universal Serial Bus Architecture (Solaris) usba(7D)
USBAI USBA Client Driver Interface (Solaris) N/A
HCD USB host controller driver N/A
EHCI Enhanced Host Controller Interface ehci(7D)
OHCI Open Host Controller Interface ohci(7D)
UHCI Universal Host Controller Interface uhci(7D)
USB Bus Description
The USB specification is openly available and free of royalties. The specification defines the
electrical and mechanical interfaces of the bus and the connectors.
USB employs a topology in which hubs provide attachment points for USB devices. The host
controller contains the root hub, which is the origin of all USB ports in the system. For more
information about hubs, see "USB Host Controller and Hubs" on page 126.
FIGURE 7–1 USB Physical Device Hierarchy
Hub Hub
CD-RW Keyboard Mouse
USB Host Controller and Root Hub
Compound Device
Figure 7–1 shows a system with three active USB ports. The first USB port connects a USB
memory stick. The second USB port connects an external hub, which in turn, connects a cdrw
device and a composite keyboard/mouse device. As a composite device, this keyboard contains a
USB controller, which operates both the keyboard and an attached mouse. The keyboard and
the mouse share a common USB bus address because they are directed by the same USB
Figure 7–1 also shows an example of a hub and a printer as a compound device. The hub is an
external hub that is enclosed in the same casing as the printer. The printer is permanently
connected to the hub. The hub and printer have separate USB bus addresses.
The device tree path name for some of the devices that are displayed in Figure 7–1 are listed
Memory stick /pci@1f,4000/usb@5/storage@1
Keyboard /pci@1f,4000/usb@5/hub@2/device@1/keyboard@0
Mouse /pci@1f,4000/usb@5/hub@2/device@1/mouse@1
cdrw device /pci@1f,4000/usb@5/hub@2/storage@3
Printer /pci@1f,4000/usb@5/hub@3/printer@1
USB Devices and Drivers
USB devices with similar attributes and services are grouped into device classes. Each device
class has a corresponding driver. Devices within a class are managed by the same device driver
pair. However, the USB specification also allows for vendor-specific devices that are not part of
a specific class.
The Human Interface Device (HID) class contains devices that are user-controlled such as the
following devices:
■ Keyboards
■ Mouse devices
■ Joysticks
The Communication Device class includes the following devices:
■ Modems
■ Ethernet adapters
Other device classes include the following classes:
■ Audio
■ Monitor
■ Printer
■ Storage Device
Each USB device contains descriptors that reflect the class of the device. A device class specifies
how its members should behave in configuration and data transfer. You can obtain additional
class information from:
For more information about USB devices supported in the Oracle Solaris release, see usb(7D).
USB Driver Enhancements
The following USB driver enhancements are included.
■ USB CDC ACM device support – The acm driver can work with devices that are compliant
with the USB Communication Class Device specification's Abstract Control Model and
some PCMCIA cards that have modem capabilities.
The pppd daemon can access these devices through the /dev/term/[0~9]* entries. For more
information, see pppd(1M).
For more information, see usbsacm(7D).
■ Generic USB driver – USB devices can now be accessed and manipulated by applications
using standard UNIX read(2) and write(2) system calls, and without writing a special kernel
driver. Additional features include:
■ Applications have access to raw device data and device status.
■ The driver supports control, bulk, and interrupt (in and out) transfers.
The ugen driver no longer needs to bind explicitly to a device. By default, usb_mid binds to
devices that lack a class driver and exports a ugen interface that works with libusb. For
example, you can plug in a USB camera that is not a mass-storage device and use a libusb
application to access it. In addition, both scsa2usb and usbprn drivers export ugen
interfaces and libusb applications can be used on these classes of devices directly.
For more information, refer to ugen(7D).
■ USB serial driver support
■ Digi Edgeport USB support – The Edgeport USB driver only works with Edgeport
devices and not with other USB serial devices.
■ New devices are accessed as /dev/term/[0-9]* and /dev/cua/[0-9]*.
■ USB serial ports are usable as any other serial port would be, except that they cannot
serve as a local serial console. The fact that their data is run through a USB port is
transparent to the user.
For more information, see usbser_edge(7D), or go to the following sites:
■ http://www.digi.com
■ http://www.oracle.com/us/sun/index.html
■ Keyspan – The Keyspan USB serial driver only works with Keyspan devices, which
currently supports the USA-19HS and USA-49WLC models.
For more information, see usbsksp(7D).
■ Prolific – The Prolific USB serial driver only works with devices based on the PL2303
chipset.
For more information, see usbsprl(7D).
For more information about the USB to serial devices support, go to the following site:
■ Documentation and binary support for user-written kernel and userland drivers – For
up-to-date information on USB driver development, go to:
■ http://developers.sun.com/solaris/developer/support/driver/usb.html
■ Chapter 20, "USB Drivers," in Writing Device Drivers
■ Appendix C, "Making a Device Driver 64-Bit Ready," in Writing Device Drivers
■ Device Driver Tutorial
■ Intro(7), Intro(9F), and Intro(9S)
■ http://developers.sun.com/
solaris/driverdev/reference/codesamples/usb_security/index.html
The EHCI, OHCI, and UHCI Drivers
Features of the EHCI driver include:
■ Complies with enhanced host controller interface that supports USB 2.0.
■ Supports high-speed control, bulk, interrupt, and isochronous transfers.
■ The USB 2.0 chip has one EHCI controller and one or more OHCI or UHCI controllers.
■ A USB 1.1 device is dynamically assigned to the OHCI or UHCI controller when it is
plugged in. A USB 2.0 device is dynamically assigned to the EHCI controller when it is
plugged in.
Use the prtconf command output to identify whether your system supports USB 1.1 or USB
2.0 devices. For example:
# prtconf -D | egrep "ehci|ohci|uhci"
If your prtconf output identifies an EHCI controller, your system supports USB 2.0 devices.
If your prtconf output identifies an OHCI or UHCI controller, your system supports USB 1.1
Oracle Solaris USB Architecture (USBA)
USB devices can be represented as two levels of device tree nodes. A device node represents the
entire USB device. One or more child interface nodes represent the individual USB interfaces on
the device.
Driver binding is achieved by using the compatible name properties. For more information,
refer to 3.2.2.1 of the IEEE 1275 USB binding and Writing Device Drivers. A driver can either
bind to the entire device and control all the interfaces, or can bind to just one interface. If no
vendor or class driver claims the entire device, a generic USB multi-interface driver is bound to
the device-level node. This driver attempts to bind drivers to each interface by using compatible
names properties, as defined in section 3.3.2.1 of the IEEE 1275 binding specification.
The Oracle Solaris USB Architecture (USBA) adheres to the USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 specifications
and is part of the Oracle Solaris Device Driver Interface (DDI). The USBA model is similar to
Sun Common SCSI Architecture (SCSA). As the following figure shows, the USBA is a thin
layer that provides a generic USB transport-layer abstraction to client drivers, providing them
with services that implement core generic USB functionality.
About USB in the Oracle Solaris OS
FIGURE 7–2 Oracle Solaris USB Architecture (USBA)
Host Controller
Bus with
This section describes information you should know about USB in the Oracle Solaris OS.
USB 2.0 Features
The following USB 2.0 features are included:
■ Better performance – Increased data throughput for devices connected to USB 2.0
controllers, up to 40 times faster than USB 1.1 devices.
You can take advantage of the high-speed USB protocol when accessing high-speed USB
devices, such as DVDs and hard disks.
■ Backward Compatibility – Compatibility with 1.0 and 1.1 devices and drivers so that you
can use the same cables, connectors, and software interfaces.
For a description of USB devices and terminology, see "Overview of USB Devices" on page 117.
USB 2.0 Device Features and Compatibility Issues
USB 2.0 devices are defined as high-speed devices that follow the USB 2.0 specification. You can
refer to the USB 2.0 specification at http://www.usb.org/home.
To identify the speed of your USB device, check the /var/adm/messages file for messages
similar to the following:
Dec 13 17:05:57 mysystem usba: [ID 912658 kern.info] USB 2.0 device
(usb50d,249) operating at hi speed (USB 2.x) on USB 2.0 external hub:
storage@4, scsa2usb0 at bus address 4
Here are some of the USB devices that are supported in this Oracle Solaris release:
■ Mass storage devices, such as CD-RWs, hard disks, DVDs, digital cameras, diskettes, tape
drives, memory sticks, and multi-format card readers
■ Keyboards and mouse devices
■ Audio devices, such as speakers and microphones
For a full listing of USB devices that have been verified on the Oracle Solaris release, go to:
Additional storage devices might work by modifying the scsa2usb.conf file. For more
information, see scsa2usb(7D).
Oracle Solaris USB 2.0 device support includes the following features:
■ Increased USB bus speed from 12 MB/sec to 480 MB/sec. This increase means devices that
support the USB 2.0 specification can run significantly faster than their USB 1.1
counterparts, when they are connected to a USB 2.0 port.
A USB 2.0 port might be one of the following possibilities:
■ A port on a USB 2.0 PCI card
■ A port on a USB 2.0 hub that is connected to USB 2.0 port
■ A port on a SPARC or x86 computer motherboard
A USB 2.0 PCI card might be needed for older SPARC platforms.
■ For a list of USB 2.0 PCI cards that have been verified for the Oracle Solaris release, go to:
■ USB 1.1 devices work as they have in the past, even if you have both USB 1.1 and USB 2.0
devices on the same system.
■ While USB 2.0 devices operate on a USB 1.x port, their performance is significantly better
when they are connected to a USB 2.0 port.
■ A USB 2.0 host controller has one high-speed Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI)
and one or more OpenHCI Host Controller Interface (OHCI) or Universal Host Controller
Interface (UHCI) embedded controllers. Devices connected to a USB 2.0 port are
dynamically assigned to either an EHCI or OHCI controller, depending on whether they
support USB 2.0.
Note – USB 2.0 storage devices that are connected to a port on a USB 2.0 PCI card, and that
were used with a prior Solaris release in the same hardware configuration, can change device
names after upgrading to this release. This change occurs because these devices are now seen
as USB 2.0 devices and are taken over by the EHCI controller. The controller number, w in
/dev/[r]dsk/cwtxdysz, is changed for these devices.
Also note that the speed of a USB device is limited to what the parent port can support. For
example, if a USB 2.0 external hub is followed by a USB 1.x hub and a USB 2.0 device
downstream, devices that are connected to the USB 2.0 external hub run at full speed and
not high speed.
For more information on USB 2.0 device support, see ehci(7D) and usba(7D).
Bus-Powered Devices
Bus-powered hubs use power from the USB bus to which they are connected, to power devices
connected to them. Special care must be taken to not overload these hubs, because the power
these hubs offer to their downstream devices is limited.
Starting in the Solaris 10 6/06 release, power budgeting is implemented for USB devices. This
feature has the following limitations:
■ Cascading two bus-powered hubs is prohibited.
■ Each bus-powered hub is allowed a maximum of 100 mA only for each port.
■ Only self-powered or low bus-powered devices are allowed to connect to a bus-powered
hub. High bus-powered devices are denied the connection. Some hubs or devices can report
a false power source, such that the connection might be unpredictable.
USB Keyboards and Mouse Devices
Keep the following issues in mind when using USB keyboards and mouse devices:
■ Do not move the keyboard and mouse during a reboot or at the ok prompt on a SPARC
system. You can move the keyboard and mouse to another hub at any time after a system
reboot. After you plug in a keyboard and mouse, they are fully functional again.
■ The keys just to the left of the keypad might not function on some third-party USB
keyboards.
■ SPARC – Keep the following issues in mind when using USB keyboards and mouse devices
on SPARC systems:
■ The power key on a USB keyboard behaves differently than the power key on the Sun
type 5 keyboard. On a USB keyboard, you can suspend or shut down the system by using
the SUSPEND/SHUTDOWN key. However, you cannot use that key to power up the
■ Before the boot process finishes, the OpenBoot PROM (OBP) limits keyboard and
mouse devices to the motherboard root hub ports only.
■ USB keyboard and mouse devices cannot be used simultaneously with Sun Type 3, 4, or
5 keyboards on legacy SPARC systems, such as the Ultra 80.
■ For information about multiple keyboard and mouse device support, see virtualkm(7D).
USB Wheel Mouse Support
The following wheel mouse features are supported:
■ Support for more than 3 buttons is available on USB or PS/2 mouse devices.
■ Wheel mouse scrolling is available on a USB or PS/2 mouse device. This support means that
rolling the wheel on a USB or a PS/2 mouse results in a scroll in the application or window
under mouse focus. StarOffice, Firefox, and GNOME applications support wheel mouse
scrolling. However, other applications might not support wheel mouse scrolling.
USB Host Controller and Hubs
A USB hub is responsible for the following:
■ Monitoring the insertion or removal of a device on its ports
■ Power managing individual devices on its ports
■ Controlling power to its ports
The USB host controller has an embedded hub called the root hub. The ports that are visible at
the system's back panel are the ports of the root hub. The USB host controller is responsible for
■ Directing the USB bus. Individual devices cannot arbitrate for the bus.
■ Polling the devices by using a polling interval that is determined by the device. The device is
assumed to have sufficient buffering to account for the time between the polls.
■ Sending data between the USB host controller and its attached devices. Peer-to-peer
communication is not supported.
USB Hub Devices
■ Do not cascade hubs beyond four levels on either SPARC based systems or x86 based
systems. On SPARC systems, the OpenBoot PROM cannot reliably probe beyond four levels
of devices.
■ Do not plug a bus-powered hub into another bus-powered hub in a cascading style. A
bus-powered hub does not have its own power supply.
■ Do not connect a device that requires a large amount of power to a bus-powered hub. These
devices might be denied connection to bus-powered hubs or might drain the hub of power
for other devices. An example of such a device is a USB diskette device.
SPARC: USB Power Management
Suspending and resuming USB devices is fully supported on SPARC systems. However, do not
suspend a device that is busy and never remove a device when the system is powered off under a
suspend shutdown.
The USB framework makes a best effort to power manage all devices on SPARC based systems
with power management enabled. Power managing a USB device means that the hub driver
suspends the port to which the device is connected. Devices that support remote wake up can
notify the system to wake up everything in the device's path so that the device can be used. The
host system could also wake up the device if an application sends an I/O to the device.
All HID devices (keyboard, mouse, hub, and storage devices), hub devices, and storage devices
are power managed by default if they support remote wake-up capability. A USB printer is
power managed only between two print jobs. Devices that are managed by the generic USB
driver (UGEN) are power managed only when they are closed.
When power management is running to reduce power consumption, USB leaf devices are
powered down first. After all devices that are connected to a hub's ports are powered down, the
hub is powered down after some delay. To achieve the most efficient power management, do
not cascade many hubs.
For information about using the SUSPEND/SHUTDOWN key on SPARC systems, see "USB
Keyboards and Mouse Devices" on page 125.
Guidelines for USB Cables
Keep the following guidelines in mind when connecting USB cables:
■ Always use USB 2.0 compliant, fully rated (480 Mbit/sec) 20/28 AWG cables for connecting
USB 2.0 devices.
■ The maximum cable length that is supported is 5 meters.
■ Do not use cable extenders. For best results, use a self-powered hub to extend cable length.
For more information, go to:
http://www.usb.org/about/faq/ans5
Using USB Devices (Tasks)
This chapter provides step-by-step instructions for using USB devices in the Oracle Solaris OS.
For information on the procedures associated with using USB devices, see the following:
■ "Managing USB Devices in the Oracle Solaris OS (Roadmap)" on page 129
■ "Using USB Mass Storage Devices (Task Map)" on page 130
■ "Using USB Audio Devices (Task Map)" on page 150
■ "Hot-Plugging USB Devices With the cfgadm Command (Task Map)" on page 154
For overview information about using USB devices, see Chapter 7, "Using USB Devices
Managing USB Devices in the Oracle Solaris OS (Roadmap)
Use this road map to identify all the tasks for managing USB devices in the Oracle Solaris OS.
Each task points to a series of additional tasks such as using USB devices, hot-plugging USB
devices, and adding USB audio devices.
For information about using USB components in the Oracle Solaris OS, see "About USB in the
Oracle Solaris OS" on page 123.
Using USB Mass Storage Devices (Task Map)
Use USB mass storage devices. A USB mass storage device must "Using USB Mass Storage Devices
contain a file system before you can (Task Map)" on page 130
add data to it. In addition, a USB
diskette must be formatted before
file systems can be created and
mounted on them.
This section also describes how to
physically add or remove USB
devices from your system.
Add USB audio devices. Use this task map to identify tasks "Using USB Audio Devices (Task
associated with adding USB audio Map)" on page 150
Add or remove USB devices to and You can logically add or remove "Hot-Plugging USB Devices With
from your system with the cfgadm USB devices to and from your the cfgadm Command (Task Map)"
command. system with the cfgadm command. on page 154
Add or remove a USB mass storage Select one of the following to add a
device. USB mass storage device:
Add a USB mass storage device. "How to Add a USB Mass Storage
Device Without vold Running" on
Add a USB camera to access digital "How to Add a USB Camera" on
images. page 135
Remove a USB mass storage device "How to Remove a USB Mass
without vold running. Storage Device Without vold
Running" on page 137
Add a non-compliant USB mass Add a non-compliant USB mass "How to Use a Non-Complaint
storage device. storage device by adding an entry USB Mass Storage Device" on
to scsa2usb.conf. page 133
Prepare to use a USB mass storage Prepare to use a USB mass storage "Preparing to Use a USB Mass
device. device with vold running. Storage Device With vold
Display USB device information. Display information about USB "How to Display USB Device
devices. Information" on page 138
Using USB Mass Storage Devices
Create a file system on a USB mass You must create a file system on a "How to Create a File System on a
storage device. device before you can put data on USB Mass Storage Device " on
it. page 138
"How to Create a File System on a
USB Mass Storage Device Without
vold Running" on page 140
Modify partitions and create a file You might need to modify existing "How to Modify Partitions and
system on a USB mass storage partitions before creating file Create a PCFS File System on a
device. systems on a USB mass storage USB Mass Storage Device Without
device. vold Running" on page 142
Create a Solaris partition and You will need to create a file with "How to Create a Solaris Partition
modify the slices on a USB mass slice information before using the and Modify the Slices on a USB
storage device. rmformat to modify the slice Mass Storage Device Without vold
information. Running" on page 146
Mount a USB mass storage device Mount a USB mass storage device "How to Mount or Unmount a
without vold running. without vold running. USB Mass Storage Device Without
(Optional) Disable a USB device Disable a USB device driver if you "How to Disable Specific USB
driver. do not want USB support on your Drivers" on page 150
(Optional) Remove unused USB Remove USB device links with the "How to Remove Unused USB
device links. devfsadm command. Device Links" on page 150
The following USB removable mass storage devices are supported:
■ CD-RWs
■ Hard disks
■ DVDs
■ Digital cameras
■ Diskette devices
■ SmartMedia and CompactFlash devices
For information about using USB mass storage devices with the Oracle Solaris ZFS file system,
see "What's New in USB Devices?" on page 113
For a complete list of USB devices that are supported in the Oracle Solaris OS, see:
Chapter 8 • Using USB Devices (Tasks) 131
In previous Solaris releases, all USB storage devices were identified as removable media devices,
which provides many of the following advantages, including automatic mounting. In the Solaris
10 6/06 release, USB mass storage devices are identified as hotpluggable devices but also enjoy
the advantages of USB removable devices that are listed below. For more information about the
hotpluggable behavior, see "USB and 1394 (FireWire) Support Enhancements" on page 65.
■ A hot-pluggable device is automatically mounted. For more information, see "vold
Provides Awareness of Hot-Plugged USB Devices" on page 116.
■ USB storage devices with standard MS-DOS or Windows (FAT) file systems are supported.
■ You can use the user-friendly rmformat command to create slices. You can also use the
fdisk command to partition a USB device, but never use the format utility or the rmformat
-F command to physically format a USB drive.
■ Use the rmformat command to display all USB devices with media inserted. For example,
see "How to Display USB Device Information" on page 138.
■ Non-root users can now access USB storage devices, since the mount command is no longer
needed. The device is automatically mounted and is available under the /rmdisk directory.
If a new device is connected while the system is down, do a reconfiguration boot with the
boot -r command so that the device is recognized.
■ These devices can be managed with or without removable media services.
■ Disks with FAT file systems can be mounted and accessed. For example:
mount -F pcfs /dev/dsk/c2t0d0s0:c /mnt
■ All USB storage devices are now power managed, except for those that support LOG SENSE
pages. Devices with LOG SENSE pages are usually SCSI drives connected through a
USB-to-SCSI bridge device.
■ Applications might work differently with USB mass storage devices. Keep the following
issues in mind when using applications with USB storage devices:
■ Applications might make incorrect assumptions about the size of the media since only
smaller devices like diskettes were removable previously.
■ Requests by applications to eject media on devices where this would be inapplicable,
such as a hard drive, will succeed and do nothing.
■ If you prefer the behavior in previous Solaris releases where all USB mass storage were
treated as removable media devices, then you can force the old behavior by updating the
/kernel/drv/scsa2usb.conf file.
For more information on using USB mass storage devices, see scsa2usb(7D).
Using USB Diskette Devices
USB diskette devices appear as removable media devices. USB diskette devices are not managed
by the fd (floppy) driver. Applications that issue ioctl(2) calls intended for the fd (native
floppy) driver will fail. Applications that issue only read(2) and write(2) calls will succeed.
Other applications, such as SunPCI and rmformat, also succeed.
The USB diskette device is identified as a SCSI removable media device. The device is available
for access under the /rmdisk directory.
For more information on how to use USB diskette devices, see Chapter 1, "Managing
Removable Media (Overview)."
Using Non-Compliant USB Mass Storage Devices
Some devices might be supported by the USB mass storage driver even though they do not
identify themselves as compliant with the USB mass storage class or identify themselves
incorrectly. The scsa2usb.conf file contains an attribute-override list that lists the vendor ID,
product ID, and revision for matching mass storage devices, as well as fields for overriding the
default device attributes. The entries in this list are commented out by default. These entries can
be copied and uncommented to enable support of particular devices.
If you connect a USB mass storage device to a system running this Solaris release and the system
is unable to use it, you can check the /kernel/drv/scsa2usb.conf file to see if there is a
matching, commented entry for this device. Follow the information given in the
scsa2usb.conf file to see if a particular device can be supported by using the override
For a listing of recommended USB mass storage devices, go to:
For more information, see scsa2usb(7D).
▼ How to Use a Non-Complaint USB Mass Storage Device
2 Add an entry to the /kernel/drv/scsa2usb.conf file.
The following entry is appropriate for a USB memory stick.
attribute-override-list = "vid=* reduced-cmd-support=true";
3 Either reboot the system or do the following:
a. Remove the device.
b. Manually update the driver.
# update_drv -f scsa2usb
c. Add the device.
Hot-Plugging USB Mass Storage Devices
Hot-plugging a device means the device is added or removed without shutting down the
operating system or powering off the system. All USB devices are hot-pluggable.
The removable media manager is now aware of hot-plugged devices. You can just plug in the
device, which is mounted in a few seconds. If nothing happens, check to see if it is mounted.
Make sure that removable media services are running.
# svcs volfs
# svcs hal dbus rmvolmgr
online May_03 svc:/system/dbus:default
online May_03 svc:/system/hal:default
online May_03 svc:/system/filesystem/rmvolmgr:default
The file system can be mounted from the device if it is valid and it is recognized.
If it fails to mount, stop vold.
If the file system on the device is not automatically mounted, try a manual mount.
Before hot-removing the device, find the name of the device in the eject -l command's alias
name. Then eject the device's media. If you don't do this, the device is released and the port is
usable again, but the file system on the device might have been damaged.
When you hot-plug a USB device, the device is immediately seen in the system's device
hierarchy, as displayed in the prtconf command output. When you remove a USB device, the
device is removed from the system's device hierarchy, unless you are using the device.
If you are using a device when it is unplugged, the device node remains, but the driver
controlling this device stops all activity on the device. Any new I/O activity issued to this device
returns an error.
In this situation, the system prompts you to plug in the original device. If the device is no longer
available, stop the applications. After a few seconds, the port becomes available again.
Note – Data integrity might be impaired if you remove an active or open device. Always close the
device before removing, except the attached keyboard and mouse, which can be moved while
▼ How to Add a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running
1 For information on disabling removable media management, see "How to Disable or Enable
Removable Media Services"on page 43.
2 Verify that vold is not running.
disabled 10:39:12 svc:/system/filesystem/volfs:default
3 Connect the USB mass storage device.
4 Verify that the USB device has been added.
Locate the USB disk device links, which might be among device links of non-USB storage
devices, as follows:
$ rmformat
1. Logical Node: /dev/rdsk/c3t0d0p0
Physical Node: /pci@0,0/pci108e,4131@2,1/storage@4/disk@0,0
Connected Device: USB2.0 Flash Disk 2.00
Device Type: Removable
▼ How to Add a USB Camera
If the camera's media uses a PCFS file system, it will be automatically mounted. If the device
does not bind to the scsa2usb driver, use libusb applications for transferring the pictures. For
more information, refer to /usr/sfw/share/doc/libusb/libusb.txt.
2 Plug in and turn on the USB camera.
The system creates a logical device for the camera. After the camera is plugged in, output is
written to the /var/adm/messages file to acknowledge the device's connection. The system
treats the camera as a storage device.
3 Examine the output that is written to the /var/adm/messages file.
# more /var/adm/messages
Examining this output enables you to determine which logical device was created so that you
can then use that device to access your images. The output looks similar to the following:
Jul 15 09:53:35 buffy usba: [ID 349649 kern.info] OLYMPUS, C-3040ZOOM,
Jul 15 09:53:35 buffy genunix: [ID 936769 kern.info] scsa2usb1 is
/pci@0,0/pci925,1234@7,2/storage@2
Jul 15 09:53:36 buffy scsi: [ID 193665 kern.info] sd3 at scsa2usb1:
target 0 lun 0
Match the device with a mountable /dev/dsk link entry, by doing the following:
# ls -l /dev/dsk/c*0 | grep /pci@0,0/pci925,1234@7,2/storage@2
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 58 Jun 14 2010 c3t0d0p0 ->
../../devices/pci@0,0/pci925,1234@7,2/storage@2/disk@0,0:a
4 Mount the USB camera file system.
The camera's file system is most likely a PCFS file system. If file system is PCFS, then it should be
automatically mounted.
To manually mount the file system on an x86 system, you would use syntax similar to the
# mount -F pcfs /dev/dsk/c3t0d0p0:c /mnt
To manually mount the file system on a SPARC system, you would use syntax similar to the
# mount -F pcfs /dev/dsk/c3t0d0s0:c /mnt
For information on mounting file systems, see "Mounting and Unmounting Oracle Solaris File
Systems" on page 329.
For information on mounting different PCFS file systems, see mount_pcfs(1M).
5 Verify that the image files are available.
# ls /mnt/DCIM/100OLYMP/
P7220001.JPG* P7220003.JPG* P7220005.JPG*
6 View and manipulate the image files created by the USB camera.
# /usr/dt/bin/sdtimage P7220001.JPG &
7 Unmount the file system before disconnecting the camera.
8 (Optional) Turn off and disconnect the camera.
▼ How to Remove a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running
This is procedure is performed with removable media services disabled.
2 For information on disabling removable media services, see "How to Disable or Enable
3 Verify that removable media services are not running.
disabled Sep_29 svc:/system/filesystem/volfs:default
4 Stop any active applications that are using the device.
5 Unmount the device.
6 Remove the device.
Preparing to Use a USB Mass Storage Device With vold
You can access information on removable media with or without using removable media
services. For information on accessing information on removable media with GNOME's File
Manager, see the GNOME desktop documentation.
After the USB device is formatted, it is usually mounted under the /rmdisk/label directory.
The device nodes are created under the /vol/dev directory. For more information on
configuring removable storage devices, see rmmount.conf(4) or vold.conf(4).
The following procedures describe how to manage USB mass storage devices without vold
running. The device nodes are created under the /dev/rdsk directory for character devices and
under the /dev/dsk directory for block devices. Device links are created when the devices are
hot-plugged. For more information, see scsa2usb(7D).
If the device cannot be identified by removable media services, then try to manually mount the
device. First, use the rmformat command to identify the device path and then use the mount
command to manually mount the device as superuser.
If the device is manually mounted, then you would unmount it using the umount command as
superuser.
For more information about mounting and unmounting USB devices, see "How to Mount or
▼ How to Display USB Device Information
● Display information about USB devices.
For example, use the prtconf command to display USB device information. The prtconf
output in this example has been truncated to only display USB device information.
$ prtconf
usb, instance #0
hub, instance #2
interface (driver not attached)
printer (driver not attached)
mouse, instance #14
keyboard, instance #15
disk (driver not attached)
communications, instance #10
modem (driver not attached)
data (driver not attached)
For example, use the rmformat command to display USB device information.
