A start/stop script for ramdisks in the Solaris OS

by Bernd Schemmer, November 2008

Homepage: http://www.bnsmb.de/

Table of contents

Introduction

Purpose

This article describes a start/stop script for ramdisks in the Solaris OS. Using this script you can start and stop one or more ramdisks either manually or automatically while booting the system.
The script also supports an initial load of the data for the ramdisk after creating the ramdisk and a backup of the data on the ramdisk to another directory before destroying the ramdisk.

Note:

Although the script provides a function to backup the data from the ramdisk to another filesystem you should not rely
on this feature for important data! In case of a machine crash or after executing the halt command no stop scripts
will be executed and all data on the ramdisks are lost!

See the article Using a SVM submirror on a ramdisk to increase read performance for a ramdisk usage without data loss.

Scope

This article only describes the script and the usage of the script - it does not discuss the concept of a ramdisk in general.
For a more indepth article about the various ramdisk types in the Solaris OS see the article Talking about /tmp and RAM disks in the Solaris OS.

Prerequisites

A machine running the Solaris 10 OS (either for SPARC or for x86); the script also runs in Solaris 9 but I did not test all features of the script in Solaris 9 yet.

The necessary files for ramdisks are part of the core functionality of Solaris and should exist on every Solaris 10 installation.

The script was tested in Solaris 10 5/08 for SPARC and Solaris 10 10/08 for x86. Minor tests were done in Solaris 9 for SPARC.

References

Talking about /tmp and RAM disks in the Solaris OS

Using a SVM submirror on a ramdisk to increase read performance

ramdiskadm(1m) man page

Installation

To install the script copy it to /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk and make it executable. The script is a regular bourne shell script and only uses standard Solaris commands.

To automatically create ramdisks at startup create either symbolic links to the script in one of the /etc/rc* directories or, in Solaris 10 and newer, create SMF services for the script.

The script

#!/bin/sh
## --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
##
## startstop_ramdisk - start/stop script to create or destroy a ramdisk
##
## The script can be used to create a ramdisk, optionally mount it, and optionally
## copy initial data to the ramdisk.
##
## The script can also be used to destroy a ramdisk with optionally creating a
## backup of the data on the ramdisk before destroying it.
##
## Author:
##
##	Bernd Schemmer (Bernd.Schemmer@gmx.de)
##
## History
##
##	22.11.2008 v1.0.0/bs
##		initial release
##
## Usage:
##
## 	startstop_ramdisk [help|start|stop|status|viewconfig|backup {backupdir}]
##
## Environment variables used by this script:
##
##	VERBOSE
##		if set, print verbose messages
##
##	QUIET
##		if set, print no messages at all
##
## Notes:
##
## 	The script supports a config file. The name of the config file is
##
## 		/etc/{scriptname}.conf
##
## 	where {scriptname} is the name of the script without a leading K## or S##.
##
## 	Examples:
##
##	Scriptname			Config file
## 	-----------------------------------------------------------
##	/etc/rcS.d/S99ramdisk1	 	/etc/ramdisk1.conf
##	/etc/rc3.d/K01ramdisk1	 	/etc/ramdisk1.conf
##	/etc/rcS.d/S99ramdisk2	 	/etc/ramdisk2.conf
##      /etc/init.d/ramdisk2		/etc/ramdisk2.conf
##	/usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk	/etc/startstop_ramdisk.con
##
##	To create the config file just copy the statements between
##
##		--- configuration starts ----
##	and
##		-- configuration ends ---
##
## 	to the config file and change the values of the variables to your need.
##
## 	To use more than one ramdisk create symbolic links with different names :
##
## 	e.g. if the script is in the directory /etc/init.d and called startstop_ramdisk
##
##	# This invocation reads the config from the file /etc/start_ramdisk1.conf
## 	ln -s ../init.d/startstop_ramdisk /etc/rc2.d/S05start_ramdisk1
##
##	# This invocation reads the config from the file /etc/start_ramdisk2.conf
## 	ln -s ../init.d/startstop_ramdisk /etc/rc2.d/S06start_ramdisk2
##
##
## In Solaris 10 you should create a SMF service to start and stop the ramdisk(s)
## automatically
##
## --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#
# License
#
# CDDL HEADER START
#
# The contents of this file are subject to the terms of the
# Common Development and Distribution License, Version 1.0 only
# (the "License").  You may not use this file except in compliance
# with the License.
#
# You can obtain a copy of the license at usr/src/OPENSOLARIS.LICENSE
# or http://www.opensolaris.org/os/licensing.
# See the License for the specific language governing permissions
# and limitations under the License.
#
# When distributing Covered Code, include this CDDL HEADER in each
# file and include the License file at usr/src/OPENSOLARIS.LICENSE.
# If applicable, add the following below this CDDL HEADER, with the
# fields enclosed by brackets "[]" replaced with your own identifying
# information: Portions Copyright [yyyy] [name of copyright owner]
#
# CDDL HEADER END
#
#
# Copyright 2006, 2007 Bernd Schemmer  All rights reserved.
# Use is subject to license terms.


