1PVCREATE(8) System Manager's Manual PVCREATE(8)
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6 pvcreate — Initialize physical volume(s) for use by LVM
7
9 pvcreate position_args
10 [ option_args ]
11
13 pvcreate initializes a Physical Volume (PV) on a device so the device
14 is recognized as belonging to LVM. This allows the PV to be used in a
15 Volume Group (VG). An LVM disk label is written to the device, and LVM
16 metadata areas are initialized. A PV can be placed on a whole device
17 or partition.
18 Use vgcreate(8) to create a new VG on the PV, or vgextend(8) to add the
20 PV to an existing VG. Use pvremove(8) to remove the LVM disk label
21 from the device.
22 The force option will create a PV without confirmation. Repeating the
24 force option (-ff) will forcibly create a PV, overriding checks that
25 normally prevent it, e.g. if the PV is already in a VG.
26 Metadata location, size, and alignment
28 The LVM disk label begins 512 bytes from the start of the device, and
30 is 512 bytes in size.
31 The LVM metadata area begins at an offset (from the start of the de‐
33 vice) equal to the page size of the machine creating the PV (often
34 4 KiB.) The metadata area contains a 512 byte header and a multi-KiB
35 circular buffer that holds text copies of the VG metadata.
36 With default settings, the first physical extent (PE), which contains
38 LV data, is 1 MiB from the start of the device. This location is con‐
39 trolled by default_data_alignment in lvm.conf, which is set to 1 (MiB)
40 by default. The pe_start will be a multiple of this many MiB. This
41 location can be checked with:
42 pvs -o pe_start PV
43 The size of the LVM metadata area is the space between the the start of
45 the metadata area and the first PE. When metadata begins at 4 KiB and
46 the first PE is at 1024 KiB, the metadata area size is 1020 KiB. This
47 can be checked with:
48 pvs -o mda_size PV
49 The mda_size cannot be increased after pvcreate, so if larger metadata
51 is needed, it must be set during pvcreate. Two copies of the VG meta‐
52 data must always fit within the metadata area, so the maximum VG meta‐
53 data size is around half the mda_size. This can be checked with:
54 vgs -o mda_free VG
55 A larger metadata area can be set with --metadatasize. The resulting
57 mda_size may be larger than specified due to default_data_alignment
58 placing pe_start on a MiB boundary, and the fact that the metadata area
59 extends to the first PE. With metadata starting at 4 KiB and de‐
60 fault_data_alignment 1 (MiB), setting --metadatasize 2048k results in
61 pe_start of 3 MiB and mda_size of 3068 KiB. Alternatively, --metadata‐
62 size 2044k results in pe_start at 2 MiB and mda_size of 2044 KiB.
63 The alignment of pe_start described above may be automatically overrid‐
65 den based on md device properties or device i/o properties reported in
66 sysfs. These automatic adjustments can be enabled/disabled using
67 lvm.conf settings md_chunk_alignment and data_alignment_offset_detec‐
68 tion.
69 To use a different pe_start alignment, use the --dataalignment option.
71 The --metadatasize option would also typically be used in this case be‐
72 cause the metadata area size also determines the location of pe_start.
73 When using these two options together, pe_start is calculated as: meta‐
74 data area start (page size), plus the specified --metadatasize, rounded
75 up to the next multiple of --dataalignment. With metadata starting at
76 4 KiB, --metadatasize 2048k, and --dataalignment 128k, pe_start is
77 2176 KiB and mda_size is 2172 KiB. The pe_start of 2176 KiB is the
78 nearest even multiple of 128 KiB that provides at least 2048 KiB of
79 metadata space. Always check the resulting alignment and metadata size
80 when using these options.
81 To shift an aligned pe_start value, use the --dataalignmentoffset op‐
83 tion. The pe_start alignment is calculated as described above, and
84 then the value specified with --dataalignmentoffset is added to produce
85 the final pe_start value.
86
88 pvcreate PV ...