1. Volmgt Node: /vol/dev/aliases/cdrom0
Logical Node: /dev/rdsk/c0t2d0s2
Physical Node: /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ide@3/sd@2,0
Connected Device: LG CD-ROM CRD-8322B 1.03
Device Type: CD Reader
▼ How to Create a File System on a USB Mass Storage
A USB diskette must be formatted before you can add a file system to it. All other USB mass
storage devices just need a PCFS or UFS file system before they can be used. Keep the following
key points in mind when formatting a USB device:
■ Do not use the rmformat -F except on a USB diskette.
■ If the default slices are not acceptable, use the rmformat -s command to create slices. Use
the fdisk utility to partition a USB device, if needed. For step-by-step instructions, see:
■ "How to Modify Partitions and Create a PCFS File System on a USB Mass Storage Device
Without vold Running" on page 142
■ "How to Create a Solaris Partition and Modify the Slices on a USB Mass Storage Device
■ If the USB device is automatically mounted, you will have to unmount it before you can
create a file system on the USB device.
Note – Perform steps 4-5 only if you need to format a USB diskette.
2 Add the USB device to your system. For information on hot-plugging USB devices, see:
■ "Hot-Plugging USB Mass Storage Devices" on page 134
3 (Optional) Identify the USB device.
# cd /dev/rdsk
# ls -l c*0 | grep usb
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 55 Mar 5 10:35 c2t0d0s0 ->
../../devices/pci@1f,0/usb@c,3/storage@3/disk@0,0:a,raw
In this example, the diskette device is c2t0d0s0.
4 Insert a diskette into the diskette drive, if necessary.
5 Format the diskette, if necessary.
% rmformat -F long raw-device
For example, on a SPARC system:
% rmformat -F long /dev/rdsk/c2t0d0s2
For example, on an x86 system:
% rmformat -F long /dev/rdsk/c3t0d0p0
6 Determine the file system type and make sure the device is unmounted. Then, select one of the
For more information about unmounting a USB device, see "How to Mount or Unmount a USB
Mass Storage Device Without vold Running" on page 147.
■ Create a PCFS file system.
# mkfs -F pcfs -o nofdisk,size=size raw-device
Specify the -size option in 512-byte blocks.
The following example shows how to create a PCFS file system on a 1.4-MB diskette on a
SPARC system:
# mkfs -F pcfs /dev/rdsk/c2t0d0p0
Construct a new FAT file system on /dev/rdsk/c2t0d0p0: (y/n)? y
The following example shows how to create a PCFS file system on a 1.4-MB diskette on an
x86 system:
# mkfs -F pcfs /dev/rdsk/c2t0d0s2
Construct a new FAT file system on /dev/rdsk/c2t0d0s2: (y/n)? y
The following example shows how to create a PCFS file system on a 100-MB USB memory
stick on a SPARC system:
stick on an x86 system:
# mkfs -F pcfs /dev/rdsk/c5t0d0p0:c
This command can take several minutes to complete.
■ Create a UFS file system.
# newfs raw-device
Consider using the newfs -f 4096 option or newfs -T option for large USB hard disks.
Note – UFS file system overhead consumes a significant portion of space on a diskette, due to
a diskette's limited storage capacity.
See the next two procedures for a detailed example of creating a PCFS file system and modifying
slices on a USB mass storage device.
Device Without vold Running
Use this procedure to add a file system to a USB mass storage device with removable media
services disabled.
key points in mind when formatting a USB diskette:
Note – Perform steps 7–8 only if you need to format a USB diskette.
disable 10:39:12 svc:/system/filesystem/volfs:default
4 Add the USB device to your system.
For information on hot-plugging USB devices, see:
The following example identifies a USB diskette device.
8 Determine the file system type and select one of the following:
# mkfs -F pcfs -o nofdisk,size=2880 /dev/rdsk/c4t0d0s2
# mkfs -F pcfs -o nofdisk,size=2880 /dev/rdsk/c4t0d0p0
▼ How to Modify Partitions and Create a PCFS File
System on a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold
The following steps describe how to delete an existing partition, create a new partition, and then
create a PCFS file system on the USB device with removable media services disabled. Make sure
you back up any data before you perform this task.
2 For information about disabling removable media services, see "How to Disable or Enable
3 Start the fdisk utility.
# fdisk /dev/rdsk/c3t0d0p0
4 Delete the partition by selecting option 3.
Total disk size is 29 cylinders
Cylinder size is 2048 (512 byte) blocks
Partition Status Type Start End Length %
========= ====== ============ ===== === ====== ===
1 Active Solaris2 1 28 28 97
1. Create a partition
2. Specify the active partition
3. Delete a partition
4. Change between Solaris and Solaris2 Partition IDs
5. Exit (update disk configuration and exit)
6. Cancel (exit without updating disk configuration)
Enter Selection: 3
5 Choose the partition number to delete.
Specify the partition number to delete (or enter 0 to exit): 1
Partition deleted.
6 Create a partition.
WARNING: no partitions are defined!
7 Select the FAT32 partition type.
Select the partition type to create:
1=SOLARIS2 2=UNIX 3=PCIXOS 4=Other
5=DOS12 6=DOS16 7=DOSEXT 8=DOSBIG
9=DOS16LBA A=x86 Boot B=Diagnostic C=FAT32
D=FAT32LBA E=DOSEXTLBA F=EFI 0=Exit? c
8 Specify the percentage of disk to use for this partition.
Specify the percentage of disk to use for this partition (or type "c" to
specify the size in cylinders). 100
9 Select whether the new partition should be the active partition or an inactive partition.
Should this become the active partition? If yes, it will be activated
each time the computer is reset or turned on.
Please type "y" or "n". n
10 Update the disk configuration and exit.
1 Win95 FAT32 1 28 28 97
11 Create the PCFS file system on this partition.
# mkfs -F pcfs -o fat=32 /dev/rdsk/c3t0d0p0:c
Construct a new FAT file system on /dev/rdsk/c3t0d0p0:c: (y/n)? y
▼ How to Create a Solaris Partition and Modify the Slices
on a USB Mass Storage Device Without vold Running
The following steps illustrate how to create a Solaris partition and modify the slices with
removable media services disabled.
Make sure you back up any data before you perform this task.
# fdisk /dev/rdsk/c5t0d0s2
No fdisk table exists. The default partition for the disk is:
a 100% "SOLARIS System" partition
Type "y" to accept the default partition, otherwise type "n" to edit the
partition table.
4 Display the current slices.
# prtvtoc /dev/rdsk/c5t0d0s2
* /dev/rdsk/c5t0d0s2 partition map
* Dimensions:
* 512 bytes/sector
* 63 sectors/track
* 255 tracks/cylinder
* 16065 sectors/cylinder
* 5836 cylinders
* 5836 accessible cylinders
* Flags:
* 1: unmountable
* 10: read-only
* First Sector Last
* Partition Tag Flags Sector Count Sector Mount Directory
0 0 00 0 93755340 93755339
5 Create a text file with the slice information.
slices: 0 = 0, 5GB, "wm", "home" :
1 = 8225280000, 6GB :
2 = 0, 44GB, "wm", "backup" :
6 = 16450560000, 15GB
Make sure each slice starts on a cylinder boundary. For example, slice 1 starts at 822280000
bytes, which is the cylinder size in bytes multiplied by 1000.
For more information, see the -s option description in rmformat(1).
6 Create the slices by including the slice file created above.
# rmformat -s slice_file /dev/rdsk/c5t0d0s2
7 View the new slice information.
* Unallocated space:
* Sector Count Sector
* 10485760 5579240 16064999
* 63587280 30168060 93755339
1 3 01 16065000 12582912 28647911
▼ How to Mount or Unmount a USB Mass Storage Device
Without vold Running
The following steps illustrate how to mount and unmount a USB mass storage device with
4 (Optional) Identify the device.
5 Select one of the following to mount or unmount a USB mass storage device:
■ Mount a USB mass storage device.
# mount [ -F fstype ] block-device mount-point
This example shows how to mount a device with a UFS file system:
# mount /dev/dsk/c1t0d0s2 /mnt
This example shows how to mount a device with a PCFS file system on a SPARC system:
This example shows how to mount a device with a PCFS file system on an x86 system:
This example shows how to mount a CD with a read-only HSFS file system:
# mount -F hsfs -o ro /dev/dsk/c1t0d0s2 /mnt
■ Unmount a USB mass storage device.
First, be sure no one is using the file system on the device.
# fuser -c -u /mnt
6 Eject the device, which is optional for CD or diskette devices.
# eject /dev/[r]dsk/cntndnsn
# eject /dev/rdsk/c1t0d0s2
Troubleshooting Tips for USB Mass Storage Devices
Keep the following tips in mind if you have problems adding or removing a USB mass storage
Check the /var/adm/messages file for failures to enumerate the device. For enumeration
failures, possibly, insert the USB hub or remove a hub and connect it directly to a root USB hub.
■ If USB devices are added or removed when the system is down, you must perform a
reconfiguration boot.
ok boot -r
If you have problems accessing a device that was connected while the system is running, try
the following command:
# devfsadm
■ Do not move devices around if the system has been powered down by a suspend operation.
For more information, see "SPARC: USB Power Management" on page 127.
■ If a device has been hot removed while in use by applications and is no longer available, then
stop the applications. Use the prtconf command to see whether the device node has been
Disabling Specific USB Drivers
You can disable specific types of USB devices by disabling their client driver. For example, USB
printers can be disabled by disabling the usbprn driver that directs them. Disabling usbprn does
not affect other kinds of devices, such as USB storage devices.
The following table identifies some USB device types and their corresponding drivers.
Device Type Driver to Disable
Audio usb_ac and usb_as
HID (usually keyboard and mouse) hid
Storage scsa2usb
Printer usbprn
Serial usbser_edge
If you disable a driver for a USB device that is still connected to the system, you see a console
usba10: WARNING: usba: no driver found for device name
Using USB Audio Devices (Task Map)
▼ How to Disable Specific USB Drivers
2 Exclude the driver alias entry from the /etc/system file.
For example, include the following exclude statement to exclude the usbprn driver.
exclude: usbprn
3 Reboot the system.
▼ How to Remove Unused USB Device Links
Use this procedure if a USB device is removed while the system is powered off. Removing the
USB device while the system is powered off can leave device links for devices that do not exist.
2 Close all applications that might be accessing the device.
3 Remove the unused links for a specific USB class.
# devfsadm -C -c audio
Or, just remove the dangling links:
# devfsadm -C
Add USB audio devices. Add a USB microphone and "How to Add USB Audio Devices"
speakers. on page 152
Identify your system's primary Identify which audio device is your "How to Identify Your System's
audio device. primary audio device. Primary Audio Device" on
Change the primary USB audio You might want to make one audio "How to Change the Primary USB
device. device the primary audio device if Audio Device" on page 153
you remove or change your USB
audio devices.
Using USB Audio Devices
Remove unused USB device links. If you remove a USB audio device "How to Remove Unused USB
while the system is powered off, the Device Links" on page 150
/dev/audio device might be
pointing to a /dev/sound/* device
that doesn't exist.
Solve USB audio problems. Use this section if no sound comes "Troubleshooting USB Audio
from the USB speakers. Device Problems" on page 154
For information about USB audio support in specific Oracle Solaris releases, see "Oracle Solaris
Support for USB Devices" on page 116.
This Oracle Solaris release provides USB audio support that is implemented by a pair of
cooperating drivers, usb_ac and usb_as. The audio control driver, usb_ac, is a Solaris USB
Architecture compliant client driver that provides the controlling interface to user applications.
The audio streaming driver, usb_as, processes audio data messages during play and record. It
sets sample frequency and precision, and encodes requests from the usb_ac driver. Both drivers
comply with the USB audio class 1.0 specification.
Some audio devices can set volume under software control. A STREAMS module, usb_ah, is
pushed on top of the HID driver for managing this function.
Oracle Solaris supports USB audio devices that are play-only, record-only, or record and play.
Hot-plugging of USB audio devices is supported.
■ USB audio devices are supported on SPARC Ultra and x86 platforms that have USB
■ For fully supported audio data format information, see usb_ac(7D).
The primary audio device is /dev/audio. You can verify that /dev/audio is pointing to USB
audio by using the following command:
% mixerctl
Device /dev/audioctl:
Name = USB Audio
Config = external
Audio mixer for /dev/audioctl is enabled
After you connect your USB audio devices, you access them with the audioplay and
audiorecord command through the /dev/sound/N device links.
Note that the /dev/audio and /dev/sound/N devices can refer to speakers, microphones, or
combination devices. If you refer to the incorrect device type, the command fails. For example,
the audioplay command fails if you try to use it with a microphone.
You can select a specific default audio device for most Oracle audio applications, such as
audioplay and audiorecord, by setting the AUDIODEV shell variable or by specifying the -d
option for these commands. However, setting AUDIODEV does not work for third-party
applications that have /dev/audio hardcoded as the audio file.
When you plug in a USB audio device, it automatically becomes the primary audio device,
/dev/audio, unless /dev/audio is in use. For instructions on changing /dev/audio from
on-board audio to USB audio and vice versa, refer to "How to Change the Primary USB Audio
Device" on page 153, and usb_ac(7D).
Hot-Plugging Multiple USB Audio Devices
If a USB audio device is plugged into a system, it becomes the primary audio device,
/dev/audio. It remains the primary audio device even after the system is rebooted. If additional
USB audio devices are plugged in, the last one becomes the primary audio device.
For additional information on troubleshooting USB audio device problems, see usb_ac(7D).
▼ How to Add USB Audio Devices
1 Plug in the USB speaker.
The primary audio device, /dev/audio, points to the USB speaker.
% ls -l /dev/audio
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 Feb 13 08:46 /dev/audio -> usb/audio0
2 (Optional) Remove the speaker. Then, plug it back in.
If you remove the speaker, the /dev/audio device reverts back to on-board audio.
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 7 Feb 13 08:47 /dev/audio -> sound/0
3 Add a USB microphone.
▼ How to Identify Your System's Primary Audio Device
This procedure assumes that you have already connected the USB audio devices.
● Examine your system's new audio links.
■ Display your system's new audio links with the ls command.
% ls -lt /dev/audio*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 7 Jul 23 15:46 /dev/audio -> usb/audio0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 Jul 23 15:46 /dev/audioctl ->
usb/audioctl0/
% ls -lt /dev/sound/*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 74 Jul 23 15:46 /dev/sound/1 ->
../../devices/pci@1f,4000/usb@5/hub@1/device@3/sound-control@0:...
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 77 Jul 23 15:46 /dev/sound/1ctl ->
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 66 Jul 23 14:21 /dev/sound/0 ->
../../devices/pci@1f,4000/ebus@1/SUNW,CS4231@14,200000:sound,audio
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 69 Jul 23 14:21 /dev/sound/0ctl ->
../../devices/pci@1f,4000/ebus@1/SUNW,CS4231@14,200000:sound,audioctl
Notice that the primary audio device, /dev/audio, is pointing to the newly plugged in USB
audio device, /dev/usb/audio0.
■ You can also examine your system's USB audio devices with the prtconf command and
look for the USB device information.
% prtconf
sound-control, instance #0
sound, instance #0
input, instance #0
▼ How to Change the Primary USB Audio Device
● Select one of the following to change the primary USB audio device.
Hot-Plugging USB Devices With the cfgadm Command (Task Map)
■ If you want the on-board audio device to become the primary audio device, remove the USB
audio devices. The /dev/audio link then points to the /dev/sound/0 entry. If the
/dev/sound/0 entry is not the primary audio device, then either shut down the system and
use the boot -r command, or run the devfsadm -i command as root.
■ If you want the USB audio device to become primary audio device, just plug it in and check
the device links.
Troubleshooting USB Audio Device Problems
Sometimes, USB speakers do not produce any sound, even though the driver is attached and the
volume is set to high. Hot-plugging the device might not change this behavior.
The workaround is to power cycle the USB speakers.
Key Points of Audio Device Ownership
Keep the following key points of audio device ownership in mind when working with audio
■ When you plug in a USB audio device and you are logged in on the console, the console is
the owner of the /dev/* entries. This situation means you can use the audio device as long as
you are logged in to the console.
■ If you are not logged in to the console when you plug in a USB audio device, root becomes
the owner of the device. However, if you log in to the console and attempt to access the USB
audio device, device ownership changes to the console. For more information, see
logindevperm(4).
■ When you remotely log in with the rlogin command and attempt to access the USB audio
device, the ownership does not change. This means that, for example, unauthorized users
cannot listen to conversations over a microphone owned by someone else.
Hot-Plugging USB Devices With the cfgadm Command (Task
Display USB bus information. Display information about USB "How to Display USB Bus
devices and buses. Information (cfgadm)" on page 156
Unconfigure a USB device. Logically unconfigure a USB device "How to Unconfigure a USB
that is still physically connected to Device" on page 157
Configure a USB device. Configure a USB device that was "How to Configure a USB Device"
previously unconfigured. on page 157
Logically disconnect a USB device. You can logically disconnect a USB "How to Logically Disconnect a
device if you are not physically near USB Device" on page 158
Logically connect a USB device. Logically connect a USB device that "How to Logically Connect a USB
was previously logically Device" on page 158
disconnected or unconfigured.
Disconnect a USB device subtree. Disconnect a USB device subtree, "How to Logically Disconnect a
which is the hierarchy (or tree) of USB Device Subtree" on page 159
devices below a hub.
Reset a USB device. Reset a USB device to logically "How to Reset a USB Device" on
remove and re-create the device. page 159
Change the default configuration Change the default configuration "How to Change the Default
of a multi-configuration USB of a multi-configuration USB Configuration of a
device. device. Multi-Configuration USB Device"
on page 159
Hot-Plugging USB Devices With the cfgadm Command
You can add and remove a USB device from a running system without using the cfgadm
command. However, a USB device can also be logically hot-plugged without physically
removing the device. This scenario is convenient when you are working remotely and you need
to disable or reset a non functioning USB device. The cfgadm command also provides a way to
display the USB device tree, including manufacturer and product information.
system where dynamic reconfiguration operations can occur. An attachment point consists of
■ An occupant, which represents a hardware resource, such as a USB device, that might be
configured into the system
■ A receptacle, which is the location that accepts the occupant, such as a USB port
user-friendly alternative for the physical Ap_Id. For more information on Ap_Ids, see
cfgadm_usb(1M).
The cfgadm command provides the following USB device status information.
Receptacle State Description
empty/unconfigured The device is not physically connected.
disconnected/unconfigured The device is logically disconnected and unavailable,
even though the device could still be physically
connected/unconfigured The device is logically connected, but unavailable. The
device is visible in prtconf output.
connected/configured The device is connected and available.
The following sections describe how to hot-plug a USB device through the software with the
cfgadm command. All of the sample USB device information in these sections has been
truncated to focus on relevant information.
▼ How to Display USB Bus Information (cfgadm)
For examples of using the prtconf command to display USB configuration information, see
"How to Display USB Device Information" on page 138.
1 Display USB bus information.
% cfgadm
usb0/4.5 usb-hub connected configured ok
usb0/4.5.1 usb-device connected configured ok
usb0/4.5.2 usb-printer connected configured ok
usb0/4.5.3 usb-mouse connected configured ok
usb0/4.5.5 usb-storage connected configured ok
usb0/4.5.6 usb-communi connected configured ok
usb0/4.5.7 unknown empty unconfigured ok
In the preceding example, usb0/4.5.1 identifies a device connected to port 1 of the
second-level external hub, which is connected to port 5 of first-level external hub, which is
connected to the first USB controller's root hub, port 4.
2 Display specific USB device information.
% cfgadm -l -s "cols=ap_id:info"
Ap_Id Information
usb0/4.5.1 Mfg: Inside Out Networks Product: Edgeport/421 NConfigs: 1
Config: 0 : ...
usb0/4.5.2 Mfg: <undef> Product: <undef> NConfigs: 1 Config: 0 ...
usb0/4.5.3 Mfg: Mitsumi Product: Apple USB Mouse NConfigs: 1
Config: 0 ...
usb0/4.5.4 Mfg: NMB Product: NMB USB KB/PS2 M NConfigs: 1 Config: 0
usb0/4.5.5 Mfg: Hagiwara Sys-Com Product: SmartMedia R/W NConfigs: 1
usb0/4.5.6 Mfg: 3Com Inc. Product: U.S.Robotics 56000 Voice USB Modem
NConfigs: 2 ...
usb0/4.5.7
▼ How to Unconfigure a USB Device
You can unconfigure a USB device that is still physically connected to the system. However, a
driver will never attach to the device. Note that a USB device remains in the prtconf output
even after that device is unconfigured.
2 Unconfigure the USB device.
# cfgadm -c unconfigure usb0/4.7
Unconfigure the device: /devices/pci@8,700000/usb@5,3/hub@4:4.7
This operation will suspend activity on the USB device
3 Verify that the device is unconfigured.
usb0/4.6 usb-storage connected configured ok
usb0/4.7 usb-storage connected unconfigured ok
▼ How to Configure a USB Device
2 Configure a USB device.
# cfgadm -c configure usb0/4.7
3 Verify that the USB device is configured.
# cfgadm usb0/4.7
▼ How to Logically Disconnect a USB Device
If you want to remove a USB device from the system and the prtconf output, but you are not
physically near the system, just logically disconnect the USB device. The device is still physically
connected. However, the device is logically disconnected, unusable, and not visible to the
2 Disconnect a USB device.
# cfgadm -c disconnect -y usb0/4.7
3 Verify that the device is disconnected.
usb0/4.7 unknown disconnected unconfigured ok
▼ How to Logically Connect a USB Device
Use this procedure to logically connect a USB device that was previously logically disconnected
or unconfigured.
2 Connect a USB device.
3 Verify that the device is connected.
The device is now available and visible to the system.
▼ How to Logically Disconnect a USB Device Subtree
Use this procedure to disconnect a USB device subtree, which is the hierarchy (or tree) of
2 Remove a USB device subtree.
# cfgadm -c disconnect -y usb0/4
3 Verify that the USB device subtree is disconnected.
# cfgadm usb0/4
usb0/4 unknown disconnected unconfigured ok
▼ How to Reset a USB Device
If a USB device behaves erratically, use the cfgadm command to reset the device, which logically
removes and re-creates the device.
2 Make sure that the device is not in use.
3 Reset the device.
# cfgadm -x usb_reset -y usb0/4.7
▼ How to Change the Default Configuration of a
Multi-Configuration USB Device
Keep the following in mind when working with multi-configuration USB devices:
■ A USB device configuration defines how a device presents itself to the operating system.
This method is different from system device configurations discussed in other cfgadm
sections.
■ Some USB devices support multiple configurations, but only one configuration can be active
■ Multi-configuration devices can be identified by examining the cfgadm -lv output.
Nconfigs will be greater than 1.
■ The default USB configuration is configuration 1. The current configuration is reflected in
cfgadm -lv output as Config.
■ Changes to the default configuration persist across reboots, hot-removes, and the
reconfiguration of the device, as long as the device is reconnected to the same port.
2 Change the default USB configuration.
# cfgadm -x usb_config -o config=2 usb0/4
Setting the device: /devices/pci@1f,0/usb@c,3:4
to USB configuration 2
Continue (yes/no)? yes
3 Verify that the device changed.
# cfgadm -lv usb0/4
Ap_Id Receptacle Occupant Condition Information When Type
Busy Phys_Id
usb0/4 connected unconfigured ok Mfg: Sun 2000
Product: USB-B0B0 aka Robotech
With 6 EPPS High Clk Mode NConfigs: 7 Config: 2 : EVAL Board Setup
usb-device n /devices/pci@1f,0/usb@c,3:4
Note that Config: now shows 2.
Using InfiniBand Devices (Overview/Tasks)
InfiniBand (IB) is a I/O technology based on switch fabrics. It provides high bandwidth, low
latency interconnect for attaching I/O devices to hosts and for host-to-host communication.
■ "Overview of InfiniBand Devices" on page 161
■ "Dynamically Reconfiguring IB Devices (cfgadm)" on page 164
For information on the procedures associated with using IB devices, see the following:
■ "Dynamically Reconfiguring IB Devices (Task Map)" on page 162
■ "Using the uDAPL Application Interface With InfiniBand Devices" on page 173
Overview of InfiniBand Devices
IB devices are managed by the Solaris IB nexus driver. This driver supports 5 types of devices:
■ IB Port devices
■ IB virtual physical point of attachment (VPPA) devices
■ IB HCA service (HCA_SVC) devices
■ Pseudo devices
■ I/O controller (IOC) devices
The IB nexus driver queries the Solaris IB Device Manager (IBDM) for services, referred in this
guide as communication services, to enumerate the IB Port, HCA_SVC, and IB VPPA devices.
The Port devices bind a communication service to a given port# of a Host Channel Adapter
(HCA). The VPPA devices bind a communication service to a port#, p_key# combination
instead. The HCA_SVC devices bind a communication service to a given HCA. Note that the
Dynamically Reconfiguring IB Devices (Task Map)
Port devices and the HCA_SVC devices always use a p_key (partition key) whose value is zero.
The Port, HCA_SVC, and VPPA devices are children of the HCA and are enumerated through
the ib.conf file. For more information, see ib(7D).
The IOC devices are children of the IB nexus driver and are part of an I/O unit. The pseudo
devices are also children of the IB nexus driver and refer to all other devices that provide their
own configuration files to enumerate. For more information, see ib(4).
The possible IB device tree path name(s) are listed in the following table.
IOC device /ib/ioc@1730000007F510C,173000007F50
IB pseudo device /ib/<driver>@<unit-address>
IB VPPA device /pci@1f,2000/pci@1/pci15b3,5a44@0/ibport@<port#>,
<p_key>,<service>
IB HCA_SVC device /pci@1f,2000/pci@1/pci15bc,5a44@0/ibport@0,0,<service>
IB Port device /pci@1f,2000/pci@1/pci15b3,5a44@0/ibport@<port#>,0,
HCA /pci@1f,2000/pci@1/pci15b3,5a44@0
Note that the IB HCA_SVC devices have zero as the port# and the p_key.
The IB components in the preceding table are described as follows:
<services> Is a communication service. For example, ipib is the communication
service used by the ibd kernel client driver.
<p_key> Is the partition key value being used.
<port> Is the port number.
<unit-address> Refers to IB kernel client driver's property by this name specified in its
driver.conf file. For more information, see driver.conf(4).
Display IB device information. Display information about the IB "How to Display IB Device
devices on your system. Information" on page 165
Configure or unconfigure an IOC Select one of the following:
Unconfigure an IOC device. "How to Unconfigure an IOC
Device" on page 166
Configure an IOC device. "How to Configure an IOC Device"
Configure or unconfigure a port or Select one of the following:
VPPA device.
Unconfigure a port or a VPPA "How to Unconfigure an IB Port,
device. HCA_SVC, or a VPPA Device" on
Configure a port or a VPPA device. "How to Configure a IB Port,
HCA_SVC, or a VPPA Device" on
Configure or unconfigure an IB Select one of the following:
pseudo device.
Unconfigure an IB pseudo device. "How to Unconfigure an IB Pseudo
Configure an IB pseudo device. "How to Configure an IB Pseudo
Display kernel IB clients of an You might need to display "How to Display Kernel IB Clients
HCA. information about kernel IP clients of an HCA" on page 169
of an HCA, particularly if you're
going to unconfigure an HCA.
HCA.
Unconfigure IB devices that are "How to Unconfigure IB Devices
connected to an HCA. Connected to an HCA" on page 169
Configure IB devices that are "Configuring an IB HCA" on
connected to an HCA. page 170
Update the IB p_key tables. If the p_key table information of a "How to Update the IB p_key
HCA port changes, IBTF and Tables" on page 170
IBDM need to be notified so that
their internal p_key databases are
Display IB communication services Display the IB communication "How to Display IB
services that are currently in use by Communication Services" on
the IBTF. page 171
Chapter 9 • Using InfiniBand Devices (Overview/Tasks) 163
Dynamically Reconfiguring IB Devices (cfgadm)
Add or remove a VPPA Select one of the following:
communication service.
Add a VPPA communication "How to Add a VPPA
service. Communication Service" on
Remove a VPPA communication "How to Remove an Existing IB
service. Port, HCA_SVC, or a VPPA
Communication Service" on
Update an IOC configuration. You can update the properties of all "How to Update an IOC
the IOC device nodes or update a Configuration" on page 172
particular IOC Ap_Id.
One can configure or unconfigure an IB device from a running system by using the cfgadm CLI
only. This command also provides a way to display the IB fabric, manage communication
services, and update p_key table databases. For more information, see cfgadm_ib(1M).
The cfgadm CLI manages dynamic reconfiguration, referred to in this guide as DR, of the entire
IB fabric as seen by a host. The cfgadm operations are supported on all the IB devices, such as
Port, VPPA, HCA_SVC, IOC, and pseudo devices.