# --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# init the variables for the name of the script ...
#
BASENAME="` basename $0 `"

# ... and the config file
#
CONFIG_FILE="/etc/` echo ${BASENAME} | sed \"s/^[KS][0-9][0-9]//g\" `.conf"

# init some constants
#
TRUE=0
FALSE=1

# binary for creating and destroying the ramdisk
#
RAMDISKADM="/usr/sbin/ramdiskadm"

# set the PATH
#
PATH=/usr/sbin:/usr/bin ; export PATH

# init the variables


# -- the following variables can be in the config file to override the defaulst ----


#		--- configuration starts ----

# name of the ramdisk (see ramdiskadm(1m) for valid names)
#
RAMDISK_NAME="ramdisk1"

# ramdisk size (see ramdiskadm(1m) for known values)
#
RAMDISK_SIZE="40m"

# type of the filesystem for the ramdisk
# (default: "" which means ufs)
#
# Note: If RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM is not equal "" mkfs is used to create the filesystem.
# 	In this case you must add all necessary parameter and options for mkfs
#       (except -F <filesystemtype>) in the variable MOUNT_FILESYSTEM_OPTIONS
#       e.g. for 40mb ramdisk with UFS the options must look like
#
#		/dev/rramdisk/ramdisk1 81872 602 1 8192 1024 16 10 120 2048 t 0 -1 8 1 n
#
#	If RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM is equal "" newfs is used to create the filesystem
#
RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM=""

# options for creating the filesystem on the ramdisk
# (use "" for none)
#
RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM_OPTIONS=""

# mount point for the ramdisk
# (use "" for none)
#
# Note: The mountpoint will be created if it does not exist
#
RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT="/ramdisk1"

# options for mounting the ramdisk
# (use "" for none)
#
RAMDISK_MOUNT_OPTIONS=""

# directory with the initial data for the ramdisk
# (use "" for none)
#
LOAD_DATA_DIR=""

# directory to which the data on the ramdisk should be copied before
# destroying the ramdisk. The directory will be created if it dos not exist
# (use "" for none)
#
# The script creates a logfile of the backup in the backup directory with the name
# 	{scriptname}.backup.log
#
BACKUP_DIR=""

# automatically backup the ramdisk before destroying it? (${TRUE} = yes, else not )
#
AUTO_BACKUP_DATA=${TRUE}

# Remove existing files and directories in the backup directory before copying the
# data from the ramdisk? (${TRUE}= yes, else = no)
#
CLEANUP_BACKUP_DIR=${TRUE}

# log file for the backup
#
BACKUP_LOGFILE="/var/log/${BASENAME}.backup.log"

#		-- configuration ends ---

# ------------------ end of config variables for the config file ------------------


# --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# sub routines

logMsg() {
	[ "${QUIET}"x  = ""x ] && echo "${BASENAME}: $*"
}

logInfo() {
	[ "${VERBOSE}"x != ""x ] && logMsg "$*" >&2
}


die() {
	THISRC=$1
	if [ $# -ne 0 ] ; then
		shift
		[ ${THISRC} -gt 1 ] && logMsg "ERROR: $* !" >&2 || logMsg "$*"
	fi
	exit ${THISRC}
}