89 [ -f|--force ]
90 [ -M|--metadatatype lvm2 ]
91 [ -u|--uuid String ]
92 [ -Z|--zero y|n ]
93 [ --dataalignment Size[k|UNIT] ]
94 [ --dataalignmentoffset Size[k|UNIT] ]
95 [ --bootloaderareasize Size[m|UNIT] ]
96 [ --labelsector Number ]
97 [ --[pv]metadatacopies 0|1|2 ]
98 [ --metadatasize Size[m|UNIT] ]
99 [ --metadataignore y|n ]
100 [ --norestorefile ]
101 [ --setphysicalvolumesize Size[m|UNIT] ]
102 [ --reportformat basic|json|json_std ]
103 [ --restorefile String ]
104 [ COMMON_OPTIONS ]
105 Common options for lvm:
107 [ -d|--debug ]
108 [ -h|--help ]
109 [ -q|--quiet ]
110 [ -t|--test ]
111 [ -v|--verbose ]
112 [ -y|--yes ]
113 [ --commandprofile String ]
114 [ --config String ]
115 [ --devices PV ]
116 [ --devicesfile String ]
117 [ --driverloaded y|n ]
118 [ --journal String ]
119 [ --lockopt String ]
120 [ --longhelp ]
121 [ --nohints ]
122 [ --nolocking ]
123 [ --profile String ]
124 [ --version ]
125
127 --bootloaderareasize Size[m|UNIT]
128 Reserve space for the bootloader between the LVM metadata area
129 and the first PE. The bootloader area is reserved for bootload‐
130 ers to embed their own data or metadata; LVM will not use it.
131 The bootloader area begins where the first PE would otherwise be
132 located. The first PE is moved out by the size of the boot‐
133 loader area, and then moved out further if necessary to match
134 the data alignment. The start of the bootloader area is always
135 aligned, see also --dataalignment and --dataalignmentoffset. The
136 bootloader area may be larger than requested due to the align‐
137 ment, but it's never less than the requested size. To see the
138 bootloader area start and size of an existing PV use pvs -o
139 +pv_ba_start,pv_ba_size.
140 --commandprofile String
142 The command profile to use for command configuration. See
143 lvm.conf(5) for more information about profiles.
144 --config String
146 Config settings for the command. These override lvm.conf(5) set‐
147 tings. The String arg uses the same format as lvm.conf(5), or
148 may use section/field syntax. See lvm.conf(5) for more informa‐
149 tion about config.
150 --dataalignment Size[k|UNIT]
152 Align the start of a PV data area with a multiple of this num‐
153 ber. To see the location of the first Physical Extent (PE) of
154 an existing PV, use pvs -o +pe_start. In addition, it may be
155 shifted by an alignment offset, see --dataalignmentoffset. Also
156 specify an appropriate PE size when creating a VG.
157 --dataalignmentoffset Size[k|UNIT]
159 Shift the start of the PV data area by this additional offset.
160 -d|--debug ...
162 Set debug level. Repeat from 1 to 6 times to increase the detail
163 of messages sent to the log file and/or syslog (if configured).
164 --devices PV
166 Restricts the devices that are visible and accessible to the
167 command. Devices not listed will appear to be missing. This op‐
168 tion can be repeated, or accepts a comma separated list of de‐
169 vices. This overrides the devices file.
170 --devicesfile String
172 A file listing devices that LVM should use. The file must exist
173 in /etc/lvm/devices/ and is managed with the lvmdevices(8) com‐
174 mand. This overrides the lvm.conf(5) devices/devicesfile and
175 devices/use_devicesfile settings.
176 --driverloaded y|n
178 If set to no, the command will not attempt to use device-mapper.
179 For testing and debugging.
180 -f|--force ...
182 Override various checks, confirmations and protections. Use
183 with extreme caution.