The cfgadm command displays information about attachment points (Ap_Ids), which are
locations in the system where DR operations can occur. For details on the Ap_Ids that cfgadm
supports, see cfgadm_ib.1M. Note that all IB Ap_Ids are shown as connected.
The cfgadm command provides the following IB device status information.
connected/configured/ok The device is connected and available. The devinfo
node is present.
connected/unconfigured/unknown The device is unavailable and no devinfo node or
device driver exists for this device. Or, the device was
never configured for use by ib nexus driver. The
device might be known to the IB Device Manager.
The following sections describe how to dynamically reconfigure (DR) IB devices with the
cfgadm command. All of the sample IB device information in these sections has been truncated
to focus on relevant information.
▼ How to Display IB Device Information
You can use the prtconf command to display general information about IB devices. For
pci15b3,5a44, instance #0
ibport, instance #253
ib, instance #0
ioc, instance #243
ibgen, instance #249
In the preceding example, pci15b3,5a44 refers to an IB HCA.
Use the following steps to display specific IB device information.
2 Display IB fabric information.
# cfgadm -a
ib IB-Fabric connected configured ok
hca:1730000008070 IB-HCA connected configured ok
ib::1730000007F5198 IB-IOC connected configured ok
ib::1730000008070,0,hnfs IB-HCA_SVC connected configured ok
ib::1730000008071,0,sdp IB-PORT connected configured ok
ib::1730000008071,8001,ipib IB-VPPA connected configured ok
ib::ibgen,0 IB-PSEUDO connected configured ok
In the preceding example output, the components are described as follows:
Ap_Id ib::1730000008072,0,sdp Identifies an IB Port device that is connected to
port 2 and is bound to the sdp service.
Ap_Id ib::1730000008072,8001,ipib Identifies an IB VPPA device that is connected to
port 2, using a p_key value of 0x8001, and is bound
to the ibd service.
Ap_Id ib:: 1730000008070,0,hnfs Identifies an IB HCA_SVC device bound to the
hnfs service.
Ap_Id ib::1730000007F5198 Identifies an IOC device.
Ap_Id ib::ibgen,0 Identifies a pseudo device.
3 Display specific IB device information.
For example, for an IB VPPA device:
# cfgadm -al -s "cols=ap_id:info" ib::1730000008072,8001,ipib
ib::1730000008072,8001,ipib ipib
For example, for an IB HCA device:
# cfgadm -al -s "cols=ap_id:info" hca::1730000008070
hca::1730000008070 VID: 0x15b3, PID: 0x5a44, #ports: 0x2,
port1 GUID: 0x1730000008071, port2 GUID: 0x1730000008072
The preceding output displays the number of ports and their GUIDs.
▼ How to Unconfigure an IOC Device
You can unconfigure an IB device that is still physically connected to the system, but a driver
will never attach to it.
2 Unconfigure the IB device.
# cfgadm -c unconfigure ib::1730000007F5198
Unconfigure the device: /devices/ib:fabric::1730000007F5198
This operation will suspend activity on the IB device
# cfgadm -a ib::1730000007F5198
ib::1730000007F5198 IB-IOC connected unconfigured unknown
▼ How to Configure an IOC Device
2 Configure a IB device.
# cfgadm -yc configure ib::1730000007F5198
3 Verify that the IB device is configured.
# cfgadm -al ib::1730000007F5198
▼ How to Unconfigure an IB Port, HCA_SVC, or a VPPA
Use the following steps if you want to remove an IB Port, HCA_SVC, or a VPPA device from the
The example below illustrates how to unconfigure a VPPA device, but the same procedure
applies to Port and HCA_SVC devices as well.
2 Unconfigure the IB VPPA device.
# cfgadm -c unconfigure ib::1730000007F51,8001,ipib
Unconfigure the device: /devices/ib:fabric::1730000007F51,8001,ipib
# cfgadm -a ib::1730000007F51,8001,ipib
ib::1730000007F51,8001,ipib IB-VPPA connected unconfigured unknown
▼ How to Configure a IB Port, HCA_SVC, or a VPPA Device
Use the following steps if you want to configure an IB Port, HCA_SVC, or a VPPA device on the
The example below illustrates how to configure a VPPA device, but similar steps can be used to
configure Port and HCA_SVC devices as well.
2 Configure the IB VPPA device.
# cfgadm -c configure ib::1730000007F51,8001,ipib
ib::1730000007F51,8001,ipib IB-VPPA connected configured ok
Note – A cfgadm based configure or unconfigure operation of IB Port and HCA_SVC devices is
similar to the preceding examples for an IB VPPA device.
▼ How to Unconfigure an IB Pseudo Device
Use the following steps if you want to remove an IB pseudo device from the system.
2 Unconfigure the IB pseudo device.
# cfgadm -c unconfigure ib::ibgen,0
Unconfigure the device: /devices/ib:fabric::ibgen,0
# cfgadm -a ib::ibgen,0
ib::ibgen,0 IB-PSEUDO connected unconfigured unknown
▼ How to Configure an IB Pseudo Device
Use the following steps to configure an IB pseudo device.
2 Configure the IB pseudo device.
# cfgadm -yc configure ib::ibgen,0
▼ How to Display Kernel IB Clients of an HCA
The following IB cfgadm plugin command can be invoked to list kernel IB clients using this
HCA. Note that the last column would show a "yes" if a kernel IB client uses another HCA. IB
Managers and kernel clients that do not use the HCA are shown with an Ap_Id of "-".
● Display kernel IB clients of an HCA.
$ cfgadm -x list_clients hca:173000007F50
Ap_Id IB Client Alternate HCA
ib::1730000007F51D0 ibgen no
ib::1730000007F51,8001,ipib ibd no
ib::ibgen,0 ibgen no
- ibdm no
- ibmf no
- nfs/ib no
▼ How to Unconfigure IB Devices Connected to an HCA
An actual DR of an HCA is beyond the scope of the IB cfgadm plugin. Although DR of an HCA
can be achieved by using the plugin of the underlying bus. For example, a PCI based HCA can
use the cfgadm_pci command. For more information, see cfgadm_pci(1M).
However, the IB cfgadm plugin assists in the HCA DR by listing its kernel IB clients as
illustrated in steps below.
2 List the kernel IB clients of the HCA.
# cfgadm -x list_clients hca:173000007F50
3 Unconfigure kernel IB clients, such as Port, VPPA, HCA_SVC, or IOC devices, that do not have
alternate HCAs present.
# cfgadm -x unconfig_clients hca:1730000008070
Unconfigure Clients of HCA /devices/ib:1730000008070
This operation will unconfigure IB clients of this HCA
4 Verify that the kernel IB clients of the HCA are unconfigured.
Configuring an IB HCA
Invoke the bus-specific cfgadm plugin to configure the HCA. The exact details are beyond the
scope of this chapter.
▼ How to Update the IB p_key Tables
If the p_key table information of an HCA ports changes, for example, additional p_keys are
enabled or disabled, InfiniBand Transport Framework (IBTF) and IBDM need to be notified so
that their internal p_key databases are updated. The cfgadm command helps update the p_key
databases of IBTF and IBDM. For more information, see ibtl(7D) and ibdm(7D).
2 Update the p_key tables.
# cfgadm -x update_pkey_tbls -y ib
▼ How to Display IB Communication Services
Use the following steps to display the communication services that are currently in use by the
IBTF.
2 Display IB communication services.
# cfgadm -x list_services ib
Port communication services:
VPPA communication services:
HCA_SVC communication services:
hnfs
▼ How to Add a VPPA Communication Service
Use the following steps to add a new VPPA communication service.
Similar steps can be used to add a new HCA_SVC or a port communication service.
2 Add a new VPPA communication service.
# cfgadm -o comm=vppa,service=new -x add_service ib
3 Verify that the new service has been added.
nfs_service
▼ How to Remove an Existing IB Port, HCA_SVC, or a
VPPA Communication Service
Use the following steps to delete an existing IB Port, HCA_SVC, or a VPPA communication
2 Remove a VPPA communication service.
# cfgadm -o comm=vppa,service=new -x delete_service ib
3 Verify that the communication service has been removed.
▼ How to Update an IOC Configuration
Use the following steps to update properties of all the IOC device nodes or for a particular IOC
Ap_Id. The properties that can get updated are as follows:
■ port-list
■ port-entries
■ service-id
■ service-name
For more information on these properties, see ib(7D).
Note that these properties may not get updated if there is no configuration change. The
following example describes how to update a particular IOC's configuration. If you need to
update the configuration of all the IOCs, then specify the static ib Ap_Id instead of the
Using the uDAPL Application Interface With InfiniBand Devices
2 Update the configuration of an IOC.
# cfgadm -x update_ioc_conf ib::1730000007F5198
This operation can update properties of IOC devices.
3 Verify that the properties have been updated by running prtconf -v.
Using the uDAPL Application Interface With InfiniBand
User Direct Access Programming Library (uDAPL) is a standard API that promotes data center
application data messaging performance, scalability, and reliability over Remote Direct
Memory Access (RDMA) capable interconnects such as InfiniBand. The uDAPL interface is
defined by the DAT collaborative. For more information about the DAT collaborative, go to the
following site:
http://www.datcollaborative.org
The Solaris release provides the following uDAPL features:
■ A standard DAT registry library, libdat. For more information, see libdat(3LIB).
■ A standard service provider registration file, dat.conf. For more information, see
dat.conf(4).
■ Support for multiple service providers so that each provider specifies their own uDAPL
library path, version number, and so on, in their own service_provider.conf file. For
more information, see, service_provider.conf(4).
■ An administrative tool, the datadm command, to configure dat.conf. For more
information, see datadm(1M).
■ A new resource control property, project.max-device-locked-memory, to regulate the
amount of locked down physical memory.
■ A naming scheme that uses either IPv4 or IPv6 addresses that leverage the IP infrastructure,
such as ARP in IPv4 and neighbor discovery in IPv6, for address resolution. The Solaris
uDAPL Interface Adapter directly maps to an IPoIB device instance.
■ Support for the standard Address Translation Scheme that is used by the DAT collaborative
■ A uDAPL service provider library to support the Mellanox Tavor Host Channel Adapter
with automatic registration to the dat.conf registration file.
■ Supports both SPARC platform and x86 platforms.
▼ How to Enable uDAPL
2 Confirm that the following packages are installed. Or, install them, if needed.
■ SUNWib – Sun InfiniBand Framework
■ SUNWtavor – Sun Tavor HCA Driver
■ SUNWipoib – Sun IP over InfiniBand
■ SUNWudaplr – Direct Access Transport (DAT) registry package (root)
■ SUNWudaplu – Direct Access Transport (DAT) registry packages (usr)
■ SUNWudapltr – Service Provider for Tavor packages (root)
■ SUNWudapltu – Service Provider for Tavor packages (usr)
3 Select one of the following to plumb the IPoIB interfaces.
■ Manually plumb the interfaces with the ifconfig and datadm commands.
# ifconfig ibd1 plumb
# ifconfig ibd1 192.168.0.1/24 up
# datadm -a /usr/share/dat/SUNWudaplt.conf
■ Automatically plumb the interfaces by doing the following:
■ Create the following file with the appropriate IP address.
/etc/hostname.ibd1
■ Reboot the system.
Updating the DAT Static Registry
You can use the datadm command to maintain the DAT static registry, the dat.conf file. For
more information about this file, see dat.conf(4).
The datadm command can also be used to register or unregister a service provider to the
dat.conf file. For more information, see datadm(1M).
When IPoIB interface adapters are added or removed, run the datadm command to update the
dat.conf file to reflect the current state of the system. A new set of interface adapters for all the
service providers that are currently installed will be regenerated.
▼ How to Update the DAT Static Registry
2 Update the DAT static registry after you add or remove IPoIP interface adapters from the system.
# datadm -u
3 Display the updated DAT static registry.
# datadm
▼ How to Register a Service Provider in the DAT Static Registry
2 Update the DAT static registry after you add Sun's service provider for the Mellanox Tavor Host
Channel Adapter.
# datadm -v
▼ How to Unregister a Service Provider from the DAT Static Registry
2 Update the DAT static registry after you remove Sun's service provider for the Mellanox Tavor
Host Channel Adapter from the system.
# datadm -r /usr/share/dat/SUNWudaplt.conf
C H A P T E R 1 0
Managing Disks (Overview)
This chapter provides overview information about Oracle Solaris disk slices and introduces the
format utility.
This is a list of overview information in this chapter.
■ "What's New in Disk Management?" on page 177
■ "Where to Find Disk Management Tasks" on page 181
■ "Overview of Disk Management" on page 182
■ "Disk Terminology" on page 182
■ "About Disk Labels" on page 182
■ "About Disk Slices" on page 187
■ "format Utility" on page 191
■ "Partitioning a Disk" on page 195
For instructions on how to add a disk to your system, see Chapter 12, "SPARC: Setting Up Disks
(Tasks)," or Chapter 13, "x86: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)."
What's New in Disk Management?
This section describes new disk management features in the Oracle Solaris release.
■ "The diskinfo Command" on page 178
■ "Two-Terabyte Disk Support for Installing and Booting the Oracle Solaris OS" on page 179
■ "iSNS Support in the Solaris iSCSI Target and Initiator" on page 180
■ "Solaris iSCSI Target Support" on page 180
■ "x86: Disk Management in the GRUB Boot Environment" on page 180
■ "Support for SCSI Disks That are Larger Than 2 Terabytes" on page 181
The diskinfo Command
Oracle Solaris 10 8/11: This Oracle Solaris release provides the diskinfo command that you
can use to display the relationship between disk paths and disk slots (or bays) for devices that
are found on the system. Devices that can be identified by the diskinfo command are generally
JBODs and direct-attached devices in blade systems.
You can use the diskinfo -a command to display information about all the disks on the
system. For example:
# diskinfo -a
Enclosure path: 0631AM1028
Chassis Serial Number: 0631AM1028
Chassis Model: Sun-Fire-X4200-Server
Label Disk name Vendor Product Vers
---------- ---------------------- -------- ---------------- ----
HD0 c1t0d0 FUJITSU MAY2073RCSUN72G 0401
After you identify the disks on the system, you can display disk path information for a specific
device. For example:
# diskinfo -d c1t1d0 -p
0: /pci@0,0/pci1022,7450@2/pci1000,3060@3/sd@1,0
With multiple enclosures on a system, display all the disks within a specific enclosure. For
# diskinfo -e 0631AM1028
For more information, see diskinfo(1M).
Multiple Disk Sector Size Support
Solaris 10 9/10: Previous Solaris releases supported a disk sector size of 512 bytes. In this Oracle
Solaris release, disks with sector sizes of 512 bytes, 1024 bytes, 2048 bytes, or 4096 bytes are
supported. Large sector disks provide greater disk capacity, higher reliability, and greater
efficiency for data transfer and faster drive maintenance.
The ability to boot and install from a large sector disk is not currently supported.
Two-Terabyte Disk Support for Installing and Booting
the Oracle Solaris OS
Oracle Solaris 10 10/09: In previous Solaris releases, you could not install and boot the Solaris
OS from a disk that was greater than 1 TB in size. In this Solaris release, you can install and boot
the Solaris OS from a disk that is up to 2 TB in size. In previous releases, you also had to use an
EFI label for a disk that is larger than 1 TB. In this release, you can use the VTOC label on any
size disk, but the addressable space by the VTOC is limited to 2 TB.
The Oracle Solaris disk drivers and disk utilities have been updated to provide the following
■ Installing and booting the Oracle Solaris OS on a two-terabyte disk must be connected to a
system that runs a 64-bit kernel, with a minimum of 1.5 GB of memory.
■ You can use the format -e utility to label a disk of any size with a VTOC label, but the
addressable space is limited to 2 TB.
■ The default label that is used by the format utility and the installation software for a disk
that is less than 2 TB in size is a VTOC label.
■ You can use the fdisk utility on a disk that is greater than 1 TB on x86 systems. Support is
added for up to 2-TB partitions in the MBR for non-EFI partition types. This support means
that Solaris partitions can go up to 2 TB. Other non-EFI partitions may be subject to a limit
depending on partition type.
When the fdisk utility is run on a disk that is greater than 2 TB in size, a warning message is
displayed to indicate that you cannot create a non-EFI partition that is greater than 2 TB.
■ The Solaris Volume Manager software has been modified to create metadevices that support
physical disks with VTOC labels up to 2 TB in size.
Keep in mind that you cannot move a disk over 1 TB with a legacy MBR or a legacy VTOC to a
previous Solaris release. EFI labeled disks continue to work as in previous Solaris releases.
For more information about the EFI label changes in this release, see "EFI Disk Label" on
Chapter 10 • Managing Disks (Overview) 179
iSNS Support in the Solaris iSCSI Target and Initiator
Solaris 10 8/07: This Solaris release provides support for the Internet Storage Name Service
(iSNS) protocol in the Solaris iSCSI target and initiator software. The iSNS protocol allows for
the automated discovery, management, and configuration of iSCSI devices on a TCP/IP
In this Solaris release, you can use the iscsitadm command to add access to an existing
third-party iSNS server or you can user the Solaris iSNS server to automatically discover the
iSCSI devices in your network. The iSNS server can be specified by hostname or IP address.
After you add the iSNS server information, you will need to enable access to the server.
For information about configuring the Oracle Solaris iSCSI target to use a third-party iSNS
server, see Chapter 14, "Configuring Oracle Solaris iSCSI Targets and Initiators (Tasks)," and
iscsitadm(1M).
Solaris iSCSI Target Support
Solaris 10 8/07: This Solaris release provides support for iSCSI target devices, which can be disk
or tape devices. Previous Solaris releases provide support for iSCSI initiators. The advantage of
setting up Solaris iSCSI targets is you might have existing Fibre-Channel devices that can be
connected to clients without the cost of Fibre-Channel HBAs. In addition, systems with
dedicated arrays can now export replicated storage with ZFS or UFS file systems.
You can use the iscsitadm command to set up and manage your iSCSI target devices. For the
disk device that you select as your iSCSI target, you'll need to provide an equivalently sized ZFS
or UFS file system as the backing store for the iSCSI daemon.
After the target device is set up, use the iscsiadm command to identify your iSCSI targets,
which will discover and use the iSCSI target device.
For more information, see Chapter 14, "Configuring Oracle Solaris iSCSI Targets and Initiators
(Tasks)," iscsiadm(1M), and iscsitadm(1M).
x86: Disk Management in the GRUB Boot Environment
Solaris 10 1/06: The GRUB boot menu has replaced the previous method for booting an x86
system. In the area of disk management, you use the GRUB interface when booting from an
alternative device to replace a system disk or when installing the bootblocks.
The GRUB boot environment provides the following features:
■ Solaris failsafe boot – A Solaris failsafe boot option that boots into the miniroot so you can
recover from a problem that is preventing the system from booting without having to boot
from an alternative device. Use the arrow keys to select the following option from the GRUB
boot menu and then press return:
Where to Find Disk Management Tasks
Solaris failsafe
You'll need to reboot the system after using the Solaris failsafe boot option.
■ Network boot – Boot from the network by pressing the F12 key during the BIOS
configuration phase.
■ Single-user boot – Boot to single-user mode by selecting this option from the Solaris failsafe
boot menu:
kernel /platform/i86pc/multiboot
Then, use the e (edit) option to add the -s single-user option. For example:
kernel /platform/i86pc/multiboot -s
Press return and then press the b key to boot the system. Press control-D to boot the system
back to multiuser mode.
In the GRUB environment, you cannot use the fmthard command to install the boot blocks
automatically when run on an x86 system. You must install the boot blocks separately.
For detailed feature information and instructions on using the new GRUB based booting on x86
systems, see "Booting an x86 Based System by Using GRUB (Task Map)" in System
Administration Guide: Basic Administration.
This feature is not available on SPARC systems.
Support for SCSI Disks That are Larger Than 2
Terabytes
Solaris 10 1/06: The SCSI driver, ssd or sd, supports 2 terabytes and greater. The SCSI driver,
ssd or sd, is limited to 2 TB in previous Solaris releases.
The format utility can be used to label, configure, and partition these larger disks. For
information about using the EFI disk label on large disks and restrictions with the fdisk utility,
see "Restrictions of the EFI Disk Label" on page 184.
Use these references to find step-by-step instructions for managing disks.
Disk Management Task For More Information
Format a disk and examine a disk label. Chapter 11, "Administering Disks (Tasks)"
Add a new disk to a SPARC system. Chapter 12, "SPARC: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)"
Overview of Disk Management
Add a new disk to an x86 system. Chapter 13, "x86: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)"
Hot-plug a SCSI or PCI disk. Chapter 6, "Dynamically Configuring Devices
(Tasks)"
Managing disks in the Oracle Solaris OS usually involves setting up the system and running the
Oracle Solaris installation program to create the appropriate disk slices and file systems and to
install the Oracle Solaris OS. Occasionally, you might need to use the format utility to add a
new disk drive or replace a defective disk drive.
Disk Terminology
Before you can effectively use the information in this section, you should be familiar with basic
disk architecture. In particular, you should be familiar with the following terms:
Disk Term Description
Track A concentric ring on a disk that passes under a single stationary disk
head as the disk rotates.
Cylinder The set of tracks with the same nominal distance from the axis about
which the disk rotates.
Sector Section of each disk platter. A sector holds 512 bytes.
Block A data storage area on a disk. A disk block is 512 bytes.
Disk controller A chip and its associated circuitry that controls the disk drive.
Disk label The first sector of a disk that contains disk geometry and partition
Device driver A kernel module that controls a hardware or virtual device.
For additional information, see the product information from your disk's manufacturer.
About Disk Labels
A special area of every disk is set aside for storing information about the disk's controller,
geometry, and slices. This information is called the disk's label. Another term that is used to
described the disk label is the VTOC (Volume Table of Contents) on a disk with a VTOC label.
To label a disk means to write slice information onto the disk. You usually label a disk after you
change its slices.
The Oracle Solaris release supports the following two disk labels:
■ SMI – The traditional VTOC label for disks that are less than 2 TB in size.
■ EFI – Provides support for disks that are larger than 2 TB on systems that run a 64-bit
Solaris kernel. The Extensible Firmware Interface GUID Partition Table (EFI GPT) disk
label is also available for disks less than 2 TB that are connected to a system that runs a 32-bit
Solaris kernel.
If you fail to label a disk after you create slices, the slices will be unavailable because the OS has
no way of "knowing" about the slices.
EFI Disk Label
The EFI label provides support for physical disks and virtual disk volumes that are greater than
2 TB in size. This release also includes updated disk utilities for managing disks greater than 2
TB in size. The UFS file system is compatible with the EFI disk label, and you can create a UFS
file system greater than 2 TB. For information on creating a multiterabyte UFS file system, see
"Support of Multiterabyte UFS File Systems" on page 314.
The following file system products support file systems greater than 1 TB in size:
■ The Oracle Solaris ZFS file system supports file systems greater than 1 TB in size.
■ The Sun StorEdge QFS file system is also available to create file systems greater than 1 TB in
size. For information on the Oracle QFS file system, see http://download.oracle.com/
docs/cd/E19526-01/819-1550-10/819-1550-10.pdf.
■ The Solaris Volume Manager software can also be used to manage disks greater than 1 TB in
this Solaris release. For information on using Solaris Volume Manager, see Solaris Volume
Manager Administration Guide.
The VTOC label is still available for disks less than 2 terabytes in size. If you are only using disks
smaller than 2 TB on your systems, managing disks will be the same as in previous Solaris
releases. In addition, you can use the format-e command to label a disk 2 TB in size or less with
an EFI label. For more information, see Example 11–5.
You can use the format -e command to apply an EFI label to a disk if the system is running the
appropriate Oracle Solaris release. However, you should review the important information in
"Restrictions of the EFI Disk Label" on page 184 before attempting to apply an EFI label.
You can also use the format -e command to reapply a VTOC label if the EFI label is no longer
needed. For example:
# format -e
format> label
[0] SMI Label
[1] EFI Label
Specify Label type[1]: 0
Warning: This disk has an EFI label. Changing to SMI label will erase all
current partitions.
Continue? yes
Auto configuration via format.dat[no]?
Auto configuration via generic SCSI-2[no]?
format> quit
Caution – Keep in mind that changing disk labels will destroy any data on the disk.
Comparison of the EFI Label and the VTOC Label
The EFI disk label differs from the VTOC disk label in the following ways:
■ Provides support for disks greater than 2 terabytes in size.
■ Provides usable slices 0-6, where slice 2 is just another slice.
■ Partitions (or slices) cannot overlap with the primary or backup label, nor with any other
partitions. The size of the EFI label is usually 34 sectors, so partitions usually start at sector
34. This feature means that no partition can start at sector zero (0).
■ No cylinder, head, or sector information is stored in the EFI label. Sizes are reported in
■ Information that was stored in the alternate cylinders area, the last two cylinders of the disk,
is now stored in slice 8.
■ If you use the format utility to change partition sizes, the unassigned partition tag is
assigned to partitions with sizes equal to zero. By default, the format utility assigns the usr
partition tag to any partition with a size greater than zero. You can use the partition change
menu to reassign partition tags after the partitions are changed. However, you cannot
change a partition with a non-zero size to the unassigned partition tag.
Restrictions of the EFI Disk Label
Keep the following restrictions in mind when determining whether using disks greater than 1
terabyte is appropriate for your environment:
■ Layered software products intended for systems with VTOC-labeled disks might be
incapable of accessing a disk with an EFI disk label.
■ A disk with an EFI label is not recognized on systems running previous Solaris releases.
■ You cannot boot from a disk with an EFI disk label.
■ On x86 based systems, you can use the fdisk command on a disk with an EFI label that is
greater than 2 TB in size.
■ You cannot use the Solaris Management Console's Disk Manager tool to manage disks with
EFI labels. Use the format utility to partition disks with EFI labels. Then, you can use the
Solaris Management Console's Enhanced Storage Tool to manage volumes and disk sets
with EFI-labeled disks.
■ The EFI specification prohibits overlapping slices. The entire disk is represented by cxtydz.
■ The EFI disk label provides information about disk or partition sizes in sectors and blocks,
but not in cylinders and heads.
■ The following format options are either not supported or are not applicable on disks with
EFI labels:
■ The save option is not supported because disks with EFI labels do not need an entry in
the format.dat file.
■ The backup option is not applicable because the disk driver finds the primary label and
writes it back to the disk.
Support for EFI-Labeled Disks on x86 Systems
Oracle Solaris support for the EFI disk label is available on x86 systems. Use the following
command to add an EFI label on an x86 system:
> [0] SMI Label
> [1] EFI Label
> Specify Label type[0]: 1
> WARNING: converting this device to EFI labels will erase all current
> fdisk partition information. Continue? yes
Previous label information is not converted to the EFI disk label.
You will have to recreate the label's partition information manually with the format command.
You cannot use the fdisk command on a disk with an EFI label that is 2 terabytes in size. If the
fdisk command is run on disk that is greater than 2 TB in size to create a Solaris partition, the
Solaris partition is limited to 2 TB. For more information about EFI disk labels, see the
preceding section.
Installing a System With an EFI-Labeled Disk
The Oracle Solaris installation utilities automatically recognize disks with EFI labels. However,
you cannot use the Oracle Solaris installation program to repartition these disks. You must use
the format utility to repartition an EFI-labeled disk before or after installation.
After the Oracle Solaris release is installed on a system with an EFI-labeled disk, the partition
table appears similar to the following:
Current partition table (original):
Total disk sectors available: 2576924638 + 16384 (reserved sectors)
Part Tag Flag First Sector Size Last Sector
0 root wm 34 1.20TB 2576924636
1 unassigned wm 0 0 0
8 reserved wm 2576924638 8.00MB 2576941021
Managing Disks With EFI Disks Labels
Use the following table to locate information on managing disks with EFI disk labels.
Task For More Information
If the system is already installed, connect the disk to "SPARC: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems (Task
the system. Map)" on page 215 or "x86: Setting Up Disks for UFS
File Systems (Task Map)" on page 233
"SPARC: Setting up Disks for ZFS File Systems (Task
Map)" on page 223 or "x86: Setting Up Disks for ZFS
Repartition the disk by using the format utility, if "SPARC: How to Create Disk Slices for a UFS File
necessary. System" on page 218 or "x86: How to Create Disk
Slices for UFS File Systems" on page 235
Create disk volumes, and if needed, create soft Chapter 2, "Storage Management Concepts," in Solaris
partitions by using Solaris Volume Manager. Or, set Volume Manager Administration Guide or "Creating a
up a ZFS storage pool. ZFS Storage Pool" in Oracle Solaris ZFS
Create UFS file systems for the new disk by using the "SPARC: How to Create a UFS File System" on
newfs command. page 222 or "x86: How to Create a UFS File System"
Create a ZFS file system. "SPARC: Setting Up Disks for ZFS File Systems" on
page 224 or "x86: Setting Up Disks for ZFS File
Systems" on page 239
Clone a disk with an EFI label Example 27–2
Troubleshooting Problems With EFI Disk Labels
Use the following error messages and solutions to troubleshoot problems with EFI-labeled
disks.
