Erroneously formatted PV; 'vgscan -- ERROR "vg_read_with_pv_and_lv(): current PV" can't get data of volume group'...

Hello,

two days ago i installed a new HDD and added it to my VG 'vg1' (partition id '8e' + 'pvcreate /dev/hdb1' + 'vgextend vh1 /dev/hdb1'). A bit later I erroneously formatted '/dev/hdb1' by 'mkfs.xfs /dev/hdb1'. I ran 'vgscan' and 'pvscan' and the made a smiliar output like it is shown on
http://lists.sistina.com/pipermail/linux-lvm/2002-August/011947.html - but i have only two PVs in my VG 'vg1': '/dev/hdc1' and '/dev/hdd2'. I don't remember what i exactly did with '/dev/hdb' after that (it was late...), but as a result I 'fdisked' the partition table away... There was no data on '/dev'hdb' (except the LVM metadata), so no 'real' data needs to be recovered (at least i hope so).

All in all, I can't access the VG 'vg1' (PVs: '/dev/hdc1' + '/dev/hdd2') with the 3 LVs 'root', 'storage' and 'swap' any more.

Now you could advise me to run 'vgcfgrestore', but i regretfully must say that i rebooted my box and as the name of the LV 'root' implies, my root-filesystem was on it, so the system doesn't boot anymore *doh*...

Summary:
- 1 VG: 'vg1'
- 2 (3) PVs: '/dev/hdc1' + '/dev/hdd2' + for a short time (see above) '/dev/hdb1'
- 3 LVs: 'root', 'storage' and 'swap'
- Filesystem on all LVs: XFS

Fortunately i have a separated 'backup system' on another HDD, which doesn't use LVM nor XFS, but simply ext2, so i can work with it temporarily to fix this disaster.

I think the problem is, that the VG 'vg1' still thinks, it would consist of 3 PVs, but only 2 are there.
But because no VG is found by 'vgscan' (see link above), i can't remove '/dev/hdb1' by 'vgreduce vg1 /dev/hdb1' and so on...

Is there any way to generate metadata for '/dev/hdb1' to make it known by 'vg1' or remove '/dev/hdb1' from 'vg1'?!

I'm very despaired and would be gladdened by every answer. If you need any details, just ask.

P.S.: This is not intended to be a cross-posting; I only had problems submitting my first one.

Kind regards and thanks in advance

Tim-Patrick Märk

Tim-Patrick,

with your root on LV setup you either need:

an emergency boot media with LVM1 on it _and_ /etc/lvmconf/* backup in order to restore you LVM metadata using vgcfgrestore presuming you setup your partitions exactly the way they were before ("vgscan;vgchange -ay" after metadata restore)

- or -

an emergency boot media with LVM2/device-mapper on it to run "vgscan ; vgchange --partial -a y" in order to access your partioal VG without the gone partition

- or -

that LVM2 boot media to restore the metadata.

- or -

to attach your HDDs to another LVM equipped system to repair the volume group configuration

Regards,
Heinz -- The LVM Guy --

*** Software bugs are stupid.
Nevertheless it needs not so stupid people to solve them ***

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Heinz Mauelshagen Sistina Software Inc.
Senior Consultant/Developer Am Sonnenhang 11
56242 Marienrachdorf Germany
[email protected] +49 2626 141200

                                                       FAX 924446

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Hi all,

I want to know some phrases in the 'proc/lvm/global file'.
1) what AA means.
2) What AWDL means.
3) What open means.

Please let me know soon..thanks in advance.

File : /proc/lvm/global

LVM driver LVM version 1.0.5+(22/07/2002)

Total: 2 VGs 4 PVs 4 LVs (4 LVs open 4 times)

Global: 112657 bytes malloced IOP version: 10 6:37:38 active

VG: vg01 [3 PV, 3 LV/3 open] PE Size: 65536 KB
Usage [KB/PE]: 60358656 /921 total 13434880 /205 used 46923776 /716 free
PVs: [AA] rd/c0d0p5 41091072 /627 8257536 /126
32833536 /501

       [AA] rd/c0d0p6             11141120 /170      5177344 /79
5963776 /91
       [AA] rd/c0d0p7              8126464 /124            0 /0
8126464 /124
    LVs: [AWDL  ] lv01                       5177344 /79       1x open
         [AWDL  ] lv02                       3080192 /47       1x open
         [AWDL  ] lv03                       5177344 /79       1x open

VG: vg90 [1 PV, 1 LV/1 open] PE Size: 32768 KB
Usage [KB/PE]: 833159168 /25426 total 204800000 /6250 used 628359168
/19176 free
PV: [AA] sda2 833159168 /25426 204800000 /6250
628359168 /19176

    LV:  [AWDL  ] opt                      204800000 /6250     1x open

With Regards
venkat.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Heinz J . Mauelshagen" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2003 10:43 PM
Subject: Re: [linux-lvm] Erroneously formatted PV; 'vgscan -- ERROR "vg_read_with_pv_and_lv(): current PV" can't get data of volume group'...

Tim-Patrick,

with your root on LV setup you either need:

an emergency boot media with LVM1 on it _and_ /etc/lvmconf/* backup in order to restore you LVM metadata using vgcfgrestore presuming you setup your partitions exactly the way they were before ("vgscan;vgchange -ay" after
metadata restore)

- or -

an emergency boot media with LVM2/device-mapper on it to run "vgscan ; vgchange --partial -a y" in order to access your partioal VG without the gone partition

- or -

that LVM2 boot media to restore the metadata.

- or -

to attach your HDDs to another LVM equipped system to repair the volume group configuration

Regards,
Heinz -- The LVM Guy --

*** Software bugs are stupid.
Nevertheless it needs not so stupid people to solve them ***

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-

Heinz Mauelshagen Sistina Software Inc.
Senior Consultant/Developer Am Sonnenhang 11
56242 Marienrachdorf Germany
[email protected] +49 2626 141200

                                                       FAX 924446

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-

_______________________________________________
linux-lvm mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.sistina.com/mailman/listinfo/linux-lvm
read the LVM HOW-TO at http://tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/

man lvm

look for the proc information.

Regards,
Heinz -- The LVM Guy --

<SNIP>

*** Software bugs are stupid.
Nevertheless it needs not so stupid people to solve them ***

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Heinz Mauelshagen Sistina Software Inc.
Senior Consultant/Developer Am Sonnenhang 11
56242 Marienrachdorf Germany
[email protected] +49 2626 141200

                                                       FAX 924446

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-