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Solstice DiskSuite 4.2.1 Reference Guide
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Chapter 4 DiskSuite Tool

This chapter provides a high-level overview of DiskSuite's graphical user interface, DiskSuite Tool. For information on the command line interface, see the man pages.

Use the following table to proceed directly to the section that provides the information you need.

Overview of DiskSuite Tool

DiskSuite Tool is a graphical user interface for setting up and administering a DiskSuite configuration. DiskSuite Tool provides a graphical view of DiskSuite objects--metadevices, hot spares, and disk slices. DiskSuite Tool uses drag and drop manipulation of DiskSuite objects, enabling you to quickly configure your disks or change an existing configuration. It also provides performance information on metadevices and physical devices.

DiskSuite Tool provides graphical views of both physical devices and metadevices, helping simplify storage administration. You can also perform specific SPARCstorage Array maintenance tasks using DiskSuite Tool.

To start DiskSuite Tool, make sure you are root and enter the command: 


# /usr/sbin/metatool [-sdiskset] &

For more information, see the metatool(1M) man page.

DiskSuite Tool and the Command Line Interface

In some instances, DiskSuite Tool and the command line utilities provide slightly different functionality. You must use the command line interface for some operations (for example, creating disksets), and DiskSuite Tool for others. Table 4-1 shows where you will need to use either DiskSuite Tool or the command line to perform certain functions.

Table 4-1 DiskSuite Tool vs. the Command Line

Functionality 

Provided by DiskSuite Tool? 

Provided by the 

DiskSuite Command Line? 

Adding/removing disks to/from disksets 

No 

Yes 

Adding/removing hosts to/from disksets 

No 

Yes 

Creating/removing disksets 

No 

Yes 

Switching metadevice names. (You can rename a metadevice with both DiskSuite Tool and the command line.) 

No 

Yes 

Monitoring metadevice performance 

Yes 

No, but you could use iostat(1M).

Maintaining SPARCstorage Arrays

Yes 

No, but many functions can be accomplished with the ssaadm(1M) command.

Using the Mouse in DiskSuite Tool

Table 4-2 explains how the mouse works in DiskSuite Tool.

Table 4-2 DiskSuite Tool Mouse Model

This Button ... 

Is Used To ... 

SELECT (Default is Left) 

Select objects with a single click. By holding down the Control key and clicking the left button, you can select multiple objects. By holding down the Control key and clicking the left button, you can deselect objects that are selected. You can also drag objects by holding down the left button. 

ADJUST (Default is Middle) 

Drag selected objects and keeps the objects selected, or, if an object is not selected, drag that object. You can drop the object on an appropriate target. If a target is not appropriate, the international "no" sign displays while the cursor is over the target. 

MENU 

(Default is Right) 

Display pull-down menus when the cursor is pointing at any title in the menu bar, or display a pop-up menu when the cursor is pointing inside an object on the canvas. 

Screen Descriptions for DiskSuite Tool

Metadevice Editor Window

When you start DiskSuite Tool, the Metadevice Editor window is displayed, as shown in Figure 4-1.

Figure 4-1 DiskSuite Tool Metadevice Editor Window

Graphic

The Metadevice Editor window is the main window for DiskSuite Tool, enabling access to other parts of DiskSuite Tool. The following describes the areas within the Metadevice Editor window.

Note -

DiskSuite Tool grays out menu items and user interface elements when you cannot use them in a specific context.

  • Menu Bar - Usually contains five menus: File, Object, Edit, Browse, and Help. For more information on these menus, see the online help (the section "Accessing and Using Help" describes how to access help.

Note -

You can configure DiskSuite Tool to display a "Tools menu" (see Solstice DiskSuite 4.2.1 User's Guide, or metatool-toolsmenu(4). The Tools menu can be used to launch other applications, such asAdminSuiteTM Storage Manager, from DiskSuite Tool.

  • Button Panel - Contains buttons that display windows, and act on DiskSuite objects.

Note -

You must select an object before clicking either the Commit button or the Put Away button.

  • Window Title Bar - Displays the window title and the name of the system upon which DiskSuite Tool is currently running. Also displays diskset information, either <local>, for a local diskset, or the name of a shared diskset.

  • Objects List - Contains metadevices, hot spare pools, and the metadevice state database object.

    You can select and drag objects in the Objects List to the canvas. Or you can double-click an object in the Objects List to display it on the canvas.

    Colored objects indicate a problem:

    • Red=Critical

    • Orange=Urgent

    • Yellow=Attention

    Gray scale monitors display problem status information in gray scales.

    On monochrome monitors, you must horizontally scroll the device list to view the status associated with the objects.

  • Objects List Filter Button - Enables you to filter the information that the Objects List displays. You can filter by:

    • Show All

    • Show Metadevices

    • Show Hot Spare Pools

    • Show Problems

  • Templates - Contains template icons, on the left side of the Metadevice Editor window. For descriptions of the template icons, see the online help.

    The template icons are sources for empty DiskSuite objects (templates). Once you have a template displayed on the canvas, you can then build metadevices from it by dropping slices or other metadevices into it. To work with a template, you can either single-click it or drag it to the canvas.

  • Template Object - Acts as a template for a DiskSuite object, such as a concatenation.

  • Message Line Area - Displays messages about specific elements on the canvas.

    When you place the cursor over an area of the Metadevice Editor window, the message line displays a message about that area.

  • Canvas - Enables you to create and manipulate DiskSuite objects.

    You can drag DiskSuite objects from the Disk View window, the Objects list, and the Templates to the canvas. Clicking an object on the canvas selects the object.