Dec 3 09:26:48 holoship scsi: WARNING: /sbus@a,0/SUNW,socal@d,10000/
sf@1,0/ssd@w50020f23000002a4,0 (ssd1):
Dec 3 09:26:48 holoship disk has 2576941056 blocks, which is too large
for a 32-bit kernel
You attempted to boot a system running a 32-bit SPARC or x86 kernel with a disk greater
than 1 terabyte.
Boot a system running a 64-bit SPARC or x86 kernel with a disk greater than 1 terabyte.
Dec 3 09:12:17 holoship corrupt label - wrong magic number
You attempted to add a disk to a system running an older Solaris release.
Add the disk to a system running the Solaris release that supports the EFI disk label.
About Disk Slices
Files stored on a disk are contained in file systems. Each file system on a disk is assigned to a
slice, which is a group of sectors set aside for use by that file system. Each disk slice appears to
the Oracle Solaris OS (and to the system administrator) as though it were a separate disk drive.
For information about file systems, see Chapter 16, "Managing File Systems (Overview)."
Note – Slices are sometimes referred to as partitions. Certain interfaces, such as the format
utility, refer to slices as partitions.
When setting up slices, remember these rules:
■ Each disk slice holds only one file system.
■ No file system can span multiple slices.
Slices are set up slightly differently on SPARC and x86 platforms. The following table
summarizes the differences.
TABLE 10–1 Slice Differences on SPARC and x86 Platforms
SPARC Platform x86 Platform
The entire disk is devoted to Oracle Solaris OS. Disk is divided into fdisk partitions, one fdisk
partition per operating system.
VTOC – The disk is divided into 8 slices, numbered VTOC – The Solaris fdisk partition is divided into 10
0-7. slices, numbered 0–9.
EFI – The disk is divided into 7 slices, numbered 0-6. EFI – The disk is divided into 7 slices, numbered 0-6
Solaris Volume Manager, previously the Solstice DiskSuite, has a partitioning feature, soft
partitions. Soft partitions enable more than eight partitions per disk.
For general information about Solaris Volume Manager, see Chapter 2, "Storage Management
Concepts," in Solaris Volume Manager Administration Guide. For information on soft
partitions, see Chapter 12, "Soft Partitions (Overview)," in Solaris Volume Manager
Administration Guide.
Disk Slices
The following table describes the slices for UFS file systems that might be found on a system
that runs the Oracle Solaris OS.
On x86 systems:
■ Disks are divided into fdisk partitions. An fdisk partition is a section of the disk that is
reserved for a particular operating system, such as the Oracle Solaris OS.
■ The Oracle Solaris OS places ten slices, numbered 0-9, on a Solaris fdisk partition. In
general, the ZFS root pool is contained in slice 0. The ZFS root pool must exist on a slice or
mirrored slices because of a long-standing boot limitation. For non-root storage pools, you
can use whole disks. ZFS file systems do not correspond to specific disk slices. Managing
whole disks is easier than managing disks with slices.
TABLE 10–2 UFS Customary Disk Slices
Usually Found on Client or Server
Slice File System Systems? Comments
0 root (/) Both Holds files and directories that make up the
EFI – You cannot boot from a disk with an EFI
label.
1 swap Both Provides virtual memory, or swap space.
TABLE 10–2 UFS Customary Disk Slices (Continued)
2 — Both VTOC – Refers to the entire disk, by
convention. The size of this slice should not be
EFI – Optional slice to be defined based on
your site's needs.
3 /export, for Both Optional slice that can be defined based on
example your site's needs.
Can be used on a server to hold alternative
versions of operating systems that are required
by client systems.
4 Both Optional slice to be defined based on your site's
needs.
5 /opt, for Both Optional slice to be defined based on your site's
example needs.
Can be used to hold application software added
to a system. If a slice is not allocated for the
/opt file system during installation, the /opt
directory is put in slice 0.
6 /usr Both Holds OS commands (also known as
executables). This slice also holds
documentation, system programs (init and
syslogd, for example), and library routines.
7 /home or Both Holds files that are created by users.
/export/home
8 N/A N/A VTOC – Contains GRUB boot information.
EFI – A reserved slice created by default. This
area is similar to the VTOC's alternate
cylinders. Do not modify or delete this slice.
9 (x86 only) — Both EFI – Not applicable.
VTOC – Provides an area that is reserved for
alternate disk blocks. Slice 9 is known as the
alternate sector slice.
Note – On a disk with a VTOC label, do not modify slice or use slice 2 to store a file system.
Products, such as Solaris Volume Manager, Solaris Live Upgrade, and installgrub, do not
work correctly if slice 2 is modified in any way.
Using Raw Data Slices
The disk label is stored in block 0 of each disk. So, third-party database applications that create
raw data slices must not start at block 0. Otherwise, the disk label will be overwritten, and the
data on the disk will be inaccessible.
Do not use the following areas of the disk for raw data slices, which are sometimes created by
third-party database applications:
■ Block 0 where the disk label is stored
■ Slice 2, which represents the entire disk with a VTOC label
Slice Arrangements on Multiple Disks
Although a single large disk can hold all slices and their corresponding UFS file systems, two or
more disks are often used to hold a system's slices and file systems.
Note – A slice cannot be split between two or more disks. However, multiple swap slices on
separate disks are allowed.
For instance, a single disk might hold the UFS root (/) file system, a swap area, and the /usr file
system, while another disk holds the /export/home file system and other file systems that
contain user data.
When you arrange a system's file systems on multiple disks, you can modify non-root UFS file
systems and slices on the disks without having to shut down the system or reload the OS.
ZFS file systems do not correspond to specific disk slices, except for the ZFS root pool, which
needs to contain a disk slice. This is a long-standing boot limitation. In addition, the Solaris OS
components of a ZFS root file system include the following restrictions:
■ All subdirectories of the root file system that are part of the OS image, with the exception of
/var, must be in the same dataset as the root file system.
■ All Solaris OS components must reside in the root pool, with the exception of the swap and
dump devices.
■ Another restriction is that the /var directory or dataset must be a single dataset. For
example, you cannot create a descendent /var file system, such as /var/tmp, if you want to
also use Oracle Solaris Live Upgrade to migrate or patch a ZFS BE or create a ZFS flash
archive of this pool.
When you have more than one disk, you also increase input-output (I/O) volume. By
distributing disk load across multiple disks, you can avoid I/O bottlenecks.
Determining Which Slices to Use for UFS File Systems
When you set up a disk's UFS file systems, you choose not only the size of each slice, but also
which slices to use. Your decisions about these matters depend on the configuration of the
system to which the disk is attached and the software you want to install on the disk.
System configurations that need disk space are as follows:
■ Servers
■ Stand-alone systems
Each system configuration can use slices in a different way. The following table lists some
examples.
TABLE 10–3 System Configurations and Slices for UFS File Systems
Slice Servers Stand-alone Systems
0 root root
1 swap swap
2 — —
3 /export —
6 /usr /usr
7 /export/home /home
For more information about UFS system configurations, see "Overview of System Types" in
System Administration Guide: Basic Administration.
Note – The Solaris installation utility provides default slice sizes based on the software you select
for installation.
format Utility
Read the following overview of the format utility and its uses before proceeding to the "how-to"
or reference sections.
The format utility is a system administration tool that is used to prepare hard disk drives for use
on your Oracle Solaris system.
The following table shows the features and associated benefits that the format utility provides.
TABLE 10–4 Features and Benefits of the format Utility
Feature Benefit
Searches your system for all Reports on the following:
attached disk drives ■ Target location
■ Disk geometry
■ Whether the disk is formatted
■ If the disk has mounted partitions
Retrieves disk labels Convenient for repair operations
Repairs defective sectors Allows administrators to repair disk drives with recoverable errors
instead of sending the drive back to the manufacturer
Formats and analyzes a disk Creates sectors on the disk and verifies each sector
Partitions a disk Divides a disk into slices so that individual UFS file systems can be
created on separate slices. ZFS file systems do not correspond to disk
slices except for the ZFS root pool.
Labels a disk Writes disk name and configuration information to the disk for future
retrieval (usually for repair operations)
The format utility options are described in Chapter 15, "The format Utility (Reference)."
When to Use the format Utility
Disk drives are partitioned and labeled by the Oracle Solaris installation utility when you install
the Oracle Solaris release. You can use the format utility to do the following:
■ Display slice information
■ Partition a disk
■ Add a disk drive to an existing system
■ Format a disk drive
■ Label a disk
■ Repair a disk drive
■ Analyze a disk for errors
The main reason a system administrator uses the format utility is to partition a disk. These
steps are covered in Chapter 12, "SPARC: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)," and Chapter 13, "x86:
Setting Up Disks (Tasks)."
See the following section for guidelines on using the format utility.
Guidelines for Using the format Utility
TABLE 10–5 format Utility Guidelines
Task Guidelines For More Information
Format a disk. ■ Any existing data is destroyed when you "How to Format a Disk" on
reformat a disk. page 203 or "How to Label a
Disk" on page 206
■ The need for formatting a disk drive has
decreased as more and more manufacturers ship
their disk drives formatted and partitioned. You
might not need to use the format utility when
you add or replace a disk drive to an existing
■ If a disk has been relocated and is displaying
many disk errors, you can attempt to relabel it.
Set up a disk that UFS root file system data from the damaged disk "SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk
contains a UFS root must be restored from a backup medium. Otherwise, for a UFS Root File System" on
file system. the system will have to be reinstalled by using the page 216, "x86: How to Set Up a
installation utility. Disk for a UFS Root File
System" on page 234, or, if the
system must be reinstalled,
Oracle Solaris 10 8/11
Installation Guide: Basic
Set up a disk that In a non-redundant configuration, a ZFS root file "SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk
contains a ZFS root system data from the damaged disk must be restored for a ZFS Root File System" on
file system. from a backup medium. Otherwise, the system will page 225 or "x86: How to Set Up
have to be reinstalled by using the installation utility. a Disk for a ZFS Root File
Create a disk slice for ■ The best way to use a ZFS storage pool is by "SPARC: How to Create a Disk
a root pool. creating a pool with whole disks. Slice for a ZFS Root File System"
on page 226 or "x86: How to
■ If a disk is intended to be used for a root pool, Create a Disk Slice for a ZFS
you must create a disk slice. This is Root File System" on page 241
long-standing boot limitation.
TABLE 10–5 format Utility Guidelines (Continued)
Set up a disk that A disk that is used for a non-root UFS file system "SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk
contains a UFS file usually contains space for user or data files. Any for a UFS File System" on
system. existing data must be restored from backup media if page 217 or "x86: How to
the disk is changed or repartitioned. Connect a Disk for a UFS File
System" on page 235
Set up a disk that A disk that is used for a non-root ZFS file system "SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk
contains a ZFS file usually contains space for user or data files. You can for a ZFS File System" on
system. attach or add a another disk to a root pool or a page 230 or "x86: How to Set Up
non-root pool for more disk space. a Disk for a ZFS File System" on
Formatting a Disk
In most cases, disks are formatted by the manufacturer or reseller. So, they do not need to be
reformatted when you install the drive. To determine if a disk is formatted, use the format
utility. For more information, see "How to Determine if a Disk Is Formatted" on page 202.
If you determine that a disk is not formatted, use the format utility to format the disk.
When you format a disk, you accomplish two steps:
■ The disk media is prepared for use.
■ A list of disk defects based on a surface analysis is compiled.
Caution – Formatting a disk is a destructive process because it overwrites data on the disk. For
this reason, disks are usually formatted only by the manufacturer or reseller. If you think disk
defects are the cause of recurring problems, you can use the format utility to do a surface
analysis. However, be careful to use only the commands that do not destroy data. For details, see
"How to Format a Disk" on page 203.
A small percentage of total disk space that is available for data is used to store defect and
formatting information. This percentage varies according to disk geometry, and decreases as
the disk ages and develops more defects.
Formatting a disk might take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the
type and size of the disk.
Partitioning a Disk
The format utility is most often used by system administrators to partitioning a disk. The steps
■ Determining which slices are needed
■ Determining the size of each slice or partition
■ Using the format utility to partition the disk
■ Labeling the disk with new partition information
■ Creating the file system for each partition
The easiest way to partition a disk is to use the modify command from the partition menu of the
format utility. The modify command allows you to create partitions by specifying the size of
each partition without having to keep track of the starting cylinder boundaries. The modify
command also keeps tracks of any disk space that remains in the "free hog" slice.
Partition Table Terminology
An important part of the disk label is the partition table. The partition table identifies a disk's
slices, the slice boundaries (in cylinders), and the total size of the slices. You can display a disk's
partition table by using the format utility. The following describes partition table terminology.
TABLE 10–6 Partition Table Terminology
Partition Term Value Description
Number 0–7 VTOC – Partitions or slices, numbered 0–7.
EFI – Partitions or slices, numbered 0–6.
Tag 0=UNASSIGNED 1=BOOT 2=ROOT A numeric value that usually describes the file system
3=SWAP 4=USR 5=BACKUP mounted on this partition.
7=VAR 8=HOME 11=RESERVED
Flags wm The partition is writable and mountable.
wu rm The partition is writable and unmountable. This state
is the default for partitions that are dedicated for swap
areas. (However, the mount command does not check
the "not mountable" flag.)
rm The partition is read only and mountable.
Partition flags and tags are assigned by convention and require no maintenance.
For more information on displaying the partition table, see the following references:
■ "Displaying Partition Table Information" on page 196
■ "How to Display Disk Slice Information" on page 204
■ "How to Examine a Disk Label" on page 210
Displaying Partition Table Information
The following format utility output shows an example of a partition table from a 74-GB disk
with a VTOC label displayed:
Total disk cylinders available: 38756 + 2 (reserved cylinders)
Part Tag Flag Cylinders Size Blocks
0 root wm 3 - 2083 4.00GB (2081/0/0) 8390592
1 swap wu 2084 - 3124 2.00GB (1041/0/0) 4197312
2 backup wm 0 - 38755 74.51GB (38756/0/0) 156264192
3 unassigned wm 0 0 (0/0/0) 0
7 home wm 3125 - 38755 68.50GB (35631/0/0) 143664192
8 boot wu 0 - 0 1.97MB (1/0/0) 4032
9 alternates wu 1 - 2 3.94MB (2/0/0) 8064
partition>
The partition table displayed by the format utility contains the following information.
Column Name Description
Part Partition or slice number. See Table 10–6 for a description of this column.
Tag Partition tag. See Table 10–6 for a description of this column.
Flag Partition flag. See Table 10–6 for a description of this column.
Cylinders The starting and ending cylinder number for the slice. Not displayed on
EFI-labeled disks.
Size The slice size in MB.
Blocks The total number of cylinders and the total number of sectors per slice. Not
displayed on EFI-labeled disks.
First Sector EFI – The starting block number. Not displayed on VTOC-labeled disks.
Last Sector EFI – The ending block number. Not displayed on VTOC-labeled disks.
The following is an example of an EFI disk label displayed by using the prtvtoc command.
* 2576941056 sectors
* 2576940989 accessible sectors
0 2 00 34 629145600 629145633
1 4 00 629145634 629145600 1258291233
6 4 00 1258291234 1318633404 2576924637
8 11 00 2576924638 16384 2576941021
The output of the prtvtoc command provides information in the following three sections:
■ Dimensions
■ Flags
■ Partition Table
prtvtoc Column Name Description
Partition Partition or slice number. For a description of this column, see Table 10–6.
Tag Partition tag. For a description of this column, see Table 10–6.
Flags Partition flag. For a description of this column, see Table 10–6.
First Sector The first sector of the slice.
Sector Count The total number of sectors in the slice.
Last Sector The last sector of the slice.
Mount Directory The last mount point directory for the file system.
Using the Free Hog Slice
When you use the format utility to change the size of one or more disk slices, you designate a
temporary slice that will expand and shrink to accommodate the resizing operations.
This temporary slice donates, or "frees," space when you expand a slice, and receives, or "hogs,"
the discarded space when you shrink a slice. For this reason, the donor slice is sometimes called
the free hog.
The free hog slice exists only during installation or when you run the format utility. There is no
permanent free hog slice during day-to-day operations.
For information on using the free hog slice, see the following sections:
■ "SPARC: How to Create Disk Slices for a UFS File System" on page 218
■ "x86: How to Create Disk Slices for UFS File Systems" on page 235
■ "SPARC: How to Create a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File System" on page 226
■ "x86: How to Create a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File System" on page 241
Administering Disks (Tasks)
This chapter contains disk administration procedures. Many procedures described in this
chapter are optional if you are already familiar with how disks are managed on systems running
the Oracle Solaris OS.
For information on the procedures associated with administering disks, see "Administering
Disks (Task Map)" on page 199.
For overview information about disk management, see Chapter 10, "Managing Disks
Administering Disks (Task Map)
Identify the disks on a system. If you are not sure of the types of "How to Identify the Disks on a
disks on a system, use the format System" on page 200
utility to identify the disk types.
Format the disk. Determine whether a disk is "How to Determine if a Disk Is
already formatted by using the Formatted" on page 202
In most cases, disks are already "How to Format a Disk" on
formatted. Use the format utility if page 203
you need to format a disk.
Display slice information. Display slice information by using "How to Display Disk Slice
the format utility. Information" on page 204
Label the disk. Create the disk label by using the "How to Label a Disk" on page 206
Identifying Disks on a System
Examine the disk label. Examine the disk label by using the "How to Examine a Disk Label" on
prtvtoc command. page 210
Recover a corrupted disk label. You can attempt to recover a disk "How to Recover a Corrupted Disk
label that was damaged due to a Label" on page 212
system or power failure.
Use the format utility to discover the types of disks that are connected to a system. You can also
use the format utility to verify that a disk is known to the system. For detailed information on
using the format utility, see Chapter 15, "The format Utility (Reference)."
▼ How to Identify the Disks on a System
Roles contain authorizations and privileged commands. For more information about roles, see
"Configuring RBAC (Task Map)" in System Administration Guide: Security Services.
2 Identify the disks that are recognized on the system by using the format utility.
The format utility displays a list of disks that it recognizes under AVAILABLE DISK SELECTIONS.
Example 11–1 Identifying the Disks on a System
The following example shows format command output.
AVAILABLE DISK SELECTIONS:
0. c2t0d0 <SUN72G cyl 14087 alt 2 hd 24 sec 424>
/pci@1c,600000/scsi@2/sd@0,0
2. c2t2d0 <SUN146G cyl 14087 alt 2 hd 24 sec 848>
Specify disk (enter its number):
The output associates a disk's physical and logical device name to the disk's marketing name,
which appears in angle brackets <>. See the example below. This method is an easy way to
identify which logical device names represent the disks that are connected to your system. For a
description of logical and physical device names, see "Device Naming Conventions" on page 77.
The following example uses a wildcard to display the four disks that are connected to a
controller 0.
# format /dev/rdsk/c0t6*
0. /dev/rdsk/c0t600A0B800022024E000054AC4970A629d0p0 <...>
/scsi_vhci/disk@g600a0b800022024e000054ac4970a629
1. /dev/rdsk/c0t600A0B800022024E000054AE4970A711d0p0 <...>
/scsi_vhci/disk@g600a0b800022024e000054ae4970a711
2. /dev/rdsk/c0t600A0B800022028A000050444970A834d0p0 <....>
/scsi_vhci/disk@g600a0b800022028a000050444970a834
3. /dev/rdsk/c0t600A0B800022028A000050454970A8EAd0p0 <...>
/scsi_vhci/disk@g600a0b800022028a000050454970a8ea
The following example shows how to identify the disk information.
The output identifies that disk 0 (target 0) is connected to the second SCSI host adapter
(scsi@2), which is connected to the second PCI interface (/pci@1c,600000/...). The output
also associates both the physical and logical device name to the disk's marketing name, SUN36G.
Some disks do not have a marketing name. If the format output does not identify disks by their
marketing names, then you can use the format utility's type and label features as described in
the following steps to include the disk's marketing name.
The following steps must be done while the disk or system is inactive, which means booting
from an installation DVD or the network. unless the disk is currently unused and it will not
contain the Oracle Solaris release. In addition, the final step is to relabel the disk, which can
remove any existing partition information or data.
Searching for disks...done
1. c2t1d0 <SEAGATE-ST336607LSUN36G-0307-33.92GB>
3. c2t3d0 <drive type unknown>
format> type
AVAILABLE DRIVE TYPES:
0. Auto configure
Chapter 11 • Administering Disks (Tasks) 201
Specify disk type (enter its number): 0
c2t3d0: configured with capacity of 33.92GB
<SEAGATE-ST336607LSUN36G-0507-33.92GB>
Ready to label disk, continue? yes
More Information If the format Utility Does Not Recognize a Disk ...
■ Go to Chapter 12, "SPARC: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)," or Chapter 13, "x86: Setting Up Disks
■ Go to "How to Label a Disk" on page 206.
■ Connect the disk to the system by using your disk hardware documentation.
Disks are typically formatted by the manufacturer or reseller. They usually do not need to be
reformatted when you install the drive.
A disk must be formatted before you can do the following:
■ Write data to the disk. However, most disks are already formatted.
■ Use the Oracle Solaris installation utility to install the system.
analysis. However, be careful to use only the commands that do not destroy data.
▼ How to Determine if a Disk Is Formatted
2 Invoke the format utility.
A numbered list of disks is displayed.
3 Type the number of the disk that you want to check.
4 Verify that the disk you chose is formatted by noting the following message:
Example 11–2 Determining if a Disk Is Formatted
The following example shows that disk c2t3d0 is formatted.
▼ How to Format a Disk
Disks are formatted by the manufacturer. Reformatting a disk should occur rarely. The process
is time-consuming and removes all data from the disk.
3 Type the number of the disk that you want to format.
Caution – Do not select the disk that contains the root file system. If you format a root pool disk,
you delete the OS and any data on this disk.
4 To begin formatting the disk, type format at the format> prompt. Confirm the command by
typing y.
format> format
The protection information is not enabled
The disk will be formatted with protection type 0
Ready to format. Formatting cannot be interrupted
and takes 169 minutes (estimated). Continue? yes
5 Verify that the disk format was successful by noting the following messages:
Beginning format. The current time is Fri Apr 1 ...
Formatting...
Displaying Disk Slices
Verifying media...
pass 0 - pattern = 0xc6dec6de
14086/23/734
pass 1 - pattern = 0x6db6db6d
Total of 0 defective blocks repaired.
6 Exit the format utility.
The best way to create ZFS storage pools is to use whole disks instead of disk slices because
whole disks are easier to manage. The only time you need to use a disk slice is when the disk is
intended for the ZFS root pool. This is a long-standing boot limitation. For non-root pools, use
whole disks. When you create a pool with whole disks, an EFI label is applied. See the EFI disk
label example below.
If you need to prepare a disk for use a root pool disk, create slice 0 that contains the entire disk
capacity, as shown in the VTOC disk label example below.
For information about setting up disks for use with ZFS storage pools, see Chapter 12, "SPARC:
Setting Up Disks (Tasks)," or Chapter 13, "x86: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)."
Note – The format utility uses the term partition instead of slice.
▼ How to Display Disk Slice Information
You might need to display disk slice information if the disk is intended to be used for the ZFS
root pool. It must also include a SMI label.
3 Type the number of the disk for which you want to display slice information.
Specify disk (enter its number):1
4 Select the partition menu.
format> partition
5 Display the slice information for the selected disk.
partition> print
partition> q
format> q
7 Verify the displayed slice information by identifying specific slice tags and slices.
If the screen output shows that no slice sizes are assigned, the disk probably does not have slices.
Example 11–3 Displaying Disk Slice Information
The following example displays slice information for a disk with a VTOC label.
Current partition table (c2t3d0):
0 root wm 0 - 14086 136.71GB (14087/0/0) 286698624
1 swap wu 0 0 (0/0/0) 0
2 backup wu 0 - 14086 136.71GB (14087/0/0) 286698624
6 usr wm 0 0 (0/0/0) 0
For a detailed description of the slice information in these examples, see Chapter 10, "Managing
Disks (Overview)."
The following example shows the slice information for a disk with an EFI label.
Current partition table (default):
Creating and Examining a Disk Label
Total disk sectors available: 286722878 + 16384 (reserved sectors)
0 usr wm 34 136.72GB 286722911
8 reserved wm 286722912 8.00MB 286739295
The labeling of a disk is usually done during system installation or when you are using new
disks. You might need to relabel a disk if the disk label becomes corrupted. For example, from a
power failure.
The format utility attempts to automatically configure any unlabeled SCSI disk. If the format
utility is able to automatically configure an unlabeled disk, it displays a message similar to the
c2t3d0: configured with capacity of 136.73GB
Tip – For information on labeling multiple disks with the same disk label, see Example 11–7.
▼ How to Label a Disk
You can use the following procedure to do the following:
■ Label a disk with a VTOC or an EFI label for a disk 2 terabytes in size.
■ Label a disk that is greater than 2 terabytes in size with an EFI label.
If you want to put an EFI label on disk smaller than 2 terabytes, see Example 11–5.
3 Type the number of the disk that you want to label.
If the format utility recognizes the disk type, the next step is to search for a backup label to label
the disk. Labeling the disk with the backup label labels the disk with the correct partitioning
information, the disk type, and disk geometry.
4 Select one of the following to label the disk:
■ If the disk is unlabeled and was successfully configured, go to Step 5 to label the disk.
The format utility will ask if you want to label the disk.
■ If the disk is labeled but you want to change the disk type, or if the format utility was not
able to automatically configure the disk, proceed to Step 6 to set the disk type and label the
5 Label the disk by typing y at the Label it now? prompt.
Disk not labeled. Label it now? y
The disk is now labeled. Go to step 10 to exit the format utility.
6 Enter type at the format> prompt.
The Available Drive Types menu is displayed.
7 Select a disk type from the list of possible disk types.
Specify disk type (enter its number)[12]: 12
Or, select 0 to automatically configure a SCSI-2 disk.
8 Label the disk. If the disk is not labeled, the following message is displayed.
Otherwise, you are prompted with this message:
Ready to label disk, continue? y
9 Verify the disk label.
format> verify
10 Exit the format utility.
Example 11–4 Labeling a Disk
The following example shows how to automatically configure and label a 36-GB disk.
Disk not labeled. Label it now? yes
Example 11–5 Labeling a Disk With an EFI Label
The following example shows how to use the format -e command to label a disk with an EFI
label. Remember to verify that your layered software products will continue to work on systems
with EFI-labeled disks. For general information on EFI label restrictions, see "Restrictions of
the EFI Disk Label" on page 184.
2. c2t2d0 <FUJITSU-MAP3147N SUN146G-0501-136.73GB>
Example 11–6 Change a EFI-Labeled Disk to an SMI-Labeled Disk
The following example shows how to use the format -e command to change an EFI labeled disk
to an SMI-labeled disk that can be used for a ZFS root pool.
You should also check the default partition table to ensure that it is optimal for a root pool slice,
which means that the bulk of the disk space is in slice 0. See the steps below to increase the size
of slice 0.
0 root wm 1 - 13 129.19MB (13/0/0) 264576
1 swap wu 14 - 26 129.19MB (13/0/0) 264576
6 usr wm 27 - 14084 136.43GB (14058/0/0) 286108416
8 boot wu 0 - 0 9.94MB (1/0/0) 20352
9 alternates wm 0 0 (0/0/0) 0
partition> modify
Select partitioning base:
0. Current partition table (default)
1. All Free Hog
Choose base (enter number) [0]? 1
0 root wm 0 0 (0/0/0) 0
Do you wish to continue creating a new partition
table based on above table[yes]? yes
Free Hog partition[6]? 0
Enter size of partition '1' [0b, 0c, 0.00mb, 0.00gb]:
Okay to make this the current partition table[yes]? yes
Enter table name (remember quotes): "c2t0d0"
partition> quit
Example 11–7 Labeling Multiple Disks
You can use the prtvtoc and fmthard commands to label multiple disks with the same disk
geometry.
Use the following for loop in a script to copy a disk label from one disk and replicate it on
multiple disks.
# for i in x y z
> do
> prtvtoc /dev/rdsk/cwtxdysz | fmthard -s - /dev/rdsk/cwt${i}d0s2
> done
In this example, the disk label from c2t0d0s0 is copied to four other disks.
# for i in 1 2 3 5
> prtvtoc /dev/rdsk/c2t0d0s0 | fmthard -s - /dev/rdsk/c2t${i}d0s2
fmthard: New volume table of contents now in place.
▼ How to Examine a Disk Label
Examine disk label information by using the prtvtoc command. For a detailed description of
the disk label and the information that is displayed by the prtvtoc command, see Chapter 10,
"Managing Disks (Overview)."
2 Display the disk label information.
# prtvtoc /dev/rdsk/device-name
where device-name is the raw disk device you want to examine.
