How to Extend LVM Partition on CentOS

What is LVM Partition?

LVM, or Logical Volume Manager, is a feature in the Linux operating system that allows for the management of disk storage space in a more flexible and dynamic way. LVM partitions, also known as logical volumes, are created within volume groups, which are made up of one or more physical storage devices (such as hard drives or partitions).

With LVM, you can create, resize, and delete logical volumes without having to worry about the underlying physical storage devices. This makes it easier to manage your storage space, as you can allocate and reallocate space as needed without having to worry about the physical layout of your storage devices.

In CentOS, LVM can be used to create and manage logical volumes, which can be used to create file systems, swap space, or other storage needs. The LVM partitions are created and managed using the LVM tools such as lvmdiskscan, lvdisplay, pvdisplay, vgextend, lvextend and resize2fs.

How to Extend LVM Partition on CentOS

To extend an LVM partition on CentOS, you will need to follow these steps:

Check the current LVM configuration by running the command:

Use the command:

lvdisplay

to view the current logical volume you want to extend. Make a note of the volume group and logical volume names.

Use the command:

pvdisplay

to view the physical volume(s) you want to add to the volume group. Make a note of the physical volume name(s).

Use the command:

vgextend

to add the physical volume(s) to the volume group. The syntax is as follows:

vgextend [volume group name] [physical volume name(s)]

Use the command:

lvextend

to increase the size of the logical volume. The syntax is as follows:

lvextend -L+[size]G /dev/[volume group name]/[logical volume name]

Use the command:

resize2fs /dev/[volume group name]/[logical volume name]

to resize the file system to match the size of the new logical volume.

Here is an example:

# lvmdiskscan
  /dev/sda1 [     50.00 MiB] 
  /dev/sdb1 [     50.00 MiB] 
  /dev/sdc1 [     50.00 MiB] 
  2 disks
  0 partitions
  0 LVM physical volume whole disks
  2 LVM physical volumes

# lvdisplay
  --- Logical volume ---
  LV Path                /dev/my_volgroup/my_logicalvol
  LV Name                my_logicalvol
  VG Name                my_volgroup
  LV UUID                mF7jIc-TfLc-9XS8-f7Vx-pwF1-Jjn4-Wn7V3v
  LV Write Access        read/write
  LV Creation host, time localhost, 2020-09-11 13:35:07 +0530
  LV Status              available
  # open                 1
  LV Size                20.00 GiB
  Current LE             5120
  Segments               1
  Allocation             inherit
  Read ahead sectors     auto
  - currently set to     8192
  Block device           253:2

# pvdisplay
  --- Physical volume ---
  PV Name               /dev/sdd1
  VG Name               my_volgroup
  PV Size               50.00 GiB / not usable 4.00 MiB
  Allocatable           yes 
  PE Size               4.00 MiB
  Total PE              12800
  Free PE               12800
  Allocated PE          0
  PV UUID               dY9XnK-fLxv-i1pL-d5mB-jK5Q-o8Zf-Y1X9Kj

# vgextend my_volgroup /dev/sdd1
  Volume group "my_volgroup" successfully extended

# lvextend -L+20G /dev/my_volgroup/my_logicalvol
  Extending logical volume my_logicalvol to 40.00