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Recovering a Failed Physical Machine

Recover a physical machine (PM) when it cannot boot or if it fails to become a PM in the everRun system. In some cases, the everRun Availability Console displays the state of a failed PM as Unreachable (Syncing/Evacuating…).

To recover a PM, you must reinstall the everRun release that the PM has been running using an install ISO. Recovering a failed PM, though, is different from installing the software for the first time. The recovery preserves all data, but it re-creates the /boot and root file systems, re-installs CentOS and the everRun software, and attempts to connect to an existing system.

Warning: This procedure deletes all software you may have installed on the PM and all PM configuration information you may have entered before recovery. After you complete this procedure, you must manually re-install all your software and reconfigure the PM to match your original settings.
Note: If you need to repair or replace the PM, see Replacing Physical Machines, Motherboards, NICs, or RAID Controllers, which requires the Remove operation of a node in maintenance mode.
Prerequisites:  
  1. Determine which PM you need to recover.
  2. Obtain installation software for the everRun release that the PM has been running by using one of the following methods:

    • Download an install ISO from your authorized Stratus service representative.
    • Extract an install ISO into the current working directory from the most recently used upgrade kit by executing a command similar to the following (x.x.x.x is the release number and nnn is the build number):

      tar -xzvf everRun_upgrade-x.x.x.x-nnn.kit *.iso

    After you obtain the correct install ISO, save it or burn it to a DVD. See Obtaining everRun Software.

  3. Check that a monitor and keyboard are connected to the PM that you are recovering.
  4. Check that Ethernet cables are connected from the PM you are recovering to the network or directly to the other PM, if the two everRun system PMs are in close proximity. The Ethernet cable should connect from the first embedded port on the PM you are recovering or from an option (that is, add-on or expansion) port if the PM does not have an embedded port.

To recover a PM

  1. Manually power on the PM that you want to recover. As the PM powers on, enter the firmware (BIOS) setup utility and set the Optical Drive as the first boot device.
  2. Either mount the ISO image or insert the DVD into the PM.
  3. At the Welcome screen, select Recover PM, Join system: Preserving data and press Enter.
  4. When prompted, respond to the Select interface for private Physical Machine connection, and then respond to the prompt Select interface for managing the system (ibiz0).
  5. When prompted to configure ibiz0, select Automatic configuration via DHCP or Manual Configuration (Static Address). (The installation software configures priv0 automatically.)
  6. When installation is complete, the PM ejects the install DVD (if used) and reboots.
  7. As the PM boots, you can view its activity on the Physical Machines page of the everRun Availability Console. The Activity column displays the PM as recovery (in Maintenance) and then running after recovery is complete.
  8. Manually reinstall applications and any other host-level software and reconfigure the PM to match your original settings.

Related Topics

Maintenance Mode

Managing Physical Machines

The everRun Availability Console

The Physical Machines Page

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