vxdg

vxdg subcommand [options] [arguments]

Common subcommands include:
vxdg init diskgroup disk_name=device [...]
vxdg import [options] diskgroup
vxdg deport [options] diskgroup
vxdg list [options] [diskgroup]
vxdg adddisk diskgroup disk_name=device [...]
vxdg rmdisk diskgroup disk_name [...]

init
    Initializes a new disk group, creating its configuration and adding the specified disks.

import
    Imports a disk group, making it accessible to the local system. Often used when moving disk groups between systems.

deport
    Deports a disk group, making it inaccessible to the local system and preparing it for export or shutdown.

list
    Lists information about disk groups, including their state, disks, and associated volumes.

adddisk
    Adds one or more physical disks to an existing disk group.

rmdisk
    Removes one or more physical disks from an existing disk group. Requires disk relocation or unmirroring before removal.

set
    Modifies attributes of a disk group or its components, such as activation mode.

mirror
    Mirrors disk group configuration to another set of disks for redundancy.

-g
    Specifies the name of the disk group on which to perform the operation.

-s
    Displays summary information about disk groups.

-C
    Clears a disk group's configuration from memory without deporting it (use with extreme caution).

-o
    Specifies various operation-specific options, e.g., 'all' to list all disk groups, or 'updateid' for import.

The vxdg command is a fundamental utility within Veritas Volume Manager (VxVM), a proprietary storage management solution widely used in enterprise environments. Unlike standard Linux commands, vxdg is not natively available and requires the installation of VxVM software. Its primary purpose is to manage disk groups, which are collections of physical disks or LUNs that VxVM treats as a single logical unit.

Through vxdg, administrators can perform a wide range of operations on these disk groups, including their creation, initialization, importing from other systems, deporting, listing their contents and status, and adding or removing disks. It is crucial for setting up and maintaining resilient storage configurations, enabling features like mirroring, striping, and hot-sparing for volumes managed by VxVM. Proper use of vxdg is essential for maintaining data integrity and availability in VxVM environments.

vxdg is part of Veritas Volume Manager (VxVM), a commercial software suite, and is not a standard utility bundled with Linux distributions. Its usage requires VxVM to be installed and licensed. Incorrect use of vxdg can lead to data loss or corruption, especially when dealing with active disk groups or volumes. Operations like deport and import must be performed carefully to maintain data consistency and availability. Administrative (root) privileges are required to execute most vxdg commands.

In VxVM, a disk group is a fundamental logical container for physical disks. All VxVM objects, such as volumes and plexes, reside within a disk group. This abstraction allows for centralized management and simplifies operations like moving data between servers or expanding storage capacity.

When moving disk groups between servers or during maintenance, it's crucial to deport the disk group gracefully from the source system before importing it on the destination. This ensures metadata consistency and prevents data corruption. Forceful operations should only be used as a last resort in recovery scenarios.

Veritas Volume Manager (VxVM) was originally developed by Veritas Software, a company founded in 1982. It became a leading solution for enterprise storage management, providing advanced features like online volume management, mirroring, and striping. Over the years, Veritas Software went through several acquisitions and mergers, notably with Symantec Corporation. The VxVM product line, including the vxdg command, continued to evolve under Symantec, and later as part of Veritas Technologies LLC (which spun off from Symantec). Its design reflects decades of development in robust, high-availability storage infrastructure for mission-critical applications across various Unix-like operating systems, including Linux.

vxdisk(1M), vxassist(1M), vxprint(1M), vxmend(1M), vxvm(7)