  • Panner - Shows the current view in the canvas. (See Figure 4-2.)

    Figure 4-2 Panner

    Graphic

    Pointing inside the Panner and clicking the SELECT button changes the current view. You can also point to the black rectangle, press and hold down the ADJUST button, and drag the view area to a new location.

Disk View Window

Figure 4-3, the Disk View window, shows how metadevices correspond to physical devices, and also serves as a drag-and-drop source for slices and a drag-and-drop target for metadevices. The following describes the areas within the Disk View window.

Figure 4-3 Disk View Window

Graphic

  • Menu Bar - Usually contains four menus: File, Object, View, and Help. For more information on these menus, see the online help (the section "Accessing and Using Help" describes how to access help.)

Note -

You can configure DiskSuite Tool to display a "Tools menu" (see Solstice DiskSuite 4.2.1 User's Guide, or metatool-toolsmenu(4). The Tools menu can be used to launch other applications, such as Solstice Storage Manager, from DiskSuite Tool.

  • Controllers List - Contains all the controllers currently in your configuration.

    Clicking a toggle button displays that controller on the Disk View canvas. Clicking again removes the controller from the canvas.

  • Color Drop Sites - Show physical-to-logical device relations.

    Figure 4-4 shows the color drop sites.

Figure 4-4 Color Drop Sites

Graphic

Dropping a metadevice object onto a color drop site assigns a color to that metadevice object. The color, in turn, shows up on the Disk View window canvas, enabling you to see physical-to-logical device relations.

Each drop site has a pop-up menu that contains:

  • Info - Displays the Information window for the object.

  • Clear - Sets the color drop site to Unassigned.

You can change the colors for each of the eight color drop sites. Edit the X resource file, /usr/lib/lvm/X11/app-defaults/Metatool. It contains a list of all the X resources used by metatool(1M). See Solstice DiskSuite 4.2.1 User's Guide for more information on editing this file.

A monochrome monitor will show only one drop site, black.

  • Message line - Displays messages about specific elements on the canvas.

    When you place the cursor over an area of the Disk View Canvas, the message line displays a message about that area.

  • Disk View Canvas - Displays the physical devices and mappings on the canvas.

    To select a disk on the Disk View canvas, click the top of the disk. To select a slice, click inside the slice rectangle. You can drag the object, whether selected or not, to a template on the Metadevice Editor canvas and add or replace slices in that template.

    The canvas is also a destination for drag and drop. When devices are dropped on the canvas from the Metadevice Editor window, they take on the next available color. If all drop sites are in use, a window is displayed that enables you to select a drop site. Also, if any object is selected on the editor canvas and the Disk View window is invoked, the objects will automatically take on the color of the next available drop site.

    The graphical representations of objects on the Disk View canvas are shown in Figure 4-5.

Figure 4-5 Disk View Objects

GraphicGraphic

  • Legend - On color systems, contains eight color drop sites that provide color cues for mappings. Each color can be hidden or exposed using the toggle button to the left of each color box. On monochrome systems, only one drop site is available, which is black.

    The legend region of the Disk View window can be turned on and off by choosing Show Legend from the View menu.

  • Disk View Panner - Shows the current view in the canvas. See Figure 4-6.

Figure 4-6 Disk View Panner

Graphic

Pointing inside the Disk View Panner and clicking the SELECT button changes the current view. You can also point to the black rectangle, press and hold down the ADJUST button, and drag the view area to a new location.

  • Set Filters - Enables you to filter slice information by usage criteria.

    You can view slices that are available to be Metadevice Components, Hot Spares, Replicas, Trans Logs, or Anything. The default value is Metadevice Components. You can also view slices currently in use as a file system, swap, Metadevices, Hot Spares, Replicas, Trans Logs, or Anything. Clicking the Don't Care button tells DiskSuite Tool not to filter by usage. Regular expressions can also be used to filter slices in this window.

Statistics Graphs Window (Grapher Window)

Figure 4-7 shows the Statistics Graph window (Grapher window). The Grapher window functions as a visual log of reported statistics utilizing a graph for each device. The Grapher window displays a subset of the information derived by the iostat(1M) interface. You can drag and drop metadevices and disks from any of DiskSuite Tool's windows to the Statistics Graphs window. This includes the Metadevice Editor canvas, the Metadevice Editor Objects list, the Slice window, and the Disk View window. An explanation of the Grapher window follows.

Figure 4-7 Statistics Graphs Window (Grapher Window)

Graphic

  • Menu Bar - Contains two menus titled File and All Graphs. For more information on these menus, see the online help (the section "Accessing and Using Help" describes how to access help).

  • Canvas - Shows instantaneous statistics, and has toggle buttons for controlling the information displayed.

  • Legend - Contains a legend for all the graphs.

When you add a device to the Grapher window, a button bar appears. If you continue to add devices on the canvas, they appear in individual rows with a control area and graph. Figure 4-8 shows the Grapher window with a metadevice. An explanation of the buttons follows.

Figure 4-8 Grapher Window with Metadevice

Graphic

  • Collapse Toggle Button - Collapses a canvas row.

  • Info Button - Displays the device's Information window.

  • Put Away Button - Removes the device from the Grapher window.

  • Pause/Resume Button - Suspends updates to the Grapher window (Pause), or alternately, resumes updates (Continue).

  • Arrows - Reorder rows.

Information Windows

Several information windows are present in DiskSuite Tool. These information windows include:

Disk Information Window

By pointing to a disk on the Disk View canvas and pressing the MENU button, a menu enables you to bring up an information window. Shown in Figure 4-9, the read-only Disk Information window provides information about a disk and its slices.

