Operating System - HP-UX
1748011 Members
4108 Online
108757 Solutions
New Discussion юеВ

Cannot create VG using drives in JBOB DS2400

 
SOLVED
Go to solution
Steve Longenecker
Frequent Advisor

Cannot create VG using drives in JBOB DS2400

I am having problems creating a volume group using drives in a DS2400.
I can see the drives with ioscan and diskinfo. I can pvcreate as well. But issuing vgcreate results in:

# vgcreate /dev/vg02/ /dev/dsk/c6t3d0
vgcreate: Physical Volume "/dev/dsk/c6t3d0" contains no LVM information

The problem exists with all disks in the DS2400.

Tried using SAM to create a VG, but received the same error message.

Correct 11i drivers and patches are installed. Any ideas?

24 REPLIES 24
S.K. Chan
Honored Contributor

Re: Cannot create VG using drives in JBOB DS2400

Try the "-f" (force) option with pvcreate. Caution though, be very sure c6t3d0 is not used in any existing VG or it's LVM header will be overwritten.
# pvcreate -f /dev/rdsk/c6t3d0
==> Use the raw device.
# mkdir /dev/vg02
# mknod /dev/vg02/group c 64 0x020000
==> Ignore the "mkdir" and "mknod" if you have done this earlier.
# vgcreate /dev/vg02 /dev/dsk/c6t3d0
harry d brown jr
Honored Contributor

Re: Cannot create VG using drives in JBOB DS2400


First you have do the device: pvcreate /dev/dsk/c6t3d0, then you have to create the directory /dev/vg02. then you have to create the group file: mknod /dev/vg02/group c 64 0x020000. Then vgcreate /dev/vg02 /dev/dsk/c6t3d0.

live free or die
harry
Live Free or Die
Steve Longenecker
Frequent Advisor

Re: Cannot create VG using drives in JBOB DS2400

Been there... done that. All manual steps followed "by the book".
Jeff Schussele
Honored Contributor

Re: Cannot create VG using drives in JBOB DS2400

Hi Steve'

I'd suspect a minor device number problem.

When you do the vgcreate manually you MUST have created the group file prior.
It's possible that in the past someone may have created a VG using a minor number out-of-sequence, which will screw up SAM.
Other thing to check is the maxvg kernel parameter. By default the kernel only supports 10 VGs. If you already have ten VGs - you'll have to increase maxvg.

Also you do not need the trailing / in the /dev/vg02 parameter in the vgcreate command. But I doubt that's the problem here.
Also did you use -f on the pvcreate command?

HTH,
Jeff
PERSEVERANCE -- Remember, whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger!
harry d brown jr
Honored Contributor

Re: Cannot create VG using drives in JBOB DS2400


What does

ls -l /dev/vg*/group /dev | grep vg

return??

And

pvdisplay /dev/dsk/c6t3d0

returns?


live free or die
harry
Live Free or Die
harry d brown jr
Honored Contributor

Re: Cannot create VG using drives in JBOB DS2400


and ls -l /dev/dsk/c*t*d* ???


live free or die
harry
Live Free or Die
Steve Longenecker
Frequent Advisor

Re: Cannot create VG using drives in JBOB DS2400

This is a new server with only 2 volume groups, vg00 and vg01, with vg01 created using SAM as a test with internal drives.

vg02 is the first volume group created with the drives in the DS2400. Tried SAM first, but it failed. Then tried to create vg02 manually, using the correct commands, but received the error message during the vgcreate.

Kernal parameter is not the problem.
Minor device number is not the problem.
The trailing "/" was a typo creating the forum message, and was not used with the actual vgcreate.
Used "-f" with pvcreate.
Used the "raw" device files.

# ls -l /dev/vg*/group /dev | grep vg
crw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000000 Sep 28 14:19 /dev/vg00/group
cr--r--r-- 1 root sys 64 0x010000 Sep 29 13:00 /dev/vg01/group
crw-rw-rw- 1 root sys 64 0x020000 Sep 29 14:59 /dev/vg02/group
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 Sep 28 14:19 vg00
dr-xr-xr-x 2 root sys 96 Sep 29 14:23 vg01
drwxrwxrwx 2 root sys 96 Sep 29 14:59 vg02

NOTE:
vg00 created at install
vg01 created using SAM
vg02 created manually, but failed.

# pvdisplay /dev/dsk/c6t3d0
pvdisplay: Couldn't find the volume group to which
physical volume "/dev/dsk/c6t3d0" belongs.
pvdisplay: Cannot display physical volume "/dev/dsk/c6t3d0".

This physical volume, along with the other three, are all new and have never been used.

# ls -l /dev/dsk/c*t*d*
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x010000 Sep 29 12:30 /dev/dsk/c1t0d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x012000 Sep 28 14:19 /dev/dsk/c1t2d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x020000 Sep 29 12:30 /dev/dsk/c2t0d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x022000 Sep 28 14:19 /dev/dsk/c2t2d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x032000 Sep 28 14:19 /dev/dsk/c3t2d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x050000 Sep 28 16:24 /dev/dsk/c5t0d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x051000 Sep 28 16:24 /dev/dsk/c5t1d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x052000 Sep 28 16:24 /dev/dsk/c5t2d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x053000 Sep 28 16:24 /dev/dsk/c5t3d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x060000 Sep 28 16:24 /dev/dsk/c6t0d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x061000 Sep 28 16:24 /dev/dsk/c6t1d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x062000 Sep 28 16:24 /dev/dsk/c6t2d0
brw-r----- 1 bin sys 31 0x063000 Sep 28 16:24 /dev/dsk/c6t3d0
#

The last eight entries are the four FC drives as seen through two FC HBAs.
Jeff Schussele
Honored Contributor

Re: Cannot create VG using drives in JBOB DS2400

Hi (again) Steve,

Well you're system has certainly covered the gamut with permissions on the vg devices.

I'd now suspect the SCSI subsystem itself....cables, termination ,IDs, etc.

I'm not sure if you can, But I'd try to dd some info INTO that that device. You say you can diskinfo it, but that's a minute read. I'd be curious if it can handle a stream of data.

Lastly, you obviously have dual paths to the array - Do you have different SCSI IDs on the controllers?

Rgds,
Jeff
PERSEVERANCE -- Remember, whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger!
Jeff Schussele
Honored Contributor

Re: Cannot create VG using drives in JBOB DS2400

Oops...meant group files....

Jeff
PERSEVERANCE -- Remember, whatever does not kill you only makes you stronger!