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How to update the boot_archive for ZFS root in Solaris

by admin

If a Solaris system fails to boot with messages similar to the following are encountered, the system will need to be booted from alternate Oracle Solaris media ( e.g. the failsafe archive, cd / dvd media, or an install image over the network) in order to update the boot_archive.

The file just loaded does not appear to be executable.

Refer the post below to mount zfs root pool (rpool) booting from DVD.

How to mount the zfs rpool while booted from CD [SPARC]

Steps to update the boot_archive

1. Note the timestamp and size of the existing boot_archive:

# cd /mnt/platform/`uname -m`
# ls -l boot_archive

2. Use bootadm to update the boot_archive:

# bootadm update-archive -R /mnt

3. Check the timestamp and size if the boot_archive again to make certain it was updated:

# ls -l boot_archive

4. If the timestamp on the boot_archive has not changed, the update of the boot_archive can be forced with:

# bootadm update-archive -fvR /mnt
Note: The bootadm update-archive command will take longer to finish when -f is used.

Example:

# bootadm update-archive -fvR /mnt
forced update of archive requested
cannot find: /mnt/etc/cluster/nodeid: No such file or directory
cannot find: /mnt/etc/mach: No such file or directory
Creating boot_archive for /mnt
updating /mnt/platform/sun4u/boot_archive
15+0 records in
15+0 records out

Note: The above “cannot find” messages are expected.

5. Check the timestamp and size if the boot_archive again. It should reflect a current timestamp now:

# ls -l boot_archive

6. Export the root pool and reboot:

# cd /
# zpool export rpool
# reboot

Note: If the system still fails to boot with “The file just loaded does not appear to be executable” after the boot_archive was updated and it was seen in the above steps that the timestamp of the boot_archive was updated and bootadm update-archive was run, then it may be necessary to update the bootblock on the root disk(s) as well. Refer the post below to install boot block on ZFS.

How to install a ZFS boot block in Solaris

Filed Under: Solaris, ZFS

Some more articles you might also be interested in …

  1. Solaris : How to set limit on the maximum number of open files per process
  2. Solaris : How to find number of open files by a process
  3. How to provide unique hostid for a non global zone
  4. How to troubleshoot Solaris 10 SMF (Service Management Facility) related issues
  5. Solaris 11 : How to configure VLAN tagging on a network interface
  6. Troubleshooting solaris 10 boot issues related to SMF and milestones
  7. How to Kill Zombie (Defunct) Process in Solaris
  8. How to Configure TCP Keepalive option in Solaris
  9. Solaris ZFS : How to Create / Rename / Rollback / Destroy a ZFS Snapshot
  10. Solaris ZFS command line reference (Cheat sheet)

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