====== Import / Export a volume group ======

== Import VG ==

On AIX, if you want to import datas from another server, you can assign all disk from a VG to the new target host, and import the VG.
Before importing a VG, you can check which logical volume definition it contain:

<cli prompt='#'>
[root@lpar01:/root]# cfgmgr
[root@lpar01:/root]# lspv
hdisk0          00c1f170c2c44e75                    rootvg          active
hdisk1          00f69af6dbccc5ed                    None
hdisk2          00f69af6dbccc57f                    None
</cli>

Now, the system shows two more disks, but one volume group.
Confirm the contents of the disks before assuming they are not in use.
<cli prompt='#'>
[root@lpar01:/root]# lqueryvg -p hdisk1 -L
00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.1   db2bin 1
00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.2   loglv00 1
00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.3   data1lv 1
00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.4   data2lv 1
00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.5   data1lg 1
00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.6   data1tmp 1

[root@lpar01:/root]# lqueryvg -Atp hdisk1
0516-320 lqueryvg: Physical volume hdisk1 is not assigned to
        a volume group.
0516-066 lqueryvg: Physical volume is not a volume group member.
        Check the physical volume name specified.
[root@lpar01:/root]# lqueryvg -Atp hdisk2
0516-320 lqueryvg: Physical volume hdisk2 is not assigned to
        a volume group.
Max LVs:        256
PP Size:        25
Free PPs:       311
LV count:       6
PV count:       1
Total VGDAs:    2
Conc Allowed:   0
MAX PPs per PV  32768
MAX PVs:        1024
Quorum (disk):  1
Quorum (dd):    1
Auto Varyon ?:  0
Conc Autovaryo  0
Varied on Conc  0
Logical:        00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.1   db2bin 1
                00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.2   loglv00 1
                00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.3   data1lv 1
                00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.4   data2lv 1
                00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.5   data1lg 1
                00c1f17000004c0000000130095dd271.6   data1tmp 1
Physical:       00f69af6dbccc57f                2   0
Total PPs:      317
LTG size:       128
HOT SPARE:      0
AUTO SYNC:      0
VG PERMISSION:  0
SNAPSHOT VG:    0
IS_PRIMARY VG:  0
PSNFSTPP:       140288
VARYON MODE:    ???????
VG Type:        2
Max PPs:        32768
Mirror Pool St  n
</cli>

You can see that there is only LV on the disk hdisk2, then you can import the VG to access the datas (with importvg command, you have **only one disk** to specify, and AIX will retrieve all disks belonging to that VG)
<cli prompt='#'>
[root@lpar01:/root]# importvg -y testvg hdisk2
datavg
[root@lpar01:/root]# lspv
hdisk0          00c1f170c2c44e75                    rootvg          active
hdisk1          00f69af6dbccc5ed                    None
hdisk2          00f69af6dbccc57f                    datavg          active
</cli>

Now you can mount all filesystems from testvg

== Exportvg command ==

If you want to suppress a VG definition from your system, all LV from this VG must be closed, and the VG must be varyoff.

Then AIX will only remove the VG definition without affecting datas.

Exportvg/importvg is the only way to rename a VG.

== Read PVID on a disk ==

<cli prompt='#'>
[root@lpar01:/root]# lquerypv -h /dev/hdisk0 80 10
00000080   00C4489D 5E6002A5 00000000 00000000  |..H.^`..........|

[root@lpar01:/root]# lspv
hdisk0          00c4489d5e6002a5                    rootvg          active 
</cli>