[linux-lvm] Lost free PV -> error reading VG

[linux-lvm] Lost free PV -> error reading VG

[Stefan Jenkner]

Hi Folks!

I had a vg "debian" with the pvs /dev/hda2 /dev/hda3 /dev/hda4
I wanted to remove /dev/hda4, so i did:  pvmove -v /dev/hda4 
Everything went well, so I removed /dev/hda4, but _without_ the use of:
vgreduce debian /dev/hda4 :-( 
I also did: pvcreate /dev/hda4 , so /dev/hda4 seems to be an empty pv, and
it does not know that it belongs
to the vg "debian".

And now, I get:

root@ttyp0[root]# vgscan 
vgscan -- reading all physical volumes (this may take a while...)
vgscan -- ERROR "vg_read_with_pv_and_lv(): current PV" can't get data of
volume group "debian" from physical volume(s)
vgscan -- "/etc/lvmtab" and "/etc/lvmtab.d" successfully created
vgscan -- WARNING: This program does not do a VGDA backup of your volume
group

root@ttyp0[root]# pvscan 
pvscan -- reading all physical volumes (this may take a while...)
pvscan -- inactive PV "/dev/hda2"  is associated to unknown VG "debian" (run
vgscan)
pvscan -- inactive PV "/dev/hda3"  is associated to unknown VG "debian" (run
vgscan)
pvscan -- inactive PV "/dev/hda4" is in no VG  [23.85 GB]
pvscan -- total: 3 [57.24 GB] / in use: 2 [33.38 GB] / in no VG: 1 [23.85
GB]

How can I recover my vg? There are no backups :-(
How can I tell the vg "debian" to do not use: the empty pv /dev/hda4?
Or, how can I tell /dev/hda4 that it belongs to the vg "debian"?
There is no lvmconf too :-(

What additional information do you need to be able to help me?

Thanks
 Stefan

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Re: [linux-lvm] Lost free PV -> error reading VG

[Heinz Mauelshagen]

On Wed, Feb 18, 2004 at 05:07:08PM +0100, Stefan Jenkner wrote:
> Hi Folks!
> 
> I had a vg "debian" with the pvs /dev/hda2 /dev/hda3 /dev/hda4
> I wanted to remove /dev/hda4, so i did:  pvmove -v /dev/hda4 
> Everything went well, so I removed /dev/hda4, but _without_ the use of:
> vgreduce debian /dev/hda4 :-( 

D'oh!

> I also did: pvcreate /dev/hda4 , so /dev/hda4 seems to be an empty pv, and
> it does not know that it belongs
> to the vg "debian".

Must have been a "pvcreate -ff /dev/hda4" to achive the recreation,
while /dev/hda4 was a member of VG "debian" still.

> 
> And now, I get:
> 
> root@ttyp0[root]# vgscan 
> vgscan -- reading all physical volumes (this may take a while...)
> vgscan -- ERROR "vg_read_with_pv_and_lv(): current PV" can't get data of
> volume group "debian" from physical volume(s)
> vgscan -- "/etc/lvmtab" and "/etc/lvmtab.d" successfully created
> vgscan -- WARNING: This program does not do a VGDA backup of your volume
> group
> 
> root@ttyp0[root]# pvscan 
> pvscan -- reading all physical volumes (this may take a while...)
> pvscan -- inactive PV "/dev/hda2"  is associated to unknown VG "debian" (run
> vgscan)
> pvscan -- inactive PV "/dev/hda3"  is associated to unknown VG "debian" (run
> vgscan)
> pvscan -- inactive PV "/dev/hda4" is in no VG  [23.85 GB]
> pvscan -- total: 3 [57.24 GB] / in use: 2 [33.38 GB] / in no VG: 1 [23.85
> GB]
> 
> How can I recover my vg? There are no backups :-(

/me wonders how often we mentioned to take backups of /etc/lvmconf/* yet :->

> How can I tell the vg "debian" to do not use: the empty pv /dev/hda4?
> Or, how can I tell /dev/hda4 that it belongs to the vg "debian"?
> There is no lvmconf too :-(

lvm2 tools are able to reduce VGs by missing PVs.
Fetch and build them and run "vgreduce --removemissing debian".

