NAME

spconfig − build spanned disk configuration files

SYNOPSIS

/etc/spconfig [ -a ] [ -f ]

DESCRIPTION

spconfig creates spanned disks (logical disks) from a dynamically specified group of physical disk partitions.  The resulting logical disk has the same interface to the kernel and to a user program as any disk partition.  sp(4I) describes parameters and procedures for defining spanned disks, including the procedure to define spanned disks statically in the kernel and bypass the need for spconfig.

spconfig without options prints the currently configured spanned disks.  The displayed information includes

The name of the spanned disk (sp[0-3]c)

The component physical disk partitions, listed by major and minor device numbers

spconfig -a attempts to create spanned disks with configuration information in the file /etc/sptab.  See sptab(5) for the file format.

This command is ordinarily invoked in the /etc/rc file, before calls to mount(8) or fsck(8). The spconfig command should occur in the first few lines of /etc/rc. 

spconfig normally refuses to configure a spanned disk when one or more of the component partitions has been previously mounted and used.  This safeguards against overwriting data by accidentally using the wrong partition.  The -f option forces spconfig to continue and perform the requested configuration even if the sp device has been previously configured. 

FILES

/etc/sptabSpan disk configuration table
/etc/rc  Autoboot command script

SEE ALSO

sp(4I), sptab(5), diskpart(8), mkfs(8)
UNIX 4.2BSD System Administrator Guide

DIAGNOSTICS

spconfig complains when it tries to configure an sp device previously configured either statically or dynamically.  The −f option suppresses this complaint. 

BUGS

spconfig is the less preferred of the two methods of defining spanned disks.  Static definition in the kernel has many advantages, such as creating a record of autoboot spanned disk configuration information in dmesg(8). See sp(4I) for details on static definition.

8 BSD  —  15 July 1986