How to Add Disk Space with LVM for Linux

  1. Check the available disk space: Before you begin, it’s a good idea to check the available disk space on your system using the df -h command. This will show you the current usage and available space on your file systems.
  2. Identify the logical volume (LV) to increase: Next, you’ll need to identify the logical volume (LV) that you want to increase the disk space for. You can do this by running the command sudo lvdisplay. This will show you a list of logical volumes on your system, along with their size and mount point.
  3. Check the volume group (VG) for available space: You’ll also need to check if there is available space in the volume group (VG) that the LV is a part of. You can do this by running the command sudo vgdisplay. This will show you a list of volume groups on your system, along with their size and available space.
  4. Add a new physical volume (PV) if necessary: If there is no available space in the VG, you’ll need to add a new physical volume (PV) to the VG. To do this, connect a new disk to your system and run the command sudo pvcreate /dev/sdX, where /dev/sdX is the device name of the new disk.
  5. Extend the volume group (VG): Next, you’ll need to extend the volume group (VG) to include the new PV. To do this, run the command sudo vgextend <VG_name> /dev/sdX, where <VG_name> is the name of the volume group and /dev/sdX is the device name of the new disk.
  6. Extend the logical volume (LV): Now that there is available space in the VG, you can extend the logical volume (LV) to use that space. To do this, run the command sudo lvextend -r -l +100%FREE /dev/<VG_name>/<LV_name>, where <VG_name> is the name of the volume group and <LV_name> is the name of the logical volume. The -r option tells LVM to resize the file system automatically, and the -l +100%FREE option tells LVM to use all of the available space in the VG.
  7. Verify the new disk space: Finally, you can verify the new disk space by running the command df -h. This should show you the updated disk usage and available space for your system.

 

Alternatives

  1. ZFS: ZFS is a file system and logical volume manager that was originally developed by Sun Microsystems. It is now owned by Oracle and is available on a number of operating systems, including Linux. ZFS offers many features that are similar to LVM, such as storage pooling, data compression, and snapshotting, but it also includes features such as data deduplication and built-in RAID.
  2. Btrfs: Btrfs (pronounced “butter FS”) is a relatively new file system that is being developed for Linux. It offers many of the same features as LVM and ZFS, including support for snapshots and multiple device support. Btrfs also includes some features that are unique, such as built-in support for multiple copies of data (to protect against data corruption) and the ability to add and remove devices from a running system.
  3. MD RAID: MD RAID is a software RAID system that is included with the Linux kernel. It allows you to create RAID arrays from multiple physical devices and offers features such as RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 6. While it doesn’t offer the same level of flexibility as LVM, it is a simple and reliable way to create RAID arrays.
  4. Hardware RAID: Hardware RAID involves using a dedicated RAID controller to manage multiple physical devices. This can offer better performance and reliability than software RAID, but it can be more expensive and less flexible.

 

FAQ

What is LVM? LVM stands for Logical Volume Manager, and it is a tool for managing disk space on a Linux system. LVM allows you to create logical volumes that span multiple physical volumes, and it provides features such as resizing and snapshotting of logical volumes.

What are the benefits of using LVM? LVM provides several benefits, including:

  • The ability to resize logical volumes without having to repartition the disk.
  • The ability to create snapshots of logical volumes for backup or testing purposes.
  • The ability to span a logical volume across multiple physical volumes for increased storage capacity.
  • The ability to move data between physical volumes without disrupting the logical volume.

How do I create a new logical volume in LVM? To create a new logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvcreate command. For example, to create a new logical volume called my_lv with a size of 10GB in the my_vg volume group, you would run the command sudo lvcreate -L 10G -n my_lv my_vg.

How do I resize a logical volume in LVM? To resize a logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvresize command. For example, to increase the size of a logical volume called my_lv by 5GB, you would run the command sudo lvresize -L +5G my_lv.