BackupData() {
	CUR_BACKUP_DIR="$1"

	if [ ! -d "${CUR_BACKUP_DIR}" ] ; then
		logInfo "Creating the backup directory \"${CUR_BACKUP_DIR}\" ..."
		mkdir -p "${CUR_BACKUP_DIR}" || \
			die 151 "Error creating the backup directory \"${CUR_BACKUP_DIR}\" "
	fi
	if [ ${CLEANUP_BACKUP_DIR} = ${TRUE} ] ; then
		logInfo "Cleaning the directory \"${CUR_BACKUP_DIR}\" ..."
		rm -r ${CUR_BACKUP_DIR}\* 2>/dev/null
	fi
	logMsg "Backing up the data of the ramdisk to \"${CUR_BACKUP_DIR}\" ..."

	echo "
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Backup of the ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" started at ` date `
" >>"${BACKUP_LOGFILE}"

	cd "${CUR_RAMDISK_MOUNPOINT}" && find . | cpio -pdumv "${CUR_BACKUP_DIR}"  >>"${BACKUP_LOGFILE}" 2>&1
	CPIO_RC=$?

	echo "
Backup of the ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" ended at ` date ` ; the RC is ${CPIO_RC}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
" >>"${BACKUP_LOGFILE}"

		[ ${CPIO_RC} != 0 ] && die 155 "Error backing up the data from the ramdisk to \"${CUR_BACKUP_DIR}\" "
	return 0
}

viewRamdiskConfig() {
	logMsg "The name of the config file is \"${CONFIG_FILE}\" "
	if [ ! -r "${CONFIG_FILE}" ] ; then
		logMsg "The config file does not exist or is not readable"
	fi
	logMsg "The ramdisk to process is \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" "
	logMsg "The size of the ramdisk is \"${RAMDISK_SIZE}\""
	logMsg "The filesystem for the ramdisk is \"${RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM}\" (\"\" = ufs)"
	logMsg "The options for creating the filesystem are \"${RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM_OPTIONS}\" "
	logMsg "The mount point for the ramdisk is \"${RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT}\" "
	logMsg "The options for mounting the filesystem are \"${RAMDISK_MOUNT_OPTIONS}\" "
	logMsg "The directory for the initial data load is \"${LOAD_DATA_DIR}\" "
	logMsg "The backup directory is \"${BACKUP_DIR}\" "
	logMsg "Automatically backup the data on shutdown: ${AUTO_BACKUP_DATA} (0 = yes)"
	logMsg "Cleanup the backup directory before backing up the data: ${CLEANUP_BACKUP_DIR} (0 = yes)"
}

# --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# main routine starts here

# check for a config file
#
logInfo "The configfile to use is \"${CONFIG_FILE}\" "

CONFIG_FILE_FOUND=${FALSE}
if [ "${CONFIG_FILE}"x != ""x ] ; then
	if [ -r "${CONFIG_FILE}" ] ; then
		logMsg "Config file \"${CONFIG_FILE}\" found - now reading it ..."
		. "${CONFIG_FILE}"
		CONFIG_FILE_FOUND=${TRUE}
	fi
fi

# init the return code of the script
#
MAINRC=200

# save the parameter
#
ACTION="$1"
[ $# -ne 0 ] && shift
ACTION_PARAMETER="$*"

# check the variables
#
[ "${RAMDISK_NAME}"x = ""x ] && die 10 "The variable RAMDISK_NAME is not defined"
[ "${RAMDISKADM}"x = ""x ] && die 15 "The variable RAMDISKADM is not defined"

[ ! -x "${RAMDISKADM}" ] && die 35 "Binary \"${RAMDISKADM}\" not found or not executable"

# check if the script is executed by root
#
 [ "` id | sed 's/uid=\([0-9]*\)(.*/\1/' `" != 0 ] && \
	die 45 "You must be root to execute this script"

# get the status of the ramdisk
#
RAMDISK_DEFINED=${FALSE}
${RAMDISKADM} |  grep -v grep | grep "/dev/ramdisk/${RAMDISK_NAME}" >/dev/null 2>/dev/null
if [ $? -eq 0 ] ; then
	RAMDISK_DEFINED=${TRUE}

