SVM is not installed on Solaris 11 by default.

# metadb
-bash: metadb: command not found

# /usr/sbin/metadb
-bash: /usr/sbin/metadb: No such file or directory

Install it using pkg utility.

# pkg info svm
pkg: info: no packages matching the following patterns you specified are
installed on the system.  Try specifying -r to query remotely:

        svm

# pkg info -r svm
          Name: storage/svm
       Summary: Solaris Volume Manager
   Description: Solaris Volume Manager commands
      Category: System/Core
         State: Not installed
     Publisher: solaris
       Version: 0.5.11
 Build Release: 5.11
        Branch: 0.175.0.0.0.2.1
Packaging Date: October 19, 2011 06:42:14 AM 
          Size: 3.48 MB
          FMRI: pkg://solaris/storage/svm@0.5.11,5.11-0.175.0.0.0.2.1:20111019T064214Z

# pkg install storage/svm
           Packages to install:   1
       Create boot environment:  No
Create backup boot environment: Yes
            Services to change:   1

DOWNLOAD                                  PKGS       FILES    XFER (MB)
Completed                                  1/1     104/104      1.6/1.6

PHASE                                        ACTIONS
Install Phase                                168/168 

PHASE                                          ITEMS
Package State Update Phase                       1/1 
Image State Update Phase                         2/2 

# which metadb
/usr/sbin/metadb

This time metadb may fail with a different error.

# metadb
metadb: <HOST>: /dev/md/admin: No such file or directory

Check if md.conf exists.

# ls -l  /kernel/drv/md.conf 
-rw-r--r--   1 root     sys          295 Apr 26 15:07 /kernel/drv/md.conf

Dynamically re-scan md.conf so the device tree gets updated.

# update_drv -f md

# ls -l  /dev/md/admin
lrwxrwxrwx   1 root root 31 Apr 20 10:12 /dev/md/admin -> ../../devices/pseudo/md@0:admin

# metadb
metadb: <HOST>: there are no existing databases

Now Solaris Volume Manager is ready to use.

eg.,
#  metadb -f -a c0t5000CCA00A5A7878d0s0

# metadb
        flags           first blk       block count
     a        u         16              8192          /dev/dsk/c0t5000CCA00A5A7878d0s0

Labels: oracle solaris svm solaris+volume+manager

Posted by: Giri Mandalika.    # 11:35 PM Tweet