Example 11–8 Examining a Disk Label
The following example shows disk label information for a disk with a VTOC label.
* 848 sectors/track
* 24 tracks/cylinder
* 14089 cylinders
* 14087 accessible cylinders
0 2 00 0 286698624 286698623
The following example shows disk label information for a disk with an EFI label.
Recovering a Corrupted Disk Label
Sometimes, a power or system failure causes a disk's label to become unrecognizable. A
corrupted disk label doesn't always mean that the slice information or the disk's data must be
re-created or restored.
The first step to recovering a corrupted disk label is to label the disk with the correct geometry
and disk type information. You can complete this step through the normal disk labeling
method, by using either automatic configuration or manual disk type specification.
▼ How to Recover a Corrupted Disk Label
1 Boot the system to single-user mode.
If necessary, boot the system from a local Oracle Solaris DVD or the network in single-user
mode to access the disk.
See Chapter 12, "Booting an Oracle Solaris System (Tasks)," in System Administration Guide:
Basic Administration or "Booting an x86 Based System by Using GRUB (Task Map)" in System
Administration Guide: Basic Administration for information on booting the system.
2 Relabel the disk.
utility is able to configure the unlabeled and corrupted disk, it will display this message:
cwtxdy: configured with capacity of abcMB
The format utility then displays a numbered list of disks on the system.
3 Type the number of the disk that you need to recover.
4 Select one of the following to determine how to label the disk.
■ If the disk was configured successfully, follow Steps 5 and 6. Then go to step 12.
■ If the disk was not configured successfully, follow Steps 7–11. Then go to step 12.
5 Search for the backup label.
Warning: Could not read primary label.
Warning: Check the current partitioning and 'label' the disk or
use the 'backup' command.
Backup label contents:
Volume name = < >
ascii name = <FUJITSU-MAP3147N SUN146G-0501>
pcyl = 14089
ncyl = 14087
acyl = 2
nhead = 24
nsect = 848
6 If the format utility was able to find a backup label and the backup label contents appear
satisfactory, use the backup command to label the disk with the backup label.
format> backup
Disk has a primary label, still continue? y
Searching for backup labels...found.
Restoring primary label
The disk label has been recovered. Go to Step 12.
7 If the format utility was not able to automatically configure the disk, specify the disk type by
using the type command.
The Available Drives Type menu is displayed.
8 Select 0 to automatically configure the disk. Or, select a disk type from the list of possible disk
9 If the disk was successfully configured, reply with no when the format utility asks if you want to
label the disk.
Disk not labeled. Label it now? no
10 Use the verify command to search for backup labels.
Warning: Check the current partitioning and 'label' the disk
or use the 'backup' command.
Adding a Third-Party Disk
11 If the format utility was able to find a backup label and the backup label contents appear
The disk label has been recovered.
13 Verify the file systems on the recovered disk by using the fsck command.
For information on using the fsck command, see Chapter 20, "Checking UFS File System
Consistency (Tasks)."
The Oracle Solaris OS supports many third-party disks. However, for the disk to be recognized,
you might need to supply a device driver. Other options for adding disks are as follows:
■ If you are adding a SCSI disk, you might to try the format utility's automatic configuration
feature.
■ You might try hot-plugging a PCI, SCSI, or USB disk. For more information, see Chapter 5,
"Managing Devices (Overview/Tasks)."
Note – Oracle cannot guarantee that its format utility will work properly with all third-party
disk drivers. If the disk driver is not compatible with the Solaris format utility, the disk drive
vendor should supply you with a custom disk formatting program.
Typically, you discover that software support is missing when you invoke the format utility and
find that the disk type is not recognized.
Refer to the appropriate configuration procedure for adding system disks or secondary disks in
Chapter 12, "SPARC: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)," or Chapter 13, "x86: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)."
SPARC: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)
This chapter describes how to set up disks on a SPARC system.
For information on the procedures associated with setting up disks on a SPARC system, see the
following sections:
■ "SPARC: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems (Task Map)" on page 215
■ "SPARC: Setting up Disks for ZFS File Systems (Task Map)" on page 223
(Overview)." For step-by-step instructions on setting up disks on an x86 based system, see
Chapter 13, "x86: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)."
SPARC: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems (Task Map)
The following task map identifies the procedures for setting up a disk for a UFS root file system
or a disk for a UFS file system on a SPARC based system.
1. Connect the disk. Disk for a UFS root file system "SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for
a UFS Root File System" on
Connect the new disk and boot
from a local or remote Oracle
Solaris DVD.
Disk for a UFS file system "SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for
a UFS File System" on page 217
Connect the disk.
2. Create slices and label the disk Create disk slices and label the disk. "SPARC: How to Create Disk Slices
for UFS file systems. for a UFS File System" on page 218
3. Create UFS file systems. Create UFS file systems on the disk "SPARC: How to Create a UFS File
slices by using the newfs System" on page 222
command. You must re-create the
root (/) or /usr file system, or
4. Restore UFS file systems. Restore the UFS root (/) or /usr Chapter 25, "Restoring UFS Files
file system, or both. If necessary, and File Systems (Tasks)"
restore file systems on other disks.
5. Install boot blocks for a UFS root Install the boot blocks on the root "SPARC: How to Install Boot
file system. (/) file system so that the system Blocks for a UFS Root File System"
can boot. on page 223
SPARC: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems
A disk can contain the UFS root (/) and /usr file systems, user or data file systems, or a
combination of file systems. If the disk contains the UFS root (/) or /usr file systems, you have
two ways to recover:
■ You can reinstall the entire Oracle Solaris OS.
■ Or, you can replace the disk and restore your Oracle Solaris OS file systems from a backup
A disk that contains user or data file systems can be replaced and the file systems restored, if
necessary, without having to reinstall or reboot the system.
▼ SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for a UFS Root File System
You can use this procedure to replace a disk that contained the UFS root or /usr file system.
Refer to your hardware installation guide for information on replacing a disk.
1 Disconnect the damaged system disk from the system, if necessary.
2 Connect the replacement disk to the system and check the disk's physical connections.
3 Follow the instructions in the following table, depending on whether you are booting from a
local Oracle Solaris DVD or a remote Oracle Solaris DVD from the network.
Boot Type Action
From an Oracle Solaris DVD in a local drive 1. Make sure the Oracle Solaris DVD is in the drive.
2. Boot from the media to single-user mode:
ok boot cdrom -s
From the network Boot from the network to single-user mode:
ok boot net -s
After a few minutes, the root prompt (#) is displayed.
More Information After You Set Up a Disk for a UFS Root File System ...
Create slices for the UFS root and /usr file systems and a disk label on the disk. Go to "SPARC:
How to Create Disk Slices for a UFS File System" on page 218.
▼ SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for a UFS File System
If you are adding a disk with an EFI disk label, see "EFI Disk Label" on page 183 for more
empty slot and the system recognizes it. For more information about hot-plugging devices, see
Chapter 6, "Dynamically Configuring Devices (Tasks)."
2 (Optional) If the disk type is unsupported by the Solaris software, add the device driver for the
disk by following the instructions included with the hardware.
3 Connect the disk to the system and check the disk's physical connections.
Refer to the disk's hardware installation guide for details.
4 Use the format utility to confirm that the new disk is recognized.
More Information After You Connect a Disk for a UFS File System ...
After the disk is connected, create slices and a disk label on the disk. Go to "SPARC: How to
Create Disk Slices for a UFS File System" on page 218.
Chapter 12 • SPARC: Setting Up Disks (Tasks) 217
▼ SPARC: How to Create Disk Slices for a UFS File System
A numbered list of available disks is displayed.
3 Select the number of the disk that you want to repartition.
Specify disk (enter its number): disk-number
disk-number is the number of the disk that you want to repartition.
5 Display the current partition (slice) table.
6 Start the modification process.
7 Set the disk to all free hog.
Choose base (enter number) [0]?1
For more information about the free hog slice, see "Using the Free Hog Slice" on page 197.
8 Create a new partition table by answering y when prompted to continue.
Do you wish to continue creating a new partition table based on
above table[yes]? y
9 Identify the free hog partition (slice) and the sizes of the slices when prompted.
When adding a system disk, you must set up slices for:
■ root (slice 0) and swap (slice 1)
■ /usr (slice 6)
After you identify the slices, the new partition table is displayed.
For an example of creating disk slices, see Example 12–1.
10 Make the displayed partition table the current partition table by answering y when prompted.
Okay to make this the current partition table[yes]? y
If you do not want the current partition table and you want to change it, answer no and go to
11 Name the partition table.
Enter table name (remember quotes): "partition-name"
where partition-name is the name for the new partition table.
12 Label the disk with the new partition table after you have finished allocating slices on the new
13 Quit the partition menu.
14 Verify the disk label.
Example 12–1 SPARC: Creating Disk Slices for a UFS Root File System
The following example shows the format utility being used to divide a 18-GB disk into three
slices: one slice for the root (/) file system, one slice for the swap area, and one slice for the /usr
0. /dev/rdsk/c1t0d0s0 <SUN18G cyl 7506 alt 2 hd 19 sec 248>
/sbus@2,0/QLGC,isp@2,10000/sd@0,0
0. Current partition table (original)
2 backup wu 0 - 7505 16.86GB (7506/0/0) 35368272
Enter size of partition '0' [0b, 0c, 0.00mb, 0.00gb]: 4gb
6 usr wm 3562 - 7505 8.86GB (3944/0/0) 18584128
Enter table name (remember quotes): "disk0"
Example 12–2 SPARC: Creating Disk Slices for a UFS File System
The following example shows the format utility being used to divide a 18-GB disk into one slice
for the /export/home file system.
# format /dev/rdsk/c1*
table based on above table[yes]? y
7 unassigned wm 0 - 7505 16.86GB (7506/0/0) 35368272
Enter table name (remember quotes): "home"
The following example shows how to use the format utility to divide a 1.15 terabyte disk with an
EFI label into three slices.
0 root wm 0 0 0
1 usr wm 0 0 0
Enter size of partition 0 [0b, 34e, 0mb, 0gb, 0tb]:
Enter size of partition 2 [0b, 34e, 0mb, 0gb, 0tb]: 400gb
Enter size of partition 3 [0b, 838860834e, 0mb, 0gb, 0tb]: 400gb
Enter size of partition 5 [0b, 1677721634e, 0mb, 0gb, 0tb]:
3 usr wm 838860834 400.00GB 1677721633
4 usr wm 1677721634 428.77GB 2576924637
More Information After You Create Disk Slices and Label a Disk for UFS File Systems ...
After you create disk slices and label the disk, you can create file systems on the disk. Go to
"SPARC: How to Create a UFS File System" on page 222.
▼ SPARC: How to Create a UFS File System
2 Create a file system for each slice.
# newfs /dev/rdsk/cwtxdysz
where /dev/rdsk/cwtxdysx is the raw device for the file system to be created.
For more information about the newfs command, see Chapter 17, "Creating and Mounting File
Systems (Tasks)," or newfs(1M).
3 Verify the new file system by mounting it.
# mount /dev/dsk/cwtxdysz /mnt
# ls
More Information After Creating a UFS File System ...
■ Disk for a UFS root file system – You need to restore the root (/) and /usr file systems on
the disk.
■ Go to Chapter 25, "Restoring UFS Files and File Systems (Tasks)."
■ After the root (/) and /usr file systems are restored, install the boot block. Go to
"SPARC: How to Install Boot Blocks for a UFS Root File System" on page 223.
SPARC: Setting up Disks for ZFS File Systems (Task Map)
■ Disk for a UFS file system – You might need to restore file systems on the new disk. Go to
Chapter 25, "Restoring UFS Files and File Systems (Tasks)." If you are not restoring file
systems on the new disk, you are finished adding a secondary disk.
■ For information on making the UFS file systems available to users, see "Mounting and
Unmounting Oracle Solaris File Systems" on page 329.
▼ SPARC: How to Install Boot Blocks for a UFS Root File
2 Install a boot block for a UFS root file system.
# installboot /usr/platform/'uname -i'/lib/fs/ufs/bootblk
/dev/rdsk/cwtxdys0
For more information, see installboot(1M).
3 Verify that the boot blocks are installed by rebooting the system to run level 3.
Example 12–3 SPARC: Installing a Boot Block for a UFS Root File System
The following example shows how to install the boot block on a UFS root file system.
# installboot /usr/platform/sun4u/lib/fs/ufs/bootblk
/dev/rdsk/c0t0d0s0
The following task map identifies the procedures for setting up a ZFS root pool disk for a ZFS
root file system or a non-root ZFS pool disk on a SPARC based system.
1. Set up the disk for a ZFS root file Disk for a ZFS Root File System "SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for
system. a ZFS Root File System" on
Connect the new disk or replace
the existing root pool disk and boot
2. Create a disk slice for a ZFS root Create a disk slice for a disk that is "SPARC: How to Create a Disk
file system intended for a ZFS root pool. This Slice for a ZFS Root File System" on
is a long-standing boot limitation. page 226
3. Install the boot blocks for a ZFS If you replace a disk that is "SPARC: How to Install Boot
root file system, if necessary. intended for the root pool by using Blocks for a ZFS Root File System"
the zpool replace command, on page 229
then you must install the boot
blocks manually so that the system
can boot from the replacement
4. Set up a disk for ZFS file system. Disk for a ZFS File System "SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for
a ZFS File System" on page 230
Set up a disk for a ZFS file system.
SPARC: Setting Up Disks for ZFS File Systems
Although the procedures that describe how to set up a disk can be used with a ZFS file system, a
ZFS file system is not directly mapped to a disk or a disk slice. You must create a ZFS storage
pool before creating a ZFS file system. For more information, see Oracle Solaris ZFS
The root pool contains the root file system that is used to boot the Oracle Solaris OS. If a root
pool disk becomes damaged and the root pool is not mirrored, the system might not boot. If a
root pool disk becomes damaged, you have two ways to recover:
■ Or, you can replace the root pool disk and restore your file systems from snapshots or from a
backup medium. You can reduce system down time due to hardware failures by creating a
redundant root pool. The only supported redundant root pool configuration is a mirrored
root pool.
A disk that is used in a non-root pool usually contains space for user or data files. You can attach
or add a another disk to a root pool or a non-root pool for more disk space. Or, you can replace
a damaged disk in a pool in the following ways.
■ A disk can be replaced in a non-redundant pool if all the devices are currently ONLINE.
■ A disk can be replaced in a redundant pool if enough redundancy exists among the other
■ In a mirrored root pool, you can replace a disk or attach a disk and then detach the failed
disk or a smaller disk to increase a pool's size.
In general, setting up a disk on the system depends on the hardware so review your hardware
documentation when adding or replacing a disk on your system. If you need to add a disk to an
existing controller, then it might just be a matter of inserting the disk in an empty slot, if the
system supports hot-plugging. If you need to configure a new controller, see "Dynamic
Reconfiguration and Hot-Plugging" on page 81.
▼ SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for a ZFS Root File System
1 Disconnect the damaged disk from the system, if necessary.
2 Connect the replacement disk to the system and check the disk's physical connections, if
More Information After You Set Up a Disk for a ZFS Root File System ...
After the disk is connected or replaced, you can create a slice and update the disk label. Go to
"SPARC: How to Create a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File System" on page 226.
SPARC: Creating a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File System
You must create a disk slice for a disk that is intended for a ZFS root pool. This is a
long-standing boot limitation. Review the following root pool disk requirements:
■ Must contain a disk slice and an SMI (VTOC) label.
■ An EFI label is not supported for a root pool disk.
■ Must be a single disk or be part of mirrored configuration. A non-redundant configuration
nor a RAIDZ configuration is supported for the root pool.
In general, you should create a disk slice with the bulk of disk space in slice 0. Attempting to use
different slices on a disk and share that disk among different operating systems or with a
different ZFS storage pool or storage pool components is not recommended.
▼ SPARC: How to Create a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File
In general, the root pool disk is installed automatically when the system is installed. If you need
to replace a root pool disk or attach a new disk as a mirrored root pool disk, see the steps below.
2 Offline and unconfigure the failed disk, if necessary.
Some hardware requires that you offline and unconfigure a disk before attempting the zpool
replace operation to replace a failed disk. For example:
# zpool offline rpool c2t1d0s0
# cfgadm -c unconfigure c2::dsk/c2t1d0
3 Physically connect the new or replacement disk to the system, if necessary.
a. Physically remove the failed disk.
b. Physically insert the replacement disk.
c. Configure the replacement disk, if necessary. For example:
On some hardware, you do not have to reconfigure the replacement disk after it is inserted.
4 Confirm that the disk is accessible by reviewing the format output.
For example, the format command sees 4 disks connected to this system.
5 Select the disk to be used for the ZFS root pool.
6 Confirm that the disk has an SMI label by printing the partition (slice) information.
For example, the partition (slice) output for c2t1d0 shows that this disk has an EFI label
because it identifies first and last sectors.
format> p
PARTITION MENU:
0 - change '0' partition
expand - expand label to use whole disk
select - select a predefined table
modify - modify a predefined partition table
name - name the current table
print - display the current table
label - write partition map and label to the disk
!<cmd> - execute <cmd>, then return
partition> p
Total disk sectors available: 71116508 + 16384 (reserved sectors)
0 usr wm 256 33.91GB 71116541
8 reserved wm 71116542 8.00MB 71132925
7 If the disk contains an EFI label, relabel the disk with an SMI label.
For example, the c2t1d0 disk is relabeled with an SMI label, but a default partition table is
provided that does not provide an optimal slice configuration.
partition> label
1 swap wu 91 - 181 128.37MB (91/0/0) 262899
2 backup wu 0 - 24619 33.92GB (24620/0/0) 71127180
6 usr wm 182 - 24619 33.67GB (24438/0/0) 70601382
8 Create an optimal slice configuration for a ZFS root pool disk.
Set the free hog partition so that all the unallocated disk space is collected in slice 0. Then, press
return through the slice size fields to create one large slice 0.
table based on above table[yes]?
0 root wm 0 - 24619 33.92GB (24620/0/0) 71127180
Okay to make this the current partition table[yes]?
9 Let ZFS know that the failed disk is replaced.
# zpool replace rpool c2t1d0s0
# zpool online rpool c2t1d0s0
On some hardware, you do not have to online the replacement disk after it is inserted.
If you are attaching a new disk to create a mirrored root pool or attaching a larger disk to replace
a smaller disk, use syntax similar to the following:
# zpool attach rpool c0t0d0s0 c1t0d0s0
10 If a root pool disk is replaced with a new disk, apply the boot blocks after the new or
replacement disk is resilvered.
# zpool status rpool
installboot -F zfs /usr/platform/'uname -i'/lib/fs/zfs/bootblk /dev/rdsk/c2t1d0s0
11 Verify that you can boot from the new disk.
12 If the system boots from the new disk, detach the old disk.
This step is only necessary if you attach a new disk to replace a failed disk or a smaller disk.
# zpool detach rpool c0t0d0s0
13 Set up the system to boot automatically from the new disk, either by using the eeprom
command or the setenv command from the SPARC boot PROM.
More Information After You Have Created a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File System ...
After you have created a disk slice for the ZFS root file system and you need to restore root pool
snapshots to recover your root pool, see "Recovering the ZFS Root Pool or Root Pool
Snapshots" in Oracle Solaris ZFS Administration Guide.
▼ SPARC: How to Install Boot Blocks for a ZFS Root File
2 Install a boot block for a ZFS root file system.
# installboot -F zfs /usr/platform/'uname -i'/lib/fs/zfs/bootblk
Example 12–4 SPARC: Installing Boot Blocks for a ZFS Root File System
If you physically replace the disk that is intended for the root pool and the Oracle Solaris OS is
then reinstalled, or you attach a new disk for the root pool, the boot blocks are installed
automatically. If you replace a disk that is intended for the root pool by using the zpool
replace command, then you must install the boot blocks manually so that the system can boot
from the replacement disk.
The following example shows how to install boot blocks for a ZFS root file system.
# installboot -F zfs /usr/platform/'uname -i'/lib/fs/zfs/bootblk /dev/rdsk/c0t1d0s0
▼ SPARC: How to Set Up a Disk for a ZFS File System
If you are setting up a disk to be used with a non-root ZFS file system, the disk is relabeled
automatically when the pool is created or when the disk is added to the pool. If a pool is created
with whole disks or when a whole disk is added to a ZFS storage pool, an EFI label is applied. For
more information about EFI disk labels, see "EFI Disk Label" on page 183.
# zpool offline tank c1t1d0
<Physically remove failed disk c1t1d0>
<Physically insert replacement disk c1t1d0>
On some hardware, you do not to reconfigure the replacement disk after it is inserted.
4 Confirm that the new disk is recognized.
Review the output of the format utility to see if the disk is listed under AVAILABLE DISK
SELECTIONS. Then, quit the format utility.
5 Let ZFS know that the failed disk is replaced, if necessary.
# zpool replace tank c1t1d0
# zpool online tank c1t1d0
Confirm that the new disk is resilvering.
# zpool status tank
6 Attach a new disk to an existing ZFS storage pool, if necessary.
# zpool attach tank mirror c1t0d0 c2t0d0
For more information, see Chapter 4, "Managing Oracle Solaris ZFS Storage Pools," in Oracle
Solaris ZFS Administration Guide.
This chapter describes how to set up disks on an x86 based system.
For information on the procedures associated with setting up disks on an x86 based system, see
the following sections:
■ "x86: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems (Task Map)" on page 233
■ "x86: Setting Up Disks for ZFS File Systems (Task Map)" on page 238
■ "Creating and Changing Solaris fdisk Partitions" on page 246
(Overview)." For step-by-step instructions on setting up disks on a SPARC based system, see
Chapter 12, "SPARC: Setting Up Disks (Tasks)."
x86: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems (Task Map)
or a disk for a UFS file system on an x86 based system.
1. Connect the disk. Disk for a UFS root file system "x86: How to Set Up a Disk for a
UFS Root File System" on page 234
Disk for a UFS file system "x86: How to Connect a Disk for a
UFS File System" on page 235
2. Create or change the fdisk The disk for an x86 based system
partition must contain an fdisk partition.
3. Create slices and label the disk. Create disk slices and label the disk "x86: How to Create a Solaris fdisk
if the disk manufacturer has not Partition" on page 247 and "x86:
already done so. How to Create Disk Slices for UFS
File Systems" on page 235
4. Create UFS file systems. Create UFS file systems on the disk "x86: How to Create a UFS File
slices with the newfs command. System" on page 237
You must re-create the root (/) or
/usr file system (or both).
file system (or both) on the system and File Systems (Tasks)"
disk. If necessary, restore file
systems on other disks
6. Install boot blocks for a UFS root Install the boot blocks on the root "x86: How to Install Boot Blocks
file system. (/) file system so that the system for a UFS Root File System" on
can boot. page 238
x86: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems
▼ x86: How to Set Up a Disk for a UFS Root File System
2 Connect the replacement disk to the system, and check the disk's physical connections.
2. Select the option to boot from the media.
From the network 3. Select the option to boot from the network.
Create an fdisk partition, if necessary. Go to "x86: How to Create a Solaris fdisk Partition" on
▼ x86: How to Connect a Disk for a UFS File System
2 (Optional) If the disk is unsupported by the Oracle Solaris software, add the device driver for the
After the disk is connected, create an fdisk partition. Go to "x86: How to Create a Solaris fdisk
Partition" on page 247.
▼ x86: How to Create Disk Slices for UFS File Systems
2 Confirm that the disk has a valid Solaris fdisk partition.
For information about creating or changing a Solaris fdisk partition, see "Creating and
Changing Solaris fdisk Partitions" on page 246.
Chapter 13 • x86: Setting Up Disks (Tasks) 235
4 Type the number of the disk that you want to repartition.
where disk-number is the number of the disk that you want to repartition.
9 Create a new partition table by answering yes when prompted to continue.
10 Identify the free hog partition (slice) and the sizes of the slices when prompted.
When adding a system disk, you must set up slices for the following:
■ root (slice 0) and swap (slice 1) and/or
11 Make the displayed partition table the current partition table by answering yes when
prompted.
If you don't want the current partition table and you want to change it, answer no and go to
15 Verify the new disk label.
More Information After You Create Disk Slices and Label a Disk ...
After you create disk slices and label the disk, you can create file systems on the disk. Go to "x86:
How to Create a UFS File System" on page 237.
▼ x86: How to Create a UFS File System
where /dev/rdsk/cwtxdysz is the raw device for the file system to be created.
# ls /mnt
More Information After You Create a UFS File System ...
■ After the root (/) and /usr file systems are restored, install the boot block. Go to "x86:
How to Install Boot Blocks for a UFS Root File System" on page 238.
x86: Setting Up Disks for ZFS File Systems (Task Map)
■ For information on making the file systems available to users, see "Mounting and
▼ x86: How to Install Boot Blocks for a UFS Root File System
2 Install the boot blocks for a UFS root file system.
# /sbin/installgrub /boot/grub/stage1 /boot/grub/stage2 /dev/rdsk/cwtxdysz
For more information, see installgrub(1M).
Example 13–1 x86: Installing Boot Blocks for a UFS Root File System
The following example shows how to install the boot blocks for a UFS root file system on an x86
# /sbin/installgrub /boot/grub/stage1 /boot/grub/stage2 /dev/rdsk/c1d0s0
stage1 written to partition 0 sector 0 (abs 2016)
stage2 written to to partition 0, 227 sectors starting 50 (abs 2066)
root file system on an x86 based system.
1. Set up the disk for a ZFS root file Disk for a ZFS Root File System "x86: How to Set Up a Disk for a
system. ZFS Root File System" on page 240
2. Create or change an fdisk The disk must contain a valid "Creating and Changing Solaris
partition, if necessary. Solaris fdisk partition. fdisk Partitions" on page 246
3. Create a disk slice for the ZFS Create a disk slice for a disk that is "x86: How to Create a Solaris fdisk
root file system. intended for a ZFS root pool. This Partition" on page 247 and "x86:
is a long-standing boot limitation. How to Create a Disk Slice for a
ZFS Root File System" on page 241
4. Install the boot blocks for a ZFS If you replace a disk that is "x86: How to Install Boot Blocks
root file system. intended for the root pool by using for a ZFS Root File System" on
the zpool replace command, page 244
5. Set up a disk for a ZFS file Disk for a ZFS File System "x86: How to Set Up a Disk for a
system. ZFS File System" on page 245
x86: Setting Up Disks for ZFS File Systems
Although the procedures that describe how to set up a disk and create an fdisk partition can be
used with a ZFS file systems, a ZFS file system is not directly mapped to a disk or a disk slice.
You must create a ZFS storage pool before creating a ZFS file system. For more information, see
Oracle Solaris ZFS Administration Guide.
a damaged disk in a pool in the following ways:
In general, setting up a disk to the system depends on the hardware so review your hardware
▼ x86: How to Set Up a Disk for a ZFS Root File System
After the disk is connected or replaced, create an fdisk partition.. Go to "x86: How to Create a
Solaris fdisk Partition" on page 247.
x86: Creating a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File System
■ A root pool disk on an x86 system must contain an fdisk partition.
On an x86 based system, you must first create an fdisk partition. Then, create a disk slice with
the bulk of disk space in slice 0.
Attempting to use different slices on a disk and share that disk among different operating
systems or with a different ZFS storage pool or storage pool components is not recommended.
▼ x86: How to Create a Disk Slice for a ZFS Root File System
For a full description of fdisk partitions, see "x86: Guidelines for Creating an fdisk Partition"
on page 246.
1. c8t0d0 <Sun-STK RAID INT-V1.0 cyl 17830 alt 2 hd 255 sec 63>
/pci@0,0/pci10de,375@f/pci108e,286@0/disk@0,0
2. c8t1d0 <Sun-STK RAID INT-V1.0-136.61GB>
format>
6 Review the status of the fdisk partition.
■ If the disk has no fdisk partition, you will see a message similar to the following:
format> fdisk
No Solaris fdisk partition found.
If so, go to step 4 to create an fdisk partition.
■ If the disk has an EFI fdisk or some other partition type, go to step 5 to create a Solaris
fdisk partition.
■ If the disk has a Solaris fdisk partition, go to step 6 to create a disk slice for the root pool.
7 If necessary, create a Solaris fdisk partition by selecting the fdisk option.
partition table. y
Then, go to step 6 to create a disk slice for the root pool.
8 If the disk has an EFI fdisk partition, then you will need to create a Solaris fdisk partition.
If you print the disk's partition table with the format utility, and you see the partition table
refers to the first sector and the size, then this is an EFI partition. You will need to create a
Solaris fdisk partition as follows:
■ Select fdisk from the format options.
# format -e c8t0d0
■ Delete the existing EFI partition by selecting option 3, Delete a partition.
Are you sure you want to delete partition 1? This will make all files and
programs in this partition inaccessible (type "y" or "n"). y
Partition 1 has been deleted.
■ Create a new Solaris partition by selecting option 1, Create a partition.
