Steve_Lammert@TRANSARC.COM (03/20/91)
We would like to keep multiple variant versions of AIX 3.1 around,
and be able to boot these variant versions on demand. For instance, we'd
like to have one disk with 3002, one disk with 3003, etc. so that we can
run various programs under several different releases.
Assuming we used identically sized disks (don't want to confuse the NVRAM),
we could "plug and play" any number of disks with identical SCSI addresses.
However, we're talking multiple internal disks on a model 530, and it
would be a pain to constantly reopen the cabinet and pull cables.
Ideally, we'd like to keep all disks spinning at the same time.
We've had some minor success using the boot/install floppies
to change the default boot device so that we can boot different disks
(this usually ends up 888ing the system, but the boot device DOES change).
If this were a conventional UNIX workstation (DEC, SUN, HP, ...) I could
just tell the diagnostic monitor which disk to boot. Is there any
alternative to the methods described above? Yes, I've looked for a
SMIT menu entry ...
Thanks!
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Steve Lammert | Gulf Tower | Internet: shl@transarc.com
Facilities Coordinator | 707 Grant Street | Voice: +1 412 338-4443
Transarc Corporation | Pittsburgh PA 15219 | FAX: +1 412 338-4404
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"No matter where you go, there you are." -- Buckaroo Banzai
----------------------------------------------------------------------------wross@caen.engin.umich.edu (Wendy Ross) (03/20/91)
In article <YbtcaBX0BwwKIaR0Vp@transarc.com> Steve_Lammert@TRANSARC.COM writes: >We would like to keep multiple variant versions of AIX 3.1 around, >and be able to boot these variant versions on demand. For instance, we'd >like to have one disk with 3002, one disk with 3003, etc. so that we can >run various programs under several different releases. > < bunch of possible solutions deleted > > >Thanks! > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Steve Lammert | Gulf Tower | Internet: shl@transarc.com > Facilities Coordinator | 707 Grant Street | Voice: +1 412 338-4443 > Transarc Corporation | Pittsburgh PA 15219 | FAX: +1 412 338-4404 > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > "No matter where you go, there you are." -- Buckaroo Banzai > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have you looked at the bootlist command? bootlist takes as arguments the key position and order of boot devices. You could reset the bootlist for the normal key position to have different hard drives listed first. I have not actually tried this for changing hard drives, but instead used this when I go to boot a machine off floppies and realize once I'm halfway across campus I forgot the *l!*%()& key again. (Not that I have anything against sorting through the 35 odd sets of keys I have accrued you understand!) It is documented well in info, so I would recommend looking at the various options there. P.S. So does AFS really run that differently under different releases??? Yikes - is there anything you want to tell me about? Good luck. Wendy Ross Computer Aided Engineering Network College of Engineering University of Michigan, Ann Arbor <Insert amusing quip here>
jsalter@ibmpa.awdpa.ibm.com (03/21/91)
In article <YbtcaBX0BwwKIaR0Vp@transarc.com> Steve_Lammert@TRANSARC.COM writes: >We've had some minor success using the boot/install floppies >to change the default boot device so that we can boot different disks >(this usually ends up 888ing the system, but the boot device DOES change). Try looking at the command "bootlist". I believe this is written up in both InfoExplorer (search on bootlist) and the BSD System Administration document (/usr/lpp/bos/bsdadm). >If this were a conventional UNIX workstation (DEC, SUN, HP, ...) I could >just tell the diagnostic monitor which disk to boot. Is there any >alternative to the methods described above? Yes, I've looked for a >SMIT menu entry ... Hmm. I'm surprised it's not there. > Steve Lammert | Gulf Tower | Internet: shl@transarc.com > Transarc Corporation | Pittsburgh PA 15219 | FAX: +1 412 338-4404 jim/jsalter IBM PSP, Palo Alto T465/(415)855-4427 VNET: JSALTER at AUSVMQ Internet: jsalter@slo.awdpa.ibm.com UUCP: ..!uunet!ibmsupt!jsalter PS/2 it, or DIE! :-) The ramblings above have nothing to do with Big Blue.