vgexport(1M)

NAME

vgexport — export an LVM volume group and its associated logical volumes

SYNOPSIS

/usr/sbin/vgexport [-m mapfile] [-p] [-v] [-f outfile] vg_name

/usr/sbin/vgexport -m mapfile -s [-p] [-v] vg_name

DESCRIPTION

Using the format of the first command line of the SYNOPSIS above, the vgexport command can be used to remove a volume group from the system. The volume group will be removed without modifying the logical volume information found on the physical volumes.

The volume group identified by vg_name is removed from the /etc/lvmtab file, and the associated device files including the vg_name directory and group file are removed from the system.

The volume group information and data is untouched on the physical volume. These disks can be imported to another system with the vgimport command (see vgimport(1M)).

Scan Option

Using the format of the second command line of the SYNOPSIS above, the vgexport command generates a mapfile that can be copied to other systems that are part of a high availability cluster (use the -p option if you do not want to remove the volume group from the system the command is being run from) and the vgimport command (see vgimport(1M)) can be used to recreate the volume group. See also vgchange(1M). The mapfile contains a description of the volume group and its associated logical volume(s) (if any). The logical volume information found on the physical volumes is not modified.

Options and Arguments

vgexport recognizes the following options and arguments:

vg_name: The path name of the volume group.
-m mapfile: By default, a file named mapfile is created in the current directory. This file contains a description of the volume group and its associated logical volume(s) (if any). Use this option to specify a different name for the file, mapfile. This file can be used as input to vgimport (see vgimport(1M)). When used with the -s option, the volume group specified in the mapfile can be shared with other systems in the high availability cluster.
-p: Preview the actions to be taken but do not update the /etc/lvmtab file or remove the devices file. This option is best used in conjunction with the -v option.
-v: Print verbose messages including the names of the physical volumes associated with this volume group.
-s: Scan option. When the -s option is specified, then the -m options must also be specified. A mapfile is created that can be used to create volume group entries on other systems in the high availability cluster (with the vgimport command).
-f outfile: Write the current set of pv_paths for the volume group to the outfile. The outfile may then be used as the infile for the vgimport -f option. If used together with the -p option the volume group is not exported but the list of pv_paths is still written to the outfile. This may be useful to derive a list of pv_paths for the volume group or to use on another system which is sharing the volume group and which has an identical configuration.

EXTERNAL INFLUENCES

Environment Variables

LANG determines the language in which messages are displayed.

If LANG is not specified or is null, it defaults to "C" (see lang(5)).

If any internationalization variable contains an invalid setting, all internationalization variables default to "C" (see environ(5)).

EXAMPLES

Export the volume group /dev/vg01 into mapfile vg01.mymap. The volume group will be removed from the exporting system.

vgexport -m  vg01.mymap /dev/vg01 

Export the volume group /dev/vg01 and write the disk names into the file vg01.outfile.

vgexport -v -f vg01.outfile /dev/vg01 

Create a mapfile to be copied to other systems in a high availability cluster to build the volume group information for the volume group, /dev/vg02. Note that the volume group is not removed from the exporting system. The importing systems will create the volume group with the vgimport command using the -s and -m options.

vgexport -s -p -v -m vg02.mymap /dev/vg02 

vgexport(1M)

Technical documentation

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