[Bug 1570580] Re: Existing Logical Volumes on multipathed SCSI disks are not automatically activated during installation

[Dimitri John Ledkov]

Could you please explain exact user scenarios and user stories here. Is
this just a hypothetical use-case / testing or some real scenarios that
you have in mind.

In Ubuntu and Debian, in general we do not activate existing volume
groups and volumes, because the idea is that in general one installs
things afresh and doesn't reuse/resize existing things. Especially not
LVM groups. We even opportunistically wipe lvm metadata off the drives
before guided full disk install.

There is no current support in e.g. debian and ubuntu, to reuse lvm
groups and volumes per se.

There are a couple things we could do, but to get this right we'd want
to know why or how you are envisioning this to be used. In general, no
users share a volume group across multiple installs. So in various
scenarios, where one does and doesn't have existing volume groups, when
would you want to activate them and not, and why. And if we do activate
an existing volume group, how do you see it booting and where would the
zipl installation go? Do you expect it to install with guided partition?
and how? Please elaborate motivation behind activating existing volume
group from base principals.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1570580

Title:
  Existing Logical Volumes on multipathed SCSI disks are not
  automatically activated during installation

Status in Ubuntu on IBM z Systems:
  New
Status in debian-installer package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Installer version: 447
  Kernel: 4.4.0.18
  Description/Reproduction:
  Logical Volumes that exist on multipathed SCSI disks from a previous installation are not automatically activated and thus can not be reused. Only the partitions are visible and that their type is "lvm" (s. screenshot). 

  Workaround:

  When the partitioned disks are shown in the "Partition disks" menu,
  open a shell. Then list all logical volumes with command lvs, and set
  each logical volume active with lvchange -ay
  <volumegroupname>/<lvolname>. Choose "Configure the Logical Volume
  Manager", confirm keeping current partition layout with "Yes"  and
  "Finish" without changing anything. Then the Logical Volumes are
  displayed in the "Partition disks" menu and filesystems can be created
  and mountpoints defined.

  I will attach syslog and partman of the installation attempt.

  So obviously an lvchange -ay on all detected lolgical volumes is
  missing at the proper time....

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