Figure 4-9 Disk Information Window

Graphic

Table 4-3 lists the functionality provided by the Disk Information window.

Table 4-3 Disk Information Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Device name 

The device name, for example, c2t1d0.

Status 

The status is reported as OK, Reserved if the disk is reserved by another host, Failed, or Spun Down if this is a SPARCstorage Array disk and it is spun down.

Type 

The type of the disk as listed in the /etc/format.dat file, for example SUN0535, SUN1.05, or DEFAULT.

In Use 

The percentage of the disk that is currently in use as a metadevice, metadevice state database replica, or a mounted file system. 

Capacity 

Shows the usable capacity of the disk. The usable capacity of the disk is the disk capacity less any space taken by state database replicas or the disk label. 

Unallocated 

The percentage of the disk available for use. 

Size 

A pop-up menu that changes the size units represented in the capacity field and the information under the Size column in the Slice region. Choices include: Gbytes, Mbytes, Kbytes, Sectors, and Cylinders. The default is Mbytes. 

Start 

A button to start a stopped disk. (DiskSuite Tool shows the disk state only for SPARCstorage Array disks. A down arrow beneath a SPARCstorage Array disk indicates it is currently stopped.)

Stop 

A button to stop a disk. (DiskSuite Tool shows the disk state only for SPARCstorage Array disks.)

Controller Information 

A button that brings up the Controller Information window. See Figure 4-20.

Device Mappings 

Displays the Physical to Logical Device Mappings window. (The Physical to Logical Device Mappings window is not dynamically updated when new mappings are created.) 

Show Slices 

A toggle button that expands and collapses the slice view. The number of non-zero size slices on the disk is shown in parentheses on the button. 

Slice Information 

A button that brings up the Slice Information window for each selected slice. Point to the slice area and click the SELECT button to select a slice. To select multiple slices, either press and hold down the Control key while pointing to the slices and clicking the SELECT button or hold down the SELECT button and drag the cursor over slices. 

Table 4-4 lists additional functionality that appears for SPARCstorage Array disks.

Table 4-4 Disk Information Screen, SPARCstorage Array Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Vendor 

Displays the vendor name. 

Product ID 

Displays the product identification number. 

Firmware Rev. 

Displays the product firmware revision information. 

Fast Write

Radio buttons that enable fast writes or synchronous fast writes, or disable fast writes. 

Slice Information Window

The Slice Information window, shown in Figure 4-10, displays information about a specific slice. There are three ways to display this window:

  • Select a slice on the Disk Information window by pointing to it and pressing the SELECT button. Then click the Slice Information button.

  • Point to a slice of a disk that is displayed on the Disk View window's canvas. Press and hold down the MENU button to display the pop-up menu for the slice then select the Info option.

  • Point to a slice inside any metadevice displayed on the Metadevice Editor's canvas. Press and hold down the MENU button to display the pop-up menu for the slice then select the Info option.

Figure 4-10 Slice Information Window

Graphic

Table 4-5 explains the Slice Information window.

Table 4-5 Slice Information Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Device name 

The device name, for example, c1t1d0s2.

Status 

The status is reported as OK, Resyncing, Enabled, Critical, Spared, Urgent, or Attention. 

Size 

The total size of the slice. 

Start block 

The block on which the slice begins. If the slice has a label, there will be additional information about the label in this field. 

End block 

The block on which the slice ends. 

Use 

The current use of the slice, for example, file system or swap. If the use is hot spare, a Show Hot Spare Pools button is available on the right side of the Use field. This button opens a dialog that shows a list of Hot Spare Pools with which the slice is associated.

Number of Replicas 

The number of replicas, if any, contained in the slice. 

Enable 

This button enables the slice. The button is available only if the data on the slice is replicated in a mirror or RAID5 metadevice, or if the slice is used as a hot spare that is currently "broken." 

Disk Information 

Opens the Disk Information window. 

Device Mappings 

Displays the Physical to Logical Device Mappings window. (The Physical to Logical Device Mappings window is not dynamically updated when new mappings are created.) 

Device Statistics Window

The Device Statistics window, shown in Figure 4-11, displays a "snap-shot" of statistical information about a specific metadevice or physical disk. There are two ways to display this window:

  • Select a metadevice on the Metadevice Editor window's canvas, or a disk on the Disk View canvas, by pointing to it and pressing the SELECT button. Select Statistics from the Object menu.

  • Point to a metadevice displayed on the Metadevice Editor window's canvas, or a disk displayed on the Disk View canvas. Press and hold down the MENU button to display the pop-up menu for the metadevice or disk then select the Statistics option.

Figure 4-11 Device Statistics Window

Graphic

Table 4-6 explains the Device Statistics Window.

Table 4-6 Device Statistics Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Device 

This field displays the device name, for example, d63.

Info 

This button brings up the device's Information window. 

Raw Thruput 

This information displays reads, writes, total reads and writes, averaged per second. 

Derived Values 

This information displays average wait queue length, average service time, wait probability, and load. 

Add Device to Statistics Graphs Window 

This button adds the device to the Statistics Graphs window. The graph area is blank until you select which statistics to graph. The default is Percent Busy. 

Update 

This button presents a new snap-shot of the statistical information. 

Concat Information Window

There are three ways to display the Concat Information window shown in Figure 4-12:

  • Double-click the Concat/Stripe object in the Objects list. The Concat/Stripe object is opened on the Metadevice Editor's canvas. Select Info from the Objects menu.

