How to use zoneadm command in Solaris Servers

Please find the "zoneadm" commands with an example as describe below.
 

➤ How to Verify a Solaris zone:

To verify the local solaris zone you need to run the below command with syntax.

!-[solaris]#zoneadm -z <zone> verify

Example: !-[solaris]#zoneadm -z sunz01 verify

In this example once you run the above command, if your zone is installed properly without any error then this is not showing you any output, that's means it is verified. After running the command if it is showing a message then you need to check the configuration of this zone.

➤ How to Installing a Solaris zone:

To install the local Solaris zone you need to run the below command with syntax.

!-[solaris]#zoneadm -z <zone> install

Example: !-[solaris]#zoneadm -z sunz01 install

In this example when you run the above command then your local zone has been started for installation. It is installed the local zone using the Solaris repostiory or flar images which you are kept at server location.

➤ How to Ready a Solaris zone:

To move the local zone in ready or maintainance state you need to run the below command.

!-[solaris]#zoneadm -z <zone> ready

Example: !-[solaris]#zoneadm -z sunz01 ready

In this example, when we run the above command then your local zone moved in to ready or maintianance state.

➤ How to Boot a Solaris zone:

To boot the solaris zone on global system, you need to run the below command with syantx.

!-[solaris]#zoneadm -z <zone> boot

Example: !-[solaris]#zoneadm -z sunz01 boot

After running the above command your local solaris zone has been boot successfully if it is not showing any error during boot time. If you see any message during the boot time then please check where is the issue.

➤ How to Reboot a Solaris zone:

To reboot or restart the solaris zone on Solaris server, you need to perform the below command on global zone.

!-[solaris]#zoneadm -z <zone> reboot

Example: !-[solaris]#zoneadm -z sunz01 reboot

Using this command the local zone "sunz01" has been restart again successfully. You need to run this command from global zone only.

➤ How to Shutdown/Halt a Solaris zone:

If you want to shutdown or halt your local zone without login it, then you need to run the below command from global zone.

!-[solaris]#zoneadm -z <zone> halt

Example: !-[solaris]#zoneadm -z sunz01 halt

After running this command local solaris zone state change from running to installed state that's means your server is shutdown now.

➤ How to Uninstall a Solaris zone:

If you want to uninstall any solaris zone then you need to run the below command for uninstall the zone.

!-[solaris]#zoneadm -z <zone> uninstall -F

Example: !-[solaris]#zoneadm -z sunz01 uninstall -F

"-F" syntax is used to uninstall the zone forcefully.

➤ How to Viewing a Solaris zone:

if you want to local zone current status and any other display information you need to run the below command.

!-[solaris]#zoneadm list -icv

 ID NAME       STATUS      PATH               BRAND   IP
   0 global         running        /                        solaris      shared
   1 sunz01        running       /zones/sunz01   solaris      excl
   2 sunz02        running       /zones/sunz02   solaris      excl

Using above command you can check the current status of all installed zones on Solaris server. It is show you the zone path and zone information. All the above command you need to run from Global zone with root privileges

How to Remove or Delete a Non-Global Zone from Solaris Operating system

As you aware that Non-Global zone are hosted on Global zone on Solaris Operating system. You can check the Non-Global zone list using "zoneadm" command. It will show you are running and installed zones on Global zones.

 

Please find the below step by step method to remove of local zone from global zone.

Step by Step Method of removal a Non-Global Zone:

First of all you need to check the Non-Global Zone list to ensure which zone is running on the server.

global# zoneadm list -iv

You will see a display that is similar to the following:

ID  NAME     STATUS       PATH                           BRAND      IP
 0    global       running         /                                   solaris    shared
 1    sunz01       running         /zones/sunz01                solaris    shared

In the above command output you can see the Non-Global Zone "sunz01" is running, which we need to remove or delete from Solaris Server.

Now, we need to shutdown the required zone which we need to delete. We can shutdown the Non-Global zone using below commands.

--------------------------------------------

global#zoneadm -z sunz01 halt

or

global#zoneadm -z sunz01 shutdown

or

global#zlogin sunz01 shutdown

-------------------------------------------

In next step when your Non-Global zone shutdown you need to uninstall the local zone. You can used the below method to uninstall the Non-Global Zone.

global#zoneadm -z sunz01 uninstall

Using above command Non-Global zone "sunz01" has been uninstall successfully.

In the last step you need to remove or delete all dataset and configuration files of Non-Global zone "sunz01" from Global zone.

global#zonecfg -z sunz01 delete

Using above command all the configuration files related to this Non-Global zone has been deleted successfully. Now you can remove the folder related to this zone.

So using above method we can remove or delete the Non-Global zone from global zone or Solaris Operating system. Please let me know if you are facing any issue during using this process.

How to create whole root zone on Sun Solaris 11 Operating System

In Solaris 10, we can’t install it without configuring repo on Solaris while in Solaris 11 ,first we need to create a  Solaris 11 repo , then we can install Solaris local zone. In Solaris 11, all the local zones by default uses exclusive ip address. You can’t set the IP address while configuring the zone. After the installation of zone, you can able to configure the IP from the local zone itself.