184 -h|--help
186 Display help text.
187 --journal String
189 Record information in the systemd journal. This information is
190 in addition to information enabled by the lvm.conf log/journal
191 setting. command: record information about the command. out‐
192 put: record the default command output. debug: record full com‐
193 mand debugging.
194 --labelsector Number
196 By default the PV is labelled with an LVM2 identifier in its
197 second sector (sector 1). This lets you use a different sector
198 near the start of the disk (between 0 and 3 inclusive - see LA‐
199 BEL_SCAN_SECTORS in the source). Use with care.
200 --lockopt String
202 Used to pass options for special cases to lvmlockd. See lvm‐
203 lockd(8) for more information.
204 --longhelp
206 Display long help text.
207 --metadataignore y|n
209 Specifies the metadataignore property of a PV. If yes, metadata
210 areas on the PV are ignored, and lvm will not store metadata in
211 the metadata areas of the PV. If no, lvm will store metadata on
212 the PV.
213 --metadatasize Size[m|UNIT]
215 The approximate amount of space used for each VG metadata area.
216 The size may be rounded.
217 -M|--metadatatype lvm2
219 Specifies the type of on-disk metadata to use. lvm2 (or just 2)
220 is the current, standard format. lvm1 (or just 1) is no longer
221 used.
222 --nohints
224 Do not use the hints file to locate devices for PVs. A command
225 may read more devices to find PVs when hints are not used. The
226 command will still perform standard hint file invalidation where
227 appropriate.
228 --nolocking
230 Disable locking. Use with caution, concurrent commands may pro‐
231 duce incorrect results.
232 --norestorefile
234 In conjunction with --uuid, this allows a uuid to be specified
235 without also requiring that a backup of the metadata be pro‐
236 vided.
237 --profile String
239 An alias for --commandprofile or --metadataprofile, depending on
240 the command.
241 --[pv]metadatacopies 0|1|2
243 The number of metadata areas to set aside on a PV for storing VG
244 metadata. When 2, one copy of the VG metadata is stored at the
245 front of the PV and a second copy is stored at the end. When 1,
246 one copy of the VG metadata is stored at the front of the PV.
247 When 0, no copies of the VG metadata are stored on the given PV.
248 This may be useful in VGs containing many PVs (this places limi‐
249 tations on the ability to use vgsplit later.)
250 -q|--quiet ...
252 Suppress output and log messages. Overrides --debug and --ver‐
253 bose. Repeat once to also suppress any prompts with answer
254 'no'.
255 --reportformat basic|json|json_std
257 Overrides current output format for reports which is defined
258 globally by the report/output_format setting in lvm.conf(5).
259 basic is the original format with columns and rows. If there is
260 more than one report per command, each report is prefixed with
261 the report name for identification. json produces report output
262 in JSON format. json_std produces report output in JSON format
263 which is more compliant with JSON standard. See lvmreport(7)
264 for more information.
265 --restorefile String
267 In conjunction with --uuid, this reads the file (produced by
268 vgcfgbackup), extracts the location and size of the data on the
269 PV, and ensures that the metadata produced by the program is
270 consistent with the contents of the file, i.e. the physical ex‐
271 tents will be in the same place and not be overwritten by new
272 metadata. This provides a mechanism to upgrade the metadata for‐
273 mat or to add/remove metadata areas. Use with care.
274 --setphysicalvolumesize Size[m|UNIT]
276 Overrides the automatically detected size of the PV. Use with
277 care, or prior to reducing the physical size of the device.
278 -t|--test
280 Run in test mode. Commands will not update metadata. This is
281 implemented by disabling all metadata writing but nevertheless
282 returning success to the calling function. This may lead to un‐
283 usual error messages in multi-stage operations if a tool relies
284 on reading back metadata it believes has changed but hasn't.
285 -u|--uuid String
287 Specify a UUID for the device. Without this option, a random
288 UUID is generated. This option is needed before restoring a
289 backup of LVM metadata onto a replacement device; see vgcfgre‐
290 store(8). As such, use of --restorefile is compulsory unless the
291 --norestorefile is used. All PVs must have unique UUIDs, and
292 LVM will prevent certain operations if multiple devices are seen
293 with the same UUID. See vgimportclone(8) for more information.