  • If the Concat/Stripe object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the template. Press and hold down the MENU button to display the pop-up menu for the concatenation then select the Info option.

  • If the Concat/Stripe object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the top rectangle of the object and double-click.

Figure 4-12 Concat Information Window

Graphic

Table 4-7 lists the functionality associated with the regions of the Concat Information window.

Table 4-7 Concat Information Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Device Name 

The metadevice name of the concatenation. As long as the device is not "open," you can change the name by typing a new one and clicking Attach. 

Status 

Description of the concatenation's status. 

Size 

The size of the concatenation. 

Use 

How the concatenation is currently used (for example, submirror). 

Hot Spare Pool 

The entry field for specifying the name of a Hot Spare Pool to be associated with the concatenation. To attach a hot spare pool enter the name in the field and click on the Attach button. The Hot Spare Pool Information window is displayed when you enter a hot spare pool name and click on the Info button. 

Show Stripes 

This toggle button enables you to turn on and off the stripe manipulation region. The number of stripes in the concatenation are shown in parentheses on the button. 

Stripe manipulation region 

The following functionality is available in this region: 

  • List of stripes - Provides the size and status of each stripe included in the concatenation.

  • Attach - Attaches a new and empty stripe to the concatenation.

  • Remove - Removes the selected stripe from the concatenation.

  • Info - Brings up the Stripe Information window for the selected (highlighted) stripes.

Stripe Information Window

There are three ways to display the Stripe Information window shown in Figure 4-13:

  • Double-click the Concat/Stripe object in the Objects list. The Concat/Stripe object is opened on the Metadevice Editor's canvas. Point to the stripe rectangle. Select Info from the Objects menu.

  • If the Concat/Stripe object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the stripe rectangle of the Concat/Stripe object and double-click.

  • If the Concat/Stripe object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the stripe rectangle. Press and hold down the MENU button to display the pop-up menu then select the Info option.

Figure 4-13 Stripe Information Window

Graphic

Table 4-8 lists the functionality associated with the regions of the Stripe Information window.

Table 4-8 Stripe Information Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Device Name 

The metadevice name of the stripe, such as d5.

Status 

Description of the stripe's status. 

Size 

The size of the stripe. 

Interlace value region 

The default interlace value is 16 Kbytes. To change the interlace value, click the Custom button and type the value in the field. The menu button to the right of the field enables you to specify the units used. The values on the menu are Gbytes, Mbytes, Kbytes, and Sectors. The default is Kbytes. After the Custom field is complete, the Attach button is used to assign the interlace value to the stripe. After a stripe is committed, the interlace value cannot be changed.

Show Slices 

This toggle button enables you to turn on and off the slice manipulation region. The number of slices in the stripe are shown in parentheses on the button. 

Slice manipulation region 

The following functionality is available in this region: 

  • Scrolling List - Shows slices included in the stripe. The information in this region includes the name of the slice, size, number of state database replicas on the slice, and the status.

  • Enable - Enables the selected slices if they are disabled.

  • Remove - Removes the selected slices.

  • Slice - Specifies a new slice to be attached to the stripe or replaces the selected slice. If no slice is selected, the button is unavailable.

  • Attach - Attaches the slice specified in the Slice field to the stripe. This button is active only when a slice name is entered in the field.

  • Replace - Replaces the selected stripe with the slice entered in the Slice field. This button is active only when a slice name has been entered in the field and a slice is selected on the scrolling list.

  • Info - Displays the Slice Information window for the selected (highlighted) slice.

Mirror Information Window

DiskSuite provides several options to optimize mirror performance. These options deal with the read and write policy for mirrors, and the order in which mirrors are resynced during reboot. You set these and other options using choices on the Mirror Information window, as shown in Figure 4-14. There are three ways to display the Mirror Information window:

  • Double-click the mirror object in the Objects list. The mirror is opened on the Metadevice Editor's canvas. Select Info from the Objects menu.

  • If the mirror object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the mirror rectangle. Press and hold down the MENU button to display the pop-up menu then select the Info option.

  • If the mirror object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, double-click inside the mirror rectangle.

Figure 4-14 Mirror Information Window

Graphic

The Mirror object must be committed before the policy changes take effect.

Table 4-9 lists the functionality associated with the regions of the Mirror Information window.

Table 4-9 Mirror Information Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Device Name 

The metadevice name of the mirror. As long as the device is not "open," you can change the name by typing a new one and clicking Attach. 

Status 

Description of the mirror's status. 

Size 

The total size of the mirror. 

Use 

Shows how the mirror is currently used, for example, file system, swap, or shared log. If the use is shared log, a button labeled Show Trans is displayed. The Show Trans button opens a Sharing Information window that shows the Trans devices that share the Mirror. 

Show Submirrors 

This toggle button enables you to turn on and off the submirror manipulation region. The number of submirrors in the mirror are shown in parentheses on the button. 

Pass

A pass number in the range 0-9 can be assigned to a mirror using the Pass button menu. The pass (resync) number determines the order in which that mirror is resynced during a system reboot. The default is 1. Smaller pass numbers are resynced first. If 0 is chosen, the resync is skipped. A 0 should only be used for mirrors mounted as read-only. If different mirrors have the same pass number, they are resynced concurrently. 

Read Option

There are three kinds of read options associated with mirrors: Round Robin, Geometric, and First. The default read option is Round Robin, also called balanced load. 

 

When set to Round Robin, all reads are made in a round robin order from all the submirrors in the mirror. That is, the first read comes from the first submirror, the next read comes from the second submirror, and so forth. 

