Increase max pv to a vg

[Diego Balgera]

Hi,
I need to add a Pv to an already created Vg but I can't because I have already reached the max number (2, see below) of allowed Pv.
Could you please suggest how to increase the max PV, possibly without removing and recreating the VG?


Thank you in advance.
Best regards.
Diego.

--- Volume groups ---
VG Name /dev/vg00
VG Write Access read/write
VG Status available
Max LV 30
Cur LV 9
Open LV 9
Max PV 2
Cur PV 2
Act PV 2
Max PE per PV 40000
VGDA 4
PE Size (Mbytes) 8
Total PE 4340
Alloc PE 3626
Free PE 714
Total PVG 0
Total Spare PVs 0
Total Spare PVs in use 0

[Patrick Wallek · Accepted solution]

You could check with HP support and see if you can get a utility they have that would help you do this. I think this utility is totally unsupported though, so if it causes you any problems, then you have to rebuild the VG.

The only other way I know of is to recreate the VG from scratch. Most VG parameters are set a VG creation time and can't be changed without recreating the VG.

[Robert-Jan Goossens_1]

Hi Diego,

Have you got ignite installed ?

If yes, create an ignite tape and recreate your volumegroup vg00 with a higher number of maxpv's.

If not, download and install ignite from below link.

http://www.software.hp.com/portal/swdepot/displayProductInfo.do?productNumber=IGNITEUXB

Hope this helps,
Robert-Jan

[Chris Wilshaw]

Unfortunately, there is no way to do this. This value can only be set when the vg is created, along with Max PE's etc.

Your best bet now is to take an Ignite backup of the server, then re-install, using higher values for these parameters.

[Victor Fridyev]

Hi,

I'm not sure that this parameter could be updated at all. You have to rebuild the volume group.

BTW, the default max_pv=16. Was there any reason to change the defaults ?

[Pete Randall]

I'm with Patrick - contact HP support and see if you can get a copy of "vgmodify". See Geoff Wild's response in this thread:

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=616437


Pete

[Pete Randall]

There's apparently another possibility using vgexport. See James Murtaugh's suggestion and JRF's further comments on it in this thread:

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=213293


Pete

[Steven E. Protter]

My understanding is the only supported methodology is to vgexport, vgcreate and vgimport.

My methodology would involve a complete backup of the data involved.

Since this is vg00 and is most likely a boot drive that may not work either.

I would take a make_tape_recovery backup to tape, boot off the tape, intervene into the Ignite Interface when promped.

There is a section of the Ignite interface that allows you to set volume group parameters. Thats where I'd do it.

I would wonder further however on the need for so much space in vg00. I like to keep only necessary boot data in there, putting huge databases that need the settings we're talking about in a different volume group.

SEP

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Hi Diego,

My 2 cents.

Looking at the configuration, you have two 16 GB disks already in your vg00. A 16GB disk is more than sufficient for the OS filesystems.

I suggest you create another VG with the new disk and put the data in as I am almost positive that the data you are going to keep there is not OS related. If the data is kept external, then it will save time and efforts in case if you have to recover your OS.

-Sri

[Thierry Poels_1]

hi,

Max PV = 2 on VG00 ???

If someone else did this, find him & kick his ass.
If you did this, you sure learned your lesson and you'll never forget this one again ;-)

As already said (many times) Ignite backup & recovery are the only safe way to recover from this setting. (go for at least 2 backup tapes!)

An other option would be to migrate some filesystems out of VG00 to a new VG like /tmp, /var/opt, /home, ....

good luck,
Thierry.

[Diego Balgera]

Hi smart guys,
thank you for your valuable suggestions, that helped.
Btw, Thierry: fortunately I received the configuration by a colleague, so I don't have to kick my ass by myself. But unfortunately I don't know his name, just know that he prepared an ignite ux image and distributed it arund the world. So there are plenty on machines with the same maxPv=2.
I'm going to backup with ignite ux the whole system and recreate the Vg.
But if someone could send me the vgmodify (I have an hp-ux 11.11) I would appreciate it (of course I'm going to use it at my own risk).
Thank you again.
Diego.

[Geoff Wild]

Okay - here's vgmodify. Use at own risk!

Make a good backup - and ignite.

Test on a test server if you can.

Mysely, I have yet to test it.

Rgds...Geoff

[clement_10]

using ignite to reorganize the vgs is a wise idea but you can well a new VGxx with increase number of of PV.

[Diego Balgera]

The replies in this thread solved perfectly my question. Thank you!