LDom migration: prerequisites and runbook

Scope: Oracle Solaris 11.4 and, for LDoms, compatible SPARC hardware with Oracle VM Server for SPARC. Examples are educational: verify release, privileges, target names and backups before running changes.

How it works

Migration is a compatibility exercise

CPU compatibility, memory availability, networking, virtual storage accessibility, security certificates and I/O assignments can determine whether a guest is migratable.

Live does not mean zero-risk

An active guest migration can still be sensitive to workload, hardware and topology. Test representative applications before scheduling production moves.

Persistence matters

After successful migration, update SP configurations on source and destination where needed; Oracle documents optional automatic saving in newer releases.

Special I/O

Direct-assigned devices and SR-IOV virtual functions have migration-specific requirements; do not assume a guest with physical I/O can move like a purely virtualized guest.

Worked examples

Each example explains the question it answers, a reproducible starting point, what to look for, and operational precautions.

1. Capture source and target inventories

Establish what exists before moving anything.

ldm list -l
ldm list-bindings app01
ldm list-dependencies
ldm list-spconfig

Interpretation: Repeat resource and service inventory on the target system.

Operational note: Run commands in a test environment first; confirm device names, privileges and release-specific options.

2. Review migration readiness

Check release-specific migration constraints.

ldm list-constraints app01
ldm list-services
ldm list-devices -a

Interpretation: Confirm guest virtual storage and network services will exist and be reachable at the target.

Operational note: Run commands in a test environment first; confirm device names, privileges and release-specific options.

3. Perform a planned migration

Example destination `sparc-b` after preflight.

ldm migrate-domain app01 sparc-b

Interpretation: Monitor command status, domain state and application health on the target.

Operational note: Do not execute without verified prerequisites, backups and a change window.

4. Verify and persist

Complete both the technical and application validation.

ldm list -l app01
ldm list-spconfig
ldm add-spconfig post-migration

Interpretation: Check from the appropriate source/target control domain and confirm post-migration configuration naming policy.

Operational note: Run commands in a test environment first; confirm device names, privileges and release-specific options.

Before you finish

Verify backups and recovery path.
Check application transactions after move.
Update diagrams and capacity inventory.

Primary documentation

Read the relevant Oracle documentation for exact version-specific flags, supported platforms and limitations: Oracle primary reference ↗.

This field manual is independent, not affiliated with or endorsed by Oracle. Command examples should be adapted to your environment.

Logical Domains: architecture and design →Build a guest LDom from scratch →LDoms virtual disks and ZFS backends →LDoms virtual networking, VLANs and resiliency →