# read the ramdisk configuration
	CUR_RAMDISK_FSTYP="` fstyp "/dev/rramdisk/${RAMDISK_NAME}" 2>/dev/null `"
	if [ $? -eq 0 ] ; then
		set ` df -k "/dev/ramdisk/${RAMDISK_NAME}" 2>/dev/null | tail -1 ` >/dev/null
		CUR_RAMDISK_SIZE="$2"
		CUR_RAMDISK_USED="$3"
		CUR_RAMDISK_FREE="$4"
		CUR_RAMDISK_USED_REL="$5"
		CUR_RAMDISK_MOUNPOINT="$6"
	fi
fi

# now process the parameter
#
case ${ACTION} in

	start )
		logMsg "Creating the ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" ..."
		if [ ${RAMDISK_DEFINED} = ${TRUE} ] ; then
			logMsg "The ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" is already defined."
			MAINRC=0
		else
			logInfo "Creating the ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" with the size ${RAMDISK_SIZE} .."
			${RAMDISKADM} -a ${RAMDISK_NAME} ${RAMDISK_SIZE} || \
				die 105 "Error creating the ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" (RC=$?)"

			logInfo "Creating a filesystem on the ramdisk ..."

			if [ "${RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM}"x != ""x  ] ; then
				mkfs -F "${RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM}" ${RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM_OPTIONS} "/dev/rramdisk/${RAMDISK_NAME}" || \
					die 107 "Error creating the filesystem on the ramdisk (RC=$?)"
			else
				yes | newfs  ${RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM_OPTIONS} "/dev/rramdisk/${RAMDISK_NAME}" || \
					die 108 "Error creating the filesystem on the ramdisk (RC=$?)"
			fi

			logMsg "ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" created."
			if [ "${RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT}"x != ""x ] ; then
				if [ ! -d "${RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT}" ] ; then
					logInfo "Creating the mount point \"${RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT}\" ..."
					mkdir -p "${RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT}" || \
						die 109 "Error creating the mount point \"${RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT}\" (RC=$?)"
				fi
				logInfo "Mounting the ramdisk to \"${RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT}\" with the options \"${RAMDISK_MOUNT_OPTIONS}\" ..."
				[ "${RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM}"x != ""x ] && MOUNT_PARAMETER="-F ${RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM}" || MOUNT_PARAMETER=""
				mount ${MOUNT_PARAMETER} ${RAMDISK_MOUNT_OPTIONS} "/dev/ramdisk/${RAMDISK_NAME}" "${RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT}" || \
					die 111 "Error mounting the ramdisk to \"${RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT}\" (RC=$?)"
				if [ "${LOAD_DATA_DIR}"x != ""x -a  -d "${LOAD_DATA_DIR}/." ] ; then
					logInfo "Copying the data from the directory \"${LOAD_DATA_DIR}\" to the ramdisk ..."
					cd "${LOAD_DATA_DIR}" && find . | cpio -pdum "${RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT}" || \
						die 113 "Error copying the data from the directory \"${LOAD_DATA_DIR}\" to the ramdisk"
				fi
				logMsg "ramdisk mounted at \"${RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT}\"."
			fi
			MAINRC=0
		fi
		;;

	stop )
		logMsg "Destroying the ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" ..."
		if [ ${RAMDISK_DEFINED} = ${FALSE} ] ; then
			logMsg "The ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" is not defined."
			MAINRC=0
		else
			if [ "${CUR_RAMDISK_MOUNPOINT}"x = ""x ] ; then
				logMsg "The ramdisk is not mounted; will not backup the data from the ramdisk"
			else
				[ "${BACKUP_DIR}"x != ""x  -a ${AUTO_BACKUP_DATA} = ${TRUE} ] && \
					BackupData "${BACKUP_DIR}"
				cd /
				logInfo "Umounting the ramdisk ...."
				umount "${CUR_RAMDISK_MOUNPOINT}" || \
					die 157 "Error umounting the ramdisk (RC=$?)"
			fi
			logInfo "Destroying the ramdisk ..."
			${RAMDISKADM} -d "${RAMDISK_NAME}"  || \
				die 159 "Error destroying the ramdisk (RC=$?)"
			MAINRC=0
		fi
		;;

