rPathLinux Talk:Install rPath Linux (LVM recommended)

From rPath Wiki

Q:

Hi, Thanks for a very useful distribution. I'm a relative Linux novice - am in the process of switching to Linux from WinXP. I refer to 'Xen Solutions Using rPath Technologies' page of the rPath wiki. Step 4 of the section 'Install and rPL Xen Dom0' states:

'4. Install rPath Linux (LVM recommended)'  

It is not clear to me if this refers to: the partitioning during the rPath installation, to the domU virtual disks or both. I tried formatting /root using xfs on /dev/myvg/mylv, and changed the /boot partition to use xfs. The rPath install ran fine, but the reboot failed. I'm using VMWorkstation on a windows box. If this should be possible I'll keep trying. So should it be possible, can anyone be a little more explicit.

Mvdv 04:43, 20 November 2006 (EST)

A:

The LVM recommendation applies to the dom0, and was intended specifically for the disk space that will be used to host the domUs.

The LVM recommendation should probably be removed from our documentation; it dates from before the blktap mechanism was added (devices addressed via "tap:", as in our examples that use "tap:aio:"). LVM and blktap are now both good ways to configure with different costs and benefits.

The rPath Linux 1.0.4 Xen Dom0 image does not contain the lvm tools. rPath Linux 1.0.5 will soon be released with this oversight resolved and the xfs tools (among others) added so that initial installation will be successful.

For systems that use ext3 for the root filesystem, and set up LVM do not need to re-install, though: the "conary updateall" command will add the additional software to those images. Images that use LVM and/or non-ext3 filesystems for the root filesystem will have to wait for the rPath Linux 1.0.5 images, which will be available in a few days.

Sorry for the confusion

Follow up Q:

Thank you for the clarification. I look forward to rPathLinux 1.0.5 update. I came across the following 'Root on LVM' recipe, for ROCK Linux: http://www.rocklinux.org/wiki/Root_on_LVM

Would such steps be necessary using rPL1.0.5, or will this result be achievable with the installation steps? Is having /root on a LVM LV partition a standard setup or regarded as 'cancer causing'?

Finally, if I wanted to use LVM striped logical volumes could this be done at the time of the rPL installation or after? Some other 'newbies' might find the following reference informative: http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/recipethreescsistripe.html

Thanks again.

Follow up A:

No such steps are necessary; the non-Xen rPath Linux images will set things up automatically to work correctly with / on LVM, and the 1.0.5 Xen images will do the same.

You can set up LVM during the installation or afterwards. Anaconda enables you to set it up graphically, and we documented how to set it up afterward fairly succinctly at Essential_Logical_Volume_Management_for_Xen_DomU_Deployment