[BlueOnyx:13582] Re: Crashed drive

[Michael Stauber]

Hi Stephanie,

> With respect to LVM, it seems to me there is an option to adjust the
> partitioning in the BX installer and even eliminate LVM, but it’s been
> so long since I looked for it …

Yeah, the installer has the following options:

- Install BlueOnyx
- Install with option 'nodmraid'
- Install for disks smaller than 20GB
- Install using a single disk and no LVM
- Rescue installed system
- Boot from local drive

So there is the option to install without using LVM.

As for LVM ... yeah, some hate it, some love it. Rescuing data off a LVM
volume requires some extra steps. The rescue CD can help you with that,
as it will see and can mount these partitions for you. But the procedure
to do it "on foot" isn't that complicated either:

vgscan
lvscan
vgchange -a y VolGroup00

And mount:

mount /dev/VolGroup00/root /mnt
mount /dev/VolGroup00/home /mnt/home
mount /dev/VolGroup00/var /mnt/var
mount /dev/VolGroup00/tmp /mnt/tmp

Or you can add them to /etc/fstab ...

/dev/VolGroup00/root    /mnt                       ext3    defaults
   1 1
/dev/VolGroup00/home      /mnt/home                     ext3    defaults
       1 2
/dev/VolGroup00/var     /mnt/var                    ext3    defaults
    1 2
/dev/VolGroup00/tmp     /mnt/tmp                    ext3    defaults
    1 2

... and then do a "mount -a" instead.

Now if the "host" system already has a "VolGroup00", you can use
"vgrename" to rename either one of them. Preferably the one you want to
mount last, because that saves you a reboot.

Typically I find it easier to use the rescue CD. Use it to start off the
CD with the disks connected that you want to rescue data off. When
prompted, select the keyboard layout and language, start with network
enabled, let it mount the disks and then simply type "chroot
/mnt/sysimage". With the network enabled you can then use RSYNC, SCP or
(if need be) FTP to copy the data. Or you can mount the target servers
resource where you want to copy the data to via FUSE, NFS or other means.

-- 
With best regards

Michael Stauber