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vgconvert – Convert volume group metadata format

The vgconvert command is used to convert the metadata format of a volume group. This command can be used to convert an LVM1 volume group to LVM2 or vice versa. It can also be used to convert between different disk sector sizes, such as 512-byte and 4K-byte sectors.

Overview

The syntax for the vgconvert command is as follows:

vgconvert [OPTIONS] VGNAME

Where VGNAME is the name of the volume group to be converted.

Examples

To convert an LVM1 volume group to LVM2, use the following command:

vgconvert -m /dev/VGNAME

To convert an LVM2 volume group to LVM1, use the following command:

vgconvert -M /dev/VGNAME

To convert a volume group to a different disk sector size, use the following command:

vgconvert --clustered y --physicalextentsize 4M /dev/VGNAME

Specific use cases

  • Converting an LVM1 volume group to LVM2: This may be necessary if you need to take advantage of LVM2 features, such as snapshots or thin provisioning.
  • Converting an LVM2 volume group to LVM1: This may be necessary if you need to use the volume group with an older version of LVM that does not support LVM2.
  • Converting between different disk sector sizes: This may be necessary if you are moving a volume group between different types of storage devices that have different sector sizes.

Options

The following table lists the available options for the vgconvert command:

Option Description
-m Convert an LVM1 volume group to LVM2.
-M Convert an LVM2 volume group to LVM1.
-c, --clustered Set the clustered flag for the volume group.
-e, --physicalextentsize PhysicalExtentSize[kKmMgGtT] Set the physical extent size for the volume group.
-h, --help Display help message and exit.
-v, --verbose Display verbose output.

Troubleshooting tips

  • If the vgconvert command fails with an error message, make sure that the volume group is not currently in use by any active processes.
  • If the conversion process fails due to insufficient disk space, you may need to add additional physical volumes to the volume group before attempting the conversion again.

Notes

  • The vgconvert command should be used with caution, as it can potentially cause data loss if used incorrectly.
  • Before using the vgconvert command, it is recommended to back up any important data on the volume group.
  • The conversion process may take some time to complete, depending on the size of the volume group and the amount of data stored on it.

Related commands