	status | viewconfig )
		if [ "${ACTION}"x = "status"x ] ; then
			logMsg "Checking the status of the ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" ..."
		else
			logMsg "The configuration of the ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" is:"
			viewRamdiskConfig
		fi

		if [ ${RAMDISK_DEFINED} = ${TRUE} ] ; then
			logMsg "The ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" is already defined."
			[ "${CUR_RAMDISK_SIZE}"x != ""x ] && \
				logMsg "The size of the ramdisk is ${CUR_RAMDISK_SIZE} kb, ${CUR_RAMDISK_USED} kb are used (${CUR_RAMDISK_USED_REL}) and ${CUR_RAMDISK_FREE} kb are free" || \
				logMsg "There is no known filesystem on the ramdisk"
			[ "${CUR_RAMDISK_MOUNPOINT}"x != ""x ] && logMsg "The ramdisk is mounted to \"${CUR_RAMDISK_MOUNPOINT}\"; the filesystem is \"${CUR_RAMDISK_FSTYP}\" " || logMsg "The ramdisk is not mounted."
			MAINRC=0
		else
			logMsg "The ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" is not defined."
			MAINRC=1
		fi
		;;

	backup )
		logMsg "Backing up the data from the ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\" ..."
		TEMP_BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR}"
		[ "${ACTION_PARAMETER}"x != ""x ] && TEMP_BACKUP_DIR="${ACTION_PARAMETER}"
		if [ "${TEMP_BACKUP_DIR}"x != ""x ] ; then
			BackupData "${TEMP_BACKUP_DIR}"
		else
			die 165 "No backup directory defined for the ramdisk \"${RAMDISK_NAME}\""
		fi
		MAINRC=0
		;;

	help )
		grep "^##" "$0" | cut -c2-
		MAINRC=5
		;;

	*  )
		logMsg "Usage: ${BASENAME} [help|start|stop|status|viewconfig|backup {backupdir}]"
		MAINRC=5

esac

exit ${MAINRC}

Script Usage

bash-3.00# /usr/bin/startstop_ramdisk
startstop_ramdisk: Usage: startstop_ramdisk [help|start|stop|status|viewconfig|backup {backupdir}]

Note: To get a verbose help text use the parameter help. 

The config file for the script

The script supports a config file. The name of the config file is

/etc/{scriptname}.conf

 where {scriptname} is the name of the script without a leading K## or S##.

Examples:

Scriptname
Config file
/etc/rcS.d/S99ramdisk1 /etc/ramdisk1.conf
/etc/rc3.d/K01ramdisk1 /etc/ramdisk1.conf
/etc/rcS.d/S99ramdisk2 /etc/ramdisk2.conf
/usr/bin/ramdisk1 /etc/ramdisk1.conf
/usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk
/etc/startstop_ramdisk.conf

Sample config file for the script

#               --- configuration starts ----

# name of the ramdisk (see ramdiskadm(1m) for valid names)
#
RAMDISK_NAME="ramdisk1"

# ramdisk size (see ramdiskadm(1m) for known values)
#
RAMDISK_SIZE="40m"

# type of the filesystem for the ramdisk
# (default: "" which means ufs)
#
# Note: If RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM is not equal "" mkfs is used to create the filesystem.
#               In this case you must add all necessary options for mkfs in the
#               variable MOUNT_FILESYSTEM_OPTIONS
#               If RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM is equal "" newfs is used to create the filesystem.
#
RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM=""

# options for creating the filesystem on the ramdisk
# (use "" for none)
#
RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM_OPTIONS=""

# mount point for the ramdisk
# (use "" for none)
#
# Note: The mounpoint will be created if it does not exist
#
RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT="/ramdisk1"

# options for mounting the ramdisk
# (use "" for none)
#
RAMDISK_MOUNT_OPTIONS=""

# directory with the initial data for the ramdisk
# (use "" for none)
#
LOAD_DATA_DIR=""

# directory to which the data on the ramdisk should be copied before
# destroying the ramdisk
# (use "" for none)
#
BACKUP_DIR="/var/tmp/ramdisk1"

# Remove existing files and directories in the backup directory before copying the data
# from the ramdisk? (${TRUE}= yes, else = no)
#
CLEANUP_BACKUP_DIR=${TRUE}

# automatically backup the ramdisk before destroying it? (${TRUE} = yes, else not )
#
AUTO_BACKUP_DATA=${TRUE}
# log file for the backup
#
BACKUP_LOGFILE="/var/log/${BASENAME}.backup.log"


#               -- configuration ends ---

Usage examples

Usage example 1 - manually creating and destroying a ramdisk

# the ramdisk is not yet defined:
#
bash-3.00# /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk status
startstop_ramdisk: Checking the status of the ramdisk "ramdisk1" ...
startstop_ramdisk: The ramdisk "ramdisk1" is not defined.