 

The Geometric option provides faster performance on sequential reads or when you are using disks with track buffering. Geometric reads allow read operations to be divided among submirrors on the basis of a logical disk block address. For instance, with a three-way mirror the disk space on the mirror is divided into three (equally sized) logical address ranges. Reads from the three regions are then performed by separate submirrors (for example, reads to the first region are performed by the first submirror). 

 

The First option specifies reading from only the first submirror. This would be specified only if you have a second submirror that has poor read I/O characteristics. 

Write Option

A button that enables you to set parallel or serial writes to the submirror. 

 

Parallel writes are the default action of the metadisk driver, meaning the writes are dispatched to all submirrors simultaneously. 

 

Serial writes specify that writes to one submirror must complete before the next submirror write is started. 

Submirror manipulation region 

The following functionality is available in this region: 

  • Show Submirrors - This toggle button enables showing or hiding the list of submirrors.

  • Scrolling List - Shows submirrors included in the mirror. The information in this region includes the name, type, size, and status. Click on the submirror to select it. When submirrors are selected, actions can be performed on them.

  • Online - Brings selected submirrors back online. This button is active only when the selected submirror is offline.

  • Offline - Takes selected submirrors offline. This button is active only when the selected submirror is online.

  • Remove - Detaches the selected submirrors.

  • Info - Opens the Concat Information window for the selected submirror.

  • Device - Specifies a new submirror in the field to attach or replace. The field is cleared when you click on the Attach or Replace buttons.

  • Attach - Adds the specified submirror. This button is active only when a submirror or device is entered in the Device field.

  • Replace - Replaces the selected submirror with the submirror entered in the field. This button is active only when a submirror or device is entered in the field and one in the list is selected.

Trans Information Window

The Trans Information window enables you to view and modify the attributes and components of a specific trans metadevice. Figure 4-15 shows the Trans Information window. There are three ways to display the Trans Information window:

  • Double-click the Trans object in the Objects list. The object is opened on the Metadevice Editor's canvas. Select Info from the Objects menu.

  • If the Trans Metadevice object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the Trans rectangle. Press and hold down the MENU button to display the pop-up menu then select the Info choice.

  • If the Trans Metadevice object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the Trans rectangle and double-click.

Figure 4-15 Trans Information Window

Graphic

The Trans object must be committed before the changes take effect.

Table 4-10 lists the functionality associated with the regions of the Trans Information window.

Table 4-10 Trans Information Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Device Name 

The metadevice name of the Trans device. As long as the device is not "open," and no logging device is attached, you can change the name by typing a new one and clicking Attach. 

Status 

Description of the Trans device status. 

Size 

The total size of the Trans device. 

Use 

How the Trans device is currently used (for example, file system). 

Master device region 

A region that contains the device name of the master device. The Attach button toggles between Attach and Remove. Other information in the region includes: 

  • Type - The type of device used as the master.

  • Status - Shows the description of the master's status.

  • Size - Displays the size of the master device.

  • Info - Displays the information form for the master device.

Log device region 

A region that contains the device name where the log device is located. The Remove button toggles between Attach and Remove. Other information in the region includes: 

  • Type - The type of device used as the log.

  • Status - Shows the description of the log's status.

  • Size - Displays the size of the log device.

  • Info - Displays the information form for the log device.

Hot Spare Information Window

The Hot Spare Information window enables you to view and modify the attributes and components of a specific hot spare. Figure 4-16 shows the Hot Spare Information window. There are three ways to display the Hot Spare Information window:

  • Double-click the Hot Spare Pool in the Objects list. The hot spare pool object is opened on the Metadevice Editor's canvas. Select Info from the Object menu.

  • If the Hot Spare Pool object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the top of the Hot Spare Pool rectangle. Press and hold the MENU button to display the pop-up menu then select the Info option.

  • If the Hot Spare Pool object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the top of the Hot Spare Pool rectangle and double-click.

Figure 4-16 Hot Spare Information Window

Graphic

The Hot Spare Pool object must be committed before the changes take effect.

Table 4-11 lists the functionality associated with the regions of the Hot Spare Pool Information window.

Table 4-11 Hot Spare Pool Information Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Device Name 

The name of the Hot Spare Pool, such as hsp000.

Status 

Description of the Hot Spare Pool's status.

Smallest 

The size of the smallest slice in the Hot Spare Pool. 

Largest 

The size of the largest slice in the Hot Spare Pool. 

Associated With 

A scrolling list that displays the device names, types, and status of all metadevices associated with the Hot Spare Pool. To display information about the object either click the object then click Info or point to the object and double-click. 

Info 

Displays the Concatenation Information window for the selected (highlighted) Concat/Stripe in the Associated With region. 

Hot Spare manipulation region

Contains a list of all the slices included in the Hot Spare Pool. New slices can be added. Existing slices can be manipulated. The functions of the buttons include: 

  • Show Hot Spare - A toggle button that shows or hides the bottom portion of the window.

  • List of slices - A scrolling list of the slices included in the Hot Spare Pool.

  • Enable - Enables selected slices that are disabled.

  • Remove - Removes the selected slices from the Hot Spare Pool.

  • Info - Displays the Slice Information window for the selected (highlighted) slice.

  • Slice - Specifies a new slice to attach or replace the selected slice.

  • Attach - Attaches the slice specified in the Slice field to the Hot Spare Pool. This button is active only when a slice name has been entered in the field.

  • Replace - Replaces the selected spare slice with the slice entered in the field. This button is active only when a slice name has been entered in the field and a slice is selected on the list of slices.

