1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
2 <refentry id="vos_release1">
4 <refentrytitle>vos release</refentrytitle>
5 <manvolnum>1</manvolnum>
8 <refname>vos release</refname>
9 <refpurpose>Updates read-only volumes to match the read/write source volume</refpurpose>
12 <title>Synopsis</title>
13 <para><emphasis role="bold">vos release</emphasis> <emphasis role="bold">-id</emphasis> <<emphasis>volume name or ID</emphasis>> [<emphasis role="bold">-f</emphasis>]
14 [<emphasis role="bold">-cell</emphasis> <<emphasis>cell name</emphasis>>] [<emphasis role="bold">-noauth</emphasis>] [<emphasis role="bold">-localauth</emphasis>] [<emphasis role="bold">-verbose</emphasis>]
15 [<emphasis role="bold">-help</emphasis>]</para>
17 <para><emphasis role="bold">vos rel</emphasis> <emphasis role="bold">-i</emphasis> <<emphasis>volume name or ID</emphasis>> [<emphasis role="bold">-f</emphasis>] [<emphasis role="bold">-c</emphasis> <<emphasis>cell name</emphasis>>]
18 [<emphasis role="bold">-n</emphasis>] [<emphasis role="bold">-l</emphasis>] [<emphasis role="bold">-v</emphasis>] [<emphasis role="bold">-h</emphasis>]</para>
22 <title>Description</title>
23 <para>The <emphasis role="bold">vos release</emphasis> command copies the contents of the indicated read/write
24 source volume to each read-only site defined in the source volume's Volume
25 Location Database (VLDB) entry. (Use the <emphasis role="bold">vos addsite</emphasis> command to define
26 sites as necessary before issuing this command). Each read-only copy has
27 the same name as read/write source with the addition of a <computeroutput>.readonly</computeroutput>
30 <para>For users to have a consistent view of the file system, the release of the
31 new volume version must be atomic: either all read-only sites receive the
32 new version, or all sites keep the version they currently have. The <emphasis role="bold">vos
33 release</emphasis> command is designed to ensure that all copies of the volume's
34 read-only version match both the read/write source and each other. In
35 cases where problems such as machine or server process outages prevent
36 successful completion of the release operation, AFS uses two mechanisms to
37 alert the administrator.</para>
39 <para>First, the command interpreter generates an error message on the standard
40 error stream naming each read-only site that did not receive the new
41 volume version. Second, during the release operation the Volume Location
42 (VL) Server marks site definitions in the VLDB entry with flags (<computeroutput>New
43 release</computeroutput> and <computeroutput>Old release</computeroutput>) that indicate whether or not the site has the
44 new volume version. If any flags remain after the operation completes, it
45 was not successful. The Cache Manager refuses to access a read-only site
46 marked with the <computeroutput>Old release</computeroutput> flag, which potentially imposes a greater
47 load on the sites marked with the <computeroutput>New release</computeroutput> flag. It is important to
48 investigate and eliminate the cause of the failure and then to issue the
49 <emphasis role="bold">vos release</emphasis> command as many times as necessary to complete the release
50 without errors.</para>
52 <para>The pattern of site flags remaining in the volume's VLDB entry after a
53 failed release operation can help determine the point at which the
54 operation failed. Use the <emphasis role="bold">vos examine</emphasis> or <emphasis role="bold">vos listvldb</emphasis> command to
55 display the VLDB entry. The VL Server sets the flags in concert with the
56 Volume Server's operations, as follows:</para>
60 <para>Before the operation begins, the VL Server sets the <computeroutput>New release</computeroutput> flag on
61 the read/write site definition in the VLDB entry and the <computeroutput>Old release</computeroutput>
62 flag on read-only site definitions (unless the read-only site has been
63 defined since the last release operation and has no actual volume, in
64 which case its site flag remains <computeroutput>Not released</computeroutput>).</para>
68 <para>If necessary, the Volume Server creates a temporary copy (a <emphasis>clone</emphasis>) of
69 the read/write source called the ReleaseClone (see the following
70 discussion of when the Volume Server does or does not create a new
71 ReleaseClone.) It assigns the ReleaseClone its own volume ID number, which
72 the VL Server records in the <computeroutput>RClone</computeroutput> field of the source volume's VLDB
77 <para>The Volume Server distributes a copy of the ReleaseClone to each read-only
78 site defined in the VLDB entry. As the site successfully receives the new
79 clone, the VL Server sets the site's flag in the VLDB entry to <computeroutput>New
80 release</computeroutput>.</para>
84 <para>When all the read-only copies are successfully released, the VL Server
85 clears all the <computeroutput>New release</computeroutput> site flags. The ReleaseClone is no longer