294 -v|--verbose ...
296 Set verbose level. Repeat from 1 to 4 times to increase the de‐
297 tail of messages sent to stdout and stderr.
298 --version
300 Display version information.
301 -y|--yes
303 Do not prompt for confirmation interactively but always assume
304 the answer yes. Use with extreme caution. (For automatic no,
305 see -qq.)
306 -Z|--zero y|n
308 Controls if the first 4 sectors (2048 bytes) of the device are
309 wiped. The default is to wipe these sectors unless either or
310 both of --restorefile or --uuid are specified.
311
313 PV Physical Volume name, a device path under /dev. For commands
314 managing physical extents, a PV positional arg generally accepts
315 a suffix indicating a range (or multiple ranges) of physical ex‐
316 tents (PEs). When the first PE is omitted, it defaults to the
317 start of the device, and when the last PE is omitted it defaults
318 to end. Start and end range (inclusive): PV[:PE-PE]... Start
319 and length range (counting from 0): PV[:PE+PE]...
320 String See the option description for information about the string con‐
322 tent.
323 Size[UNIT]
325 Size is an input number that accepts an optional unit. Input
326 units are always treated as base two values, regardless of capi‐
327 talization, e.g. 'k' and 'K' both refer to 1024. The default
328 input unit is specified by letter, followed by |UNIT. UNIT rep‐
329 resents other possible input units: b|B is bytes, s|S is sectors
330 of 512 bytes, k|K is KiB, m|M is MiB, g|G is GiB, t|T is TiB,
331 p|P is PiB, e|E is EiB. (This should not be confused with the
332 output control --units, where capital letters mean multiple of
333 1000.)
334
336 See lvm(8) for information about environment variables used by lvm.
337 For example, LVM_VG_NAME can generally be substituted for a required VG
338 parameter.
339
341 Initialize a partition and a full device.
342 pvcreate /dev/sdc4 /dev/sde
343 If a device is a 4 KiB sector drive that compensates for windows parti‐
345 tioning (sector 7 is the lowest aligned logical block, the 4 KiB sec‐
346 tors start at LBA -1, and consequently sector 63 is aligned on a 4 KiB
347 boundary) manually account for this when initializing for use by LVM.
348 pvcreate --dataalignmentoffset 7s /dev/sdb
349
351 lvm(8), lvm.conf(5), lvmconfig(8), lvmdevices(8),
352 pvchange(8), pvck(8), pvcreate(8), pvdisplay(8), pvmove(8),
354 pvremove(8), pvresize(8), pvs(8), pvscan(8),
355 vgcfgbackup(8), vgcfgrestore(8), vgchange(8), vgck(8), vgcreate(8),
357 vgconvert(8), vgdisplay(8), vgexport(8), vgextend(8), vgimport(8),
358 vgimportclone(8), vgimportdevices(8), vgmerge(8), vgmknodes(8),
359 vgreduce(8), vgremove(8), vgrename(8), vgs(8), vgscan(8), vgsplit(8),
360 lvcreate(8), lvchange(8), lvconvert(8), lvdisplay(8), lvextend(8),
362 lvreduce(8), lvremove(8), lvrename(8), lvresize(8), lvs(8), lvscan(8),
363 lvm-fullreport(8), lvm-lvpoll(8), blkdeactivate(8), lvmdump(8),
365 dmeventd(8), lvmpolld(8), lvmlockd(8), lvmlockctl(8), cmirrord(8),
367 lvmdbusd(8), fsadm(8),
368 lvmsystemid(7), lvmreport(7), lvmcache(7), lvmraid(7), lvmthin(7),
370 lvmvdo(7), lvmautoactivation(7)
371Red Hat, Inc. LVM TOOLS 2.03.22(2) (2023-08-02) PVCREATE(8)