pvmove(1M) pvmove(1M)
NAME
pvmove - move allocated physical extents from one LVM physical volume to other physical volumes
SYNOPSIS
pvmove Options Supported on Volume Groups Version 1.0 and Higher
autobackup] lv_path] source_pv_path
| dest_pv_path ... | dest_pvg_name ...]
autobackup]
| dest_pv_path ... | dest_pvg_name ...]
autobackup] no_of_extents] source_pv_path | dest_pv_path ... | dest_pvg_name ...
pvmove Options Supported on Volume Groups Version 2.0 and Higher
autobackup] vg_name
autobackup] lv_path... [ pv_path ... | dest_pvg_name ...]
autobackup] pv_path ...
DESCRIPTION
The command moves allocated physical extents and the data they contain from a source physical volume, source_pv_path, to one or more other
physical volumes in the same volume group.
The preview option verifies whether or not the physical extents can be successfully relocated with the specified arguments. It displays
the source to destination movement details, but does not perform the actual relocation of physical extents.
A range of allocated physical extents or any single physical extent can be moved by giving a range along with the source physical volume
path. Optionally, the destination physical volume and the starting location on the destination physical volume can also be specified.
The command (see pvdisplay(1M)) can be used to decide on the range of allocated physical extents to be moved from the source physical vol-
ume or to identify the starting location on the destination physical volume.
The option can be used to move the last few physical extents from the source physical volume. Note that the and options are mutually
exclusive. (See below for details on the option.)
The first extent of the physical volume can be moved to create more space for LVM's metadata. On version 1.0 volume groups, the command
can use the extra space created by moving the first extent to expand the metadata. To relocate the first extent, specify after
source_pv_path, delimited by a colon
If a destination physical volume or physical volume group is not specified, all physical volumes in the volume group are available as des-
tination volumes for the transfer. selects the proper physical volumes to be used in order to preserve the allocation policies of the log-
ical volume involved.
To limit the transfer to specific physical volumes, specify the name of each physical volume directly with a dest_pv_path argument.
Optionally, if physical volume groups are defined for the volume group, specify the physical volumes indirectly with one or more
dest_pvg_name arguments.
source_pv_path must not appear as a dest_pv_path.
If source_pv_path is a member of a dest_pvg_name, it is automatically excluded from being a destination physical volume.
While moving one or more extents, src_pv_path can be part of dest_pv_path; and src_pv_path is not excluded if it is member of
dest_pvg_name.
succeeds only if there is enough space on the destination physical volumes to hold all the allocated extents of the source physical volume.
If a range of extents is provided, succeeds only when all the extents within the range provided can be relocated successfully. An error
will be returned if any extent within the range could not be relocated.
If you have installed HP MirrorDisk/UX on your system and source_pv_path is an "active spare" physical volume within a mirrored logical
volume, once all of the data has been moved to dest_pv_path, the source_pv_path physical volume will be returned to a "stand-by" spare
physical volume. This is how to "unspare" data once the original failed physical volume has been repaired and is available to receive data.
Options and Arguments
recognizes the following options and arguments:
dest_pv_path Specifies the block device path name of a physical volume. It cannot be the source physical volume. It must be
in the same volume group as source_pv_path.
dest_pvg_name Specifies the name of a physical volume group. It must be in the same volume group as source_pv_path.
For volume group version 2.0 and higher, a physical volume group can be provided along with the option, only
when one or more logical volumes is specified. Also, the physical volume group must be in the same volume group
where the logical volume resides.
de Specifies the starting location of the destination physical extents within a destination physical volume. If
this starting location is provided along with the dest_pv_path, then the source physical extents are re-allo-
cated to the destination physical volume starting from this location.
The command fails with an error if the requested number of extents for relocation on the destination physical
volume are not available contiguously starting from this location.
lv_path Specifies the block device path name of a logical volume.
pv_path Specifies the block device path name of a physical volume.
se1[-se2] Defines the source physical extent range. If the extent range is provided along with source_pv_path, then the
extents from se1 to se2 are moved out of the source physical volume. A single extent can also be provided,
specified by only se1 instead of the extent range.
source_pv_path Specifies the block device path name of a physical volume.
vg_name Specifies the path name of a volume group.
Performs the requested
operation in automatic re-balance mode. Automatic re-balance is supported on volume groups 2.0 and higher.
Performs an automatic re-balance of allocated extents within a volume group.
Performs an automatic re-balance of allocated extents within a volume group
for the specified logical volumes. If pv_path is also specified along with then the automatic re-balance for the
logical volume is performed only across the specified physical volumes or specified physical volume groups.
Sets automatic backup for this invocation of this command.
autobackup can have one of the following values:
Automatically back up configuration changes made to the physical volume.
This is the default.
After this command executes, the command (see vgcfgbackup(1M)) is executed for the volume group to which
the physical volume belongs.
Do not back up configuration changes this time.
Moves the last few extents specified by
no_of_extents from the source physical volume.
This option should not be used in conjunction with the option or when source physical extent range is provided,
specified by
This option cannot be used when option is specified.
Moves the allocated physical extents from the specified physical volumes to
the remaining physical volumes in the volume group such that the remaining physical volumes are balanced with
respect to space. This option can only be used in conjunction with option.
Moves only the physical extents allocated to the logical volume specified by
lv_path that are located on the source physical volume, specified by source_pv_path.
Previews the source to destination physical extent movements, without
performing the actual relocation. Any intermediate operation on the volume group under consideration after the
preview operation may invalidate the preview result.
