[linux-lvm] PV and disk recovery

[Heinz J . Mauelshagen]

Björn,

there's 3 options you've got (loosing all data on the gone PV in any):

o the official LVM1 way (presuming you've got metadata archives in
  /etc/lvmconf/ still) is to get a replacement drive (of the same size) and
  vgcfgrestore the LVM metadata to it after running pvcreate.
  "vgscan;vgchange -ay" activates your VG again.
  You have the option to overwrite the PV size with "pvcreate -s ..." in
  recent LVM1 versions.

o use LVM2; support to activate partially available VGs has been added to it
  (vgchange -P -ay Volume00"). Install device-mapper and LVM2 from
  www.sistina.com if you want to follow this path.

o the hacky LVM1 one, if you still have your VG backup in /etc/lvmconf
  (no need for a replacement drive but taking io errors accessing the
  missing PV)
  - mkdir /etc/lvmtab.d
  - cp /etc/lvmconf/Volume00.conf /etc/lvmtab.d
  - echo -ne "Volume00\0" > /etc/lvmtab
  - vgchange -ay Volume00

Once you've got access to your VG back with either of those options,
you can check the mapping of the LVs with
"lvdisplay -v /dev/Volume00/YourLVName" to find out, which parts
(logical extents) of the logical volumes address space are still accessable
(and which ones are not, because they were on the dead drive).

FYI: you ask for trouble using filesystems in case of partially
     accessable LVs because typically inmportant areas of the metadata
     and data will be inaccessable.

Regards,
Heinz    -- The LVM Guy --

On Sun, May 25, 2003 at 11:30:15AM +0200, Björn Medin wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I had a VG with two full disks in two PV:s (/dev/hda1 and /dev/hdb1).
> The second drive, a new IBM 120GB disk fried after some weeks and
> was totally inacessable (not even recognised by BIOS).
> 
> To my understanding the first PV on /dev/hda1 is OK
> 
> Can I recover and get back access to my old data that was on
> /dev/hda1? I have tried various things suggested in HOWTO:s and
> this list.
> 
> If I do vgscan I get:
> 
> 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 "Volume00" 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
> 
> Any command like vgchange -a y only gets: vgchange -- no volume groups
> found
> 
> I have tried create a new VG: vgcreate extra /dev/hda1
> 
> but I then get:
> vgcreate -- "/dev/hda1" is not a new physical volume
> vgcreate -- physical volume "/dev/hda1" already belongs to volume group
> "Volume00"
> 
> -----------
> 
> Seems like I dont have any config data for Volume00 left but still I am
> not allowed to use/change Volume00 or the PV.
> 
> What can I do? Is there any way to reclaim possible intact data on my
> old /dev/hda1????
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> /Björn
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> linux-lvm mailing list
> linux-lvm at sistina.com
> http://lists.sistina.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 ***

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Heinz Mauelshagen                                 Sistina Software Inc.
Senior Consultant/Developer                       Am Sonnenhang 11
                                                  56242 Marienrachdorf
                                                  Germany
Mauelshagen at Sistina.com                           +49 2626 141200
                                                       FAX 924446
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