VERITAS Volume Manager 4.1 Migration Guide

Converting LVM to VxVM
Converting LVM Volume Groups to VxVM Disk Groups
Chapter 26
Conversion Process Summary
Several steps are used to convert LVM volume groups to VxVM disk groups. Most of these
steps can be done with the vxvmconvert utility. All the steps are not compulsory, and some
may have to be followed only if there are problems during conversion. Some of them (for
example, backing up user data) are left to you to accomplish through your regular
administrative processes.
The steps in the conversion process are:
Step 1. Identifying LVM volume groups for conversion.
Step 2. Analyzing an LVM group to see if conversion is possible.
Step 3. Taking actions to make conversion possible if analysis fails.
Step 4. Backing up your LVM configuration and user data.
Step 5. Planning for new VxVM logical volume names.
Step 6. Stopping application access to volumes in the volume group to be converted.
Step 7. Converting a volume group.
Step 8. Taking actions if conversion fails.
Step 9. Implementing changes for new VxVM logical volume names
Step 10. Restarting applications on the new VxVM volumes.
Step 11. Tailoring your VxVM configuration.
These steps are described in detail in later sections of this chapter. Annotated examples on
how to use vxvmconvert are shown in “Examples” on page 20. For information on restoring
back to your original LVM configuration See "Restoring the LVM Volume Group
Configuration: on page 19.
Conversion Steps Explained
1. Identifying LVM disks and volume groups for conversion
The obvious first step in the conversion process is to identify what you want to convert. The
native LVM administrative utilities like vgdisplay and SAM can help you identify candidate
LVM volume groups as well as the disks that comprise them.
You can also use the vxvmconvert and vxdisk commands to examine groups and their member
disks. The information presented through the vxvmconvert and vxdisk utilities and their
interpretation is shown in “Examples” on page 20.