Afterwards continue with LVM1 (unless you want to migrate to LVM2 anyway):

# vgscan -f
# vgchange -ay

> 
> What additional information do you need to be able to help me?
> 
> Thanks
>  Stefan
> 
> -- 
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> 
> _______________________________________________
> linux-lvm mailing list
> linux-lvm@redhat.com
> https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/linux-lvm
> read the LVM HOW-TO at http://tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/

-- 

Regards,
Heinz    -- The LVM Guy --

*** Software bugs are stupid.
    Nevertheless it needs not so stupid people to solve them ***

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Heinz Mauelshagen                                 Red Hat, Inc.
Consulting Development Engineer                   Am Sonnenhang 11
                                                  56242 Marienrachdorf
                                                  Germany
Mauelshagen@RedHat.com                            +49 2626 141200
                                                       FAX 924446
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Re: [linux-lvm] Lost free PV -> error reading VG

[Christian Reiss]

Heinz Mauelshagen wrote:

> 
> /me wonders how often we mentioned to take backups of /etc/lvmconf/* yet :->
> 

 From a Users point of view:
If you run vgscan, and it even mentions something about

a) REBuilding /etc/lvmwhatever
and
b) it fails for *any* reason,

people, me included, delete /etc/lvm* to start "clean",
and give vgscan the opportunity to start fresh, without
any "corrupted" data.

I dont know how often I nuked the backups, even after i
knew that deleting /etc/lvm* is not a good idea. Its like
a reflex.

-Christian




-- 
Christian Reiss <email@demonlord.de>
demonserver.de

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Re: [linux-lvm] Lost free PV -> error reading VG

[Stefan Jenkner]

> [...]
> 
> lvm2 tools are able to reduce VGs by missing PVs.
> Fetch and build them and run "vgreduce --removemissing debian"

Thanks a lot!
I did it the LVM2-way!

Regards,
 Stefan

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Re: [linux-lvm] Lost free PV -> error reading VG

[Heinz Mauelshagen]

Christian,

never "rm -r /etc/lvm*" !!!

o vgscan deletes and creates /etc/lvmtab and volume group 
  backup files in /etc/lvmtab.d/ new

o /etc/lvmconf/ archive files get updated by _any_ configuration changing
  command or by explicitely running vgcfgbackup

Of course you might want to remove certain archive files from /etc/lvmconf/
after many configuration changes because archives of removed VGs don't get
deleted automatically for obvious reasons.

But yuu *never* *ever* want to do that without having an actual backup
of /etc/lvmconf/*.

FYI: LVM2 keeps metadata backups and archives uin different locations
     (see /etc/lvm/lvm.conf there)

Regards,
Heinz    -- The LVM Guy --




On Thu, Feb 19, 2004 at 06:52:51PM +0100, Christian Reiss wrote:
> Heinz Mauelshagen wrote:
> 
> >
> >/me wonders how often we mentioned to take backups of /etc/lvmconf/* yet 
> >:->
> >
> 
> From a Users point of view:
> If you run vgscan, and it even mentions something about
> 
> a) REBuilding /etc/lvmwhatever
> and
> b) it fails for *any* reason,
> 
> people, me included, delete /etc/lvm* to start "clean",
> and give vgscan the opportunity to start fresh, without
> any "corrupted" data.
> 
> I dont know how often I nuked the backups, even after i
> knew that deleting /etc/lvm* is not a good idea. Its like
> a reflex.
> 
> -Christian
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Christian Reiss <email@demonlord.de>
> demonserver.de
> 
> Key fingerprint = 2999 B7CD A218 06DF D658  5BE3 18B6 B232 02FF 71B2
> Public Key can be obtained here: http://www.demonlord.de/pgp.txt
> 
> _______________________________________________
> linux-lvm mailing list
> linux-lvm@redhat.com
> https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/linux-lvm
> read the LVM HOW-TO at http://tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/

*** Software bugs are stupid.
    Nevertheless it needs not so stupid people to solve them ***

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Heinz Mauelshagen                                 Red Hat GmbH
Consulting Development Engineer                   Am Sonnenhang 11
                                                  56242 Marienrachdorf
                                                  Germany
Mauelshagen@RedHat.com                            +49 2626 141200
                                                       FAX 924446
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-