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By: jrecord

November 20, 2014 11:46 am

9,393 views

SCA Pattern Development

The Supportconfig Analysis (SCA) Tools are support features that analyze supportconfig archives for known issues with the purpose of reducing problem resolution time. The SCA Tools require patterns and comes with a wide variety of existing patterns. However, you may want to include your own troubleshooting patterns for your specific environment, or to contribute back […]

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By: jrecord

August 22, 2008 6:50 pm

14,757 views

Rollback SLES Online Updates with LVM Snapshots

Overview Configuration Prepare to Update Update the System Accept the Update Reject the Update Rollback from Disaster Conclusion Overview This document is offered as an alternative solution to Rollback SLES Online Updates with Software RAID1. If you have your system disk configured with Logical Volume Management (LVM), you can implement this solution as a way […]

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By: jrecord

May 14, 2008 12:37 pm

9,203 views

Creating a Central Supportconfig Repository

Overview FTP Server Configuration Host Configuration Conclusion Overview The supportconfig tool gathers system information to troubleshoot problems and reduce resolution time. The troubleshooting process is enhanced when you can compare a working server to a broken one, especially when you can compare the working and broken states of the same server. One challenge is, the […]

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By: jrecord

April 11, 2008 1:37 pm

7,330 views

Rollback SLES Online Updates with Software RAID1

Overview Configuration Break the Mirror Update the Server Accept the Update Reject the Update Why this Works Testing Notes Conclusion Overview I have often been asked if you can rollback a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) after applying an online system update. The answer effectively is no. SLES uses installed RPM packages to build its […]

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By: jrecord

April 4, 2008 4:17 pm

16,544 views

Migrating SLES to Software RAID1

Overview Prepare the non-RAID Disk Create a Degraded Array Copy the System Disk to the Degraded Array Build the Finished Array Related Links Conclusion Overview The purpose of this document is to show how to migrate an existing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) system to a mirrored array (RAID1). This is a dangerous operation! You […]

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By: jrecord

March 7, 2008 4:17 pm

25,911 views

Installing SLES on Software RAID1

Overview Installation Details Did it Work? Related Links Conclusion Overview The wise administrator builds redundancy into the systems he manages. Using a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) is one way to build redundancy. A redundancy strategy is not a backup strategy. I would like to be clear that this article is not a replacement […]

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By: jrecord

March 4, 2008 4:08 pm

21,003 views

A Basic Server Health Check with Supportconfig

Overview Methodology Health Check Overview Basic Environment Check Basic Health Check Basic Problem Solving Table Summary Conclusion Overview When problems arise with a server, the simple is often overlooked. Is the monitor plugged in? Is the install media in the DVD drive? Was the service started? Supportconfig is a tool designed to gather system information […]

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By: jrecord

February 7, 2008 10:42 pm

11,599 views

Troubleshooting a supportconfig Hang

Problem On occasion the supportconfig will hang when gathering data. The supportconfig is just a bash script that runs system commands. There are times that a command is executed at an inappropriate time, causing a hang condition. However, this is rare. Most of the time, the supportconfig just identifies a problem you already have with […]

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By: jrecord

July 27, 2007 3:26 pm

42,743 views

Recovering a Lost LVM Volume Disk

Contents: Overview Server Configuration Disk Belonging to a Volume Group Removed Corrupted LVM Meta Data Disk Permanently Removed Conclusion Overview Logical Volume Management (LVM) provides a high level, flexible view of a server's disk storage. Though robust, problems can occur. The purpose of this document is to review the recovery process when a disk is […]

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