installing RedHat with logical volume

[kass]

Hi everyone, I am like very new to Linux. I have been asked to install a RedHat Linux server and in it, to create a filesystem in logical volume manager called test. I have a couple of question and i'd appreciate if one you wizzards assist me here:

1- I am installing this server on a virtual machine. So I am booting to an ISO image. Right at the start, I am asked if I want to do the install in a graphical mode or text linux mode? Which way should I go in order to have the ability to create a filesystem in a logical volume?

2- No matter which way I go, will creation of a filesystem on a logical volume, be something that I get prompted for during the install or is it something that I can/ should do after the install?

Could you please be specific in your answers? i.e provide step by step answers if possible?

Thanks a lot in advance,

Kass

[devils casper]

Hi and Welcome !

Both Graphical and Text Modes work fine. You are installing Linux first time so I would suggest you go for Graphical Mode only.
You will have a choice to create Logical Volume or other Linux filesystems in Partition Section during installation. Make sure to select Manual Partitioning in that section and create LVM for Linux installation.

[kass]

Thanks for trying to assist. Since I didnt get any replies for a while, I went through with installation choosing almost all the default settings and now I just have a linux server. Is it too late to try to create the LVM?

[devils casper]

We have to check partition structure first.
Execute fdisk -l command in Terminal and post output here.

su -
/sbin/fdisk -l

* Its small L in fdisk -l.

[kass]

Thanks again for getting back to me so quickly. My linux server is a virtual machine created in ESX but I am sure it won't matter. I ran teh command that you posted and in return I got the following:

Disk /dev/sda: 21.4 GB, 21474836480 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2610 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks ID System
/dev/sda1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 14 2610 20860402+ 8e Linux LVM

[kass]

Sorry the last post messed up my alignment. Here is what I got:

Disk /dev/sda: 21.4 GB, 21474836480 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2610 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks ID System
/dev/sda1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 14 2610 20860402+ 8e Linux LVM

[devils casper]

As you can see in the output, installer has created LVM only. No need to change anything.

First partition ( /dev/sda1 ) is for /boot having kernel and boot loader configuration files. Second (/dev/sda2) is LVM having root filesystem.

[kass]

Casper, thanks again. Hmm I wonder if LVM was created because my server was built as a virtual machine. Too bad, because I really wanted to go through creating a new LVM. Is there anyway to do that? I mean I have given almost 20 GB to my server, so is there anyway to create for example a new 10 GB LVM? If so, could you maybe walk me through it? Graphic or command, doesnt matter

[devils casper]

LVM has nothing to do with virtual machine. Its default filesystem for RHEL. Most of the users prefer ext3/ext4 partitions in Virtual Machine as well as regular installation because its very easy to manage ext3/ext4 partition and none of the Partition Manager supports LVM yet.

If you want to learn LVM Management, I would suggest you to go for regular install instead of virtual machine.

[kass]

Hi Casper,
I finally figured out that I need to use pvcreate in order to create a filesystem on my LVM volume. For more info see our [revious conversations on this forum. However now when I run $pvcreate -ff /dev/sda2 I get the following:

Can't open /dev/sda2 exclusively. Mounted filesystem?

What does it mean and how can I get around it. I just want to create a filesystem of size 10 on my LVM which is the size of 20. I have no problem re-initializng the LVM since I don't have any data on it. Please shed some light. Thanks