Select the partition type to create: 1
Specify the percentage of disk to use for this partition
(or type "c" to specify the size in cylinders). 100
Please type "y" or "n". y
Partition 1 is now the active partition.
■ Update the disk configuration and exit.
■ Display the SMI partition table. If the default partition table is applied, then slice 0 might be
0 in size or it might be too small. See the next step.
9 Confirm that the disk has an SMI label by printing the partition (slice) information and review
the slice 0 size information.
10 Let ZFS know that the failed disk is replaced.
11 If a root pool disk is replaced with a new disk, apply the boot blocks.
# installgrub /boot/grub/stage1 /boot/grub/stage2 /dev/rdsk/c8t0d0s0
14 Set up the system to boot automatically from the new disk by reconfiguring the system's BIOS.
More Information After You Have Created a Disk Slice for the ZFS Root File System ...
▼ x86: How to Install Boot Blocks for a ZFS Root File System
1 Become superuser or assume an equivalent role .
2 Install the boot blocks on the system disk.
# installgrub /boot/grub/stage1 /boot/grub/stage2 /dev/rdsk/cwtxdysz
Example 13–2 x86: Installing Boot Blocks for a ZFS Root File System
The following example shows how to install the boot blocks for a ZFS root file system.
# installgrub /boot/grub/stage1 /boot/grub/stage2 /dev/rdsk/c1d0s0
stage2 written to partition 0, 277 sectors starting at 50 (abs 16115)
stage1 written to partition 0 sector 0 (abs 16065)
▼ x86: How to Set Up a Disk for a ZFS File System
Creating and Changing Solaris fdisk Partitions
Review the following sections for guidelines and examples of creating or changing Solaris fdisk
partitions.
x86: Guidelines for Creating an fdisk Partition
Follow these guidelines when you set up one or more fdisk partitions.
■ The disk can be divided into a maximum of four fdisk partitions. One of partitions must be
a Solaris partition.
■ The Solaris partition must be made the active partition on the disk. The active partition is
partition whose operating system will be booted by default at system startup.
■ Solaris fdisk partitions must begin on cylinder boundaries.
■ Solaris fdisk partitions must begin at cylinder 1, not cylinder 0, on the first disk because
additional boot information, including the master boot record, is written in sector 0.
■ The Solaris fdisk partition can be the entire disk. Or, you might want to make it smaller to
allow room for a DOS partition. You can also make a new fdisk partition on a disk without
disturbing existing partitions (if sufficient space is available) to create a new partition.
x86 only – Solaris slices are also called partitions. Certain interfaces might refer to a slice as a
fdisk partitions are supported only on x86 based systems. To avoid confusion, Oracle Solaris
documentation tries to distinguish between fdisk partitions and the entities within the Solaris
fdisk partition. These entities might be called slices or partitions.
▼ x86: How to Create a Solaris fdisk Partition
Before You Begin If you need information about fdisk partitions, see "x86: Guidelines for Creating an fdisk
For more information, see format(1M).
3 Type the number of the disk on which to create a Solaris fdisk partition.
where disk-number is the number of the disk on which you want to create a Solaris fdisk
4 Select the fdisk menu.
The fdisk menu that is displayed depends upon whether the disk has existing fdisk partitions.
5 Create and activate a Solaris fdisk partition that spans the entire disk by specifying y at the
prompt. Then, go to step 13.
6 Specify n at the prompt if you do not want the Solaris fdisk partition to span the entire disk.
Total disk size is 17848 cylinders
Cylinder size is 16065 (512 byte) blocks
5. Edit/View extended partitions
Enter Selection:
7 Select option 1, Create a partition, to create an fdisk partition.
8 Create a Solaris fdisk partition by selecting 1(=Solaris2).
D=FAT32LBA E=DOSEXTLBA F=EFI 0=Exit? 1
9 Identify the percentage of the disk to be reserved for the Solaris fdisk partition. Keep in mind
the size of any existing fdisk partitions when you calculate this percentage.
(or type "c" to specify the size in cylinders). nn
10 Activate the Solaris fdisk partition by typing y at the prompt.
Should this become the active partition? If yes, it will be
activated each time the computer is reset or turned on.
The Enter Selection prompt is displayed after the fdisk partition is activated.
11 Select option 1, Create a partition, to create another fdisk partition.
See steps 8–10 for instructions on creating an fdisk partition.
12 Update the disk configuration, and exit the fdisk menu from the selection menu.
Selection: 6
13 Relabel the disk by using the label command.
14 Quit the format utility.
Example 13–3 x86: Creating a Solaris fdisk Partition That Spans the Entire Drive
The following example uses the format utility's fdisk option to create a Solaris fdisk partition
that spans the entire drive.
0. c0d0 <DEFAULT cyl 2466 alt 2 hd 16 sec 63>
/pci@0,0/pci-ide@7,1/ide@0/cmdk@0,0
1. c0d1 <DEFAULT cyl 522 alt 2 hd 32 sec 63>
2. c1d0 <DEFAULT cyl 13102 alt 2 hd 16 sec 63>
selecting c0d0
Controller working list found
No fdisk table exists. The default partitioning for your disk is:
a 100% "SOLARIS System" partition.
More Information After You Create a Solaris fdisk Partition ...
After you create a Solaris fdisk partition on the disk, you can use for a root pool disk or
non-root pool disk. For more information, see "SPARC: Setting Up Disks for UFS File Systems"
Changing the fdisk Partition Identifier
The Solaris fdisk partition identifier on x86 systems has been changed from 130 (0x82) to 191
(0xbf). All Oracle Solaris commands, utilities, and drivers have been updated to work with
either fdisk identifier. There is no change in fdisk functionality.
▼ How to Change the Solaris fdisk Identifier
A new fdisk menu option enables you to switch back and forth between the new and old
identifier. The fdisk identifier can be changed even when the file system that is contained in the
partition is mounted.
Two type values in the fdisk menu reflect the old and new identifiers as follows:
■ Solaris identifies 0x82
■ Solaris2 identifies 0xbf
2 Display the current fdisk identifier.
1 Active x86 Boot 1 6 6 0
2 Solaris2 7 39889 39883 100
3 Select option 4 from the fdisk menu to change the fdisk partition identifier back to 0x82.
4 Select option 5 to update your disk configuration and exit.
5 If necessary, select option 4 from the fdisk menu to change the fdisk partition identifier back
to 0xbf.
2 Solaris 7 39889 39883 100
Configuring Oracle Solaris iSCSI Targets and
Initiators (Tasks)
This chapter describes how to configure Solaris iSCSI targets and initiators, available in the
Oracle Solaris release. For information about the procedures associated with configuring iSCSI
targets and initiators, see "Setting Up Solaris iSCSI Targets and Initiators (Task Map)" on
For information about the latest Oracle Solaris iSCSI initiator features, see "What's New in Disk
Management?" on page 177
For troubleshooting Solaris iSCSI configuration problems, see "Troubleshooting iSCSI
Configuration Problems" on page 274.
iSCSI Technology (Overview)
iSCSI is an acronym for Internet SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), an Internet Protocol
(IP)-based storage networking standard for linking data storage subsystems. This networking
standard was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). For more information
about the iSCSI technology, see RFC 3720:
By carrying SCSI commands over IP networks, the iSCSI protocol enables you to access block
devices from across the network as if they were connected to the local system.
If you want to use storage devices in your existing TCP/IP network, the following solutions are
■ iSCSI block devices or tape – Translates SCSI commands and data from the block level into
IP packets. Using iSCSI in your network is advantageous when you need to have block-level
access between one system and the target device, such as a tape device or a database. Access
to a block-level device is not locked so that you could have multiple users or systems
accessing a block-level device such as an iSCSI target device.
■ NFS – Transfers file data over IP. The advantage of using NFS in your network is that you
can share file data across many systems. Access to file data is locked appropriately when
many users are accessing data that is available in an NFS environment.
Here are the benefits of using Solaris iSCSI targets and initiators:
■ The iSCSI protocol runs across existing Ethernet networks.
■ You can use any supported network interface card (NIC), Ethernet hub, or Ethernet
■ One IP port can handle multiple iSCSI target devices.
■ You can use existing infrastructure and management tools for IP networks.
■ You might have existing Fibre-Channel devices that can be connected to clients without the
cost of Fibre-Channel HBAs. In addition, systems with dedicated arrays can now export
replicated storage with ZFS or UFS file systems.
■ There is no upper limit on the maximum number of configured iSCSI target devices.
■ The protocol can be used to connect to Fibre Channel or iSCSI Storage Area Network (SAN)
environments with the appropriate hardware.
Here are the current limitations or restrictions of using the Solaris iSCSI initiator software:
■ Support for iSCSI devices that use SLP is not currently available.
■ Boot support for iSCSI devices is not currently available.
■ iSCSI targets cannot be configured as dump devices.
■ iSCSI supports multiple connections per session, but the current Solaris implementation
only supports a single connection per session.
For more information, see RFC 3720.
■ Transferring large amounts of data over your existing network can have an impact on
Solaris iSCSI Software and Hardware Requirements
■ Solaris iSCSI software and devices
■ Solaris 10 release (at least the 1/06 release) for Solaris iSCSI initiator software
■ Solaris 10 release (at least the 8/07 release) for Solaris iSCSI target software
■ The following Solaris 10 software packages:
■ SUNWiscsir – Sun iSCSI Device Driver (root)
■ SUNWiscsiu – Sun iSCSI Management Utilities (usr)
■ SUNWiscsitgtr – Sun iSCSI Target Device Driver (root)
■ SUNWiscsitgtu – Sun iSCSI Target Management Utilities (usr)
■ Any supported NIC
Setting Up Solaris iSCSI Targets and Initiators (Task Map)
1. Identify the iSCSI software and Identify the software and hardware "Solaris iSCSI Software and
hardware requirements. requirements for setting up an Hardware Requirements" on
iSCSI-based storage network. page 252
2. Set up your iSCSI target devices. Connect and set up your Solaris "Setting Up Your Solaris iSCSI
iSCSI target devices. Target Devices" on page 256
In addition, you can set up
third-party target devices. See your
vendor's documentation for setup
instructions.
Set up iSNS discovery on your "How to Configure iSNS Discovery
Solaris iSCSI target, if an iSNS for the Solaris iSCSI Target" on
server is available. page 257
3. Prepare for your Solaris iSCSI Make sure you have the correct "How to Prepare for a Solaris iSCSI
configuration. software versions and hardware Configuration" on page 256
4. (Optional) Set up authentication Decide whether you want to use
in your Solaris iSCSI configuration. authentication in your Solaris
iSCSI configuration:
Consider using unidirectional "How to Configure CHAP
CHAP or bidirectional CHAP. Authentication for Your iSCSI
Initiator" on page 259
"How to Configure CHAP
Authentication for Your iSCSI
Target" on page 260
Consider using a third-party "How to Configure RADIUS for
RADIUS server to simplify CHAP Your iSCSI Configuration" on
management. page 261
5. Configure the iSCSI target Select the iSCSI target discovery "How to Configure iSCSI Target
discovery method. method best suited for your Discovery" on page 262
6. (Optional) Remove discovered You might need to remove a "How to Remove Discovered iSCSI
iSCSI targets. discovered iSCSI target. Targets" on page 263
Chapter 14 • Configuring Oracle Solaris iSCSI Targets and Initiators (Tasks) 253
7. Access iSCSI disks. You can access your iSCSI disks "Accessing iSCSI Disks" on
with the format utility. You can page 264
also enable the iSCSI disks to be
available automatically after the
system is rebooted.
8. Monitor your iSCSI Monitor your iSCSI configuration "Monitoring Your iSCSI
configuration. by using the iscsiadm command. Configuration" on page 265
9. (Optional) Modify your iSCSI You might want to modify your "How to Modify iSCSI Initiator and
configuration. iSCSI target settings such as the Target Parameters" on page 268
header and data digest parameters.
10. (Optional) Set up Solaris iSCSI Determine whether you want to set "Setting Up Solaris iSCSI
multipathed devices. up Solaris iSCSI multipathed Multipathed Devices" on page 270
Use this procedure to create "How to Enable Multiple iSCSI
multiple iSCSI sessions that Sessions for a Target" on page 271
connect to a single target.
Configuring Solaris iSCSI Targets and Initiators
Configuring your Solaris iSCSI targets and initiators involves the following steps:
■ Identifying the hardware and software requirements
■ Configuring your IP network
■ Connecting and setting up your iSCSI target device
■ (Optional) Configuring iSCSI authentication between the iSCSI initiator and the iSCSI
target, if necessary
■ Configuring the iSCSI target discovery method
■ Creating file systems on your iSCSI disks
■ Monitoring your iSCSI configuration
The iSCSI configuration information is stored in the /etc/iscsi directory. This information
requires no administration.
iSCSI Terminology
Review the following terminology before configuring iSCSI targets and initiators.
Initiator The driver that initiates SCSI requests to the iSCSI target.
Target device The iSCSI storage component.
Discovery The process that presents the initiator with a list of available targets.
Discovery method The way in which the iSCSI targets can be found. Three methods are
currently available:
■ Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) – Potential targets are
discovered by interacting with one or more iSNS servers.
■ SendTargets – Potential targets are discovered by using a
discovery-address.
■ Static – Static target addressing is configured.
Configuring Dynamic or Static Target Discovery
Determine whether you want to configure one of the dynamic device discovery methods or use
static iSCSI initiator targets to perform device discovery.
■ Dynamic device discovery – If an iSCSI node exposes many targets, such as an iSCSI to
Fibre-Channel bridge, you can supply the iSCSI node IP address/port combination and
allow the iSCSI initiator to use the SendTargets features to perform device discovery.
Two dynamic device discovery methods are available:
■ SendTargets - If an iSCSI node exposes a large number of targets, such as an iSCSI to
allow the iSCSI initiator to use the SendTargets features to perform the device discovery.
■ iSNS - iSNS (Internet Storage Name Service) allows the iSCSI initiator to discover the
targets to which it has access using as little configuration information as possible. It also
provides state change notification to notify the iSCSI initiator when changes in the
operational state of storage nodes occur. To use the iSNS discovery method, you can
supply the iSNS server address/port combination and allow the iSCSI initiator to query
the iSNS servers that you specified to perform the device discovery. The default port for
the iSNS server is 3205. For more information about iSNS, see RFC 4171:
The iSNS discovery service provides an administrative model to discover all targets in a
■ Static device discovery – If an iSCSI node has few targets or if you want to restrict the
targets that the initiator attempts to access, you can statically configure the target-name by
using the following static target address naming convention:
target,target-address[:port-number]
You can determine the static target address from the array's management tool.
Note – Do not configure an iSCSI target to be discovered by both static and dynamic device
discovery methods. The consequence of using redundant discovery methods might be slow
performance when the initiator is communicating with the iSCSI target device.
▼ How to Prepare for a Solaris iSCSI Configuration
This procedure assumes that you are logged in to the local system where you want to access a
configured iSCSI target device.
2 Verify that the iSCSI software packages are installed.
initiator# pkginfo SUNWiscsiu SUNWiscsir
system SUNWiscsiu Sun iSCSI Device Driver (root)
system SUNWiscsir Sun iSCSI Management Utilities (usr)
3 Verify that you are running at least the Solaris 10 1/06 release.
4 Confirm that your TCP/IP network is setup.
5 Connect your iSCSI target devices and confirm that they are configured.
For example, determine if the iSCSI target device is reachable by using the telnet command to
connect to the iSCSI target device using port 3260. If the connection is refused, see
"Troubleshooting iSCSI Configuration Problems" on page 274.
For information about connecting your third-party iSCSI target devices, see your vendor
documentation.
Setting Up Your Solaris iSCSI Target Devices
You can use the iscsitadm command to set up and manage your Solaris iSCSI target devices,
which can be disk or tape devices. For the device that you select as your iSCSI target, you must
provide an equivalently sized ZFS or UFS file system as the backing store for the iSCSI daemon.
For information about setting up a Solaris iSCSI target device with ZFS, see "ZFS and Solaris
iSCSI Improvements" in Oracle Solaris ZFS Administration Guide.
For more information, see iscsitadm(1M) and iscsiadm(1M).
The basic process is as follows:
■ Identify the backing store directory – For each target and logical unit that is created, the
iSCSI daemon needs to store some information. By default, the backing store for this device
is also located in the base directory. So, if the host system has a large ZFS pool to use, it might
be easiest to allow the daemon to store everything in that location. If the backing store needs
to be spread out, it's possible to specify the backing store location during the creation of each
logical unit.
■ Create the iSCSI target – By default, the CLI assumes that the requested device type is an
LBA of logical unit 0. If a pass through mode is desired for character devices, the -raw option
must be used. After the creation of the first LUN, other LUNs might be created for the same
iSCSI target by specifying -lun number.
The daemon starts a background task that initializes the LUN to zeros. If, during that
initialization, the underlying file system becomes 100 percent full, the daemon removes the
target. During this initialization, the LUN is marked as being offline and cannot be used by
an initiator. During this time, however, it is possible to have an initiator discover this LUN.
The Solaris initiator waits until it receives an Inventory Change notification and then
automatically brings the device online.
▼ How to Create an iSCSI Target
This procedure assumes that you are logged in to the local system that contains the iSCSI
2 Identify the backing store directory.
target# iscsitadm modify admin -d /export/sandbox
3 Create an iSCSI target.
target# iscsitadm create target --size 2g sandbox
4 Display information about the iSCSI target.
target# iscsitadm list target -v sandbox
5 Set up your iSCSI initiator to discover and use this target.
For more information, see "How to Configure iSCSI Target Discovery" on page 262.
▼ How to Configure iSNS Discovery for the Solaris iSCSI Target
If your network includes a third-party iSNS server or a Sun iSNS server, you can set up iSNS
target discovery on your Solaris iSCSI targets.
2 Add the iSNS server information.
initiator# iscsitadm modify admin --isns-server ip-address or hostname[:port]
Identify the ip-address of the iSNS server in your network.
This step adds the iSNS server information to all of the Solaris iSCSI targets.
3 Enable iSNS server discovery.
initiator# iscsitadm modify admin --isns-access enable
This step enables iSNS discovery for all of the Solaris iSCSI targets.
Configuring Authentication in Your iSCSI-Based
Storage Network
Setting up authentication for your iSCSI devices is optional.
In a secure environment, authentication is not required because only trusted initiators can
access the targets.
In a less secure environment, the target cannot determine if a connection request is truly from a
given host. In that case, the target can authenticate an initiator by using the
Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP).
CHAP authentication uses the notion of a challenge and response, which means that the target
challenges the initiator to prove its identity. For the challenge/response method to work, the
target must know the initiator's secret key, and the initiator must be set up to respond to a
challenge. Refer to the array vendor's documentation for instructions on setting up the secret
key on the array.
iSCSI supports unidirectional and bidirectional authentication:
■ Unidirectional authentication enables the target to authenticate the identity of the initiator.
■ Bidirectional authentication adds a second level of security by enabling the initiator to
authenticate the identity of the target.
▼ How to Configure CHAP Authentication for Your iSCSI Initiator
This procedure assumes that you are logged in to the local system where you want to securely
access the configured iSCSI target device.
2 Determine whether you want to configure unidirectional or bidirectional CHAP.
■ Unidirectional authentication, the default method, enables the target to validate the
initiator. Complete steps 3–5 only.
authenticate the target. Complete steps 3–9.
3 Unidirectional CHAP – Set the secret key on the initiator.
For example, the following command initiates a dialogue to define the CHAP secret key.
initiator# iscsiadm modify initiator-node --CHAP-secret
Note – The CHAP secret length must be a minimum of 12 characters and a maximum of 16
4 (Optional) Unidirectional CHAP – Set the CHAP name on the initiator.
By default, the initiator's CHAP name is set to the initiator node name.
You can use the following command to change the initiator's CHAP name.
initiator# iscsiadm modify initiator-node --CHAP-name new-CHAP-name
In the Solaris environment, the CHAP name is always set to the initiator node name by default.
The CHAP name can be set to any length text that is less than 512 bytes. The 512-byte length
limit is a Solaris limitation. However, if you do not set the CHAP name, it is set to the initiator
node name upon initialization.
5 Unidirectional CHAP – Enable CHAP authentication on the initiator after the secret has been set.
initiator# iscsiadm modify initiator-node --authentication CHAP
CHAP requires that the initiator node have both a user name and a password. The user name is
typically used by the target to look up the secret for the given username.
6 Select one of the following to enable or disable Bidirectional CHAP.
■ Bidirectional CHAP – Enable bidirectional authentication parameters on the target.
initiator# iscsiadm modify target-param -B enable eui.5000ABCD78945E2B
■ Disable bidirectional CHAP. For example:
initiator# iscsiadm modify target-param -B disable eui.5000ABCD78945E2B
7 Bidirectional CHAP – Set the authentication method to CHAP on the target.
initiator# iscsiadm modify target-param --authentication CHAP eui.5000ABCD78945E2B
8 Bidirectional CHAP – Set the target device secret key on the target.
For example, the following command initiates a dialogue to define the CHAP secret key:
initiator# iscsiadm modify target-param --CHAP-secret eui.5000ABCD78945E2B
9 Bidirectional CHAP - Set the CHAP name on the target.
By default, the target's CHAP name is set to the target name.
You can use the following command to change the target's CHAP name:
initiator# iscsiadm modify target-param --CHAP-name target-CHAP-name
▼ How to Configure CHAP Authentication for Your iSCSI Target
2 Set the CHAP secret name for the target.
A convention is to use the host name for the secret name. For example:
target# iscsitadm modify admin -H stormpike
3 Specify the CHAP secret.
The CHAP secret must be between 12 and 16 characters. For example:
target# iscsitadm modify admin -C
Enter secret: xxxxxx
Re-enter secret: xxxxxx
4 Create an initiator object that will be associated with one or more targets.
This step is done so that you can associate a friendly name (normally the host name, in this case
monster620) with the IQN value, instead of typing it in every time. For example:
# iscsitadm create initiator -n iqn.1986-03.com.sun: 01:00e081553307.4399f40e monster620
5 Provide the same CHAP name that was used on the initiator.
This name can be different from the friendly name that was used for the initiator object. For
target# iscsitadm modify initiator -H monster620 monster620
6 Use the same CHAP secret that was used on the initiator.
target# iscsitadm modify initiator -C monster620
7 Associate the initiator object with one or more targets.
target# iscsitadm modify target -l monster620 sandbox
Using a Third-Party RADIUS Server to Simplify CHAP
Management in Your iSCSI Configuration
You can use a third-party RADIUS server to simplify CHAP secret management. A RADIUS
server is a centralized authentication service. While you must still specify the initiator's CHAP
secret, you are no longer required to specify each target's CHAP secret on each initiator when
using bidirectional authentication with a RADIUS server.
■ CHAP – http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1994.txt
■ RADIUS – http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2865.txt
▼ How to Configure RADIUS for Your iSCSI Configuration
2 Configure the initiator node with the IP address and port (the default port is 1812) of the
RADIUS server.
initiator# iscsiadm modify initiator-node --radius-server 10.0.0.72:1812
3 Configure the initiator node with the shared secret of the RADIUS server.
initiator# iscsiadm modify initiator-node --radius-shared-secret
Note – The Solaris iSCSI implementation requires that the RADIUS server is configured with a
shared secret before the Solaris iSCSI software can interact with the RADIUS server.
4 Enable the RADIUS server.
initiator# iscsiadm modify initiator-node --radius-access enable
Solaris iSCSI and RADIUS Server Error Messages
This section describes the error messages that are related to a Solaris iSCSI and RADIUS server
configuration, along with potential solutions for recovery.
empty RADIUS shared secret
Cause: The RADIUS server is enabled on the initiator, but the RADIUS shared secret is not
Solution: Configure the initiator with the RADIUS shared secret. For more information, see
"How to Configure RADIUS for Your iSCSI Configuration" on page 261.
WARNING: RADIUS packet authentication failed
Cause: The initiator failed to authenticate the RADIUS data packet. This error can occur if
the shared secret configured on the initiator node is different from the shared secret on the
Reconfigure the initiator with the correct RADIUS shared secret. For more information, see
▼ How to Configure iSCSI Target Discovery
This procedure assumes that you are logged in to the local system where you want to configure
access to an iSCSI target device.
2 Configure the target device to be discovered dynamically or statically using one of the following
■ Configure the device to be dynamically discovered (SendTargets).
initiator# iscsiadm add discovery-address 10.0.0.1:3260
■ Configure the device to be dynamically discovered (iSNS).
initiator# iscsiadm add iSNS-server 10.0.0.1:3205
■ Configure the device to be statically discovered.
initiator# iscsiadm add static-config eui.5000ABCD78945E2B,10.0.0.1
The iSCSI connection is not initiated until the discovery method is enabled. See the next step.
3 Enable the iSCSI target discovery method using one of the following:
■ If you have configured a dynamically discovered (SendTargets) device, enable the
SendTargets discovery method.
initiator# iscsiadm modify discovery --sendtargets enable
■ If you have configured a dynamically discovered (iSNS) device, enable the iSNS discovery
initiator# iscsiadm modify discovery --iSNS enable
■ If you have configured static targets, enable the static target discovery method.
initiator# iscsiadm modify discovery --static enable
4 Create the iSCSI device links for the local system.
initiator# devfsadm -i iscsi
▼ How to Remove Discovered iSCSI Targets
After removing a discovery address, iSNS server, or static configuration, or after disabling a
discovery method, the associated targets are logged out. If these associated targets are still in
use, for example, they have mounted file systems, the logout of these devices will fail, and they
will remain on the active target list.
This optional procedure assumes that you are logged in to the local system where access to an
iSCSI target device has already been configured.
2 (Optional) Disable an iSCSI target discovery method using one of the following:
■ If you need to disable the SendTargets discovery method, use the following command:
initiator# iscsiadm modify discovery --sendtargets disable
■ If you need to disable the iSNS discovery method, use the following command:
initiator# iscsiadm modify discovery --iSNS disable
■ If you need to disable the static target discovery method, use the following command:
initiator# iscsiadm modify discovery --static disable
3 Remove an iSCSI device discovery entry using one of the following:
■ Remove an iSCSI SendTargets discovery entry.
initiator# iscsiadm remove discovery-address 10.0.0.1:3260
■ Remove an iSCSI iSNS discovery entry.
# iscsiadm remove isns-server 10.0.0.1:3205
■ Remove a static iSCSI discovery entry.
initiator# iscsiadm remove static-config eui.5000ABCD78945E2B,10.0.0.1
Note – If you attempt to disable or remove a discovery entry that has an associated logical unit in
use, the disable or remove operation fails with the following message:
logical unit in use
If this errors occurs, stop all associated I/O on the logical unit, unmount the file systems, and so
on. Then, repeat the disable or remove operation.
4 Remove the iSCSI target device.
Remove a target by specifying the logical unit number (LUN). If you did not specify a LUN
when the target was created, a value of 0 was used. LUN 0 must be the last LUN removed if
multiple LUNs are associated with a target.
initiator# iscsitadm delete target --lun 0 sandbox
Accessing iSCSI Disks
If you want to access the iSCSI disks upon reboot, create the file system on the disk, and add an
/etc/vfstab entry as you would with a UFS file system on a SCSI device. Then, create a new
SMF service for mounting iSCSI disks that depends on the iSCSI initiator service. For more
information, see "How to Access iSCSI Disks Upon Reboot" on page 265.
After the devices have been discovered by the Solaris iSCSI initiator, the login negotiation
occurs automatically. The Solaris iSCSI driver determines the number of available LUNs and
creates the device nodes. Then, the iSCSI devices can be treated as any other SCSI device.
You can view the iSCSI disks on the local system by using the format utility.
In the following format output, disks 2 and 3 are iSCSI LUNs that are not under MPxIO
control. Disks 21 and 22 are iSCSI LUNs under MPxIO control.
initiator# format
/pci@8,600000/SUNW,qlc@4/fp@0,0/ssd@w500000e010685cf1,0
/pci@8,600000/SUNW,qlc@4/fp@0,0/ssd@w500000e0106e3ba1,0
2. c3t0d0 <ABCSTORAGE-100E-00-2.2 cyl 20813 alt 2 hd 16 sec 63>
/iscsi/disk@0000iqn.2001-05.com.abcstorage%3A6-8a0900-477d70401-
b0fff044352423a2-hostname-020000,0
/iscsi/disk@0000iqn.2001-05.com.abcstorage%3A6-8a0900-3fcd70401
-085ff04434f423a2-hostname-010000,0
21. c4t60A98000686F694B2F59775733426B77d0 <ABCSTORAGE-LUN-0.2 cyl
4606 alt 2 hd 16 sec 256>
/scsi_vhci/ssd@g60a98000686f694b2f59775733426b77
22. c4t60A98000686F694B2F59775733434C41d0 <ABCSTORAGE-LUN-0.2 cyl
/scsi_vhci/ssd@g60a98000686f694b2f59775733434c41
▼ How to Access iSCSI Disks Upon Reboot
Follow the steps below to access iSCSI disks after the system is rebooted.
