PRIMECLUSTER Global File Services Configuration and Administration Guide 4.2 (Solaris(TM) Operating Environment)

B.2.1 sfxadd(1M) - Extends the GFS Local File System

[SYNOPSIS]

sfxadd -D raw_device_file[,raw_device_file,...] raw_device_file
sfxadd -pa -D raw_device_file[,raw_device_file,...] raw_device_file

[DESCRIPTION]

The sfxadd command can extend the current GFS Local File System without saving or restoring the data.

The file system can be extended by adding a new partition to the current file system.

The file system can be extended while the file system is mounted (online extension) or unmounted (offline extension). If the file system is extended while the file system is unmounted, the status of the file system must be normal. If an attempt is made to reflect extension of the file system while the status of the file system is not normal, sfxadd will output the message "file system (partition-name) is corrupted, run fsck manually." In this case, use fsck(1M) to restore the status of the file system, then execute again.

When adding data partitions, preregister using the -pa and -D options to recover normally even if an unexpected system failure occurs while a data partition is being newly added. After preregistering, specify the -D option to instruct actual reflection.

If pre-registration for adding partitions has been performed or if actual extension is not completed because of an unexpected system failure, the file system will be managed as processing midway. Use sfxinfo(1M) to check whether the file system is being managed as processing midway.

When sfxadd is used to add a GFS Local File System partition, an entry will be added to and managed in /etc/sfxfstab.

[OPTIONS]

-D raw_device_file

This option specifies the character special device for a data partition that is to be added.

When adding two or more data partitions, delimit the special file name with a comma ",".

-pa

Pre-register the partition addition instruction. Pre-registering enables processing to be continued normally even if an unexpected system failure occurs. If the file system is used as an alternate file system, pre-register the partition for all systems using the file system.

By the way, when a partition is added in the state of unmounting file system, please don't perform this setting.

[OPERAND]

raw_device_file

This parameter specifies the character special device name for the representative partition.

[EXAMPLES ]

Case of adding /dev/sfdsk/gfs/rdsk/vol0601 and /dev/sfdsk/gfs/rdsk/vol0701 to a GFS Local File System where /dev/sfdsk/gfs/rdsk/vol0301 is used as a representative partition

1. Pre-register.

# sfxadd -pa -D /dev/sfdsk/gfs/rdsk/vol0601,/dev/sfdsk/gfs/rdsk/vol0701 /dev/sfdsk/gfs/rdsk/vol0301

2. Reflect the setting data to the file system.

# sfxadd -D /dev/sfdsk/gfs/rdsk/vol0601,/dev/sfdsk/gfs/rdsk/vol0701 /dev/sfdsk/gfs/rdsk/vol0301

[FILE]

/etc/sfxfstab

This file contains the names of each of the file system component partitions.

[SEE ALSO]

df_sfxfs(1M), fsck_sfxfs(1M), mkfs_sfxfs(1M), sfxadm(1M), sfxinfo(1M), sfxnewfs(1M), sfxnode(1M)

[NOTES]

• If the file system is to be extended, estimate the maximum size of extension. Specify the data size of the file system when the file system is created (when mkfs_sfxfs(1M) or sfxnewfs(1M) is executed). The GFS Local File System records a free data area as an extent. For this free data management area, the area size is calculated automatically so that the data of the data area specified at file system creation can be managed. When the file system is extended, however, this management area may be rendered insufficient. (Because the free data area is recorded as an extent, the free data area can be managed if not fragmented. If fragmentation is extensive, an unusable free area will be created because of insufficient management area.)
  If there appears to be a shortage of management area for a current file system, the file system can be defragmented to render the management area normal. See Chapter 8, "Defragmenting GFS Local File System," for details on defragmentation. To determine whether the management area is insufficient, specify the -ov option in df_sfxfs(1M) to display the total number of leafs and the number of free leafs.
• When the -pa option of sfxadd is specified to preregister partition addition, it will be recognized as part of existing configuration elements for management of the GFS Local File System, and so the original file system can be deleted. This occurs when creating a GFS Local File System where a partition for which addition has been preregistered is specified as a separate file system to delete the addition specification or when sfxadm -D is used to delete a preregistered partition from the file system.
  Once a partition has been registered, including preregistered partitions, only the addition data can be deleted.
• For operation as an alternate file system from multiple systems, preregister using the -pa option for all nodes. If this pre-registration is not performed, the recovery data will be insufficient if a system failure occurs during operation of an active node and normal recovery will not be possible. When pre-registration has been performed, file system recovery using fsck_sfxfs(1M) will extend the file system automatically and delete the preregistration data.
• If a system failure occurs during file system extension, sfxinfo(1M) can be used to check whether processing has been completed. Refer to sfxinfo(1M) manual for details on sfxinfo(1M) options.
• The maximum number of partitions that can be used to configure a file system is set when the file system is created (when mkfs_sfxfs(1M) or sfxnewfs(1M) is executed). Partitions exceeding the number of partitions specified at file system creation cannot be configured. The default value is 16.
• When adding a partition newly, maxcontig value may be set up again automatically. Concretely, when the maximum continuation I/O length (dki_maxtransfer of dkio(7I)) obtained from the driver of an additional device is smaller than the maximum number of the continuation block by sfxtune(1M) of the existing file system, it changes to the value of an additional device. When maxcontig value is changed intentionally, please set up again if needed.
• When file system is used as the alternate file system in RMS cluster operation, in RMS active state, please do not perform sfxadd on standby node. By the way, when a partition was added by sfxadd on standby node in RMS active state, sfxadd outputs the following message. In such a case, please perform sfxadd from active node, or perform it after stopped RMS. And when PRIMECLUSTER GDS is used and stopped RMS, please perform sfxadd after online the GDS volume.

<representative partition> is corrupted, run fsck manually (-3)