[opensuse] grub and lvm
So I replaced my failed disk and copied all the files from the backup and using an 11.1 DVD I was able to chroot into it (it's the root disk of a self-contained 10.3 system) and check that it seemed to be working OK. Then I ran grub to install it on the new disk but the system wouldn't boot. I spent a day poking around with grub and various how-tos but still wasn't able to get it to boot. Eventually I gave up and installed 11.1 into a new partition on the disk (it's twice as big as the failed disk). On booting, I was taken to the grub menu installed by 11.1, which had a choice for the 10.3 system, so I chose that, which took me to the 10.3 grub menu, which booted the 10.3 system. Things seem to be working pretty much as before with one major exception - I'm missing an LVM system. I have two 3ware RAID controllers on the machine (as well as the root disk that failed) and the storage on each controller is set up as an LVM physical volume with its own volume group. One is imaginatively named "storage" and the other is "backup". But backup is no longer there! It was there when I chrooted and checked the new system disk, and the 3 ware 3dm2 program tells me that all the hardware is working fine. But: # pvscan PV /dev/sdc VG storage lvm2 [1.59 TB / 0 free] Total: 1 [1.59 TB] / in use: 1 [1.59 TB] / in no VG: 0 [0 ] # vgscan Reading all physical volumes. This may take a while... Found volume group "storage" using metadata type lvm2 I thought I had two problems left to investigate: (1) why the booting only works in such a convoluted fashion (2) why my backup volume has gone missing It's just occurred to me that the two problems could be related. Is it possible that installing grub has damaged whatever control information LVM uses? I'd appreciate any pointers to information, especially how-to repair such damage! Meanwhile I'll RTFM :) Oh, this is my main fileserver so the fewer reboots I have to do, the better. Thanks, Dave -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
It's just occurred to me that the two problems could be related. Is it possible that installing grub has damaged whatever control information LVM uses?
Have you tried running pvscan -v # Scan for physcial volumes vgscan -v # Scan physical volumes for volume groups If that finds voulume group run vgchange -ay # vary-on the volume groups (make them available)
I'd appreciate any pointers to information, especially how-to repair such damage! Meanwhile I'll RTFM :) Oh, this is my main fileserver so the fewer reboots I have to do, the better.
No reboot should be required if the hardware is actually available. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Adam Tauno Williams wrote:
It's just occurred to me that the two problems could be related. Is it possible that installing grub has damaged whatever control information LVM uses?
Have you tried running
pvscan -v # Scan for physcial volumes vgscan -v # Scan physical volumes for volume groups
Hi Adam, I hadn't but I did and got essentially the same output as before. It doesn't see the second PV that contains the 'backup' VG. So I'm still reading ... Thanks, Dave
If that finds voulume group run
vgchange -ay # vary-on the volume groups (make them available)
I'd appreciate any pointers to information, especially how-to repair such damage! Meanwhile I'll RTFM :) Oh, this is my main fileserver so the fewer reboots I have to do, the better.
No reboot should be required if the hardware is actually available.
-- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
I wrote:
I hadn't but I did and got essentially the same output as before. It doesn't see the second PV that contains the 'backup' VG. So I'm still reading ...
I found this which looks as though it may help. I'll let you know: <http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/appnote/19386.html> I do have an /etc/lvm that looks as though it has the necessary metadata. I even have a separate backup of it that's not inside the backup LVM :) Cheers, Dave -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
For the record: Dave Howorth wrote:
I found this which looks as though it may help. I'll let you know:
It didn't but it did contain a link to <http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/index.html>, which contains <http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/recovermetadata.html> and that gave me enough of a hint to be able to fix the problem. It needed a sequence of three commands: # pvcreate --uuid "Fb8U24-BKDl-IOkW-sKxT-VhcW-n274-HnOj40" --restorefile /etc/lvm/backup/backup /dev/sdb # vgcfgrestore --file /etc/lvm/backup/backup backup # vgchange -ay backup 'backup' is the name of my missing volume group. It also happens to be the name of a directory that LVM uses. /dev/sdb is the device that is the missing physical volume, which contains the entire volume group. The uuid to use was found in /etc/lvm/backup/backup. I've just fscked one of the filesystems so I'm pretty convinced it's now working again but I'll fsck them all to be sure. I'm also pretty convinced that the problem did arise by grub overwriting the LVM metadata. Cheers, Dave -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
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Adam Tauno Williams -
Dave Howorth