to boot or not to boot (Solaris)

[Stephen Schaefer]

If you have a cheap hub disconnected from the rest of
your network, you could keep it powered on and plugged
in to keep interface down messages from going away. 
In /etc/nsswitch.conf, try to use "files" as the first
place to check for services, to keep it from
complaining about DNS and others being unavailable. 
Let it run for a day, and then seewhat sort of things
accumulate in the logs.

Advanced: have a second logical network, either on
your current physical network or on a separate
physical network, over which you send all logging via
syslog to a log central machine.  The E220R has two
ethernet ports, if I recall correctly.  Have that
second port on the "logging" logical network, with its
own, connected non-service-providing IP.

Even more such advice, along with its
implementation(!) is available if you hire me :-)
http://www.angelfire.com/vi/oremacs/resume.html

Good luck,

    - Stephen

--- Lisa Lorenzin <lorenzin@1000plus.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I have a quick question for the Solaris geeks in the
> house...
> 
> I'm running Solaris 2.7 on a new Sun E220R.  This
> server is a hot backup
> for another server, but can't be connected to the
> network (same IP
> addresses configured on the NICs).
> 
> SO - what's the best state to keep this box in while
> it's offline?
> 
> Options I've come up with are:
> 
> * Powered off.  This was my first impulse - no wear
> on the hardware, no
> cluttering of system logfiles, no potential for
> accumulation of memory
> leaks, etc.  However, a concern was raised about
> filesystems failing when
> it was powered back on, so another alternative was:
> 
> * Powered on, but with the ethernet NICs unplugged. 
> Seems to me that
> we'll end up with lots of log entries about various
> ethernet NICs being
> offline.  One way around that is:
> 
> * Powered on, ethernet NICs unplugged and down.  But
> then if we have to
> slap the box online in a hurry, somebody has to
> remember to bring them up
> again...  Not really acceptable in our environment.
> 
> Which would you recommend, and why?  Is there a
> better alternative that I
> haven't thought of yet?
> 
> (I'm particularly curious whether disk issues are
> still considered that
> much of a concern when powering-cycling a Sun box. 
> I know that was an
> issue for Solaris boxen several years ago, but I
> haven't seen those
> problems recently, and I thought Sun was over that
> that.  Am I just lucky?
> :) )
> 
> Thanks in advance for any advice!
> 
> 					Lisa
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> lisa lorenzin  |  lorenzin@1000plus.com  | 
> http://www.1000plus.com/lisa/
> of what avail is an open eye if the heart is blind?
> - solomon ibn gavirol
> 
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> ncsa-discussion@ncsysadmin.org
>
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