On my Solaris 11 machine I have already installed one local zone which is used for my R&D work so for this post work I need to install second local zone. So I will clone it from the first local zone.

Step by step method to create a zone on Solaris 11:-

➤ In the first step we will create a new local zone. For the zone creation we will used "zonecfg" command and configure the zones as whole root zone without any options supplied.

!-[solaris]#zonecfg -z sun02

sun02: No such zone configured

Use 'create' to begin configuring a new zone.

zonecfg:sun> create

zonecfg:sun> info

zonename: sun02

zonepath:

brand: native

autoboot: false

bootargs:

pool:

limitpriv:

scheduling-class:

ip-type: shared

hostid:

zonecfg:sun> set zonepath=/zones/sun02

zonecfg:sun > add anet

zonecfg:sun:anet> set linkname=net0

zonecfg:sun:anet> end

zonecfg:sun > verfiy

zonecfg:sun > commit

zonecfg:sun > exit

In the above step, we will create a zne and set the zonepath. In my case my new solaris zone path is "/zones/sun02" in your case you can change your installation zone path. Here, I assign the network interface "net0" for this newly zone.

➤ After successfully zone creation in above step 1, we will go for start the Solaris zone installation in this step. As I explained you for solaris 11 local zone installation we required solaris 11 repo which is used for installation part.

!-[solaris]#zoneadm -z sun02 install

The following ZFS file system(s) have been created:

    rpool/zones/sun02

Progress being logged to /var/log/zones/zoneadm.30220110Z233232Z.sun02.install

       Image: Preparing at /zones/sun02/root.

 AI Manifest: /tmp/manifest.xml.F_ayqq

  SC Profile: /usr/share/auto_install/sc_profiles/enable_sci.xml

    Zonename: sun02

Installation: Starting ...

              Creating IPS image

Startup linked: 1/1 done

        Installing packages from:

solaris  origin:  http://localhost:1008/solaris/ce43f14c4791b5320596e2023cde1ec08709a3af/

DOWNLOAD                                PKGS         FILES    XFER (MB)   SPEED

Completed                            183/183   33556/33556  222.2/222.2  139k/s

PHASE                                          ITEMS

Installing new actions                   46825/46825

Updating package state database               Done

Updating image state                          Done

Creating fast lookup database                 Done

Installation: Succeeded

Note:Man pages can be obtained by installing pkg:/system/manual done. Done: Installation completed in 2392.837 seconds.

Now our newly zone "sun02" has been installed successfully. All the configuration files are keep in /zones/sun02/root directory.

➤ In this step we will boot the newly installed zone "sun02".

!-[solaris]#zoneadm -z sun02 boot

You can check the status of zone that it is running or not after boot.

!-[solaris]#zoneadm list -icv

ID NAME      STATUS     PATH          BRAND    IP

   0 global   running    /            solaris  shared

   1 sun01    running    /zones/sun01 solaris  excl

   3 sun02    running    /zones/sun02 solaris  excl

if you see the above output newly zone "sun02" is running working fine on the solaris 11 operating system.

➤ Now in the next step, we will login on the local zone console to complete the configuration process.

!-[solaris]# zlogin -C sun02

[Connected to zone 'sun02' console]

You can press enter when you will get this message. Now it is asking for some configuration step we need to give a details one by one.

Time Zone: Regions

select the region that contains your time zone.

Regions

UTC/GMT

Africa

Americas

Antarctica

Arctic Ocean

Asia

Atlantic Ocean

Australia

Europe

Indian Ocean

Pacific Ocean

F2_Continue  F3_Back  F6_Help  F9_Quit

Time Zone: Locations

Select the location that contains your time zone.

Locations

x Afghanistan

x Armenia

x Azerbaijan

x Bahrain

x Bangladesh

x Bhutan

x Brunei

x Cambodia

x China

x Cyprus

x East Timor

x Georgia

x Hong Kong

v India

F2_Continue  F3_Back  F6_Help  F9_Quit

Time Zone

Select your time zone.

Time Zones

Asia/Kolkata

F2_Continue  F3_Back  F6_Help  F9_Quit

System Configuration Summary

Review the settings below before continuing. Go back (F3) to make changes.

Time Zone: Asia/Kolkata

Language: *The following can be changed when logging in.

Default language: C/POSIX

Terminal type: vt100

Users:

No user account

Network:

Computer name: sun02

Network Configuration: Automatic

Support configuration:

Not generating a Support profile as OCM and ASR services are not installed.

Hostname: sun02

So now your zone is fully configured ans installed successfully. You can login in zone very easily. So in next step we will see the post configuration settings which is required on local solaris zone.

➤ In the final step you need login to local zone sun02 and configured the ip address on the zone sun02.

!-[solaris]# zlogin -z sun02

You can successfully login in your newly created solaris 11 zone. Please leave a comment if you have any doubt , I will get back to you as soon as possible.