# view the configuration for the ramdisk:
#
bash-3.00# /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk viewconfig
startstop_ramdisk: The configuration of the ramdisk "ramdisk1" is:
startstop_ramdisk: The name of the config file is "/etc/startstop_ramdisk.conf"
startstop_ramdisk: The config file does not exist or is not readable
startstop_ramdisk: The ramdisk to process is "ramdisk1"
startstop_ramdisk: The size of the ramdisk is "40m"
startstop_ramdisk: The filesystem for the ramdisk is "" ("" = ufs)
startstop_ramdisk: The options for creating the filesystem are ""
startstop_ramdisk: The mount point for the ramdisk is "/ramdisk1"
startstop_ramdisk: The options for mounting the filesystem are ""
startstop_ramdisk: The directory for the initial data load is ""
startstop_ramdisk: The backup directory is ""
startstop_ramdisk: Automatically backup the data on shutdown: 0 (0 = yes)
startstop_ramdisk: Cleanup the backup directory before backing up the data: 0 (0 = yes)
startstop_ramdisk: The ramdisk "ramdisk1" is not defined.

# start the ramdisk:
#
bash-3.00# /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk start
startstop_ramdisk: Creating the ramdisk "ramdisk1" ...
/dev/ramdisk/ramdisk1
/dev/rramdisk/ramdisk1: Unable to find Media type. Proceeding with system determined parameters.
/dev/rramdisk/ramdisk1: 81872 sectors in 136 cylinders of 1 tracks, 602 sectors
        40.0MB in 9 cyl groups (16 c/g, 4.70MB/g, 2240 i/g)
super-block backups (for fsck -F ufs -o b=#) at:
 32, 9664, 19296, 28928, 38560, 48192, 57824, 67456, 77088,

startstop_ramdisk: ramdisk "ramdisk1" created.
startstop_ramdisk: ramdisk mounted at "/ramdisk1".


# view the config of the ramdisk again:
#
bash-3.00# /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk viewconfig
startstop_ramdisk: The configuration of the ramdisk "ramdisk1" is:
startstop_ramdisk: The name of the config file is "/etc/startstop_ramdisk.conf"
startstop_ramdisk: The config file does not exist or is not readable
startstop_ramdisk: The ramdisk to process is "ramdisk1"
startstop_ramdisk: The size of the ramdisk is "40m"
startstop_ramdisk: The filesystem for the ramdisk is "" ("" = ufs)
startstop_ramdisk: The options for creating the filesystem are ""
startstop_ramdisk: The mount point for the ramdisk is "/ramdisk1"
startstop_ramdisk: The options for mounting the filesystem are ""
startstop_ramdisk: The directory for the initial data load is ""
startstop_ramdisk: The backup directory is ""
startstop_ramdisk: Automatically backup the data on shutdown: 0 (0 = yes)
startstop_ramdisk: Cleanup the backup directory before backing up the data: 0 (0 = yes)
startstop_ramdisk: The ramdisk "ramdisk1" is already defined.
startstop_ramdisk: The size of the ramdisk is 38255 kb, 1041 kb are used (4%) and 33389 kb are free
startstop_ramdisk: The ramdisk is mounted to "/ramdisk1"; the filesystem is "ufs"


bash-3.00# ramdiskadm
Block Device                                                  Size  Removable
/dev/ramdisk/ramdisk1                                     41943040    Yes

bash-3.00# df -k /ramdisk1
Filesystem            kbytes    used   avail capacity  Mounted on
/dev/ramdisk/ramdisk1
                       38255    1041   33389     4%    /ramdisk1


