[linux-lvm] Help : vg not accessible

[linux-lvm] Help : vg not accessible

[dld.pascal.garcia]

Hello, 
I introduce myself because that is the first time I use this mailing list.  
43, french, engenieer. I am using Linux since 3 years now. 
 
My problem is the following : 
If use lvm on my laptop for ages. 
 
By lack of space I decided to add a pv to the vg, and extend the lv /. 
 
It worked, but obviously the tool I used (diskdrake) did not write the partition table, and 
may be did other things stranges, so that after rebbot nothing works any longer (fatal). 
 
I made some tests and changes but probably made the situation even worse, by losing 
the MSB, so I cant even start booting. 
 
You probably understand that my / partition is on the vg, so that I do not have acces to 
the previous /etc/lvmcon/* and others files. 
 
could somebody give me the informatoipn where I can find the data structure I could 
eventually modify, so that, mounting this disk in an other system where linuw is installed 
the vg could be scaned? 
 
If not could somebody help me on this analisys and modification ? I know it will be hard, 
but my data is important. 
 
thank you  
 
Pascal Garcia 
 

Re: [linux-lvm] Help : vg not accessible

[Tom Hollins]

Did you boot to a rescue CD or floppy with the LVM tools?

if so read on. If not stop and be able to boot to one then read below.

I believe what will be requested by the people in the know (Heinz and Joe) is what were the LVM commands that you used to do this? Example pvcreate on the drive then vgextend (or whatever).

After you did this did you back up the VGDA that was created? This means back it up to a floppy or CD or some other storage device or medium (USB drive)?

Heinz normally asks you to post a pvdata or pvdisplay which shows everyone how the system currently "sees" the drive.

-T-



On Sun,  7 Mar 2004 00:45:53 +0100 (CET)
dld.pascal.garcia@wanadoo.fr wrote:

> Hello, 
> I introduce myself because that is the first time I use this mailing list.  
> 43, french, engenieer. I am using Linux since 3 years now. 
>  
> My problem is the following : 
> If use lvm on my laptop for ages. 
>  
> By lack of space I decided to add a pv to the vg, and extend the lv /. 
>  
> It worked, but obviously the tool I used (diskdrake) did not write the partition table, and 
> may be did other things stranges, so that after rebbot nothing works any longer (fatal). 
>  
> I made some tests and changes but probably made the situation even worse, by losing 
> the MSB, so I cant even start booting. 
>  
> You probably understand that my / partition is on the vg, so that I do not have acces to 
> the previous /etc/lvmcon/* and others files. 
>  
> could somebody give me the informatoipn where I can find the data structure I could 
> eventually modify, so that, mounting this disk in an other system where linuw is installed 
> the vg could be scaned? 
>  
> If not could somebody help me on this analisys and modification ? I know it will be hard, 
> but my data is important. 
>  
> thank you  
>  
> Pascal Garcia 
>  
> 
> _______________________________________________
> linux-lvm mailing list
> linux-lvm@redhat.com
> https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/linux-lvm
> read the LVM HOW-TO at http://tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/
> 

Re: [linux-lvm] Help : vg not accessible

[dld.pascal.garcia]

Hello, 
It seems that diskdrake uses a pvcreate to add the pv in the vg. 
After I made a lvextend on the lv mounted as / of 500Mb and a 
rizerfsresize. 
This was working fine. The problem occured after reboot. 
 
I did not run lilo to recreate the Master boot sector and may be it is 
one 
problem as / in a lv. 
 
I tried the recue disk, but Mandrake did not include the lvmtools, so I 
tried a 
new installation. The installation process told me that there was illegal 
division by 0 when acessing the information of the vg. So i did not 
change 
anything an stopped the installation, (switch off the pc because there is 
no 
sofware abort possible without change of the disk data at this stage of 
the 
installation). 
 
As I had no solution on the portable, I took the disk out of my portable, 
and 
put it as primary (so the disk is hda as in the portable) in a fixed 
machine  
(special cables available), I added a second disk as slave and installed 
the  
distribution on the second disk. Then the MSB has been replaced. 
That is really a problem because now I can not even start booting on the 
portable 
disk. 
 
 
All the tools are now available, diskdrake told me that the partition I 
finally  
added was not in the vg. So I added the partition. It was an error I 
completly  
realize it now. 
An error has been repported on pvcreate, but mainly it has been done, but 
the data  
in /etc has not been created. 
 
whith pvdata now I can see that I have 2 pvs with number one. The 
orgiginal 
first and the volume i finally added. 
 
pvremove reports an error, and does nothing. 
 
vgscan does nothing on rootvg as it is inconsistant. Anyway the system do 
not know 
the vg, /dev/rootvg/[12] do not exist. 
 
I think I should first, by patching the data by hand, either remove the 
last pv I  
added, or make it as beeing the 3rd pv of the vg. What ever I have to 
patch, I have 
to make the data on the 3 pv consistant. 
After I may have to mknod few things to have the/dev/rootvg/[12] device 
available. I hope a vgscan will be able recretate the data /etc/lvmconf 
and that the  
data will then be available. 
I will then backup the data, put the disk back in the portable and 
reinstall  
everything. 
 
Is there any hope such a process would work, and what to patch, where can 
I find a 
description of the data structure ? 
 
I am preparing a mail whith pvdata results ... 
 
Pascal Garcia