recover pv without vgexport

[Rashid Hamid]

Hi all

I try to find out solution to recover a pv without using vgexport. Example, I have a hard disk from another server, I want to add in a new server as new vg without using vgexport and vgimport. Is it possible?

Thanks

[Joseph Loo]

hi,

u may like to refer to this doc:

http://docs.hp.com/en/5991-1236/When_Good_Disks_Go_Bad.pdf

regards.

[Shaikh Imran]

Hi,

what do u want to do ???
u don't want to use lvm at all or don't want to use vgexport or vgimport.

The other way which i m aware of, is
use vgcfgbackup on one server and use the same configuration file on the other server and restore it with vgcfgrestore on that disk.

Hope this helps.

[Shameer.V.A]

Hi Rashid,
You can use the following method to use hdd of another server.
1. create a directory for new vg in /dev for eg, mkdir /dev/newvg
2. check for free minor no. # ll /dev/* |grep group
3. create a new group file. eg. #mknod /dev/newvg/group c 64 0x040000
4. vgimport /dev/newvg /dev/dsk/cxtydz
5. vgchange -a y newvg

It's not must doing vgexport on the server from where you removed the disk, if you are removing temperorily.

Hope this will do...

Shameer

[Devender Khatana]

Hi,

What you are trying to achive is quite possible unless you do not want to preserve the data on the disk from the old server. If this is the case you can create new PV on the disk using -f option to override the existing structure. All earlier data in this process will nodoubt will be lost.

#pvcreate -f /dev/rdsk/cxtydz

(Where /dev/dsk/cxtydz is the path of the disk in new server)

Once this is done you can create new VG on the disk.

#mkdir /dev/newvgname
#mknod group c 64 0x0?0000

(Where ? is the unique minor number confirm by listing existing group files by "ll /dev/*/group)

#vgcreate /dev/newvgname /dev/dsk/cxtydz

(Optional parameters can also be specified)

#lvcreate -L ???? /dev/newvgname

#newfs -F vxfs /dev/newvgname/rlvol1

HTH,
Devender

[Raj D.]

Hi Rashid ,

You can go as follows:

In new server:
1. create the vgdir
# mkdir /dev/vgname
# ls -l /dev//*/group ( # And choose a unique one)
# cd /dev/vgname
# mknod group c 64 0x0y0000 #(use the minor no, that not used )
# vgimport /dev/vgname /dev/dsk/cXtYdZ

# vgchange -a y vgname


Now you can try to mount the filesystems, as per your convenience;
# vgdisplay -v /dev/vgname
# mkdir newmnt
# mount -F vxfs /dev/vgname/lvol1 /newmnt

Cheers,
Raj.