2 Add entries for the iSCSI LUN(s) to the /etc/vfstab file. Set the mount at boot option to iscsi.
initiator# vi /etc/vfstab
#device device mount FS fsck mount mount
#to mount to fsck point type pass at boot options
/dev/dsk/c3t600144F04B555F370000093D00495B00d0s0 - /mnt ufs - no -
▼ Monitoring Your iSCSI Configuration
You can display information about the iSCSI initiator and target devices by using the iscsiadm
list command.
2 Display information about the iSCSI initiator.
# iscsiadm list initiator-node
Initiator node name: iqn.1986-03.com.sun:01:0003ba4d233b.425c293c
Initiator node alias: zzr1200
Login Parameters (Default/Configured):
Header Digest: NONE/-
Data Digest: NONE/-
Authentication Type: NONE
RADIUS Server: NONE
RADIUS access: unknown
Configured Sessions: 1
3 Display information about which discovery methods are in use.
# iscsiadm list discovery
Static: enabled
Send Targets: enabled
iSNS: enabled
Example 14–1 Displaying iSCSI Target Information
The following example shows how to display the parameter settings for a specific iSCSI target.
# iscsiadm list target-param iqn.1992-08.com.abcstorage:sn.33592219
Target: iqn.1992-08.com.abcstorage:sn.33592219
The iscsiadm list target-param -v command displays the following information:
■ The authentication settings for the target
■ The default settings for the target login parameters
■ The configured value for each login parameter
The iscsiadm list target-param -v command displays the default parameter value before
the / designator and the configured parameter value after the / designator. If you have not
configured any parameters, the configured parameter value displays as a hyphen (-). For more
information, see the following examples.
# iscsiadm list target-param -v eui.50060e8004275511 Target: eui.50060e8004275511
Alias: -
Bi-directional Authentication: disabled
Data Sequence In Order: yes/-
Data PDU In Order: yes/-
Default Time To Retain: 20/-
Default Time To Wait: 2/-
Error Recovery Level: 0/-
First Burst Length: 65536/-
Immediate Data: yes/-
Initial Ready To Transfer (R2T): yes/-
Max Burst Length: 262144/-
Max Outstanding R2T: 1/-
Max Receive Data Segment Length: 65536/-
Max Connections: 1/-
The following example output displays the parameters that were negotiated between the target
and the initiator.
# iscsiadm list target -v eui.50060e8004275511
Target: eui.50060e8004275511
TPGT: 1
ISID: 4000002a0000
CID: 0
IP address (Local): 172.90.101.71:32813
IP address (Peer): 172.90.101.40:3260
Discovery Method: Static
Login Parameters (Negotiated):
Data Sequence In Order: yes
Data PDU In Order: yes
Default Time To Retain: 0
Default Time To Wait: 3
Error Recovery Level: 0
First Burst Length: 65536
Immediate Data: yes
Initial Ready To Transfer (R2T): yes
Max Burst Length: 262144
Max Outstanding R2T: 1
Max Receive Data Segment Length: 65536
Max Connections: 1
Header Digest: NONE
Data Digest: NONE
Modifying iSCSI Initiator and Target Parameters
You can modify parameters on both the iSCSI initiator and the iSCSI target device. However,
the only parameters that can be modified on the iSCSI initiator are the following:
■ iSCSI initiator node name – You can change the initiator node name to a different name. If
you change the initiator node name, the targets that were discovered by iSNS might be
removed from the initiator's target list, depending on the discovery domain configuration
on the iSNS server at the time when the name was changed. For more information, see "How
to Modify iSCSI Initiator and Target Parameters" on page 268.
■ Header digest – NONE, the default value or CRC32.
■ Data digest – NONE, the default value or CRC32.
■ Authentication and CHAP secret – For more information about setting up authentication,
see "How to Configure CHAP Authentication for Your iSCSI Initiator" on page 259.
■ Configured sessions – For more information about configuring multiple sessions, see "How
to Enable Multiple iSCSI Sessions for a Target" on page 271.
The iSCSI driver provides default values for the iSCSI initiator and iSCSI target device
parameters. If you modify the parameters of the iSCSI initiator, the modified parameters are
inherited by the iSCSI target device, unless the iSCSI target device already has different values.
Caution – Ensure that the target software supports the parameter to be modified. Otherwise, you
might be unable to log in to the iSCSI target device. See your array documentation for a list of
supported parameters.
Modifying iSCSI parameters should be done when I/O between the initiator and the target is
complete. The iSCSI driver reconnects the session after the changes are made by using the
iscsiadm modify command.
▼ How to Modify iSCSI Initiator and Target Parameters
The first part of this procedure illustrates how modified parameters of the iSCSI initiator are
inherited by the iSCSI target device. The second part of this procedure shows how to actually
modify parameters on the iSCSI target device.
2 List the current parameters of the iSCSI initiator and target device.
a. List the current parameters of the iSCSI initiator. For example:
initiator# iscsiadm list initiator-node
b. List the current parameters of the iSCSI target device. For example:
initiator# iscsiadm list target-param -v iqn.1992-08.com.abcstorage:sn.84186266
Note that both header digest and data digest parameters are currently set to NONE for both
the iSCSI initiator and the iSCSI target device.
To review the default parameters of the iSCSI target device, see the iscsiadm list
target-param output in Example 14–1.
3 Modify the parameter of the iSCSI initiator.
For example, set the header digest to CRC32.
initiator# iscsiadm modify initiator-node -h CRC32
If you change the initiator node name, the targets that were discovered by iSNS might be logged
out and removed from the initiator's target list, if the new name does not belong to the same
discovery domain as that of the targets. However, if the targets are in use, they are not removed.
For example, if a file is open or a file system is mounted on these targets, the targets will not
You might also see new targets after the name change if these targets and the new initiator node
name belong to the same discovery domain.
4 Verify that the parameter was modified.
a. Display the updated parameter information for the iSCSI initiator. For example:
Header Digest: NONE/CRC32
Note that the header digest is now set to CRC32.
b. Display the updated parameter information for the iSCSI target device. For example:
Header Digest: CRC32/-
5 Verify that the iSCSI initiator has reconnected to the iSCSI target. For example:
initiator# iscsiadm list target -v iqn.1992-08.com.abcstorage:sn.84186266
IP address (Local): nnn.nn.nn.nnn:64369
IP address (Peer): nnn.nn.nn.nnn:3260
Discovery Method: SendTargets
Header Digest: CRC32
6 (Optional) Unset an iSCSI initiator parameter or an iSCSI target device parameter.
You can unset a parameter by setting it back to its default setting by using the iscsiadm modify
command. Or, you can use the iscsiadm remove command to reset all target properties to the
default settings.
The iscsiadm modify target-param command changes only the parameters that are specified
on the command line.
The following example shows how to reset the header digest to NONE:
initiator# iscsiadm modify target-param -h none iqn.1992-08.com.abcstorage:sn...
For information about the iscsiadm remove target-param command, see iscsiadm(1M).
Setting Up Solaris iSCSI Multipathed Devices
Consider the following guidelines for using Solaris iSCSI multipathed (MPxIO) devices:
■ Solaris iSCSI and MPxIO – MPxIO supports target port aggregation and availability in
Solaris iSCSI configurations that configure multiple sessions per target (MS/T) on the iSCSI
initiator.
■ Use IPMP for aggregation and failover of two or more NICs.
■ A basic configuration for an iSCSI host is a server with two NICs that are dedicated to
iSCSI traffic. The NICs are configured by using IPMP. Additional NICs are provided for
non-iSCSI traffic to optimize performance.
■ Active multipathing can only be achieved by using the Solaris iSCSI MS/T feature, and
the failover and redundancy of an IPMP configuration.
■ If one NIC fails in an IPMP configuration, IPMP handles the failover. The MPxIO
driver does not notice the failure. In a non-IPMP configuration, the MPxIO driver
fails and offlines the path.
■ If one target port fails in an IPMP configuration, the MPxIO driver notices the failure
and provides the failover. In a non-IPMP configuration, the MPxIO driver notices
the failure and provides the failover.
For more information about using the Solaris iSCSI MS/T feature with IPMP and
multipathing, see SunSolve Infodoc 207607, Understanding an iSCSI MS/T multi-path
■ For information about configuring multiple sessions per target, see "How to Enable
Multiple iSCSI Sessions for a Target" on page 271. For information about configuring
IPMP, see Part VI, "IPMP," in System Administration Guide: IP Services.
■ Solaris iSCSI, Fibre-Channel (FC), and MPxIO – The MPxIO driver provides the
following behavior in more complex iSCSI/FC configurations:
■ If you have dual iSCSI to FC bridges in an FC SAN, iSCSI presents target paths to
MPxIO. MPxIO matches the unique SCSI per LUN identifier, and if they are identical,
presents one path to the iSCSI driver.
■ If you have a configuration that connects a target by using both iSCSI and FC, the
MPxIO driver can provide different transports to the same device. In this configuration,
MPxIO utilizes both paths.
■ If you are using iSCSI and FC in combination with MPxIO, make sure that the MPxIO
settings in the /kernel/drv/fp.conf file and the /kernel/drv/iscsi.conf files match
the MPxIO configuration that you want supported. For example, in fp.conf, you can
determine whether MPxIO is enabled globally on the HBA or on a per-port basis.
■ Third-party hardware considerations– Find out if your third-party HBA is qualified to
work with Solaris iSCSI and MPxIO.
If you are using a third-party HBA, you might need to ask your third-party HBA vendor for
the symmetric-option information for the /kernel/drv/scsi_vhci.conf file.
▼ How to Enable Multiple iSCSI Sessions for a Target
This procedure can be used to create multiple iSCSI sessions that connect to a single target. This
scenario is useful with iSCSI target devices that support login redirection or have multiple target
portals in the same target portal group. Use iSCSI multiple sessions per target with Solaris SCSI
Multipathing (MPxIO). You can also achieve higher bandwidth if you utilize multiple NICs on
the host side to connect to multiple portals on the same target.
The MS/T feature creates two or more sessions on the target by varying the initiator's session ID
(ISID). Enabling this feature creates two SCSI layer paths on the network so that multiple
targets are exposed through the iSCSI layer to the Solaris I/O layer. The MPxIO driver handles
the reservations across these paths.
For more information about how iSCSI interacts with MPxIO paths, see "Setting Up Solaris
iSCSI Multipathed Devices" on page 270.
Review the following items before configuring multiple sessions for an iSCSI target:
■ A typical MS/T configuration has two or more configured-sessions.
However, if your storage supports multiple TPGTs and if you are using SendTarget
discovery on your host system, then the number of configured sessions can be set to 1.
SendTarget discovery automatically detects the existence of multiple paths and multiple
target sessions are created.
■ Confirm that the mxpio configuration parameter is enabled in the
/kernel/drv/iscsi.conf file.
# cd /kernel/drv
# grep mpxio iscsi.conf
iscsi.conf:mpxio-disable="no";
■ Confirm that the multiple network connections are configured by using IPMP.
■ Confirm that the multiple network connections are available.
# ifconfig -a
2 List the current parameters for the iSCSI initiator and target.
a. List the current parameters for the iSCSI initiator. For example:
The configured sessions value is the number of configured iSCSI sessions that will be created
for each target name in a target portal group.
3 Select one of the following to modify the number of configured sessions either at the initiator
node to apply to all targets or at a target level to apply to a specific target.
The number of sessions for a target must be between 1 and 4.
■ Apply the parameter to the iSCSI initiator node.
initiator# iscsiadm modify initiator-node -c 2
■ Apply the parameter to the iSCSI target.
initiator# iscsiadm modify target-param -c 2 iqn.1992-08.com.abcstorage:sn.84186266
■ Bind configured sessions to one or more local IP addresses.
Configured sessions can also be bound to a specific local IP address. Using this method, one
or more local IP addresses are supplied in a comma-separated list. Each IP address
represents an iSCSI session. This method can also be done at the initiator-node or
target-param level. For example:
initiator# iscsiadm modify initiator-node -c 10.0.0.1,10.0.0.2
Note – If the specified IP address is not routable, the address is ignored and the default Solaris
route and IP address is used for this session.
a. Display the updated information for the initiator node. For example:
b. Display the updated information for the target node. For example:
5 List the multiple paths by using the mpathadm list lu command to confirm that the OS device
name matches the iscsiadm list output, and that the path count is 2 or more.
Troubleshooting iSCSI Configuration Problems
The following tools are available to troubleshoot general iSCSI configuration problems:
■ snoop – This tool has been updated to support iSCSI packets.
■ wireshark – This product is available from http://www.wireshark.org/.
Both tools can filter iSCSI packets on port 3260.
The following sections describe various iSCSI troubleshooting and error message resolution
No Connections to the iSCSI Target From the Local
▼ How to Troubleshoot iSCSI Connection Problems
2 List your iSCSI target information.
initiator# iscsiadm list target
Target: iqn.2001-05.com.abcstorage:6-8a0900-37ad70401-bcfff02df8a421df-zzr1200-01
TPGT: default
3 If no connections are listed in the iscsiadm list target output, check the
/var/adm/messages file for possible reasons why the connection failed.
You can also verify whether the connection is accessible by using the ping command or by
connecting to the storage device's iSCSI port by using the telnet command to ensure that the
iSCSI service is available. The default port is 3260.
In addition, check the storage device's log file for errors.
4 If your target is not listed in the iscsiadm list target output, check the /var/adm/messages
file for possible causes.
If you are using SendTargets as the discovery method, try listing the discovery-address using the
-v option to ensure that the expected targets are visible to the host. For example:
initiator# iscsiadm list discovery-address -v 10.0.0.1
Discovery Address: 10.0.0.1:3260
Target name: eui.210000203787dfc0
Target address: 10.0.0.1:11824
Target name: eui.210000203787e07b
If you are using iSNS as the discovery method, try enabling the iSNS discovery method and
listing the isns-server using the -v option to ensure that the expected targets are visible to the
host. For example:
initiator# iscsiadm list isns-server -v
iSNS Server IP Address: 10.20.56.56:3205
Target name: iqn.1992-08.com.xyz:sn.1234566
Target address: 10.20.57.161:3260, 1
Target name: iqn.2003-10.com.abc:group-0:154:abc-65-01
iSCSI Device or Disk Is Not Available on the Local
▼ How to Troubleshoot iSCSI Device or Disk Unavailability
2 Identify the LUNs that were discovered on this target during enumeration.
# iscsiadm list target -S
LUN: 0
Vendor: ABCSTOR
Product: 0010
OS Device Name: /dev/rdsk/c3t34d0s2
The -S option shows which LUNs were discovered on this target during enumeration. If you
think a LUN should be listed but it is not, review the /var/adm/messages file to see if an error
was reported. Check the storage device's log files for errors. Also, ensure that any storage device
LUN masking is properly configured.
Use LUN Masking When Using the iSNS Discovery
Avoid using the iSNS discovery domain as the means to control storage authorization to specific
initiators. Use LUN masking instead if you want to make sure that only authorized initiators can
access a LUN.
If you remove a target from a discovery domain while the target is in use, the iSCSI initiator
does not log out from this target. If you do not want this initiator to access this target (and the
associated LUNs), you must use LUN masking. Removing the target from the discovery domain
is not sufficient.
General iSCSI Error Messages
This section describes the iSCSI messages that might be found in the /var/adm/messages file
and potential solutions for recovery.
The message format is as follows:
iscsi TYPE (OID) STRING (STATUS-CLASS#/STATUS-DETAIL#)
TYPE Is either connection or session.
OID Is the object ID of the connection or session. This ID
is unique for an OS instance.
STRING Is a description of the condition.
STATUS-CLASS#/STATUS-DETAIL# These values are returned in an iSCSI login response
as defined by RFC 3720.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - Miscellaneous iSCSI initiator errors.
Cause: The device login failed due to some form of initiator error.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - Initiator could not be successfully
authenticated.
Cause: The device could not successfully authenticate the initiator.
Solution: If applicable, verify that the settings for CHAP names, CHAP passwords, or the
RADIUS server are correct.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - Initiator is not allowed access to the
given target.
Cause: The device cannot allow the initiator access to the iSCSI target device.
Solution: Verify your initiator name and confirm that it is properly masked or provisioned by
the storage device.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - Requested ITN does not exist at this
Cause: The device does not provide access to the iSCSI target name (ITN) that you are
requesting.
Solution: Verify that the initiator discovery information is specified properly and that the
storage device is configured properly.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - Requested ITN has been removed and no
forwarding address is provided.
Cause: The device can no longer provide access to the iSCSI target name (ITN) that you are
Solution: Verify that the initiator discovery information has been specified properly and that
the storage device has been configured properly.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - Requested iSCSI version range is not
supported by the target.
Cause: The initiator's iSCSI version is not supported by the storage device.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - No more connections can be accepted on this
Session ID (SSID).
Cause: The storage device cannot accept another connection for this initiator node to the
iSCSI target device.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - Missing parameters (e.g., iSCSI initiator
and/or target name).
Cause: The storage device is reporting that the initiator or target name has not been properly
Solution: Properly specify the iSCSI initiator or target name.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - Target hardware or software error.
Cause: The storage device encountered a hardware or software error.
Solution: Consult the storage documentation, or contact the storage vendor for further
assistance.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - iSCSI service or target is not currently
operational.
Cause: The storage device is currently not operational.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - Target has insufficient session,
connection or other resources.
Cause: The storage device has insufficient resources.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - unable to initialize authentication
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - unable to set authentication
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - unable to set username
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - unable to set password
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - unable to set ipsec
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - unable to set remote authentication
Cause: The initiator was unable to initialize or set authentication properly.
Solution: Verify that your initiator settings for authentication are properly configured.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - unable to make login pdu
Cause: The initiator was unable to make a login payload data unit (PDU) based on the
initiator or storage device settings.
Solution: Try resetting any target login parameters or other nondefault settings.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - failed to transfer login
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - failed to receive login response
Cause: The initiator failed to transfer or receive a login payload data unit (PDU) across the
network connection.
Solution: Verify that the network connection is reachable.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - received invalid login response (OP CODE)
Cause: The storage device has responded to a login with an unexpected response.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - login failed to authenticate with target
Cause: The initiator was unable to authenticate the storage device.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - initiator name is required
Cause: An initiator name must be configured to perform all actions.
Solution: Verify that the initiator name is configured.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - authentication receive failed
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - authentication transmit failed
Cause: The initiator was unable to transmit or receive authentication information.
Solution: Verify network connectivity with the storage device or the RADIUS server, as
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - login redirection invalid
Cause: The storage device attempted to redirect the initiator to an invalid destination.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - target protocol group tag mismatch,
expected <TPGT>, received <TPGT>
Cause: The initiator and target had a TPGT (target portal group tag) mismatch.
Solution: Verify your TPGT discovery settings on the initiator or the storage device.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - can't accept PARAMETER in security stage
Cause: The device responded with an unsupported login parameter during the security phase
of login.
Solution: The parameter name is noted for reference. Consult the storage documentation, or
contact the storage vendor for further assistance.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - HeaderDigest=CRC32 is required, can't
accept VALUE
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - DataDigest=CRC32 is required, can't accept
Cause: The initiator is only configured to accept a HeaderDigest or DataDigest that is set to
CRC32 for this target. The device returned the value of VALUE.
Solution: Verify that the initiator and device digest settings are compatible.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - HeaderDigest=None is required, can't
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - DataDigest=None is required, can't accept
NONE for this target. The device returned the value of VALUE.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - can't accept PARAMETER
Cause: The initiator does not support this parameter.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - can't accept MaxOutstandingR2T VALUE
Cause: The initiator does not accept MaxOutstandingR2T of the noted VALUE.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - can't accept MaxConnections VALUE
Cause: The initiator does not accept the maximum connections of the noted VALUE.
iscsi connection(OID) login failed - can't accept ErrorRecoveryLevel VALUE
Cause: The initiator does not accept an error recovery level of the noted VALUE.
iscsi session(OID) NAME offline
Cause: All connections for this target NAME have been removed or have failed.
iscsi connection(OID) failure - unable to schedule enumeration
Cause: The initiator was unable to enumerate the LUNs on this target.
Solution: You can force LUN enumeration by running the devfsadm -i iscsi command.
For more information, see devfsadm(1M).
iscsi connection(OID) unable to connect to target NAME (errno:ERRNO)
Cause: The initiator failed to establish a network connection.
Solution: For information about the specific ERRNO on the connection failure, see the
/usr/include/sys/errno.h file.
The format Utility (Reference)
This chapter describes the format utility's menus and commands.
This is a list of the reference information in this chapter.
■ "Recommendations and Requirements for Using the format Utility" on page 281
■ "format Menu and Command Descriptions" on page 282
■ "format.dat File" on page 288
■ "Rules for Input to format Commands" on page 292
■ "Getting Help on the format Utility" on page 294
For a overview of when to use the format utility, see "format Utility" on page 191.
Recommendations and Requirements for Using the format
You must be superuser or have assumed an equivalent role to use the format utility. Otherwise,
the following error message is displayed when you try to use the format utility:
$ format
No permission (or no disks found)!
Keep the following guidelines in mind when you use the format utility and want to preserve the
existing data:
■ Back up all files on the disk drive.
■ Save all your defect lists in files by using the format utility's dump command. The file name
should include the drive type, model number, and serial number.
■ Save the paper copies of the manufacturer's defect list that was shipped with your drive.
format Menu and Command Descriptions
The format main menu appears similar to the following:
FORMAT MENU:
disk - select a disk
type - select (define) a disk type
partition - select (define) a partition table
current - describe the current disk
format - format and analyze the disk
fdisk - run the fdisk program (x86 only)
repair - repair a defective sector
label - write label to the disk
analyze - surface analysis
defect - defect list management
backup - search for backup labels
verify - read and display labels
save - save new disk/partition definitions
inquiry - show vendor, product and revision
volname - set 8-character volume name
The following table describes the main menu items for the format utility.
TABLE 15–1 The Main Menu Item Descriptions for the format Utility
Menu Item Command or Menu? Description
disk Command Lists all of the system's drives. Also lets you choose the disk
you want to use in subsequent operations. This disk is referred
to as the current disk.
type Command Identifies the manufacturer and model of the current disk.
Also displays a list of known drive types. Choose the Auto
configure option for all SCSI-2 disk drives.
partition Menu Creates and modifies slices. For more information, see
"partition Menu" on page 284.
current Command Displays the following information about the current disk:
■ Device name and device type
■ Number of cylinders, alternate cylinders, heads and
■ Physical device name
TABLE 15–1 The Main Menu Item Descriptions for the format Utility (Continued)
format Command Formats the current disk by using one of these sources of
information in this order:
1. Information that is found in the format.dat file
2. Information from the automatic configuration process
3. Information that you type at the prompt if no format.dat
entry exists
This command does not apply to IDE disks. IDE disks are
preformatted by the manufacturer.
fdisk Menu x86 platform only: Runs the fdisk program to create a Solaris
The fdisk command cannot be used on disks with an EFI label
that are greater than 1 terabyte in size.
repair Command Repairs a specific block on the current disk.
label Command Writes a new label to the current disk.
analyze Menu Runs read, write, and compare tests. For more information,
see "analyze Menu" on page 285.
defect Menu Retrieves and displays defect lists. For more information, see
"defect Menu" on page 287. This feature does not apply to
IDE disks. IDE disks manage defects automatically.
backup Command VTOC – Searches for backup labels.
EFI – Not supported.
verify Command Displays the following information about the current disk:
save Command VTOC – Saves new disk and partition information.
EFI – Not applicable.
inquiry Command SCSI disks only – Displays the vendor, product name, and
revision level of the current drive.
volname Command Labels the disk with a new eight-character volume name that
you specify.
quit Command Exits the format menu.
Chapter 15 • The format Utility (Reference) 283
partition Menu
The partition menu appears similar to the following:
The following table describes the partition menu items.
TABLE 15–2 Descriptions for partition Menu Items
Subcommand Description
change 'n' partition Enables you to specify the following information for the new partition:
■ Identification tag
■ Permission flags
■ Starting cylinder
■ Size
select Enables you to choose a predefined partition table.
modify Enables you to change all the slices in the partition table. This command
is preferred over the individual change 'x' partition commands.
name Enables you to specify a name for the current partition table.
print Displays the current partition table.
label Writes the partition map and the label to the current disk.
quit Exits the partition menu.
x86: fdisk Menu
The fdisk menu appears on x86 based systems only and appears similar to the following.
2 Solaris2 10 14168 14159 100
The following table describes the fdisk menu items.
TABLE 15–3 x86: Descriptions for fdisk Menu Items
Menu Item Description
Create a partition Creates an fdisk partition. You must create a separate partition for each
OS such as Oracle Solaris or DOS. There is a maximum of four partitions
per disk. You are prompted for the size of the fdisk partition as a
percentage of the disk.
Specify the active partition Enables you to specify the partition to be used for booting. This menu
item identifies where the first stage boot program looks for the second
stage boot program.
Delete a partition Deletes a previously created partition. This command destroys all the
data in the partition.
Change between Solaris and Changes partition IDs from 130 (0x82) to 191 (0xbf) and back again.
Solaris2 Partition IDs
Exit (update disk Writes a new version of the partition table and exits the fdisk menu.
configuration and exit)
Cancel (exit without updating Exits the fdisk menu without modifying the partition table.
disk configuration)
analyze Menu
The analyze menu appears similar to the following.
format> analyze
ANALYZE MENU:
read - read only test (doesn't harm SunOS)
refresh - read then write (doesn't harm data)
test - pattern testing (doesn't harm data)
write - write then read (corrupts data)
compare - write, read, compare (corrupts data)
purge - write, read, write (corrupts data)
verify - write entire disk, then verify (corrupts data)
print - display data buffer
setup - set analysis parameters
config - show analysis parameters
analyze>
The following table describes the analyze menu items.
TABLE 15–4 Descriptions for analyze Menu Items
read Reads each sector on the current disk. Repairs defective blocks as a default.
refresh Reads then writes data on the current disk without harming the data. Repairs
defective blocks as a default.
test Writes a set of patterns to the disk without harming the data. Repairs defective
blocks as a default.
write Writes a set of patterns to the disk then reads back the data on the disk. Destroys
existing data on the disk. Repairs defective blocks as a default.
compare Writes a set of patterns to the disk, reads back the data, and then compares it to the
data in the write buffer. Destroys existing data on the disk. Repairs defective blocks
as a default.
purge Removes all data from the disk so that the data cannot be retrieved by any means.
Data is removed by writing three distinct patterns over the entire disk (or a section of
the disk). If the verification passes, a hex-bit pattern is written over the entire disk (or
a section of the disk).
Repairs defective blocks as a default.
verify In the first pass, writes unique data to each block on the entire disk. In the next pass,
reads and verifies the data. Destroys existing data on the disk. Repairs defective
print Displays the data in the read/write buffer.
TABLE 15–4 Descriptions for analyze Menu Items (Continued)
setup Enables you to specify the following analysis parameters:
Analyze entire disk? yes
Starting block number: depends on drive
Ending block number: depends on drive
Loop continuously? no
Number of passes: 2
Repair defective blocks? yes
Stop after first error? no
Use random bit patterns? no
Number of blocks per transfer: 126 (0/n/nn)
Verify media after formatting? yes
Enable extended messages? no
Restore defect list? yes
Restore disk label? yes
config Displays the current analysis parameters.
quit Exits the analyze menu.
defect Menu
The defect menu appears similar to the following:
format> defect
DEFECT MENU:
primary - extract manufacturer's defect list
grown - extract manufacturer's and repaired defects lists
both - extract both primary and grown defects lists
print - display working list
dump - dump working list to file
defect>
The following table describes the defect menu items.
TABLE 15–5 The defect Menu Item Descriptions
primary Reads the manufacturer's defect list from the disk drive and updates the in-memory
defect list.
grown Reads the grown defect list and then updates the in-memory defect list. Grown
defects are defects that have been detected during analysis.
both Reads both the manufacturer's defect list and the grown defect list. Then, updates the
in-memory defect list.
format.dat File
TABLE 15–5 The defect Menu Item Descriptions (Continued)
print Displays the in-memory defect list.
dump Saves the in-memory defect list to a file.
quit Exits the defect menu.
The format.dat file that is shipped with the Oracle Solaris OS supports many standard disks. If
your disk drive is not listed in the format.dat file, you can do the following:
■ Add an entry to the format.dat file for the disk.
■ Add entries with the format utility by selecting the type command and choosing the other
Adding an entry to the format.dat file can save time if the disk drive will be used throughout
your site. To use the format.dat file on other systems, copy the file to each system that will use
the specific disk drive that you added to the format.dat file.
You might need to modify the /etc/format.dat file for your system if you have one of the
■ A disk that is not supported by the Oracle Solaris OS
■ A disk with a partition table that is different from the Oracle Solaris OS's default
Note – Do not alter default entries in the /etc/format.dat file. If you want to alter the default
entries, copy the entry, give the entry a different name, and make the appropriate changes to
avoid confusion.
