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Hints and Tips 219
that has been released in the last few years (RSPC, SMP, graphics adapters,
disks, and so on) has made cloning machines almost impossible. Up to this
point the only method of cloning was to install all the device drivers on a
machine before you created a mksysb image. If you have a limited disk space
you may run out of space. However, it is recommended to install most of the
available device drivers in order to avoid cloning problems.
If you want to clone for example a PCI-based machine to a Micro Channel
(MCA) based machine and you don’t have the MCA device drivers installed
on your mksysb-tape, there is a way to do a clone, but you still need the
product media at the same level as your mksysb. This procedure will be very
important not only for cloning systems, but also for developers to create a
snapshot of the system in order to reproduce the environment in which a
problem was detected.
In AIX Version 4.1, there are two kinds of platforms, rs6k and rspc, and two
different kernels for uniprocessor (UP) and multiprocessor (MP). The rs6k
boot images differ from the rspc boot images, and one will not boot the other.
The rspc boot image has some specific boot information at the front of the
image that the rs6k does not understand. So, to avoid this boot image
mismatch problem, we advise using the product media, preferably a
CD-ROM, because it contains both boot images and can boot any system.
To determine what platform type your machine is, enter:
# bootinfo -T rsk6 or rspc
To determine what kernel your system uses, enter:
# bootinfo -z 0 = UP 1 = MP
This method allows you to clone with physical media, meaning with CD-ROM
product media, a mksysb tape and a customized diskette.
If you are installing a UP mksysb to an MP system with these levels, and you
are using, for example, the base 4.1.4.0 media, then the
bos.rte.mp fileset
that will be installed by the cloning script will only be level 4.1.4.0. When the
system reboots, you may not be able to log in. The error you will receive will
be Failed setting user credentials. To fix this problem, you will need to boot
into maintenance mode from the 4.1.4.0 media and update the
bos.rte.mp
fileset to at least the 4.1.4.6 level. The libs and kernel will then be in sync and
you will be able to log in.
So, if you can check the level of the bos.rte.up kernel before you create your
mksysb (if you are going to clone to an MP system), you can install the MP
kernel and its updates before you create your mksysb. If you are not in that