How do I move a logical volume to a different physical volume in LVM? To move a logical volume to a different physical volume in LVM, you can use the pvmove command. For example, to move the extents of a logical volume called my_lv to a new physical volume at /dev/sdb1, you would run the command sudo pvmove /dev/sda1 /dev/sdb1.

How do I create a snapshot of a logical volume in LVM? To create a snapshot of a logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvcreate command with the --snapshot option. For example, to create a snapshot of a logical volume called my_lv with a size of 1GB, you would run the command sudo lvcreate --snapshot -L 1G -n my_lv_snapshot my_lv.

How do I merge a snapshot back into a logical volume in LVM? To merge a snapshot back into a logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvconvert command with the --merge option. For example, to merge a snapshot called my_lv_snapshot back into the original logical volume, you would run the command sudo lvconvert --merge my_lv_snapshot.

How do I remove a logical volume in LVM? To remove a logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvremove command. For example, to remove a logical volume called my_lv, you would run the command sudo lvremove my_lv.

How do I add a new physical volume to a volume group in LVM? To add a new physical volume to a volume group in LVM, you can use the vgextend command. For example, to add a new physical volume at /dev/sdc1 to a volume group called my_vg, you would run the command sudo vgextend my_vg /dev/sdc1.

How do I remove a physical volume from a volume group in LVM? To remove a physical volume from a volume group in LVM, you can use the vgreduce command. For example,

How do I check the status of a logical volume in LVM? To check the status of a logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvdisplay command. For example, to display information about a logical volume called my_lv, you would run the command sudo lvdisplay my_lv.

How do I check the status of a volume group in LVM? To check the status of a volume group in LVM, you can use the vgdisplay command. For example, to display information about a volume group called my_vg, you would run the command sudo vgdisplay my_vg.

How do I check the status of a physical volume in LVM? To check the status of a physical volume in LVM, you can use the pvdisplay command. For example, to display information about a physical volume at /dev/sda1, you would run the command sudo pvdisplay /dev/sda1.

How do I change the name of a logical volume in LVM? To change the name of a logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvrename command. For example, to rename a logical volume called my_lv to new_lv, you would run the command sudo lvrename my_vg/my_lv my_vg/new_lv.

How do I change the name of a volume group in LVM? To change the name of a volume group in LVM, you can use the vgrename command. For example, to rename a volume group called my_vg to new_vg, you would run the command sudo vgrename my_vg new_vg.

How do I change the name of a physical volume in LVM? To change the name of a physical volume in LVM, you can use the pvrename command. For example, to rename a physical volume at /dev/sda1 to /dev/sdb1, you would run the command sudo pvrename /dev/sda1 /dev/sdb1.

How do I create a striped logical volume in LVM? To create a striped logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvcreate command with the --stripes and --stripesize options. For example, to create a striped logical volume called my_striped_lv with a stripe size of 64KB and two stripes across two physical volumes, you would run the command sudo lvcreate --type striped --stripes 2 --stripesize 64K -n my_striped_lv my_vg /dev/sda1 /dev/sdb1.

How do I create a mirrored logical volume in LVM? To create a mirrored logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvcreate command with the --type option set to mirror. For example, to create a mirrored logical volume called my_mirrored_lv with two copies and two physical volumes, you would run the command sudo lvcreate --type mirror -m 1 -n my_mirrored_lv my_vg /dev/sda1 /dev/sdb1.

How do I create a RAID logical volume in LVM? To create a RAID logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvcreate command with the --type option set to raidX, where X is the RAID level (0, 1, 4, 5, or 6). For example, to create a RAID 5 logical volume called `myRAID_lvwith a stripe size of 64KB and three physical volumes, you would run the commandsudo lvcreate –type raid5 –stripes 3 –stripesize 64K -n my_RAID_lv my_vg /dev/sda1 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1`.

How do I unmount a logical volume in LVM? To unmount a logical volume in LVM, you can use the umount command. For example, to unmount a logical volume that is mounted at /mnt/my_lv, you would run the command sudo umount /mnt/my_lv.

