Metadevice State Database Conventions
What is the size of a state database replica?
By default, 517 Kbytes or 1034 disk blocks of a slice. Because your disk slices may
not be that small, you may want to resize a slice to hold the state database replica.
(See Solstice DiskSuite 4.2.1 User’s Guide for more information on resizing a slice.)
What are the minimum number of state database replicas required?
Three (3), preferably spread out across at least three disks (to avoid a single
point-of-failure). DiskSuite does not operate with less than a majority.
What are the maximum number of state database replicas possible?
50.
Where are state database replicas created?
You can create state database replicas on slices not in use.
You cannot create state database replicas on existing file systems, root (/), /usr,
and swap. If necessary, you can create a new slice (provided a slice name is
available) by allocating space from swap and put state database replicas on that
new slice. See Solstice DiskSuite 4.2.1 User’s Guide for more information.
Can I create a state database replica on a slice that will be part of a metadevice?
Yes, but you must create it before adding the slice to the metadevice. You can also
create a state database replica on a logging device. DiskSuite reserves the starting
part of the slice for the state database replica.
Can I place more than one state database replica on a single disk drive?
In general, it is best to distribute state database replicas across slices, drives, and
controllers, to avoid single points-of-failure.
If you have two disks, create two state database replicas on each disk.
What happens if a slice that contains a state database replica becomes errored?
The rest of your configuration should remain in operation. DiskSuite finds a good
state database (as long as there are at least half + 1 valid state database replicas).
What happens when state database replicas are repaired?
When you manually repair or enable state database replicas, DiskSuite updates
them with valid data.