[linux-lvm] Device XXX excluded by a filter - why??

[Wyllys Ingersoll]

Using the following lvm2 version on Ubuntu 16.04.3 running kernel 4.16.03
  LVM version:     2.02.176(2) (2017-11-03)
  Library version: 1.02.145 (2017-11-03)
  Driver version:  4.37.0

ceph-volume attempts to create a VG on a raw block device to use as a
bluestore OSD.  The command it uses looks like this:

vgcreate --force --yes ceph-a637b0e7-e54f-4fe9-8afc-a74671d94f6e /dev/sdi

The disk (/dev/sdi) in this case is a blank (no partition table) GPT
label 3.7T drive.

vgcreate complains and fails:
     stderr: Device /dev/sdi excluded by a filter.

I cannot figure out what "filter" is causing this.  The global_filter
in lvm.conf is wide open:
filter = [ "a|.*/|" ]

Turning up debug logging does not show any additional reasons.
Repeatedly running pvscan or vgscan to update the cache does not fix
it either.

What could be blocking this device from being used?

thanks,
   Wyllys Ingersoll
   Keeper Technology, LLC