resize-disk-of-a-linux-lvm.md

Resize disk of a Linux LVM

This is a step by step guide of increasing a Linux LVM, e.g. after resizing a harddrive of a virtual server managed by ESXi. Mainly a summary of this guide.

1. Partition the disk

First, check your existing partitions so you can later note which one is the new one:

fdisk -l

Next, use the cfdisk utility to partition the disk:

cfdisk

• Select either the free space or the new harddrive
• [New] -> Enter Partition Size -> [Type] -> Linux LVM -> [Write]

fdisk -l

Now, you should see your new partition (called Linux LVM). You will need the device for the next steps (e.g. /dev/sda3). We will need the new partition to be available everywhere, so we'll have to reboot the server.

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2. Extend the volume group

# Create the physical volume for later use
pvcreate /dev/sda3

# Show the volume groups
# Remember "VG Name" (e.g. "raw-ubuntu-vg")
vgdisplay

# Extend the volume group
vgextend raw-ubuntu-vg /dev/sda3

# Scan all disks, should confirm partition
pvscan

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3. Extend the logical volume

# Show the logical volumes
# Remember the "LV Path" (e.g. "/dev/raw-ubuntu-vg/root")
lvdisplay

# Extend the logical volume
lvextend /dev/raw-ubuntu-vg/root /dev/sda3

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4. Resize the file system

# Resize the file system
resize2fs /dev/raw-ubuntu-vg/root

# Show that the file system is now bigger!
df -h