The /etc/format.dat is not applicable for disks with EFI labels.
Contents of the format.dat File
The format.dat contains disk drive information that is used by the format utility. Three items
are defined in the format.dat file:
■ Search paths
■ Disk types
■ Slice tables
Syntax of the format.dat File
The following syntax rules apply to the /etc/format.dat file:
■ The pound sign (#) is the comment character. Any text on a line after a pound sign is not
interpreted by the format utility.
■ Each definition in the format.dat file appears on a single logical line. If the definition is
longer than one line long, all lines but the last line of the definition must end with a
backslash (\).
■ A definition consists of a series of assignments that have an identifier on the left side and one
or more values on the right side. The assignment operator is the equal sign (=). The
assignments within a definition must be separated by a colon (:).
■ White space is ignored by the format utility. If you want an assigned value to contain white
space, enclose the entire value in double quotation marks ("). This syntax causes the white
space within the quotes to be preserved as part of the assignment value.
■ Some assignments can have multiple values on the right side. Separate values by a comma.
Keywords in the format.dat File
The format.dat file contains disk definitions that are read by the format utility when it is
started. Each definition starts with one of the following keywords: disk_type or partition.
These keywords are described in the following table.
TABLE 15–6 Keyword Descriptions for the format.dat File
Keyword Description
disk_type Defines the controller and disk model. Each disk_type definition contains
information that concerns the physical geometry of the disk. The default data
file contains definitions for the controllers and disks that the Oracle Solaris OS
You need to add a new disk_type definition only if you have an unsupported
disk. You can add as many disk_type definitions to the data file as you want.
partition Defines a partition table for a specific disk type. The partition table contains the
partition information, plus a name that lets you refer to it in the format utility.
The default format.dat file contains default partition definitions for several
kinds of disk drives. Add a partition definition if you recreated partitions on
any of the disks on your system. Add as many partition definitions to the data
file as you need.
Disk Type (format.dat)
The disk_type keyword in the format.dat file defines the controller and disk model. Each
disk_type definition contains information about the physical geometry of the disk. The default
format.dat file contains definitions for the controllers and disks that the Oracle Solaris OS
supports. You need to add a new disk_type only if you have an unsupported disk. You can add
as many disk_type definitions to the data file as you want.
The keyword itself is assigned the name of the disk type. This name appears in the disk's label,
and is used to identify the disk type whenever the format utility is run. Enclose the name in
double quotation marks to preserve any white space in the name. The following table describes
the identifiers that must also be assigned values in all disk_type definitions.
TABLE 15–7 Required disk_type Identifiers (format.dat)
Identifier Description
ctlr Identifies the controller type for the disk type. Currently, the supported values are SCSI
and ATA.
ncyl Specifies the number of data cylinders in the disk type. This determines how many
logical disk cylinders the system will be allowed to access.
acyl Specifies the number of alternate cylinders in the disk type. These cylinders are used by
the format utility to store information such as the defect list for the drive. You should
always reserve at least two cylinders for alternates.
pcyl Specifies the number of physical cylinders in the disk type. This number is used to
calculate the boundaries of the disk media. This number is usually equal to ncyl plus
acyl.
nhead Specifies the number of heads in the disk type. This number is used to calculate the
boundaries of the disk media.
nsect Specifies the number of data sectors per track in the disk type. This number is used to
calculate the boundaries of the disk media. Note that this number includes only the
data sectors. Any spares are not reflected in the number of data sections per track.
rpm Specifies the rotations per minute of the disk type. This information is put in the label
and later used by the file system to calculate the optimal placement of file data.
Other identifiers might be necessary, depending on the controller. The following table describes
the identifiers that are required for SCSI controllers.
TABLE 15–8 Required disk_type Identifiers for SCSI Controllers format.dat
fmt_time Specifies a number that indicates how long it takes to format a given drive. See the controller
manual for more information.
TABLE 15–8 Required disk_type Identifiers for SCSI Controllers format.dat (Continued)
cache Specifies a number that controls the operation of the on-board cache while the format utility
is operating. See the controller manual for more information.
trks_zone Specifies a number that identifies how many tracks that exist per defect zone, to be used in
alternate sector mapping. See the controller manual for more information.
asect Specifies a number that identifies how many sectors are available for alternate mapping
within a given defect zone. See the controller manual for more information.
EXAMPLE 15–1 Required disk_type Identifiers for SCSI Controllers (format.dat)
The following are examples of disk_type definitions:
disk_type = "SUN1.3G" \
: ctlr = SCSI : fmt_time = 4 \
: trks_zone = 17 : asect = 6 : atrks = 17 \
: ncyl = 1965 : acyl = 2 : pcyl = 3500 : nhead = 17 : nsect = 80 \
: rpm = 5400 : bpt = 44823
: rpm = 5400
Partition Tables (format.dat)
A partition table in the format.dat file defines a slice table for a specific disk type.
The partition keyword in the format.dat file is assigned the name of the partition table.
Enclose the name in double quotation marks to preserve any white space in the name. The
following table describes the identifiers that must be assigned values in all partition tables.
TABLE 15–9 Required Identifiers for Partition Tables (format.dat)
disk The name of the disk_type that this partition table is defined for. This name must appear
exactly as it does in the disk_type definition.
ctlr The disk controller type that this partition table can be attached to. Currently, the supported
values are ATA for ATA controllers and SCSI for SCSI controllers. The controller type that is
specified here must also be defined for the disk_type that you specified in the disk_type
Rules for Input to format Commands
The other identifiers in a slice definition describe the actual partition information. The
identifiers are the numbers 0 through 7. These identifiers are optional. Any partition that is not
explicitly assigned is set to 0 length. The value of each of these identifiers is a pair of numbers
separated by a comma. The first number is the starting cylinder for the partition. The second is
the number of sectors in the slice.
EXAMPLE 15–2 Required Identifiers for Partition Tables (format.dat)
The following are some examples of slice definitions:
partition = "SUN1.3G" \
: disk = "SUN1.3G" : ctlr = SCSI \
: 0 = 0, 34000 : 1 = 25, 133280 : 2 = 0, 2672400 : 6 = 123, 2505120
: 0 = 0, 195426 : 1 = 94, 390852 : 2 = 0, 5683986 : 6 = 282, 5097708
Specifying an Alternate Data File for the format Utility
The format utility determines the location of an alternate file by the following methods in this
1. If a file name is given with the format -x option, that file is always used as the data file.
2. If the -x option is not specified, then the format utility searches the current directory for a
file named format.dat. If the file exists, it is used as the data file.
3. If neither of these methods yields a data file, the format utility uses the /etc/format.dat file
as the data file. This file is shipped with the Oracle Solaris OS and should always be present.
When you use the format utility, you need to provide various kinds of information. This
section describes the rules for this information. For information on using format's help facility
when you specify data, see "Getting Help on the format Utility" on page 294.
Specifying Numbers to format Commands
Several places in the format utility require number as input. You must either specify the
appropriate data or select a number from a list of choices. In either case, the help facility causes
format to display the upper and lower limits of the number expected. Simply enter the
appropriate number. The number is assumed to be in decimal format unless a base is explicitly
specified as part of the number (for example, 0x for hexadecimal).
The following are examples of integer input:
Enter number of passes [2]: 34
Enter number of passes [34] Oxf
Specifying Block Numbers to format Commands
Whenever you are required to specify a disk block number, there are two ways to do so:
■ Specify the block number as an integer
■ Specify the block number in the cylinder/head/sector format
You can specify the information as an integer that represents the logical block number. You can
specify the number in any base, but the default is decimal. The maximum operator (a dollar
sign, $) can also be used here so that format utility can select the appropriate value. Logical
block format is used by the SunOS disk drivers in error messages.
The other way to specify a block number is by using cylinder/head/sector format. In this
method, you must specify explicitly the three logical components of the block number: the
cylinder, head, and sector values. These values are still logical. However, they allow you to
define regions of the disk that are related to the layout of the media.
If any of the cylinder/head/sector numbers are not specified, the value is assumed to be zero.
You can also use the maximum operator in place of any of the numbers. Then, the format
utility will select the appropriate value. The following are some examples of cylinder, head, and
sector values:
Enter defective block number: 34/2/3
Enter defective block number: 23/1/
Enter defective block number: 457//
Enter defective block number: 12345
Enter defective block number: Oxabcd
Enter defective block number: 334/$/2
Enter defective block number: 892//$
The format utility always displays block numbers in both formats. Also, the help facility shows
you the upper and lower limits of the block number expected, in both formats.
Specifying format Command Names
Command names are needed as input whenever the format utility displays a menu prompt.
You can abbreviate the command names, as long as what you type is sufficient to uniquely
identify the command desired.
Getting Help on the format Utility
For example, use p to access the partition menu from the format menu. Then, type p to
display the current slice table.
Specifying Disk Names to format Commands
At certain points in the format utility, you must name something. In these cases, you are free to
specify any string you want for the name. If the name has white space in it, the entire name must
be enclosed in double quotation marks ("). Otherwise, only the first word of the name is used.
For example, if you want to identify a specific partition table for a disk, you can use the name
subcommand that is available from the partition menu:
partition> name
Enter table name (remember quotes): "new disk3"
The format utility provides a help facility that you can use whenever the format utility is
expecting input. You can request help about what input is expected by typing a question mark
(?). The format utility displays a brief description of what type of input is needed.
If you type a ? at a menu prompt, a list of available commands is displayed.
The man pages associated with the format utility include the following:
■ format(1M) – Describes the basic format utility capabilities and provides descriptions of all
command-line variables.
■ format.dat(4) – Describes disk drive configuration information for the format utility.
Managing File Systems (Overview)
Managing file systems is one of your most important system administration tasks.
■ "What's New in Oracle Solaris File Systems?" on page 295
■ "Where to Find File System Management Tasks" on page 303
■ "Overview of File Systems" on page 303
■ "Types of Oracle Solaris File Systems" on page 304
■ "Commands for UFS File System Administration" on page 310
■ "Default Oracle Solaris File Systems" on page 311
■ "Swap Space" on page 309
■ "UFS File System" on page 313
■ "Overview of Mounting and Unmounting File Systems" on page 319
■ "Determining a File System's Type" on page 324
What's New in Oracle Solaris File Systems?
This section describes new file system features in the Oracle Solaris release.
■ "File System Monitoring Tool (fsstat)" on page 295
■ "Oracle Solaris ZFS File System" on page 296
■ "Enhancements to UFS File System Utilities (fsck, mkfs, and newfs)" on page 296
File System Monitoring Tool (fsstat)
Solaris 10 6/06: A new file system monitoring tool, fsstat, is available to report file system
operations. You can use several options to report activity, such as by mount point or by file
system type.
For example, the following fsstat command displays all ZFS file system operations since the
ZFS module was loaded:
$ fsstat zfs
new name name attr attr lookup rddir read read write write
file remov chng get set ops ops ops bytes ops bytes
268K 145K 93.6K 28.0M 71.1K 186M 2.74M 12.9M 56.2G 1.61M 9.46G zfs
For example, the following fsstat command displays all file system operations since the
/export/ws file system mounted.
$ fsstat /export/ws
0 0 0 18.1K 0 12.6M 52 0 0 0 0 /export/ws
The default form is to report statistical information in easy to understand values, such as GB,
KB, and MB.
For more information, see fsstat(1M).
Oracle Solaris ZFS File System
Solaris 10 6/06: Oracle Solaris ZFS, a revolutionary new file system, provides simple
administration, transactional semantics, end-to-end data integrity, and immense scalability. In
addition, ZFS provides the following administration features:
■ Device management support
■ GUI administration tool
■ Persistent snapshots and cloning features
■ Quotas that can be set for file systems
■ ACL-based access control
■ Storage pool space reservations for file systems
■ Support for Oracle Solaris systems that have zones installed
For more information about using ZFS, see Oracle Solaris ZFS Administration Guide.
Enhancements to UFS File System Utilities (fsck, mkfs,
and newfs)
Solaris 10 6/06: The file system check utility, fsck, has been enhanced to include features from
the FreeBSD 4.9 version of the fsck program, as well as other enhancements.
The fsck utility in this Oracle Solaris release includes the following improvements:
■ Checks and repairs file systems more thoroughly and provides improved error messages.
For example, in some scenarios, fsck determines what structures are missing and replaces
them appropriately.
■ Automatically searches for backup superblocks.
■ Reports when fsck needs to be rerun.
■ When clearing directories, fsck now attempts to recover directory contents immediately
and therefore, reduces the time spent rerunning this utility.
■ If fsck finds duplicate blocks, and not all files that reference the duplicate blocks were
cleared, fsck reports the inode numbers at the end of the fsck run. Then, you can use the
find command to review the inodes that are damaged.
■ Improved error messages regarding the status of extended attributes and other special files,
such as device files and ACL entries, are included.
■ Includes a -v option to enable more verbose messages.
In addition, the newfs and mkfs commands have been updated to include new options for
displaying a file system's superblock information in text or dumping the superblock
information in binary format.
newfs [ -S or -B ] /dev/rdsk/...
-S Displays the file system's superblock in text
-B Dumps the file system's superblock in binary
mkfs [ -o calcsb or -o calcbinsb ] /dev/rdsk/... size
-o calcsb Displays the file system's superblock in text
-o calcbinsb Dumps the file system's superblock in binary
The fsck utility uses this superblock information to search for backup superblocks.
The following sections describe specific fsck enhancements and their corresponding error
messages. For step-by-step instructions on using the fsck utility to repair a damaged
superblock, see "How to Restore a Bad UFS Superblock (Solaris 10 6/06 Release)" on page 406.
Automatic Search for Backup Superblocks
The following fsck error message examples illustrate the automatic backup superblock
discovery feature.
Chapter 16 • Managing File Systems (Overview) 297
Caution – If a file system has a damaged superblock and it was created with newfs or mkfs
customized parameters, such as ntrack or nsect, using fsck's automatically discovered
superblock for the repair process could damage your file system.
In the case of a file system that was created with customized parameters and it has a bad
superblock, fsck provides the prompt to cancel the fsck session:
CANCEL FILESYSTEM CHECK?
■ If the file system was created with the newfs command and fsck responds that just the
primary superblocks are corrupted, then consider letting fsck restore the superblock.
# fsck /dev/dsk/c1t2d0s0
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: BLOCK SIZE LARGER THAN MAXIMUM SUPPORTED
LOOK FOR ALTERNATE SUPERBLOCKS WITH MKFS? no
LOOK FOR ALTERNATE SUPERBLOCKS WITH NEWFS? yes
FOUND ALTERNATE SUPERBLOCK 32 WITH NEWFS
USE ALTERNATE SUPERBLOCK? yes
FOUND ALTERNATE SUPERBLOCK AT 32 USING NEWFS
If filesystem was created with manually-specified geometry, using
auto-discovered superblock may result in irrecoverable damage to
filesystem and user data.
CANCEL FILESYSTEM CHECK? no
** Last Mounted on
** Phase 1 - Check Blocks and Sizes
** Phase 2 - Check Pathnames
** Phase 3a - Check Connectivity
** Phase 3b - Verify Shadows/ACLs
** Phase 4 - Check Reference Counts
** Phase 5 - Check Cylinder Groups
CORRECT GLOBAL SUMMARY
SALVAGE? y
UPDATE STANDARD SUPERBLOCK? y
81 files, 3609 used, 244678 free (6 frags, 30584 blocks, 0.0%
fragmentation)
***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *****
■ If the file system was created with the mkfs command and fsck responds that just the
LOOK FOR ALTERNATE SUPERBLOCKS WITH MKFS? yes
FOUND ALTERNATE SUPERBLOCK 32 WITH MKFS
FOUND ALTERNATE SUPERBLOCK AT 32 USING MKFS
81 files, 3609 used, 243605 free (117 frags, 30436 blocks, 0.0%
The following example illustrates what would happen if you specified fsck's -y option in a
damaged superblock scenario. You are automatically dropped out of the fsck session. A
message is displayed to rerun it with the alternate superblock.
# fsck -y /dev/dsk/c1t2d0s0
SEARCH FOR ALTERNATE SUPERBLOCKS FAILED.
USE GENERIC SUPERBLOCK FROM MKFS? yes
CALCULATED GENERIC SUPERBLOCK WITH MKFS
CANCEL FILESYSTEM CHECK? yes
Please verify that the indicated block contains a proper
superblock for the filesystem (see fsdb(1M)).
FSCK was running in YES mode. If you wish to run in that mode using
the alternate superblock, run 'fsck -y -o b=453920 /dev/rdsk/c1t2d0s0'.
The following fsck error message scenario illustrates the new prompts for the backup
superblock, but the fsck run is not canceled, in this example. Canceling the fsck session would
be an appropriate response if this file system was created with customized parameters or if there
is some other concern about running fsck on this file system.
The various superblock error conditions are provided in italics as follows:
# fsck /dev/rdsk/c0t1d0s0
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: NUMBER OF DATA BLOCKS OUT OF RANGE
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: INODES PER GROUP OUT OF RANGE
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: MAGIC NUMBER WRONG
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: BAD VALUES IN SUPER BLOCK
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: NCG OUT OF RANGE
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: CPG OUT OF RANGE
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: NCYL IS INCONSISTENT WITH NCG*CPG
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: SIZE OUT OF RANGE
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: NUMBER OF DIRECTORIES OUT OF RANGE
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: ROTATIONAL POSITION TABLE SIZE OUT OF RANGE
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: SIZE OF CYLINDER GROUP SUMMARY AREA WRONG
BAD SUPERBLOCK AT BLOCK 16: INOPB NONSENSICAL RELATIVE TO BSIZE
** Phase 2a - Check Duplicated Names
** Phase 2b - Check Pathnames
SALVAGE? yes
UPDATE STANDARD SUPERBLOCK? yes
fsck Reports When it Needs to be Rerun
Better reporting by fsck about when it needs to be rerun should alleviate the time and necessity
of running it multiple times, which can be particularly time consuming on large file systems.
The following new messages prompt you to rerun the fsck utility at the end of an error
***** PLEASE RERUN FSCK *****
Please rerun fsck(1M) to correct this.
These new prompts resolve the previous difficulty in determining whether fsck should be rerun
Unless you are prompted to rerun fsck as in the above messages, there is no need to run fsck,
even after you see the following message:
However, it doesn't harm the file system to rerun fsck after this message. This message is just
informational about fsck's corrective actions.
New fsck Messages Regarding Extended Attributes
New fsck messages are included that report on and repair files with extended attributes. For
BAD ATTRIBUTE REFERENCE TO I=1 FROM I=96
Attribute directory I=97 not attached to file I=96
I=96 OWNER=root MODE=40755
SIZE=512 MTIME=Jul 12 10:55:10 2010
DIR= <xattr>
FIX? yes
ZERO LENGTH ATTR DIR I=12 OWNER=root MODE=160755
SIZE=0 MTIME=Jul 12 10:56:10 2010
CLEAR? yes
File should BE marked as extended attribute
I=22 OWNER=root MODE=100644
FILE= <xattr>
UNREF ATTR DIR I=106 OWNER=root MODE=160755
RECONNECT? yes
File I=107 should NOT be marked as extended attribute
I=107 OWNER=root MODE=100644
FILE=?/attfsdir-7-att
DIR I=106 CONNECTED.
Better Handling of Duplicate Blocks or Fragments
The fsck error messages now reports information about blocks, fragments, or a LFNs, which
are the logical fragment numbers from the start of the file. For example, you might see output
FRAGMENT 784 DUP I=38 LFN 0
fsck processes objects as fragments, but in previous Solaris releases, only reported object
information as blocks. It now correctly reports as fragments.
If fsck finds error conditions that involve duplicate blocks or fragments, fsck offers to display
the uncleared files at end of the fsck output. For example, you might see output similar to the
LIST REMAINING DUPS? yes
Some blocks that were found to be in multiple files are still
assigned to file(s).
Fragments sorted by inode and logical offsets:
Inode 38:
Logical Offset 0x00000000 Physical Fragment 784
Overview of File Systems
Then, you can use the find -i inode-number command to identify the name of inode 38, in this
Where to Find File System Management Tasks
Use these references to find step-by-step instructions for managing file systems.
File System Management Task For More Information
Create new file systems. Chapter 17, "Creating and Mounting File Systems
(Tasks)," and Chapter 18, "Using The CacheFS File
System (Tasks)"
Make local and remote files available to users. "Overview of Mounting and Unmounting File
Connect and configure new disk devices. Chapter 10, "Managing Disks (Overview)"
Design and implement a backup schedule and restore Chapter 22, "Backing Up and Restoring UFS File
files and file systems, as needed. Systems (Overview)"
Check for and correct file system inconsistencies. Chapter 20, "Checking UFS File System Consistency
A file system is a structure of directories that is used to organize and store files. The term file
system is used to describe the following:
■ A particular type of file system: disk-based, network-based, or virtual
■ The entire file tree, beginning with the root (/) directory
■ The data structure of a disk slice or other media storage device
■ A portion of a file tree structure that is attached to a mount point on the main file tree so that
the files are accessible
Usually, you know from the context which meaning is intended.
The Oracle Solaris OS uses the virtual file system (VFS) architecture, which provides a standard
interface for different file system types. The VFS architecture enables the kernel to handle basic
operations, such as reading, writing, and listing files. The VFS architecture also makes it easier
to add new file systems.
Types of Oracle Solaris File Systems
The Oracle Solaris OS supports three types of file systems:
■ Disk-based
■ Network-based
■ Virtual
To identify the file system type, see "Determining a File System's Type" on page 324.
Oracle Solaris Disk-Based File Systems
Disk-based file systems are stored on physical media such as hard disks, DVDs, and diskettes.
Disk-based file systems can be written in different formats. The available formats are described
in the following table.
Disk-Based File System Format Description
UFS UNIX file system (based on the BSD Fat Fast File system that was provided in
the 4.3 Tahoe release). UFS is the default disk-based file system for the Oracle
Before you can create a UFS file system on a disk, you must format the disk and
divide it into slices. For information on formatting disks and dividing disks
into slices, see Chapter 10, "Managing Disks (Overview)."
ZFS The ZFS file system is available in the Solaris 10 6/06 release. For more
information, see the Oracle Solaris ZFS Administration Guide.
HSFS High Sierra, Rock Ridge, and ISO 9660 file system. High Sierra is the first
CD-ROM file system. ISO 9660 is the official standard version of the High
Sierra file system. The HSFS file system is used on CD-ROMs, and is a
read-only file system. Oracle Solaris HSFS supports Rock Ridge extensions to
ISO 9660. When present on a CD-ROM, these extensions provide all UFS file
system features and file types, except for writability and hard links.
PCFS PC file system, which allows read- and write- access to data and programs on
DOS-formatted disks that are written for DOS-based personal computers.
UDFS The Universal Disk Format (UDFS) file system, the industry-standard format
for storing information on the optical media technology called DVD (Digital
Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc).
Each type of disk-based file system is customarily associated with a particular media device, as
■ UFS with hard disk
■ HSFS with CD-ROM
■ PCFS with diskette
■ UDF with DVD
However, these associations are not restrictive. For example, CD-ROMs and diskettes can have
UFS file systems created on them.
The Universal Disk Format (UDFS) File System
For information about creating a UDFS file system on removable media, see "How to Create a
File System on Removable Media" on page 35.
The UDF file system is the industry-standard format for storing information on DVD (Digital
Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) optical media.
The UDF file system is provided as dynamically loadable 32-bit and 64-bit modules, with
system administration utilities for creating, mounting, and checking the file system on both
SPARC and x86 platforms. The Oracle Solaris UDF file system works with supported ATAPI
and SCSI DVD drives, CD-ROM devices, and disk and diskette drives. In addition, the Oracle
Solaris UDF file system is fully compliant with the UDF 1.50 specification.
The UDF file system provides the following features:
■ Ability to access the industry-standard CD-ROM and DVD-ROM media when they contain
a UDF file system
■ Flexibility in exchanging information across platforms and operating systems
■ A mechanism for implementing new applications rich in broadcast-quality video,
high-quality sound, and interactivity using the DVD video specification based on UDF
The following features are not included in the UDF file system:
■ Support for write-once media, (CD-RW), with either the sequential disk-at-once recording
and incremental recording
■ UFS components such as quotas, ACLs, transaction logging, file system locking, and file
system threads, which are not part of the UDF 1.50 specification
The UDF file system requires the following:
■ Supported SPARC or x86 platform
■ Supported CD-ROM or DVD-ROM device
The Oracle Solaris UDF file system implementation provides the following:
■ Support for industry-standard read/write UDF version 1.50
■ Fully internationalized file system utilities
Network-Based File Systems
Network-based file systems can be accessed from the network. Typically, network-based file
systems reside on one system, typically a server, and are accessed by other systems across the
With NFS, you can administer distributed resources (files or directories) by exporting them
from a server and mounting them on individual clients. For more information, see "The NFS
Environment" on page 322.
Virtual File Systems
Virtual file systems are memory-based file systems that provide access to special kernel
information and facilities. Most virtual file systems do not use file system disk space. However,
the CacheFS file system uses a file system on the disk to contain the cache. Also, some virtual file
systems, such as the temporary file system (TMPFS), use the swap space on a disk.
CacheFS File System
The CacheFS file system can be used to improve the performance of remote file systems or slow
devices such as CD-ROM drives. When a file system is cached, the data that is read from the
remote file system or CD-ROM is stored in a cache on the local system.
If you want to improve the performance and scalability of an NFS or CD-ROM file system, you
should use the CacheFS file system. The CacheFS software is a general purpose caching
mechanism for file systems that improves NFS server performance and scalability by reducing
server and network load.
Designed as a layered file system, the CacheFS software provides the ability to cache one file
system on another. In an NFS environment, CacheFS software increases the client per server
ratio, reduces server and network loads, and improves performance for clients on slow links,
such as Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). You can also combine a CacheFS file system with the
autofs service to help boost performance and scalability.
For detailed information about the CacheFS file system, see Chapter 18, "Using The CacheFS
File System (Tasks)."
NFS Version 4 and CacheFS Compatibility Issues
If both the CacheFS client and the CacheFS server are running NFS version 4, files are no longer
cached in a front file system. All file access is provided by the back file system. Also, since no files
are being cached in the front file system, CacheFS-specific mount options, which are meant to
affect the front file system, are ignored. CacheFS-specific mount options do not apply to the
back file system.
Note – The first time you configure your system for NFS version 4, a warning appears on the
console to indicate that caching is no longer performed.
If you want to implement your CacheFS mounts as in previous Oracle Solaris releases, then
specify NFS version 3 in your CacheFS mount commands. For example:
mount -F cachefs -o backfstype=nfs,cachedir=/local/mycache,vers=3
starbug:/docs /docs
Temporary File System
The temporary file system (TMPFS) uses local memory for file system reads and writes.
Typically, using memory for file system reads and writes is much faster than using a UFS file
system. Using TMPFS can improve system performance by saving the cost of reading and
writing temporary files to a local disk or across the network. For example, temporary files are
created when you compile a program. The OS generates a much disk activity or network activity
while manipulating these files. Using TMPFS to hold these temporary files can significantly
speed up their creation, manipulation, and deletion.
Files in TMPFS file systems are not permanent. These files are deleted when the file system is
unmounted and when the system is shut down or rebooted.
TMPFS is the default file system type for the /tmp directory in the Oracle Solaris OS. You can
copy or move files into or out of the /tmp directory, just as you would in a UFS file system.
The TMPFS file system uses swap space as a temporary backing store. If a system with a TMPFS
file system does not have adequate swap space, two problems can occur:
■ The TMPFS file system can run out of space, just as regular file systems do.
■ Because TMPFS allocates swap space to save file data (if necessary), some programs might
not execute because of insufficient swap space.
For information about creating TMPFS file systems, see Chapter 17, "Creating and Mounting
File Systems (Tasks)." For information about increasing swap space, see Chapter 19,
"Configuring Additional Swap Space (Tasks)."
The Loopback File System
The loopback file system (LOFS) lets you create a new virtual file system so that you can access
files by using an alternative path name. For example, you can create a loopback mount of the
root (/) directory on /tmp/newroot. This loopback mounts make the entire file system
hierarchy appear as if it is duplicated under /tmp/newroot, including any file systems mounted
from NFS servers. All files will be accessible either with a path name starting from root (/), or
with a path name that starts from /tmp/newroot.
For information on how to create LOFS file systems, see Chapter 17, "Creating and Mounting
File Systems (Tasks)."
Process File System
The process file system (PROCFS) resides in memory and contains a list of active processes, by
process number, in the /proc directory. Information in the /proc directory is used by
commands such as ps. Debuggers and other development tools can also access the address
space of the processes by using file system calls.
Caution – Do not delete files in the /proc directory. The deletion of processes from the /proc
directory does not kill them. /proc files do not use disk space, so there is no reason to delete files
from this directory.
The /proc directory doe