Troubleshooting
Problem
lspv -free does not return any output.
hdisk1 is expected.
Symptom
I previously used hdisk1 as the target disk for a viosupgrade (from 2.2.6.51 to 3.1.0.0). The viosupgrade was unsuccessful, so I then performed the following :
1. Booted back from the original disk, hdisk0 (old_rootvg)
2. Cleaned up the alternate disk volume group (alt_rootvg_op -X).
3. Cleared the boot record (chpv -c hdisk1).
Now, 'lspv -free' does not report hdisk1.
Other things I tried:
4. Cleared the PVID and assigned new one (chdev -l hdisk1 -a pv=clear; chdev -l hdisk1 -a pv=yes).
5. Created a test volume group on hdisk1, then exported it.
Environment
Virtual I/O Server 2.2.6 and 3.1
Diagnosing The Problem
From lspv command:
-free Lists physical volumes that can be used as a backing device. The physical volume is unavailable and it does not appear in the list in any of the following cases:
- The physical volume is already used as a backing device.
- The physical volume is assigned to a shared memory pool that can be used as a paging space device by a shared memory partition.
- The physical volume is a part of a volume group that has a Logical Volume Manager (LVM) signature on the disk.
Resolving The Problem
Clear storage pool or cluster signature from the disk. As padmin, run:
$ cleandisk -r hdisk#
CAUTION: use this command with care. You will be prompted to answer y/n. Answering 'y' is destructive to any data that exists on the physical volume. Ensure that the correct hdisk is specified by verifying the disk contents are no longer needed prior to running cleandisk command.
If problem continues, next, clear Logical Volume Manager (LVM) record on disk using chpv command from oem_setup_env shell.
$ oem_setup_env
# chpv -C hdisk#
CAUTION: Ensure the disk is not part of a volume group and its contents are no longer needed before clearing LVM record.
Document Location
Worldwide
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Document Information
Modified date:
20 August 2025
UID
ibm15695755