Technical Bulletin Number 43

TO: All Sites Using Network Attached Storage (NAS) Devices with Solaris
FROM: Customer Support
DATE: 10/04/01
SUBJECT: Technical Bulletin Number 43

Solaris Defects That Can Cause Problems for NAS VOB Storage

ClearCase sites that use a certified Network Attached Storage device to hold VOB or view databases served by a ClearCase host running Solaris 2.6, Solaris 7, or Solaris 8 should be aware of a Solaris defect that affects VOB and view servers that store VOB or view databases on a NASdevice.

The fix for Solaris defect 4271267 caused a regression, reported in Solaris defect 4349744, which causes NFS clients to erroneously return EAGAIN to fsync and close system calls. Defect 4349744 prevents ClearCase clients from accessing VOB or view data stored on a NAS Device. The regression is present in several patches for Solaris 2.6 and Solaris 7, and in the base release of Solaris 8. A patch that corrects defect 4349744 is available for Solaris 8. Patches are not yet available for the other Solaris versions.

Rational recommends that you do not apply the patches listed below to Solaris 2.6 or Solaris 7, and that you immediately apply patch 108727-06 (or later) to any Solaris 8 VOB or view server host that uses a certified NAS device for VOB database storage. (It is a good idea to apply this patch to any NFS client.)

* Please contact Sun support for the current status on patches for these operating systems, or if you need to apply any of the patches Rational recommends avoiding.

A related Solaris 8 defect, Sun defect number 4492255, is only applicable if NFS nocto mount option is used. Rational does not support use of this NFS mount option for VOB or view storage.

Any Questions?

If you have any questions regarding the situations discussed in this Technical Bulletin, please contact Rational Customer Support via telephone, fax, electronic mail or web form. For information regarding support hours, languages spoken, or other support information, visit Technical Support on the Rational web site.