Installing Slackware 10.2 on an LVM Partition

[cosmotron]

I'm trying to install Slackware 10.2 on an LVM partition but am a bit stuck. I know that Slackware has LVM support, as when I boot the install CD, the LVM line scolls by. Can ayone give a walkthrough or link me to one that can help? Thanks for any help.

Note: I can't use Partition Magic because Windows isn't on the computer.

[Zmyrgel]

Here's a quick HOW-TO:

-boot test26.s ( I like 2.6 series)

-use fdisk to create partitions, make atleast one lvm partition (type 8e)

-create and mount a temporary ram-disk and move some stuff in there

mkdir /ram
mount -t tmpfs none /ram
mv /sbin /ram
mv /bin /ram
mv /lib/modules /ram
/ram/bin/ln -s /ram/sbin /
/ram/bin/ln -s /ram/bin /
/ram/bin/ln -s /ram/modules /lib

-Install device-mapper, lvm2, kernel-modules-2.6 and modules-tools packages.

-Create the necessary files so you can load the correct modules

echo "/lib/modules/2.6.13/kernel/drivers/md/dm-mod.ko" > /lib/modules/2.6.13/modules.dep

- Load the dm-mod module

insmod /lib/modules/2.6.13/kernel/drivers/md/dm-mod.ko

- Start setup and follow it until you've mounted the root file system and then switch to another console.

- Create the LVM thingys

vgscan
pvcreate /dev/sda3
vgcreate /dev/sda3 vg
lvcreate -L1G -nusr vg
lvcreate -L1G -nhome vg
mkreiserfs /dev/vg/usr
mkreiserfs /dev/vg/home

- Mount the lvm-partitions

cd /mnt
mkdir home usr
mount /dev/vg/usr usr
mount /dev/vg/home home

- Continue installation until the end

After installation don't reboot.

- Chroot to new slack installation

chroot /mnt
source /etc/profile

- Mount the cdrom and install device-mapper, lvm2 and kernel-modules-2.6 again.

- Run 'vgscan'

-Configure fstab for the lvm-partitions

- Install / Configure Grub / LILO if necessary

Note that if you use lvm on your root partition you need to have initrd which will enable lvm during boot.


Hope this helps

[Zmyrgel]

Heh, just noticed the year of the original posting
Well, better late than never...

[cathal]

zmyrgel

Hey, I was looking around for slackware on lvm how to, found your reply. I figured out that far myself, up installation, etc. Can you tell me how to build the initrd with lvm support. I am booting of an IDE.

Thanks.

[Zmyrgel]

zmyrgel

Hey, I was looking around for slackware on lvm how to, found your reply. I figured out that far myself, up installation, etc. Can you tell me how to build the initrd with lvm support. I am booting of an IDE.

Thanks.

I usually leave the root device outside of LVM so the system will boot nicely. I recall the lvm-package had a lvm-makeinitrd script which could be usefull.

Basic need in the initrd is to have the 'lvm' program (cp 'which lvm' /boot/initrd-tree/sbin) in there with it's depencecies (ldd /sbin/lvm) and then copy those to /boot/initrd-tree/lib. Then modify the linuxrc / init file.

Add the lines to:
lvm vgscan --ignorelockingfailure --mknodes
lvm vgchange -a y --ignorelockingfailure
mount the root device then

As I said I haven't used lvm on root device with Slack. Debian and Arch have nice utilities which make the process easy (yaird, mkinitcpio).
Google a bit for the init file. Here's one made for Debian
lvm2create_initrd