RAID Information Window

These methods display the RAID Information window (see Figure 4-17):

  • Double-click the RAID5 metadevice in the Objects list. The RAID5 metadevice is opened on the Metadevice Editor's canvas. Select Info from the Object menu.

  • If the RAID5 metadevice is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the top of the rectangle. Press and hold the MENU button to display the pop-up menu then select the Info choice.

  • If the RAID5 metadevice is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the top of the rectangle and double-click.

Figure 4-17 RAID Information Window

Graphic

The RAID5 metadevice must be committed before the changes take effect.

Table 4-12 lists the functionality associated with the regions of the RAID Information window.

Table 4-12 RAID Information Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Device Name 

The metadevice name of the RAID5 metadevice. As long as the device is not "open," you can change the name by typing a new one and clicking Attach. 

Status 

Description of the RAID5 metadevice's status. 

Size 

The size of the usable disk space. This does not include the size set aside for parity. 

Use 

The use of the RAID5 metadevice, for example, file system or swap. If the use of the RAID5 metadevice is a Trans Log, a Show Trans button is positioned to the right of the field. 

Hot Spare Pool 

This field enables assigning a Hot Spare Pool to the RAID5 metadevice. It has the following functions: 

  • Attach/Detach - Attaches or detaches the specified Hot Spare Pool to the RAID5 metadevice.

  • Info - Displays the Hot Spare Pool Information window for the specified Hot Spare Pool.

Interlace value region 

The default interlace value is 16 Kbytes. To change the interlace value, click on the Custom button and type the value in the field. The menu button to the right of the field enables you to specify the units used. The values on the menu are Gbytes, Mbytes, Kbytes, and Sectors. The default is Kbytes. After the Custom field is complete, the Attach button is used to assign the interlace value to the RAID5 metadevice. After a RAID5 metadevice is committed, the interlace value cannot be changed.

Slice manipulation region

The following functionality is available in this region: 

  • Show Slices - A toggle button that shows or hides the scrolling list of components at the bottom of the window.

  • Scrolling List - A list of the slices included in the RAID5 metadevice. The information in this region includes the name of the slice, size, number of state database replicas on the slice and the status.

  • Enable - Enables the selected slices if they are disabled.

  • Remove - Removes the selected slices.

  • Slice - Specifies a new slice to attach to the RAID5 metadevice or replaces the selected slice.

  • Attach - Attaches the slice specified in the Slice field to the RAID5 metadevice. This button is active only when a slice name is entered in the field.

  • Replace - Replaces the selected RAID5 slice with the slice entered in the Slice field. This button is active only when a slice name has been entered in the field and a slice is selected from the scrolling list.

  • Info - Displays the Slice Information window for the selected (highlighted) slice.

Metadevice State Database Info Window

There are three ways to display the Metadevice State Database Information window shown in Figure 4-18:

  • Double-click the MetaDB object in the Objects list. The MetaDB object is opened on the Metadevice Editor's canvas. Select Info from the Object menu.

  • If the MetaDB object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the top of the rectangle. Press and hold the MENU button to display the pop-up menu then select the Info choice.

  • If the MetaDB object is on the Metadevice Editor's canvas, point inside the top of the rectangle and double-click.

Figure 4-18 Metadevice State Database Information Window

Graphic

The MetaDB object must be committed before the changes take effect.

Table 4-13 lists the functionality associated with the regions of the Metadevice State Database Information window.

Table 4-13 Metadevice State Database Information Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Status 

Description of the metadevice state database's status. 

Replica manipulation region 

This region shows the following information and allows for manipulation. 

  • Replicas - Shows the number of replicas.

  • Scrolling List - A scrolling list of the slices that contain replicas. The information in this field includes the name of the slice, the amount of space used, space available, number of replicas on the slice and the replica status.

  • Restore - Restores the selected slices if they are in error.

  • Remove - Removes the selected slices.

  • Info - Displays the Slice Information window for the selected (highlighted) slice.

  • Slice - This field is used to specify a new slice to attach to the MetaDB or replace the selected slice.

  • Replicas - Shows the number of replicas that will be created on the slice. This value is set to one by default.

  • Attach - Adds the slice entered in the slice field to the Replica list. This button is available only when a slice name is entered.

  • Replace - Replaces the selected slice with the slice entered in the Slice field.

Tray Information Window

The Tray Information window, as seen in Figure 4-19, displays information about a specific SPARCstorage Array tray. To display the Tray Information window, point to a SPARCstorage Array Tray on the Disk View canvas. Press and hold the MENU button to display the pop-up menu then select the Info option.

Figure 4-19 Tray Information Window

Graphic

Table 4-14 lists the functionality associated with the Tray Information window.

Table 4-14 Tray Information Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Device Name 

Names the tray (for example, Tray1). 

Show Disks 

Toggles on and off the disk information pane. 

Device Mappings 

Displays the Physical to Logical Device Mapping window. (The Physical to Logical Device Mappings window is not dynamically updated when new mappings are created.) 

Disk information region 

Contains a scrolling list of all disks, their size and status, on the tray. 

Info 

Selecting a disk in the disk information pane and clicking the Info button displays the Disk Information window for that disks. 

Controller Information Window

The Controller Information window, as seen in Figure 4-20, displays information about a disk's controller. To display the Controller Information window, point to a controller on the Disk View canvas. Press and hold the MENU button to display the pop-up menu then select the Info option.

Figure 4-20 Controller Information Window

Graphic

Table 4-15 lists the functionality associated with the Controller Information window.

Table 4-15 Controller Information Window Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Device Name 

Names the controller (for example, c2). 

Show Disks 

Toggles on and off the disk information pane. 

