Section 10.4. Final Thoughts

10.4. Final Thoughts

Pre- and post-processing can be scripted and included in the flash archive process. Think about activities you can automate within your recovery or build processes. Here are some common pre-processing examples:

• The ability to interactively choose which disks, slices, and sizes are used during the recovery process

• Using a begin script to create a system profile file during the recovery process

Common post-processing examples include:

• Non-OS filesystem layout

• Modifications to the boot process

• Making changes to the SUN EEPROM

Flash archive is a significant improvement over traditional methods of building and restoring Solaris systems. It removes critical dependencies long considered acceptable and gives the user more flexibility than ever.

With that said, flash archive, much like any other program, utility, or script, is useless without clear, accurate, and tested processes and procedures. Any tool is only a part of an overall process that should be documented and tested periodically to maximize the potential for success.

There are many great sources of documentation on the use of flash archive. A couple of very helpful resources are the Solaris installation and advanced installation guides, available at http://docs.sun.com, and the Sun BluePrints at http://www.sun.com/blueprints.

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