How do I backup a logical volume in LVM? To backup a logical volume in LVM, you can create a snapshot of the logical volume using the lvcreate command with the --snapshot option. Then, you can backup the snapshot using your preferred backup method. For example, to create a snapshot of a logical volume called my_lv with a size of 1GB, you would run the command sudo lvcreate --snapshot -L 1G -n my_lv_snapshot my_lv.

How do I restore a logical volume in LVM from a backup? To restore a logical volume in LVM from a backup, you can create a new logical volume from the backup file or snapshot using the lvcreate command. For example, to create a new logical volume called restored_lv from a snapshot called my_lv_snapshot, you would run the command sudo lvcreate -s my_lv_snapshot -n restored_lv my_vg.

How do I move a logical volume to a different volume group in LVM? To move a logical volume to a different volume group in LVM, you can use the pvmove command to move the physical extents of the logical volume to a new physical volume in the new volume group. Then, you can use the vgextend command to add the new physical volume to the new volume group, and use the lvconvert command to move the logical volume to the new volume group. For example, to move a logical volume called my_lv from a volume group called old_vg to a volume group called new_vg, you would run the following commands:

bash
sudo pvmove /dev/old_vg/my_lv /dev/new_pv
sudo vgextend new_vg /dev/new_pv
sudo lvconvert -n my_lv new_vg

How do I mount a logical volume in LVM? To mount a logical volume in LVM, you first need to create a mount point directory. For example, to create a mount point directory at /mnt/my_lv, you would run the command sudo mkdir /mnt/my_lv. Then, you can mount the logical volume to that directory using the mount command. For example, to mount a logical volume called my_lv to the mount point directory, you would run the command sudo mount /dev/my_vg/my_lv /mnt/my_lv.

How do I create a thin pool in LVM? To create a thin pool in LVM, you can use the lvcreate command with the --type thin-pool option. For example, to create a thin pool called my_thin_pool with a size of 100GB and a chunk size of 1MB, you would run the command sudo lvcreate --type thin-pool -L 100G --poolmetadata 1G --chunksize 1M -n my_thin_pool my_vg.

How do I check the status of a thin pool in LVM? To check the status of a thin pool in LVM, you can use the lvs command with the --thin option. For example, to display information about a thin pool called my_thin_pool, you would run the command sudo lvs --thin my_thin_pool.

How do I check the status of a thin logical volume in LVM? To check the status of a thin logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvs command with the --thin option. For example, to display information about a thin logical volume called my_thin_lv, you would run the command sudo lvs --thin my_thin_lv.

How do I convert a standard logical volume to a thin logical volume in LVM? To convert a standard logical volume to a thin logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvconvert command with the --type thin option. For example, to convert a standard logical volume called my_lv to a thin logical volume, you would run the command sudo lvconvert --type thin my_lv.

How do I convert a thin logical volume to a standard logical volume in LVM? To convert a thin logical volume to a standard logical volume in LVM, you can use the lvconvert command with the --type linear option. For example, to convert a thin logical volume called my_thin_lv to a standard logical volume, you would run the command sudo lvconvert --type linear my_thin_lv. Note that this will discard any unused space in the thin pool associated with the thin logical volume.

 

 

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In the world of storage, LVM reigns supreme It gives us the power to live out our dream Of allocating space to logical volumes so fine And moving them around with relative design

We can create a volume group and add in some drives And with physical volumes, we’ll make it come alive We can then carve out some space with a logical slice And assign it to a filesystem that’s ever so nice

But LVM offers more than just storage management It’s a powerful tool that we can’t circumvent We can create snapshots and backups with ease And move logical volumes between systems with a breeze

With RAID, striping, and mirroring at our command We can design storage solutions that are simply grand And with thin provisioning, we can stretch space so far We’ll never again have to worry about running out of bar

So here’s to LVM, the king of storage land We’ll never again take our storage for granted With LVM at our side, we can manage with glee And ensure our data is safe and always free

 

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