Device Mappings 

Displays the Physical to Logical Device Mappings window. (The Physical to Logical Device Mappings window is not dynamically updated when new mappings are created.) 

Disk information scrolling list 

Contains a scrolling list of all disks, their size and status, on the controller. 

Info 

Selecting a disk in the disk information pane and clicking the Info button displays the Disk Information window for that disk. 

Table 4-16 lists additional functionality for SPARCstorage Arrays.

Table 4-16 Controller Information Window, SPARCstorage Array Functionality

Field 

Functions 

Fan Status

Displays the current fan status (for example, Failed). 

Battery Status

Displays the current battery status. 

Vendor 

Displays the vendor name. 

Product ID 

Displays the product identification number. 

Product Rev 

Displays the product revision number. 

Firmware Rev

Displays the product firmware revision information. 

Browsers

Three browsers can be accessed from the Browse menu on the Metadevice Editor window. These include:

  • Slice Browser

  • Metadevice Browser

  • Hot Spare Pool Browser

The browsers provide similar functionality, enabling you to view all information about the slices, metadevices, and hot spare pools and drag these objects to the Metadevice Editor's canvas for manipulation. The only noticeable differences are found in some of the information displayed and in the Set Filter windows.

The Slice Browser window is show in Figure 4-21.

Figure 4-21 Slice Browser Window

Graphic

The Slice, Metadevice, and Hot Spare Pool browsers all have the same window title bar and choices on the menu bar. The File menu enables you to exit the browser. The Filters menu enables you to set the filters and turn them on and off. The View menu enables you to change the order in which information is displayed in the device list. However, there are some subtle differences in the dialog boxes used to set the filters.

The device list varies in the following ways:

  • Slice Browser Device List - To view additional information about the slices listed here, point to a slice and double-click the SELECT button. The Slice Information window displays information about the slice and provides access to the Disk Information and Associations windows. The Slice Browser device list contains the information shown in Table 4-17.

    Table 4-17 Slice Browser Device List Information

    Field 

    Function 

    		 

    Device Name

    The device name, for example, c1t0d0s2. 

    Size 

    The total size of the device. 

    Disk Type 

    The type of the disk as listed in the /etc/format.dat file, for example SUN0535, SUN1.05, or DEFAULT.

    Status 

    Reported as OK, Resyncing, Enabled, Critical, Spared, Urgent, or Attention. 

    Use 

    Contains one of the following values: Unassigned, Trans Log, Trans Master, MetaDB Replica, Component, File System currently mounted on slice, Overlap, or Hot Spare. 

  • Metadevice Browser Device List - To view additional information about the metadevices listed, point to a metadevice and double-click the SELECT button. An information window is displayed. The Metadevice Browser device list contains the information shown in Table 4-18.

    Table 4-18 Metadevice Browser Device List Information

    Field 

    Function 

    Name 

    The metadevice is represented as dn, where the default value for n is a number in the range 0 to 127.

    Status 

    The status is reported as OK, Critical, Urgent, or Failed. 

    Size 

    The total size of the metadevice. 

    Use 

    The use is either Unassigned, Submirror of dn, name of a file system, Master of dn, or Trans Log.

    Type 

    The type is reported as either Trans, Concat/Stripe, Mirror, or RAID. 

  • Hot Spare Pool Device List - To view additional information about the hot spare pools listed, point to a hot spare pool and double-click the SELECT mouse button. The Hot Spare Information window is displayed, showing a list of the metadevices that have an association with the hot spare pool. It also shows information about the disks in the pool. The Hot Spare Pool device list contains the information shown in Table 4-19.

    Table 4-19 Hot Spare Pool Device List Information

    Field 

    Function 

    Name 

    The name of the hot spare pool is displayed as hspnnn, where nnn is a number in the range 000 to 999.

    Status 

    The status is OK, Broken (if all slices in the hot spare pool are broken), or Attention (if one or more slices are in use). 

    Smallest 

    The size of the smallest slice in the hot spare pool. 

    Largest 

    The size of the largest slice in the hot spare pool. 

    Spares 

    The number of hot spares in the pool. 

    Spares in Use 

    The number of hot spares currently in use. 

Accessing Objects in the Browsers

All objects in the device list of any of the three browsers can be moved to the Metadevice Editor's canvas for manipulation.

Setting Browser Filters

The three browsers have configurable Filter windows that are available using the Set Filters choice in the Filter item on the menu bar. The filters are used to change the way information is displayed in the device list. Figure 4-22 shows the Slice Filters window.

Figure 4-22 Slice Filter Window

Graphic

Table 4-20 explains the items in the Slice Filter window.

Table 4-20 Slice Filter Window Items

Window Region 

Function 

Use 

Three radio buttons in this region enable you to filter the display to only show the following: 

  • Available for use as - The menu selections here include: Anything, Hot Spare, Replica, Metadevice, or Trans Log. Anything is the default.

  • Currently in use as - The menu selections here include: Anything, File System, Swap, Replica, Metadevice, Hot Spare, or Trans Log. Anything is the default.

  • Don't care - The filter is ignored.

Device Name toggle button 

Turning on the name toggle button enables you to specify a device name. The two choices on the menu enable you to search for names that match or do not match. Wildcard character support includes both the asterisk (*) and question mark (?), which match any number of characters and any single character respectively. Matches is the default. 

Size toggle button 

Turning on the size toggle button enables you to specify a size for the filter. The menu button selections include: from (a field is added for specifying a "to" range), greater than, less than, equal to, and not equal to. The default is equal to. A size menu button enables you to specify Gbytes, Mbytes, Kbytes, and Sectors. 

