[linux-lvm] Deactivating missing VG

[Stuart D. Gathman]

I have a volume group on removable media: backvg3 Normally, I run 
"vgchange -an backvg3" before removing the media.  However, today the 
customer removed the media to an offsite location for safekeeping before I 
could do the vgchange.  This shouldn't be a big problem, because the 
filesystem was mounted read-only (a precaution against exactly this 
occurence).

However, I can't get rid of the VG.

# vgchange -an backvg3
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 0: Input/output error
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 214748299264: Input/output error
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 214748356608: Input/output error
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 0: Input/output error
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 4096: Input/output error
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 0: Input/output error
  Volume group "backvg3" not found
# vgreduce  -v --removemissing backvg3 
    Finding volume group "backvg3"
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 0: Input/output error
    Wiping cache of LVM-capable devices
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 214748299264: Input/output error
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 214748356608: Input/output error
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 0: Input/output error
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 4096: Input/output error
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 0: Input/output error
  /dev/backvg3/backup: read failed after 0 of 4096 at 0: Input/output error
  Volume group "backvg3" not found

The physical device, /dev/sdc, is gone.  What should I do?  If I leave it
until the media is brought back, is it safe to reattach?  What if it does
not reattach at the same SCSI disk (say /dev/sde instead)?

-- 
	      Stuart D. Gathman <stuart at bmsi.com>
    Business Management Systems Inc.  Phone: 703 591-0911 Fax: 703 591-6154
"Confutatis maledictis, flammis acribus addictis" - background song for
a Microsoft sponsored "Where do you want to go from here?" commercial.