Volume group is inactive

[ganzsp]

Hai,

In one of our HP server, the volume group as a whole is not active,

I tried vgdisplay which gives below output,
#vgdisplay -v /dev/vg00/
#
This machine is not a cluster

#vgchange -a y /dev/vg00/
#

#vgdisplay -v /dev/vg00/
#

no error is thrown but the logical volume and physical volume is not displayed. If i try using sam it says no logical volumes create it. But i was able to access the FS and DF -k is displaying the contents and things seems fine.

Have checked /etc/lvrmc and the entry of vgactivate is as below,

AUTO_VG_ACTIVATE=1

and lvmtab has the correct entries of logical volumes and corresponding disks.

Please guide me to solve this. I was not able to establish the FS or create new FS as vgdisplay shows nothing and not able to access the volume space.

Thanks
Ganzsp

[Torsten.]

Some basic first steps:

# who -r
# strings /etc/lvmtab
# vgscan -p -v

[Jeeshan]

HI

really weired situation!!!

Post your bdf and ll /dev/*/group output here.

[ganzsp]

It is in run level 3
and below,
#strings /etc/lvmtab
/dev/vg00
/dev/dsk/c1t6d0
/dev/dsk/c2t6d0

followed same but no change..

[ganzsp]

hai II/dev/*/group has junk value

#bdf /mt1
/dev/vg00/lv_mt1
4096000 3977407 118593 97% /mt1

[Torsten.]

>> hai II/dev/*/group has junk value

details?

[Jeeshan]

Hi again

I guess, your volume group may be corrupted.

To resolve this, you need to recovery by using make_net_recovery.

Anyway still see, if anything you can find out which can help you not to go recovery process.

[ganzsp]

hai you are ryt..
#ls -l /usr/sbin/vg* /usr/sbin/lv*
-r-sr-xr-x 31 root sys 0 Mar 14 01:01 /usr/sbin/lvchange*
-r-sr-xr-x 1 root sys 528384 Aug 7 2002 /usr/sbin/lvchange.run*
-r-sr-xr-x 31 root sys 0 Mar 14 01:01 /usr/sbin/lvcreate*
-r-sr-xr-x 31 root sys 0 Mar 14 01:01 /usr/sbin/lvdisplay*
-r-sr-xr-x 31 root sys 0 Mar 14 01:01 /usr/sbin/lvextend*
-r-sr-xr-x 31 root sys 0 Mar 14 01:01 /usr/sbin/lvlnboot*

the contents are zero..

i tried restoration,..

#mt -f /dev/rmt/1m fsf 1
#tar cvf /dev/rmt/1mn /usr/sbin/vgdisplay /usr/sbin/lvdisplay

a /usr/sbin/vgdisplay 0 blocks
a /usr/sbin/lvdisplay link to /usr/sbin/vgdisplay

but..
>ll /usr/sbin/vg* /usr/sbin/lv*
-r-sr-xr-x 31 root sys 0 Mar 14 01:01 /usr/sbin/lvchange
-r-sr-xr-x 1 root sys 528384 Aug 7 2002 /usr/sbin/lvchange.run
-r-sr-xr-x 31 root sys 0 Mar 14 01:01 /usr/sbin/lvcreate
-r-sr-xr-x 31 root sys 0 Mar 14 01:01 /usr/sbin/lvdisplay
-r-sr-xr-x 31 root sys 0 Mar 14 01:01 /usr/sbin/lvextend
-r-sr-xr-x 31 root sys 0 Mar 14 01:01 /usr/sbin/lvlnboot
is wat reflecting back..

the OS back up taken was ignited back up.
is any wrong with my restoration process.

[Torsten. · Accepted solution]

tried restoration,..

#mt -f /dev/rmt/1m fsf 1
#tar cvf /dev/rmt/1mn /usr/sbin/vgdisplay /usr/sbin/lvdisplay

a /usr/sbin/vgdisplay 0 blocks
a /usr/sbin/lvdisplay link to /usr/sbin/vgdisplay



Do you know what

tar -c

does???

You wrote your empty files to the tape.


What is the result of

# /sbin/vgdisplay -v vg00

[Torsten.]

AND BTW, please learn to use the write protection switch on your tapes - I guess you destroyed your ignite backup right now ... :-(

[ganzsp]

:0 ?? this cmd was provide by my senior.

/sbin/vgdisplay -v vg00

Write Access read/write
VG Status available
Max LV 255
Cur LV 22
Open LV 22
Max PV 16
Cur PV 2
Act PV 2
Max PE per PV 17501
VGDA 4
PE Size (Mbytes) 4
Total PE 34998
Alloc PE 34526
Free PE 472
Total PVG 0
Total Spare PVs 0
Total Spare PVs in use 0

[Torsten.]

