vgdisplay vg00 gives error message

[Manolito Schotsborg]

vgdisplay vg00 gives the following error message:

Possible error in the Volume Group minor number; Please check and make sure the group minor number is unique. vgdisplay:
Cannot display volume group "vg00".

Commands like lvdisplay and pvdisplay do work
on vg00, while vgdisplay doesn't.

How can I fix this ?

Thanks

[Alex Glennie]

sounds like a mismatch between the information stored
in the lvmtab file and that in the Volume Group Data Area (VGDA) section of the Volume Group Reserved Area (VGRA) on the physical volumes in the root Volume Group.

Recreating the lvmtab file with vgscan shouldl correct the discrepancy and resolve the errors which are reported by the LVM commands.

[Dan Hetzel]

Hi Manolito,

1. cp /etc/lvmtab /etc/lvmtab.old
2. vgscan -a

Regards,

Dan

[Manolito Schotsborg]

I already tried it but the problem remains.

Any other suggestions ?

[Dan Hetzel]

Hi Manolito,

What is the output of 'll /dev/vg*/group' ?

[Alex Glennie · Accepted solution]

1. Check to see if the /dev/slvmvg file exists:

# ll /dev/slvmvg

Note: If the file "does exist", then perform Steps
A, B, C, D, and E.

If the file "does not exist", perform Steps B, C, D,
and E. (do not perform Step A).

2. Perform the following commands:

A. # mv /dev/slvmvg /tmp

B. # mv /etc/lvmtab /etc/lvmtab.currentdate

C. # vgscan -v

D. # strings /etc/lvmtab

Note: This command verifies that everything is correct.

E. # vgdisplay -v /dev/vg00

Note: This command tests the solution.

[Bruce Regittko_1]

Hi,

...And if the above does not work, check to see if you have a file named group in /dev/vg00. It should be a character special file with a major number of 64 and a minor number of 0x000000. You can view this information with

ls -l /dev/vg00/group

The major and minor numbers will be where the size is would be if the file was not a special file.

If it does not exist or has other values, (re)create it with mknod(1m):

mknod /dev/vg00/group c 64 0x000000

BTW, 64 points to the lvm kernel pseudo-driver while the minor number is in the form 0xAABBCC where 0x indicates the number is hexadecimal (base 16) and AA is an instance number for the volume groups - vg00 should always be 00. BB are unused and, by convention, set to 00. CC is always set to 00 for the group file and is an instance number for logical volumes.

--Bruce

[Bruce Regittko_1]

Hi again,

I just reread your question - I wish the question was displayed on the reply page. Also, make sure that the minor for the group files in your other volume groups does not have 00 for the first two digits, that is, make sure they are not 0x000000. vg01, for example, should be vg010000, vg02 should be 0x020000, etc.

--Bruce

[Manolito Schotsborg]

moving /dev/slvmvg to /tmp does the trick !!!

What does this file do ??

Thanks for all the replies

[Alex Glennie]

The errors occur because ServiceGaurd was previously installed on thesystem. A ServiceGaurd installation normally leaves the /dev/slvmvg
file. This file can cause vgscan to corrupt /etc/lvmtab.

[arun kumar v]

All,

I have a similar kind of problem where in the vgdisplay -v vg00 command gives me the same error as reported above.
I check with the /dev/slvmvg file and it doesn't exist on my machine.

But vgscan -v worked out and every thing was fine.

Now i need to know why at all this problem came although i didn't have the /dev/slvmvg file on the machine.

Please provide me the answers...

Thanks,
Arun Kumar.
Lucent technologies INDIA limited.

[Pete Randall]

Arun,

You would be better off to open a new thread, as suggested in Patrick Walleck's Guide to Forums Etiquette which you can find in the masthead on the left hand side of the forums home page.

Most forumers will look at the rabbit on this question and assume that it was solved. Your new post has a much better chance of getting a response.

Good luck,
Pete