# stop the ramdisk:
#
bash-3.00# /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk stop
startstop_ramdisk: Destroying the ramdisk "ramdisk1" ...

bash-3.00# ramdiskadm
Block Device                                                  Size  Removable

Usage example 2 - Create two ramdisks at system start

First create the necessary links in the /etc/rc* directories:

ln -s /etc/rc3.d/S02ramdisk1 /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk
ln -s /etc/rc3.d/S02ramdisk2 /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk

ln -s /etc/rcS.d/K01ramdisk1 /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk
ln -s /etc/rc0.d/K01ramdisk1 /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk
ln -s /etc/rc1.d/K01ramdisk1 /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk
ln -s /etc/rc2.d/K01ramdisk1 /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk 
ln -s /etc/rcS.d/K01ramdisk2 /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk
ln -s /etc/rc0.d/K01ramdisk2 /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk
ln -s /etc/rc1.d/K01ramdisk2 /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk
ln -s /etc/rc2.d/K01ramdisk2 /usr/sbin/startstop_ramdisk

Next create the config files for the ramdisks, e.g.:

bash-3.00# cat /etc/ramdisk1.conf
RAMDISK_NAME="ramdisk1"
RAMDISK_SIZE="40m"
RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM=""
RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM_OPTIONS=""
RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT="/ramdisk1"
RAMDISK_MOUNT_OPTIONS=""
LOAD_DATA_DIR=""
BACKUP_DIR="/var/tmp/ramdisk1"
CLEANUP_BACKUP_DIR=${TRUE}
BACKUP_LOGFILE="/var/log/${BASENAME}.backup.log"

bash-3.00 #cat /etc/ramdisk2.conf
RAMDISK_NAME="ramdisk2"
RAMDISK_SIZE="40m"
RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM=""
RAMDISK_FILESYSTEM_OPTIONS=""
RAMDISK_MOUNTPOINT="/ramdisk2"
RAMDISK_MOUNT_OPTIONS=""
LOAD_DATA_DIR="/var/tmp/ramdisk2"
BACKUP_DIR="/var/tmp/ramdisk2"
CLEANUP_BACKUP_DIR=${TRUE}
BACKUP_LOGFILE="/var/log/${BASENAME}.backup.log"
 

That's all. Now two ramdisks, ramdisk1 and ramdisk2, will be created after each reboot:

bash-3.00#  ramdiskadm
Block Device                                                  Size  Removable
/dev/ramdisk/ramdisk1                                     41943040    Yes
/dev/ramdisk/ramdisk2                                     41943040    Yes

bash-3.00# mount | grep ramdisk
/ramdisk1 on /dev/ramdisk/ramdisk1 read/write/setuid/devices/intr/largefiles/logging/xattr/onerror=panic/dev=1180001 on Fri Nov 21 19:36:40 2008
/ramdisk2 on /dev/ramdisk/ramdisk2 read/write/setuid/devices/intr/largefiles/logging/xattr/onerror=panic/dev=1180002 on Fri Nov 21 19:36:41 2008

In Solaris 10 you can view the log of the startup scripts in the approbate log file for the milestone; for the scripts in /etc/rc3.d this is the file /var/svc/log/milestone-multi-user-server:default.log:

bash-3.00# cat /var/svc/log/milestone-multi-user-server:default.log

...
[ Nov 22 11:04:25 Executing start method ("/sbin/rc3") ]
Executing legacy init script "/etc/rc3.d/S02ramdisk1".
S02ramdisk1: Config file "/etc/ramdisk1.conf" found - now reading it ...
S02ramdisk1: Creating the ramdisk "ramdisk1" ...
/dev/ramdisk/ramdisk1
/dev/rramdisk/ramdisk1: Unable to find Media type. Proceeding with system determined parameters.
/dev/rramdisk/ramdisk1: 81872 sectors in 136 cylinders of 1 tracks, 602 sectors
        40.0MB in 9 cyl groups (16 c/g, 4.70MB/g, 2240 i/g)
super-block backups (for fsck -F ufs -o b=#) at:
 32, 9664, 19296, 28928, 38560, 48192, 57824, 67456, 77088,

S02ramdisk1: ramdisk "ramdisk1" created.
S02ramdisk1: ramdisk mounted at "/ramdisk1".
Legacy init script "/etc/rc3.d/S02ramdisk1" exited with return code 0.

