Updating Tips

Before You Begin Your Update:

Record Software Versions. To identify what software still needs updating after the OS update, print a swlist listing of all products and bundles prior to the update. For example, enter:

/usr/sbin/swlist | lp

Then compare it with a similar swlist executed after the update.

Rebuild Kernel . Your update could fail if the HP-UX kernel build fails in the starting environment. To ensure that you have a reliable starting point, rebuild the kernel before you update:

Clean Out Your Log Files. To make it easier to check for problems encountered during an update, rename the log files before starting an update:

During The Update:

Monitor The Update Process. If you wish to view the update process in detail, open another terminal window (drag it aside so you can also watch for any messages on the window running update-ux) and use the tail command to view swinstall messages being logged:

tail -f /var/adm/sw/swagent.log

You may also wish to log all messages directed to the console by using the script command. For example, to log all messages into a file named: /tmp/updateOS, enter:

script -a /tmp/updateOS

To halt the script log process, enter: exit

Running Other Commands. You can run other commands during an update, such as viewing files and tail. However, do not run other Software Distributor commands during an update; doing so may cause the commands to function improperly.

Updating Problems? If you encounter a problem during the update process, review Appendix B “Known Problems and Troubleshooting” for possible solutions.

After the Update:

Configuring OE Applications. After updating to an HP-UX 11i operating environment (OE), some OE products will need post-installation configuration to make them functional. This may be indicated by a message logged in /var/adm/sw/swagent.log. Refer to each product's installation instructions for details. Location of OE product documentation is listed in the tables at the back of the Read Before Installing or Updating to HP-UX 11i booklet and in the HP-UX 11i December 2002 Release Notes (available on the Instant Information CD and http://docs.hp.com).

All Software Does Not Get Updated. The update-ux command updates the HP-UX OS and any software specified in additional software bundles available on the source media or depot. When an OE is specified, some products in the OE such as HP Apache-based Web Server, will not automatically get updated if a version of the product not previously installed with an OE already exists on the system. You'll have to update or re-install those products after updating 11i. For more information about how to update these additional software bundles, please see “Update Selectable Software”.

Verify The Update. To verify the software versions after updating, list the products using the swlist command. To verify that all software products are compatible with the new OS, run swverify. These operations are explained in Chapter 7 “Verifying System Migration”.

Back Up Your System! After you update, please back up your system. We recommend using the Ignite-UX make_tape_recovery or make_net_recovery command to create a recovery archive immediately after updating to HP-UX 11i. By backing up your system, you will have a reliable system image to return to if subsequent system changes or a system failure corrupts your system. To use these recovery commands, you need to first install the Ignite-UX bundle as shown later in the update examples.

Use the same process you used to back up your system before migrating to HP-UX 11i. See “Back up Your System!” in Chapter 4 “Preparing To Move To HP-UX 11i ”.