Disk Type toggle button 

Turning on the Disk Type toggle button enables you to select the types of disks you wish to have displayed in the browser. The menu always enables you to select Any, but the other selections depend on the types of disks attached to your system. 

Broken toggle button 

Searches only for slices that have a "broken" status. 

The Finder

The Finder is used to locate an object in the Metadevice Editor Window, or to locate the device associated with a specified mount point. The Finder is accessed from the Browse menu on the Metadevice Editor window.

  • To locate an object inside the Metadevice Editor window, select the Find choice and either type the device name, or click the radio button beside Mount Point and type the mount point to find (see Figure 4-23). If the object is anywhere on the canvas, it is placed in the upper left corner. The object will become the current selection (any previously selected objects will be deselected.) If the object is in the Device List, it is opened and placed in the upper left corner of the canvas. The text fields are not case sensitive. Wildcard character support includes both the asterisk (*) and question mark (?). The asterisk matches zero or more characters and the question mark matches one character.

Figure 4-23 Finder Window

Graphic

Dialog Boxes

DiskSuite Tool displays feedback via four different types of dialog boxes at various times. You must respond to a dialog box before you can perform any other action in DiskSuite Tool.

Caution - Caution -

Read and understand the dialog boxes before responding. You can inadvertently lose data.

An example of a warning dialog box is shown in Figure 4-24.

Figure 4-24 Example Dialog Box

Graphic

The types of dialog boxes and the information they display are shown in Table 4-21.

Table 4-21 Dialog Boxes

Type 

Information Presented 

Error

When you attempt to perform an action that will result in an error, an error dialog box appears with a notification of the error.  

Warning

When you attempt to perform an action that results in a warning, you are given the opportunity to cancel the action. Appendix A, DiskSuite Error Messages offers a listing of the error messages and the corrective action.

Confirmation

These provide a way for you to confirm an action that has been selected. These will appear when an action you initiated cannot be undone. The message string in each dialog varies according to the operation. 

Information

These provide a helpful message. These dialog boxes appear with a large "i" on the left side of the message. 

Configuration Log Window

The Configuration Log window, as shown in Figure 4-25, provides a history of all top-level DiskSuite operations. Each item on the list is given a time stamp.

Figure 4-25 Configuration Log Window

Graphic

Selections on the Configuration Log window's File menu enable you to clear the scrolling list, log the messages to a user-designated file, and close the window. Double-clicking an entry in the list brings up the information dialog window for the device and opens the device on the Metadevice Editor's canvas.

Problem List Window

The Problem List window contains a scrolling list of the current metadevice problems. The list does not provide a history of the problems that have been encountered. The list is updated each time DiskSuite Tool learns of a change in status. Each item on the list is given a time stamp.

Figure 4-26 Problem List Window

Graphic

Selections on the Problem List window's File menu enable you to log the messages to a user-designated file and close the window. The text field on the right side of the button displays the date and time of the most recent update.

Double-clicking an entry in the list brings up the information window for the device and places the device on the Metadevice Editor's canvas.

Note -

When DiskSuite Tool is minimized, its icon flashes when there is a critical problem.

Accessing and Using Help

The DiskSuite Tool online help program provides detailed information about the DiskSuite Tool and the functionality it provides.

  • To access online help, click Help on the menu bar. Then select either "On Help" or "On Window" from the menu.

  • To access the online help from within a window, click the Help button.

The DiskSuite Tool help utility is shown in Figure 4-27.

Figure 4-27 DiskSuite Tool Help Utility

Graphic

The Help titles displayed in the top window pane identify the list of subjects available for each level of help.

The text in the bottom window pane describes information about using the current menu or command.

Use the scrollbars to the right of each pane to scroll through the help information displayed.

On the left side of the Help utility are buttons used to find information and navigate through the help system. The buttons are described in Table 4-22.

Table 4-22 DiskSuite Tool Help Buttons

Button 

Click On This Button To ... 

Then ... 

Topics 

How To 

Reference 

Display a glossary of DiskSuite terms 

Display instructions for using the help 

Display screen-level help 

Click on a title in the top window pane to view the accompanying help text. 

Previous 

Return to the last-accessed help topic 

The help viewer returns to the previous screen. 

Done 

Exit the online help system 

The help system is closed. 

Tool Registry

This is an application registry file used by DiskSuite Tool to initialize its "Tools" menu selection. Refer to the metatool-toolsmenu(4) man page for more information.

Event Notification

Event notification is a feature that keeps you aware of dynamic state changes, such as creation of a metadevice, a change in a metadevice status, or device errors. Event notification takes care of the following:

  • More than one administrator at a time, if necessary, can run DiskSuite Tool on the same host with the assurance that state changes are propagated to each instance of DiskSuite Tool.

  • When running multiple instances of DiskSuite Tool on the same host, event notification ensures that proper locking occurs to prevent one instance of DiskSuite Tool from overwriting the changes made by another. When one DiskSuite Tool has an uncommitted action, it has a "lock" until a commit occurs or the device is removed.

    Note -

    Though you can run multiple instances of DiskSuite Tool on the same host, it is best to avoid doing so.

  • You can run both DiskSuite Tool and the command line utilities together. Event notification is able to pass state changes from the command line to DiskSuite Tool.

    Note -

    DiskSuite Tool provides the same functionality as the ssaadm(1M) command to start and stop a disk. However, do not use DiskSuite Tool and the ssaadm(1M) together. Doing so could cause DiskSuite Tool to incorrectly display a disk`s status. Always use one or the other to both stop and start a disk.