error while allocating vg

[Ralf Buchhold]

Hello
I get the error message during allocating
a vg.
Any idea?
Thanks Ralf

[A. Clay Stephenson]

Do an ls -l /dev/vg*/group. Note the minor device number (e.g. 0x010000). Each volume group must have a unique minor device number although all share a comon major device number (64). By convention, vg00 is assigned minor device number 0x000000, vg01 gets 0x010000, vg02 gets 0x020000, vg10 gets 0x0a0000 ... but this is simply convention and not a requirement. When you create the group device node for your new volume group, just make sure that the minor device number you choose is not already in use and conforms to the format above. You may have also exceeded your maxvgs kernel setting as well so check that.

[Steven E. Protter]

Yes another volume group already has the group file settings that this volume group is trying to use.

In a a folder called /dev/vgteset

is a file called group.

it was created with a mknod command.

The group file in vgtest needs to be deleted and re-created unique to the other group files.

mknod /dev/vg02/group c 64 0x020000

Thats an example on how to do it. The last command line option can not match any existing volume groups.

SEP

[Kent Ostby]

To clarify, do the following:

ll /dev/*/group

When you do the mknod command listed in the previous response, make sure that none of the 0xNNNNNN match the number you want to use for your mknod command.

Best regards,

Oz

[Geoff Wild]

ll /dev/*/group |sort -k6n

As you are using SAM - sounds strange - unless you picked the vg name....

If you have a duplicate - then you need to remove the "new" one - vgexport may be required - but maybe just a rm -rf /dev/vgNEW then retry creating your new VG...

If using SAM - then don't use the command line to do the mknod...

Rgds...Geoff

[Devender Khatana]

Hi,

From the attachment it appears that you are trying to do it from SAM. And in this case you will have to go through command line. Through command line you will be able to do it without problems. But just ensure to use unique minor number for group file as mentioned in earlier posts.

HTH,
Devender

[Suraj Singh_1]

Hi,

Execute following command:
# ll /dev/*/group|sort -k6n|awk '{print $6}'|tail -1

The o/p will be something similar to 0x020000.

To create the group file, use the next higher no i.e., 0x030000 for our case. Note that the o/p is a Hex no., so if you get a o/p similar to 0x090000, then the next no you will have to use (in order to create the group file) is 0x0a0000.

# mkdir /dev/vgtest
# mknod /dev/vgtest/group c 64 0x030000

[Ralf Buchhold]

Hello
I tested all your answers. But no change.
Please look again:

mkdir /dev/vg04
mknod /dev/vg04/group c 64 0x040000
vgcreate vg04 /dev/dsk/c4t8d0
Increased the number of physical extents per physical volume to 8683.
vgcreate: Volume group "/dev/vg04" could not be created:
A volume group is already using this major and minor number.
Please check the minor number of the "group" device file.
/dev/vg00:
total 0
crw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000000 Dez. 9 2002 group
brw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000001 Dez. 9 2002 lvol1
brw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000002 Dez. 9 2002 lvol2
brw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000003 Dez. 9 2002 lvol3
brw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000004 Dez. 9 2002 lvol4
brw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000005 Dez. 9 2002 lvol5
brw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000006 Dez. 9 2002 lvol6
brw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000007 Dez. 9 2002 lvol7
brw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000008 Dez. 9 2002 lvol8
br--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000009 März 12 2003 lvol9
crw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000001 Dez. 9 2002 rlvol1
crw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000002 Dez. 9 2002 rlvol2
crw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000003 Dez. 9 2002 rlvol3
crw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000004 Dez. 9 2002 rlvol4
crw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000005 Dez. 9 2002 rlvol5
crw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000006 Dez. 9 2002 rlvol6
crw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000007 Dez. 9 2002 rlvol7
crw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000008 Dez. 9 2002 rlvol8
cr--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000009 März 12 2003 rlvol9

/dev/vg01:
total 0
cr--r--r-- 1 root sys 64 0x010000 Aug. 9 2004 group
br--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x010001 Aug. 9 2004 lvol1
cr--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x010001 Aug. 9 2004 rlvol1

/dev/vg02:
total 0
cr--r--r-- 1 root sys 64 0x020000 Jan. 3 2003 group
br--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x020001 Jan. 3 2003 lvol1
br--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x020002 Feb. 11 2003 lvol2
br--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x020003 Mai 7 2003 lvol3
cr--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x020001 Jan. 3 2003 rlvol1
cr--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x020002 Feb. 11 2003 rlvol2
cr--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x020003 Mai 7 2003 rlvol3

/dev/vg03:
total 0
cr--r--r-- 1 root sys 64 0x030000 Jan. 28 2003 group
br--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x030001 Feb. 15 2003 lvol1
br--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x030002 März 2 2004 lvol2
br--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x030003 März 15 2004 lvol3
br--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x030004 Apr. 23 2004 lvolarch
cr--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x030001 Feb. 15 2003 rlvol1
cr--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x030002 März 2 2004 rlvol2
cr--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x030003 März 15 2004 rlvol3
cr--r----- 1 root sys 64 0x030004 Apr. 23 2004 rlvolarch

Any Idea

[Stephen Keane · Accepted solution]

Run the following command and post the reply

# find /dev -name "group" -exec ll {} \;

[Ralf Buchhold]

Hello here is the replay:

root_s2> find /dev -name "group" -exec ll {} \;
crw-r----- 1 root sys 64 0x000000 Dez. 9 2002 /dev/vg00/group
cr--r--r-- 1 root sys 64 0x010000 Aug. 9 2004 /dev/vg01/group
cr--r--r-- 1 root sys 64 0x020000 Jan. 3 2003 /dev/vg02/group
cr--r--r-- 1 root sys 64 0x030000 Jan. 28 2003 /dev/vg03/group
crw-r--r-- 1 root sys 64 0x040000 Mai 4 15:49 /dev/vg04/group

And now ??
Thanks
ralf

[Joseph Loo]

hi ralf,

interesting. r u now trying to create vg04 or vgtest?

from what i see, vg04 is already created, thus if u r still doing mknod with minor number 0x040000, this will not work.

however, if u want to create vgtest, do this:

confirm that u do not need any data from this disk.
# pvcreate -f /dev/rdsk/c4t8d0

follow by:

# mkdir /dev/vgtest
# mknod /dev/vgtest/group c 64 0x050000
# vgcreate vgtest /dev/dsk/c4t8d0
# vgdisplay -v vgtest

hope it helps.

regards.

[Ralf Buchhold]

Thanks to all
manually is everything ok.
By Ralf

[Anthony Lennan]

Hi Ralf,

Remove the group file in /dev/vg04 and try again. If it still fails with the same error I would do a global search just incase a file with that major and minor number has been setup outside /dev for some reason.

#find / -type c | xargs ll | grep 0x040000

Rgds,
Anthony

[Mark Nieuwboer]

Hi Ralf,

if i stand correctly it's the kernel parameter maxvg's it's probeblyt lower then the hexadecimal your using.
Try to use mknod 0x011000 for the volumegroup.

grtz. Mark