vgimport - cannot open the control file

[Simon P White]

I am trying to export some vg's from 1 server and import into another. Do the minor numbers on the vg's have to match or can they be changed? When I run the import I get the above error. If I set the minor numbers the same it works. The issue I have is that some of the vg's have duplicate minor numbers on the system I want to import them on.

[Pete Randall]

No, the minor numbers do not have to be the same - just unique. Are you sure that they are unique on the new system?


Pete

[Geoff Wild]

They can be different - the vg name can be different - your error is caused by maxvgs set to low.

Rgds...Geoff

[Simon P White]

Pete - thanks for the reply - as far as I can see the minor numbers are unique. I have tried 2 different vg's and its only when I make the minor numbers the same does the vgimport work

[Matti_Kurkela]

The minor number for the group file of a VG can be changed when export/importing the VG, but the minor number MUST be of the form 0xNN0000.
Note that "NN" is two hexadecimal digits, so you can have 256 VGs (from 00 to ff).

When building a ServiceGuard cluster, all the servers that access the shared VG must use identical VG minor numbers.

MK

[Simon P White]

Thanks guys - let me explain perhaps I'm doing something wrong
1) Server a vgexport -m mapfile -f diskfile vg
2) Copy mapfile and diskfile to server b
3) server b mkdir vg
4) server b mknod vg/group c 64 0xnn0000
5) vgimport -m mapfile -f diskfile vg
This fails unless I set the minor number the same as server a - then it works

[Ninad_1 · Accepted solution]

Simon,

Geoff has highlighted a very good valid point. It must be so happening that the minor number you are trying to use is more than your maxvgs kernel parameter.
What is your maxvgs parameter and what is the minor number you are trying to use, for which you are not able to import.
Also please can you post the exact error displayed while importing.

Regards,
Ninad

[Geoff Wild]

Thanks guys - let me explain perhaps I'm doing something wrong
1) Server a vgexport -m mapfile -f diskfile vg
2) Copy mapfile and diskfile to server b
3) server b mkdir vg
4) server b mknod vg/group c 64 0xnn0000
5) vgimport -m mapfile -f diskfile vg
This fails unless I set the minor number the same as server a - then it works


1 should be: vgexport -s -v -m /tmp/vgxx.map /dev/vgXX

and your import should be:

vgimport -s -v -m /tmp/vgxx.map /dev/vgXX


Again - what is maxvgs set to?

Also - please post the exact commands

Example - for vg10:

mkdir /dev/vg10
mknod /dev/vg10/group c 64 0x0a0000

Rgds...Geoff

[Simon P White]

Thanks Geoff, Ninad - your correct. The maxvgs is set to 60 which wouldn't alow me to use a minor number of 40 onwards - i have now fixed the problem