VxVm

[Jayan_2]

Dear Admins,

I heared that the HP is planning to replace the traditional LVM with VXVM .From the top it seems very hard to understand this vxvm fundas.Any docs/ppt/cookbooks or books available to learn this.

regards
Jayan

[Pete Randall · Accepted solution]

Jayan,

I wouldn't worry too much about learning VxVM just yet. HP seems to have backed off somewhat from their earlier commitment to VxVM, and I think LVM will be around for some time to come.

If you really want to take a look, try here:

http://www.docs.hp.com/cgi-bin/fsearch/framedisplay?top=/hpux/onlinedocs/B7961-90017/B7961-90017_top.html&con=/hpux/onlinedocs/B7961-90017/00/00/1-con.html&toc=/hpux/onlinedocs/B7961-90017/00/00/1-toc.html&searchterms=Volume%7cManager%7c3.1%7cMigration%7cGuide%7cVeritas&queryid=20030905-124151


Pete

[Steven E. Protter]

I've reached the conlcusion that HP doesn't know where the future is going.

Some seem annoyed at having to pay license fees on yet another Veritas product.

LVM works pretty well, its been ported to Linux. They still have to license the filesystem from Veritas(vxfs), but HP got a pretty good filesystem that originated at Digital when they bought Compaq.

At this point, I would not learn to use vxvm unless you have a reason. You can't even do a boot disk with it right now. I'm not going to use it until there is at least as much functionality as LVM or if HP forces me.

I had to rip it out of my 11i servers because it was messing up Ignite. HP btw told me to rip it out to solve the Ignite problem. That says something.

SEP

[Jeff Schussele]

Correction: The newest VxVM 3.5 does now support booting from the rootdg disk group.

We use VxVM on some of our higher end systems & outside of Service Guard issues (Cannot do lock disks with VxVM volumes), some problems we've seen with NetBackup (You'd think products from the same company could play well together) & issues with Ignited systems (You just have to comment out the fstab entries & reinstall VxVM) we've had success with it. We like the cross-platform GUI & it's ease of use.

Rgds,
Jeff

[F.V. Porcella]

HI,
I have found that GUI versions of thing tend to run slower than their command line counterparts. I've never worked with the GUI associated with VxVM, but I doubt it would be much better. Also, in LVM there were quite a few commands (particularly with the vxvm FS) that you just couldnt do with the sam GUI. I suspect it may be the same with VxVM. Still it is supposed to have some nice features (not playing well with net-backup is a suprise though) that make it worth some of the pain.

[Alzhy]

VxVM is now so nicely integrated with HP-UX. Kudos to HP for this! Since SEP2002 release, rootability IS supported and is nicely integrated. With the BASE version you CAN mirror your boot disks.. I would'nt build a large server without VxVM on it these days...

Sure HP gained ADVFS and TruCluster from its Compaq Acquisition but I'd like to think its perhaps years away (if R&D prioirities are not shifted...) from being integrated into HP-UX.... LVM is a very solid product (yes it's been ported to Linux -- Sistina?) but it has its limitations.

If you want to learn and play with VxVM... start by invokung "vxinstall" on your server to set up your initital environment -- either by encapsulating your root disks (rootability) -- which will replace LVM or setting up rootDG on a separate disks (leave LVM on the rootdisks intact..). I trust you've experience with at least VM (ie. LVM).. the rest will just fall in.... then you can explore VEA from SAM... other resources: vxideas.org.