So you learned now the lessons about

blind faith
and
using the write protection switch

;-)

Your VG has no problem at all (run your commands from /sbin !), but your commands in

/usr/sbin

are bad.

Get them from a backup and you are fine.




Ask your senior about the tar command again!


man page:

tar -c

Create a new archive. Write from the beginning of the archive instead of appending after the last file. Any previous information in the archive is overwritten.



Once your system is repaired make a new backup soon.

[Torsten.]

unfortunately the "c" key is very, very close to the "x" key on most keyboards ...


Root can do almost everything, even bad things.



Please read this too:

http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/helptips.do?#33


Good luck!

[Safarali]

Hi Gan
you have corrupted /usr/sbin/ directory what you can do you can copy all zero byte files that are corrupted one from another production server it will solve your problem

1. list all zero files and save in a file name as file list

2 scp filelist server2:/usr/sbin

login server 2
cd /usr/sbin
write the following script
for i in `cat file.list`
do
echo $i
scp $i problemserver:/usr/sbin

done

you can write this program as a script and execute sh scriptname
this will solve your problem

Regards
Safar

[ganzsp]

hai i'm getting check sum error while restoring from file,

#tar xvf /dev/rmt/1mn /usr/sbin/vgdisplay /usr/sbin/lvdisplay
Tar: blocksize = 4
directory checksum error

is that mean the tape is corrupted and data cannot be retrieved or this is not a ignite backup.. :(

#tar tvf /dev/rmt/1mn
Tar:Blocksize = 2
directory checksum error

If i want to retrieve from another server of same OS version , will the parameters match??

Pls help me :( in resorting this..

[Torsten.]

If this is an ignite tape, you have to position the tape first:

#mt -f /dev/rmt/1m fsf 1

(well, this is for 1m - adjust if needed).


I hope this is not the tape you destroyed previously.

[ganzsp]

Torsten,

You are correct this is another set of tape

#mt -f /dev/rmt/1m fsf 1

was given before extracting from tar and when i checked manually the availability of lv* commands i see 0 contents in that.. :(

Is there any other way to restore it. If i have the OS CD with me. else some other server of same OS version.. but i doubt whether it will be compatible..??!

Pls guide on this..

[Torsten.]

I don't know what OS version you run, but I think transfering the files from another server (same OS level!) may work.

Maybe the better solution would be to apply a cumulative LVM patch, because all files are included.

Example:

PHCO_35955
s700_800 11.11 LVM commands cumulative patch

...

LVM.LVM-RUN,fr=B.11.11,fa=HP-UX_B.11.11_32/64,v=HP:
/usr/lib/nls/msg/C/lvm.cat
/usr/sbin/lvchange
/usr/newconfig/usl
/usr/newconfig/sl
/sbin/lvchange
/sbin/lvcreate
/sbin/lvdisplay
/sbin/lvextend
/sbin/lvlnboot
/sbin/lvreduce
/sbin/lvremove
/sbin/lvrmboot
/sbin/pvchange
/sbin/pvck
/sbin/pvcreate
/sbin/pvdisplay
/sbin/pvmove
/sbin/pvremove
/sbin/vgcfgbackup
/sbin/vgcfgrestore
/sbin/vgchange
/sbin/vgchgid
/sbin/vgcreate
/sbin/vgdisplay
/sbin/vgexport
/sbin/vgextend
/sbin/vgimport
/sbin/vgreduce
/sbin/vgremove
/sbin/vgscan
/usr/sbin/lvcreate
/usr/sbin/lvdisplay
/usr/sbin/lvextend
/usr/sbin/lvlnboot
/usr/sbin/lvreduce
/usr/sbin/lvremove
/usr/sbin/lvrmboot
/usr/sbin/pvchange
/usr/sbin/pvck
/usr/sbin/pvcreate
/usr/sbin/pvdisplay
/usr/sbin/pvmove
/usr/sbin/pvremove
/usr/sbin/vgcfgbackup
/usr/sbin/vgcfgrestore
/usr/sbin/vgchange
/usr/sbin/vgchgid
/usr/sbin/vgcreate
/usr/sbin/vgdisplay
/usr/sbin/vgexport
/usr/sbin/vgextend
/usr/sbin/vgimport
/usr/sbin/vgreduce
/usr/sbin/vgremove
/usr/sbin/vgscan
/usr/sbin/lvmchk
...

[Torsten.]

With all the provided hints you should be able to solve this.

If not, come back.



Don't forget to read this:

http://forums12.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/helptips.do?#33

[ganzsp]

Hai,

Thank you I have done with it. I restored back from the tape itself.

Your help on this highly appreciable.

:) Ganzsp

[ganzsp]

I have restore the nullified/corrupted files from backup tape.