HP-UX

i'm able to boot using hpux -lm.
however, trying to activate my volume group results in error:
warning: can't attach to phys volumn /dev/dsk/c0t6d0
cross-device link
vgchange: warning: can't query phys volum /dev/dsk/c0t6d0
specified path doesn't correspond to phys volume attached to this volume group
couldn't activate /dev/vg00

does this mean i have a bad disk?
is there some other way to verify?

Andrew

note: there is no vmunix.prev file

The question is more : was vg00 mirrored in which case, yes a disk may be dead somewhere but only you can tell us if its the primary or alternate. But it can still be missing or corrupted LIF
If you were with mirrored disks, try to boot with the no quorum option:
hpux -lm -lq

Looks like a disk failure.
found recovery tape and tried to boot from.
received error at point creating lvm physical volume
'pv create: writing lvm record: I/O error'.
'ERROR: Command '/sbin/pvcreate -f -B /dev/rdsk/c0t6d0' failed'

So you were not with mirrored disks?

correct-
system's hpux 10.20...12 years old...non-supported.

Well you could use external disks for vg00, if you have spare scsi cards...
Here is a k360 where I boot from a small HDS 5750 (no mirrors also but alternate paths on FW-SCSCI):
aco $ vgdisplay -v vg00
--- Volume groups ---
VG Name /dev/vg00
VG Write Access read/write
VG Status available
Max LV 255
Cur LV 12
Open LV 12
Max PV 16
Cur PV 1
Act PV 1
Max PE per PV 5000
VGDA 2
PE Size (Mbytes) 4
Total PE 2842
Alloc PE 1892
Free PE 950
Total PVG 0
Total Spare PVs 0
Total Spare PVs in use 0

--- Logical volumes ---
LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol1
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 100
Current LE 25
Allocated PE 25
Used PV 1

LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol2
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 1024
Current LE 256
Allocated PE 256
Used PV 1

LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol3
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 100
Current LE 25
Allocated PE 25
Used PV 1

LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol4
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 300
Current LE 75
Allocated PE 75
Used PV 1

LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol5
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 252
Current LE 63
Allocated PE 63
Used PV 1

LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol6
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 800
Current LE 200
Allocated PE 200
Used PV 1

LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol7
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 712
Current LE 178
Allocated PE 178
Used PV 1

LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol8
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 932
Current LE 233
Allocated PE 233
Used PV 1

LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol9
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 2048
Current LE 512
Allocated PE 512
Used PV 1

LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol10
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 700
Current LE 175
Allocated PE 175
Used PV 1

LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol11
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 400
Current LE 100
Allocated PE 100
Used PV 1

LV Name /dev/vg00/lvol12
LV Status available/syncd
LV Size (Mbytes) 200
Current LE 50
Allocated PE 50
Used PV 1


--- Physical volumes ---
PV Name /dev/dsk/c1t0d0
PV Name /dev/dsk/c0t0d0 Alternate Link
PV Status available
Total PE 2842
Free PE 950


aco $
When I did this in 98 it was because the system booted 2x faster than on the K internal disks (still in the box unused...)