vgrename

vgrename [OPTIONS] OldVG NewVG
vgrename [OPTIONS] UUID NewVG

OldVG
    The current name of the volume group to be renamed.

NewVG
    The desired new name for the volume group.

UUID
    The UUID of the volume group to be renamed. Useful if there are name conflicts or the old name is unknown.

-y, --yes
    Answer yes to all questions, bypassing interactive prompts.

-f, --force
    Force the rename operation. Use with caution.

--noudevsync
    Disable udev synchronization. Useful in specific environments, but generally not recommended for normal operation.

-t, --test
    Run in test mode. Do not actually perform any changes, but show what would happen.

-v, --verbose
    Provide verbose output, showing more details about the operation.

-q, --quiet
    Suppress output messages, only showing errors.

-h, --help
    Display a help message and exit.

--version
    Display the version information and exit.

The vgrename command is used to change the name of an existing LVM (Logical Volume Manager) volume group. This operation is crucial when you need to standardize naming conventions, resolve naming conflicts, or simply improve the organization of your storage infrastructure. Before renaming, it's generally required to deactivate the volume group and all its contained logical volumes to ensure data integrity and prevent issues during the rename process. Once renamed, any references to the old volume group name, such as those in `/etc/fstab` or other configuration files, must be manually updated to reflect the new name. It's a fundamental LVM utility for managing the logical structure of disk storage.

Before renaming, the volume group and all its logical volumes must be deactivated using vgchange -an OldVG. Failure to do so can lead to errors or data corruption. After a successful rename, remember to update all configuration files (e.g., /etc/fstab, bootloader configurations like GRUB) that refer to the old volume group name. If the system uses a clustered LVM setup, special considerations and procedures might be required.

To successfully rename a volume group, ensure that no logical volumes within it are currently in use or mounted. This often involves unmounting file systems, stopping services, and deactivating the volume group with vgchange -an OldVG before executing vgrename. Once renamed, reactivate it with vgchange -ay NewVG.

After renaming a volume group, it is critical to update any system configuration files that reference the old volume group name. This commonly includes /etc/fstab for mounted filesystems, and potentially bootloader configuration files if your root filesystem resides on an LVM logical volume.

vgrename is an integral part of the Logical Volume Manager (LVM) suite, which has been a cornerstone of flexible storage management on Linux systems for many years. Its development is tied to the evolution of LVM itself, providing administrators with tools to dynamically manage disk space, allowing for operations like renaming, resizing, and migrating storage components without downtime (for active components, though renaming a VG typically requires deactivation). It has been a standard utility since the early days of LVM2, providing consistent functionality across various Linux distributions.

lvm(8), vgcreate(8), vgchange(8), vgdisplay(8), lvdisplay(8), pvdisplay(8)