[linux-lvm] Mandrake 8.1 and LVM

[Sarwer Zafiruddin]

IMHO (which shouldn't mean much to anyone), a few Unix platforms out there
do use LVM for their root/OS filesystems, like HP HP-UX and IBM AIX.  My
experience with both are that they are very useful for OS filesystem
issues (especially for failing disks).  The reason LVM works so well in
these platforms is that the kernel, bootup sequences, and installation
media all have tight LVM intergration.  On the other hand I have also seen
piss poor implimentation of LVM with the OS filesystems, like
Solaris/Veritas root encapsulation (when it works...it's good, when it's
broke...prepare for a major headache). I am hopefull as Linux LVM matures,
major distributions will intergrate it as a critical feature of the OS.  That
will also be a major step in making the Linux a more viable OS solution in
the Enterprise.

Sarwer

On Thu, 29 Nov 2001, Steve Wray wrote:

> > From: linux-lvm-admin at sistina.com [mailto:linux-lvm-admin at sistina.com]On
> > Behalf Of mitch at mdmiller.com
> > > (b) dynamically expand the amount of space available to the 
> > root partition.
> > 
> > Pardon me for being a neophyte here, but what else goes on the root
> > partition which takes any significant or dynamic amount of space?  Isn't
> > the root just a place to put all the top level directories, the contents
> > of which are typically all on another partition anyway?
> 
> Exactly; virtually all the content of the root partition should
> be describable as "static/unshareable" which means that it doesn't
> need snapshotting in case you accidentally delete something,
> or dynamically resizable.
> 
> Another of the purposes of the root filesystem is to provide
> an island of sanity in a sea of madness when things go wrong;
> typically the ideal is to have a system that can easily be
> booted into a rescue mode from the root partition only.
> In this setup one has "ghost" /usr/*bin et al directories
> that are on the root filesystem but get mounted over
> when you boot the system for real. These can provide the
> tools you need to rescue the system.
> 
> Having root LVM just means that if anything goes wrong
> with the LVM subsystem then you *need* the system to
> be bootable from floppy or CDROM, and that is sometimes
> less practical than having root *not* be LVM in the
> first place! 
> :)
> anyhow this is getting away from the topic (which I'm really
> interested in); LVM on mandrake 8.1 with devfs...
> 
> > 
> > -- Mitch
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > linux-lvm mailing list
> > linux-lvm at sistina.com
> > http://lists.sistina.com/mailman/listinfo/linux-lvm
> > read the LVM HOW-TO at http://www.sistina.com/lvm/Pages/howto.html
> > 
> > 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> linux-lvm mailing list
> linux-lvm at sistina.com
> http://lists.sistina.com/mailman/listinfo/linux-lvm
> read the LVM HOW-TO at http://www.sistina.com/lvm/Pages/howto.html
> 
> 

-- 
--------------------------
System Administrator
Rune Information Services
http://www.rune.org
e-mail:  sarwer at rune.org
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