Defines server processes to be monitored by the Basic OverSeer (BOS) Server
Description
The BosConfig file defines the server processes to be monitored by the BOS Server (bosserver process) on a server machine. It contains a process
entry for each process to be monitored by the BOS Server; each entry defines how its process is to run. The BosConfig file also maintains both the weekly and daily restart times for the BOS
Server and processes that have entries in the file.
The BOS Server runs on each server machine, continually monitoring and, if necessary, restarting the other server processes on the machine. The BOS Server checks the BosConfig file whenever it starts or restarts; the information is then transferred into memory and the file is not read again until the BOS Server restarts. Thus, server processes can be started or stopped, independently of their process entries, based on their status in the BOS Server's memory. The order in which process entries appear in the BosConfig file is irrelevant.
The BosConfig file must reside in the directory named dcelocal/var/dfs on the local disk of a server machine running the BOS Server. The BOS Server creates a BosConfig file with only default restart times and no process entries if the file does not exist when the BOS Server starts. Because it is a local file, the information it contains can be different for different machines.
Each process entry in a BosConfig file includes the following information about the process:
Name
This is the name used by the BOS Server to refer to the process. Although any name can be chosen, the following names are recommended for consistency:
ftserver
For the Fileset Server process
flserver
For the Fileset Location Server process
upclient
For the client portion of the Update Server
upserver
For the server portion of the Update Server
repserver
For the Replication Server process
bakserver
For the Backup Server process
Type
A process can be one of two types:
simple
A continuous process that runs independently of any other processes on a server machine. All standard DFS processes are simple processes.
cron
A process that runs independently of any other processes; however, unlike a simple process, a cron process runs periodically, not continuously.
Status flag
Status flags are for internal use only; they do not appear in any output. A process can have one of two status flags:
Run
Means the process is to run whenever possible; the BOS Server starts it automatically at reboot and restarts it automatically if it fails. (The Run status flag
appears in the file as a 1.)
NotRun
Means the BOS Server does not start or restart the process. (The NotRun status flag appears in the file as a 0.)
Command parameters
The BOS Server uses these parameters to run the process. For a simple process, a single command parameter specifying the complete pathname of the binary file
for a DFS command or any other command to be executed is used. For a cron process, two command parameters are used: the complete pathname of the binary file for a DFS command or any other
command to be executed, and the time the BOS Server is to execute the command.
Although it is an ASCII file, do not edit the BosConfig file directly; always use the appropriate bos commands. Editing the file directly can introduce changes the BOS Server does not recognize until it is restarted and again reads the file.
The following bos commands modify process entries or restart times in the BosConfig file:
bos create
Adds a process entry to the file, setting the process' status to Run in both the file and memory, and starts the process
bos delete
Removes a process entry for a stopped process from the file
bos stop
Stops a running process by changing its status to NotRun in both the file and memory
bos start
Starts a stopped process by changing its status to Run in both the file and memory
bos setrestart
Sets the weekly and daily restart times included in the file
The following bos commands access process entries in the BosConfig file:
bos status
Lists the statuses of server processes on a machine, from which you can determine information about their process entries
bos restart
Stops and immediately restarts processes that have process entries in the file
bos getrestart
Displays both the weekly and daily restart times from the file
Additional bos commands can be used to start or stop a process by changing its status in the BOS Server's memory without affecting its process entry in the BosConfig file.
Cautions
Do not edit the BosConfig file directly. Always use the appropriate bos commands to manipulate process entries in the BosConfig file.
Editing the file directly can introduce changes that the BOS Server is not aware of until it is restarted and again reads the file.
Examples
The following bos create command creates a process entry in the BosConfig file and starts the process. The command adds the process entry to the
BosConfig file on the server machine named fs1.abc.com. It specifies that a cron process identified by backup is to use the fts clonesys command daily at
5:30 a.m. to create backup versions of all read-write filesets on fs1.abc.com. The -localauth option is used with the fts clonesys command to use the identity of the
local machine as the identity of the issuer of the command.
$ bos create /.../abc.com/hosts/fs1 backup cron "dcelocal/bin/fts clonesys \
-server /.../abc.com/hosts/fs1 -localauth" 5:30
The following bos setrestart command sets the general restart time when the BOS Server restarts itself and all of the processes with entries in the BosConfig file. It specifies that all processes, including the bosserver process, on fs1.abc.com are to be restarted every Sunday morning at 4:00 a.m.
$ bos setrestart /.../abc.com/hosts/fs1 -general "sun 4:00"
Related Information
Commands: bos create(8dfs)