vgchange -a e /dev/vgas3 error

[Carles Viaplana]

I'm trying to execute "vgchange -a e /dev/vgas3" but I get the following error:

vgchange: Warning: Couldn't attach to the volume group physical volume "/dev/dsk/c0t2d0":
The path of the physical volume refers to a device that does not
exist, or is not configured into the kernel.
vgchange: Warning: couldn't query physical volume "/dev/dsk/c0t2d0":
The specified path does not correspond to physical volume attached to
this volume group
vgchange: Warning: couldn't query all of the physical volumes.
vgchange: Couldn't activate volume group "/dev/vgas3":
Quorum not present, or some physical volume(s) are missing.

This error appears after system down.
I checked disks physically and they seem to be fine.

Do you have any idea what could happen?

Thanks in advance for your help.
Regards,

Carles

[Warren_9 · Accepted solution]

Hi,

how about the status in ioscan and did you check the syslog.

# ioscan -fnC disk

the status of the disk need to be CLAIMED.

GOOD LUCK!!

[Ninad_1]

Hi Charles,

Looks like the disk is either not present or not accessible .
Please attach the outputs of
strings /etc/lvmtab
ioscan -fnC disk
diskinfo /dev/rdsk/c0t2d0

Regards,
Ninad

[Senthil Kumar .A_1]

Hi,

If the output of ioscan is indeed shown as present, then do the following.

1) move the /etc/lvmtab to /tmp and restore back lvmtab fiel.

mv /etc/lvmtab /tmp
vgscan -a

Now try activating the VG.

If the above does not work, then...

2) try restoring the LVM metadata structure on "/dev/dsk/c0t2d0"...

vgcfgrestore -n /dev/vgas3 /dev/rdsk/c0t2d0

now try activating the VG..

Regards,
Senthil Kumar .A

[Carles Viaplana]

Hello,

Thanks for your answers.

here you're ioscan and diskinfo output:

# ioscan -fnC disk
Class I H/W Path Driver S/W State H/W Type Description
=====================================================================
disk 2 8/4.0.0 sdisk CLAIMED DEVICE SEAGATE ST34573WC
/dev/dsk/c0t0d0 /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0
disk 3 8/4.1.0 sdisk CLAIMED DEVICE SEAGATE ST39173WC
/dev/dsk/c0t1d0 /dev/rdsk/c0t1d0
disk 5 8/4.3.0 sdisk CLAIMED DEVICE SEAGATE ST34573WC
/dev/dsk/c0t3d0 /dev/rdsk/c0t3d0
disk 0 8/16/5.5.0 sdisk CLAIMED DEVICE SEAGATE ST34573N
/dev/dsk/c1t5d0 /dev/rdsk/c1t5d0
disk 1 8/16/5.6.0 sdisk CLAIMED DEVICE SEAGATE ST34573N
/dev/dsk/c1t6d0 /dev/rdsk/c1t6d0
disk 7 10/12.0.0 sdisk CLAIMED DEVICE SEAGATE ST34573WC
/dev/dsk/c3t0d0 /dev/rdsk/c3t0d0
disk 8 10/12.1.0 sdisk CLAIMED DEVICE SEAGATE ST39173WC
/dev/dsk/c3t1d0 /dev/rdsk/c3t1d0
disk 9 10/12.2.0 sdisk CLAIMED DEVICE SEAGATE ST39175LC
/dev/dsk/c3t2d0 /dev/rdsk/c3t2d0
disk 10 10/12.3.0 sdisk CLAIMED DEVICE SEAGATE ST34573WC
/dev/dsk/c3t3d0 /dev/rdsk/c3t3d0
# diskinfo /dev/rdsk/c0t2d0
diskinfo: can't open /dev/rdsk/c0t2d0: No such device or address
#

I don't understand why this disk is not visible.

Regards,

Carles

[Warren_9]

Hi,

most likely it is a hardware problem and the disk cannot be found...

please check the /var/adm/syslog/OLDsyslog.log, you may found some disk error in there.

GOOD LUCK!!

[Ninad_1]

Charles,

As suspected the disk is either not present or not visible to the server. Now you may need to physically check if the disk is present or not.
Was there any error on disk and was replaced previously ?
Can you paste the strings /etc/lvmtab output - especially the output for the vgas3

Regards,
Ninad

[Carles Viaplana]

Hi all again,

I checked OLDsyslog file and I haven't found any reference to disk crash.

About strings /etc/lvmtab output, here you're:

/dev/vgas1
70bQ
/dev/dsk/c0t0d0
/dev/dsk/c3t0d0
/dev/vgas2
70be
/dev/dsk/c0t1d0
/dev/dsk/c3t1d0
/dev/vgas3
70bp
/dev/dsk/c0t2d0
/dev/dsk/c3t2d0
/dev/vgas4
/dev/dsk/c0t3d0
/dev/dsk/c3t3d0
/dev/vg00
/dev/dsk/c1t6d0
/dev/dsk/c1t5d0

Thanks for your help.
Regards,

Carles

[Ninad_1]

Charles,

So the VG was existing with 2 disks some time back and now that one of the 2 disks is not visible to the server.
Now the solution would be -
1st check physically what the problem is with the disk - for any LED indications on the disks etc.
2nd thing - you need to either have a disk at the location required by the missing disk OR the VG recreated and data restored OR have this disk (PV) removed from the VG config and add another disk and then restore data from backup.

What do you intend to do now ?

Regards,
Ninad

[Warren_9]

hi,

if the VG is mirrored, you could activate the VG and backup the data 1st.... just in case....!!

# vgchange -a y -q n vgas3
# mount -a

GOOD LUCK!!

[Senthil Kumar .A_1]

Hi,

Can you compare teh current ioscan output to the ioscan output which was taken before system shutdown. See wether you are able to find the H/W path is missing are not compared to the old data. If the path still exists try restoring the device file using the command,

insf -e

Regards,
Senthil Kumar .A

[Leon Allen]

Could it be one of the mirrored disks has failed?

It is very easy for this to happen, and go undetected until the next reboot.

[Leon Allen]

Try this command:

vgexport -m /etc/lvmconf/vgas3.mapfile -s -p -v vgas3

What does it respond with?

Another revealing command might be:

vgcfgbackup -f /etc/lvmconf/vgas3.bak vgas3

[Carles Viaplana]

Hello all,

Finally I resolved situation as the volumes were mirrored on separated physical paths:

vgchange -a e -q n

It allows to mount filesystem temporally till we resolve mirror issue.

Problem is this server uses a very old storage system and I'm not sure client has spare disks(!), but this is another stuff.

Thanks to all for your help.
Regards,

Carles