Summary option. This option can only be used in conjunction with the
and options. This option displays a summary report for the requested auto re-balance operation.
For volume groups version 2.0 and higher, when the option is used with the and options, displays only the sum-
mary report for the requested automatic re-balance operation.
If the and options are used without the option, then both the summary report and source to destination movement
details will be displayed.
Shared Volume Group Considerations
For volume group version 1.0 and 2.0, is not supported if the volume group is activated in shared mode. For volume groups version 2.1 (or
higher), can be performed on volume groups activated in either shared, exclusive, or standalone mode.
When performed on a supported shared volume group, the daemon must be running on all the nodes sharing the volume group. See lvmpud(1M).
LVM shared mode is currently only available in Service Guard clusters.
Auto-Rebalance Mode
For volume groups 2.0 and higher, the command provides an option for performing automatic re-balance of allocated extents for space. In
automatic re-balance mode, the relocation of extents is based on the optimal number of extents calculated for each logical volume on each
physical volume involved in the automatic re-balance operation.
The optimal number of extents calculated will keep the percentage of free and used space on each involved physical volume equal to the
total percentage of free and used space on all the physical volume's that are selected in the automatic re-balance operation.
When invoked in the automatic re-balance mode, the command will try to achieve the optimal count of extents on each physical volume
involved in the operation. If the current configuration of the volume group do not allow this, it still proceeds with the distribution of
extents staying as close as possible to the optimal count.
In the automatic re-balance mode the command tries to ensure an optimal rebalance, but it does not guarantee an optimal rebalance; and
there are scenarios where the user can perform a more optimal rebalance manually than the one provided by the auto rebalance operation.
Either the whole volume group or one or more logical volumes can be automatically re-balanced across all physical volumes of the volume
group using the option with the command.
A single or multiple logical volumes can be automatically re-balanced across either one or more physical volumes, or all physical volumes,
or on specified set of physical volume groups belonging to the volume group.
Note that when a single or multiple logical volumes are provided, then the automatic re-balance operation will not move extents belonging
to other logical volumes in order to balance the extents belonging to the specified logical volumes.
The option, in conjunction with option, can be used to move all the used extents from a single or multiple physical volumes to the remain-
ing physical volumes in the volume group such that the remaining physical volumes are balanced with respect to space utilization.
The following syntax is used to perform automatic re-balance of allocated extents for space within a volume group:
autobackup] vg_name
The following syntax is used to perform an automatic re-balance of allocated extents for space belonging to one or more logical volumes
either within a volume group or across one or more physical volumes, or one or more physical volume groups (PVG):
autobackup] lv_path... [pv_path... | dest_pvg_name...]
This last syntax is used to free up one or more physical volumes in a volume group by keeping the remaining volume group space balanced:
autobackup] pv_path ...
EXTERNAL INFLUENCES
Environment Variables
determines the language in which messages are displayed.
If is not specified or is null, it defaults to "C" (see lang(5)).
If any internationalization variable contains an invalid setting, all internationalization variables default to "C" (see environ(5)).
EXAMPLES
Display the physical extent movement details from to without an actual relocation of extents (preview mode):
Move physical extents from to and
If physical volumes and are the only ones that belong to physical volume group the same result can be achieved with the following command:
Move only the physical extents for logical volume that are currently on to
Relocate PE number 0 to any free extent with in the same physical volume:
Relocate PE number 0 from to any free extent in the volume group:
Move physical extents 25 to 100 from to
Move physical extents 25 to 100 from to beginning from the physical extent 102:
Relocate the last few physical extent from to any free extents in the volume group:
Relocate any single physical extent (for example physical extent 5) from to
Examples Supported on Volume Groups 2.0 and Higher
The following examples are only supported for volume groups 2.0 and higher.
Display the summary report for the automatic re-balance operation within a volume group,
Perform an automatic re-balance of allocated extents within a volume group,
Perform an automatic re-balance of allocated extents within a volume group for two logical volumes and
Perform an automatic re-balance of allocated extents for space across two physical volumes and for two logical volumes and belonging to
volume group
Relocate all the used extents from to the remaining physical volumes of the volume group by keeping the remaining volume group space bal-
anced:
Perform an automatic re-balance of allocated extents within the volume group for a logical volume across two physical volume groups and
Logical volume allocation policy will prevent automatic re-balancing when we try to perform a re-balance of allocated extents within a vol-
ume group which has two physical volumes and and two logical volumes and with the following configuration:
1. Logical volume has a contiguous allocation policy residing on the physical volume and
2. Logical volume has one mirror copy with strict allocation policy residing on physical volumes and
The command will prevent the automatic re-balance when it attempts to relocate all the used extents from the physical volume (having a con-
tiguous logical volume) to the remaining physical volumes in the volume group This will happen whenever there is insufficient contiguous
free space to accommodate all the used extents of the physical volume
Consider a volume group having the below configuration:
1. Three physical volumes : and each of size 100 extents.
2. Two logical volumes: First logical volume having contiguous allocation policy (capacity of 100 extents) residing on the physical volume
Second logical volume having default allocation policy (capacity of 100 extents) residing on the physical volume
In such a scenario, trying to perform an automatic re-balance of allocated extents for space belonging to logical volumes and across the
physical volume will report an error because physical volume can accommodate only one of the logical volume but not the other one.
SEE ALSO
pvdisplay(1M), vgcfgbackup(1M), lvmpud(1M), intro(7), lvm(7).
pvmove(1M)