Executing legacy init script "/etc/rc3.d/S02ramdisk2".
S02ramdisk2: Config file "/etc/ramdisk2.conf" found - now reading it ...
S02ramdisk2: Creating the ramdisk "ramdisk2" ...
/dev/ramdisk/ramdisk2
/dev/rramdisk/ramdisk2: Unable to find Media type. Proceeding with system determined parameters.
/dev/rramdisk/ramdisk2: 81872 sectors in 136 cylinders of 1 tracks, 602 sectors
        40.0MB in 9 cyl groups (16 c/g, 4.70MB/g, 2240 i/g)
super-block backups (for fsck -F ufs -o b=#) at:
 32, 9664, 19296, 28928, 38560, 48192, 57824, 67456, 77088,

S02ramdisk2: ramdisk "ramdisk2" created.
83024 blocks
S02ramdisk2: ramdisk mounted at "/ramdisk2".
Legacy init script "/etc/rc3.d/S02ramdisk2" exited with return code 0.
...

Troubleshooting and How-Tos

General

In case of an unexpected behaviour of the script, execute the script in verbose mode, e.g.:

VERBOSE=0 /usr/bin/startstop_ramdisk start

How to check if the backup of the ramdisk was successfull

Check the logfile for the backup of the ramdisk. The logfile is created in the directory /var/log; the name of the log file  is:

{scriptname}.backup.log

How to view the configuration for a ramdisk

Call the script with the parameter viewconfig, e.g:

bash-3.00#  /etc/rcS.d/K01ramdisk2 viewconfig
K01ramdisk2: Config file "/etc/ramdisk2.conf" found - now reading it ...
K01ramdisk2: The configuration of the ramdisk "ramdisk2" is:
K01ramdisk2: The name of the config file is "/etc/ramdisk2.conf"
K01ramdisk2: The ramdisk to process is "ramdisk2"
K01ramdisk2: The size of the ramdisk is "40m"
K01ramdisk2: The filesystem for the ramdisk is "" ("" = ufs)
K01ramdisk2: The options for creating the filesystem are ""
K01ramdisk2: The mount point for the ramdisk is "/ramdisk2"
K01ramdisk2: The options for mounting the filesystem are ""
K01ramdisk2: The directory for the initial data load is "/var/tmp/ramdisk2"
K01ramdisk2: The backup directory is "/var/tmp/ramdisk2"
K01ramdisk2: Automatically backup the data on shutdown: 0 (0 = yes)
K01ramdisk2: Cleanup the backup directory before backing up the data: 0 (0 = yes)
K01ramdisk2: The ramdisk "ramdisk2" is already defined.
K01ramdisk2: The size of the ramdisk is 38255 kb, 1041 kb are used (4%) and 33389 kb are free
K01ramdisk2: The ramdisk is mounted to "/ramdisk2"; the filesystem is "ufs"

How to create an additional manual backup of a ramdisk

Call the script with the parameter  backup {backup_directory}, where {backup_directory} is the name of the directory for the files from the ramdisk, e.g.:

bash-3.00#  /etc/rcS.d/K01ramdisk2 backup /var/tmp/ramdisk2_tempbackup
K01ramdisk2: Config file "/etc/ramdisk2.conf" found - now reading it ...
K01ramdisk2: Backing up the data from the ramdisk "ramdisk2" ...
K01ramdisk2: Backing up the data of the ramdisk to "/var/tmp/ramdisk2_tempbackup" ...

bash-3.00# du -hs  /ramdisk2 /var/tmp/ramdisk2_tempbackup
 598K   /ramdisk2
 594K   /var/tmp/ramdisk2_tempbackup

How to force a backup to the default backup directory

Call the script with the parameter backup, e.g.:

bash-3.00#  /etc/rcS.d/K01ramdisk2 backup
K01ramdisk2: Config file "/etc/ramdisk2.conf" found - now reading it ...
K01ramdisk2: Backing up the data from the ramdisk "ramdisk2" ...
K01ramdisk2: Backing up the data of the ramdisk to "/var/tmp/ramdisk2" ...