86 needed, so the Volume Server deletes it and the VL Server erases its ID
87 from the VLDB entry.</para>
91 <para>By default, the Volume Server determines automatically whether or not it
92 needs to create a new ReleaseClone:</para>
96 <para>If there are no flags (<computeroutput>New release</computeroutput>, <computeroutput>Old release</computeroutput>, or <computeroutput>Not released</computeroutput>)
97 on site definitions in the VLDB entry, the previous <emphasis role="bold">vos release</emphasis> command
98 completed successfully and all read-only sites currently have the same
99 volume. The Volume Server infers that the current <emphasis role="bold">vos release</emphasis> command
100 was issued because the read/write volume has changed. The Volume Server
101 creates a new ReleaseClone and distributes it to all of the read-only
106 <para>If any site definition in the VLDB entry is marked with a flag, either the
107 previous release operation did not complete successfully or a new
108 read-only site was defined since the last release. The Volume Server does
109 not create a new ReleaseClone, instead distributing the existing
110 ReleaseClone to sites marked with the <computeroutput>Old release</computeroutput> or <computeroutput>Not released</computeroutput>
111 flag. As previously noted, the VL Server marks each VLDB site definition
112 with the <computeroutput>New release</computeroutput> flag as the site receives the ReleaseClone, and
113 clears all flags after all sites successfully receive it.</para>
117 <para>To override the default behavior, forcing the Volume Server to create and
118 release a new ReleaseClone to the read-only sites, include the <emphasis role="bold">-f</emphasis>
119 flag. This is appropriate if, for example, the data at the read/write site
120 has changed since the existing ReleaseClone was created during the
121 previous release operation.</para>
125 <title>Options</title>
128 <term><emphasis role="bold">-id</emphasis> <<emphasis>volume name or id</emphasis>></term>
130 <para>Specifies either the complete name or volume ID number of a read/write
136 <term><emphasis role="bold">-f</emphasis></term>
138 <para>Creates a new ReleaseClone and distributes it all read-only sites
139 regardless of whether or not any site definitions in the VLDB entry are
140 marked with a flag.</para>
145 <term><emphasis role="bold">-cell</emphasis> <<emphasis>cell name</emphasis>></term>
147 <para>Names the cell in which to run the command. Do not combine this argument
148 with the <emphasis role="bold">-localauth</emphasis> flag. For more details, see <link linkend="vos1">vos(1)</link>.</para>
153 <term><emphasis role="bold">-noauth</emphasis></term>
155 <para>Assigns the unprivileged identity <computeroutput>anonymous</computeroutput> to the issuer. Do not
156 combine this flag with the <emphasis role="bold">-localauth</emphasis> flag. For more details, see
157 <link linkend="vos1">vos(1)</link>.</para>
162 <term><emphasis role="bold">-localauth</emphasis></term>
164 <para>Constructs a server ticket using a key from the local
165 <replaceable>/usr/afs/etc/KeyFile</replaceable> file. The <emphasis role="bold">vos</emphasis> command interpreter presents it
166 to the Volume Server and Volume Location Server during mutual
167 authentication. Do not combine this flag with the <emphasis role="bold">-cell</emphasis> argument or
168 <emphasis role="bold">-noauth</emphasis> flag. For more details, see <link linkend="vos1">vos(1)</link>.</para>
173 <term><emphasis role="bold">-verbose</emphasis></term>
175 <para>Produces on the standard output stream a detailed trace of the command's
176 execution. If this argument is omitted, only warnings and error messages
182 <term><emphasis role="bold">-help</emphasis></term>
184 <para>Prints the online help for this command. All other valid options are
192 <title>Examples</title>
193 <para>The following command clones the read/write volume usr and releases it to
194 the read-only sites defined in its VLDB entry.</para>
202 <title>Privilege Required</title>
203 <para>The issuer must be listed in the <replaceable>/usr/afs/etc/UserList</replaceable> file on the
204 machine specified with the <emphasis role="bold">-server</emphasis> argument and on each database server
205 machine. If the <emphasis role="bold">-localauth</emphasis> flag is included, the issuer must instead be
206 logged on to a server machine as the local superuser <computeroutput>root</computeroutput>.</para>
210 <title>See Also</title>
211 <para><link linkend="vos1">vos(1)</link>,
212 <link linkend="vos_addsite1">vos_addsite(1)</link>,
213 <link linkend="vos_examine1">vos_examine(1)</link>,
214 <link linkend="vos_listvldb1">vos_listvldb(1)</link></para>
218 <title>Copyright</title>
219 <para>IBM Corporation 2000. <http://www.ibm.com/> All Rights Reserved.</para>
221 <para>This documentation is covered by the IBM Public License Version 1.0. It was
222 converted from HTML to POD by software written by Chas Williams and Russ
223 Allbery, based on work by Alf Wachsmann and Elizabeth Cassell.</para>