noble (7) lvmcache.7.gz

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NAME

       lvmcache — LVM caching

DESCRIPTION

       lvm(8)  includes  two  kinds  of  caching that can be used to improve the performance of a Logical Volume
       (LV). When caching, varying subsets of an LV's data are temporarily stored on a  smaller,  faster  device
       (e.g. an SSD) to improve the performance of the LV.

       To  do  this  with  lvm,  a new special LV is first created from the faster device. This LV will hold the
       cache. Then, the new fast LV is attached to the main LV by way of an lvconvert command. lvconvert inserts
       one  of  the device mapper caching targets into the main LV's i/o path. The device mapper target combines
       the main LV and fast LV into a hybrid device that looks like the main LV,  but  has  better  performance.
       While the main LV is being used, portions of its data will be temporarily and transparently stored on the
       special fast LV.

       The two kinds of caching are:

       • A read and write hot-spot cache, using the dm-cache kernel module.  This cache tracks  access  patterns
         and  adjusts its content deliberately so that commonly used parts of the main LV are likely to be found
         on the fast storage. LVM refers to this using the LV type cache.

       • A write cache, using the dm-writecache kernel module.  This cache can be used with SSD or PMEM  devices
         to  speed  up  all  writes  to the main LV. Data read from the main LV is not stored in the cache, only
         newly written data.  LVM refers to this using the LV type writecache.

USAGE

   1. Identify main LV that needs caching
       The main LV may already exist, and is located on larger, slower devices.  A main LV would be created with
       a command like:

       # lvcreate -n main -L Size vg /dev/slow_hhd

   2. Identify fast LV to use as the cache
       A  fast  LV is created using one or more fast devices, like an SSD.  This special LV will be used to hold
       the cache:

       # lvcreate -n fast -L Size vg /dev/fast_ssd

       # lvs -a
         LV   Attr       Type   Devices
         fast -wi------- linear /dev/fast_ssd
         main -wi------- linear /dev/slow_hhd

   3. Start caching the main LV
       To start caching the main LV, convert the main LV to the desired caching type, and specify the fast LV to
       use as the cache:

       using dm-cache (with cachepool):

       # lvconvert --type cache --cachepool fast vg/main

       using dm-cache (with cachevol):

       # lvconvert --type cache --cachevol fast vg/main

       using dm-writecache (with cachevol):

       # lvconvert --type writecache --cachevol fast vg/main

       For more alteratives see:
       dm-cache command shortcut
       dm-cache with separate data and metadata LVs

   4. Display LVs
       Once  the  fast  LV  has  been  attached  to the main LV, lvm reports the main LV type as either cache or
       writecache depending on the type used.  While attached, the fast LV is hidden, and renamed with  a  _cvol
       or  _cpool  suffix.   It  is  displayed  by  lvs -a.  The _corig or _wcorig LV represents the original LV
       without the cache.

       using dm-cache (with cachepool):

       # lvs -ao+devices
         LV                 Pool         Type       Devices
         main               [fast_cpool] cache      main_corig(0)
         [fast_cpool]                    cache-pool fast_pool_cdata(0)
         [fast_cpool_cdata]              linear     /dev/fast_ssd
         [fast_cpool_cmeta]              linear     /dev/fast_ssd
         [main_corig]                    linear     /dev/slow_hhd

       using dm-cache (with cachevol):

       # lvs -ao+devices

         LV           Pool        Type   Devices
         main         [fast_cvol] cache  main_corig(0)
         [fast_cvol]              linear /dev/fast_ssd
         [main_corig]             linear /dev/slow_hhd

       using dm-writecache (with cachevol):

       # lvs -ao+devices

         LV            Pool        Type       Devices
         main          [fast_cvol] writecache main_wcorig(0)
         [fast_cvol]               linear     /dev/fast_ssd
         [main_wcorig]             linear     /dev/slow_hhd

   5. Use the main LV
       Use the LV until the cache is no longer wanted, or needs to be changed.

   6. Stop caching
       To stop caching the main LV and also remove unneeded cache pool, use the --uncache:

       # lvconvert --uncache vg/main

       # lvs -a
         LV   VG Attr       Type   Devices
         main vg -wi------- linear /dev/slow_hhd

       To stop caching the main LV, separate the fast LV from the main LV.  This changes the type of the main LV
       back to what it was before the cache was attached.

       # lvconvert --splitcache vg/main

       # lvs -a
         LV   VG Attr       Type   Devices
         fast vg -wi------- linear /dev/fast_ssd
         main vg -wi------- linear /dev/slow_hhd

   7. Create a new LV with caching
       A new LV can be created with caching attached at the time of creation using the following command:

       # lvcreate --type cache|writecache -n Name -L Size
            --cachedevice /dev/fast_ssd vg /dev/slow_hhd

       The  main  LV is created with the specified Name and Size from the slow_hhd.  A hidden fast LV is created
       on the fast_ssd and is then attached to the new main LV.  If the fast_ssd is unused, the entire disk will
       be  used  as  the  cache  unless  the  --cachesize option is used to specify a size for the fast LV.  The
       --cachedevice option can be repeated to use multiple disks for the fast LV.

OPTIONS

   option args
       --cachepool CachePoolLV|LV

       Pass this option a cachepool LV or a standard LV.  When using a cache pool, lvm  places  cache  data  and
       cache  metadata  on  different LVs.  The two LVs together are called a cache pool.  This has a bit better
       performance for dm-cache and permits specific placement and segment type selection for data and  metadata
       volumes.   A  cache  pool  is  represented  as  a  special type of LV that cannot be used directly.  If a
       standard LV is passed with this option, lvm will first convert it to a cache pool by  combining  it  with
       another LV to use for metadata.  This option can be used with dm-cache.

       --cachevol LV

       Pass  this  option  a  fast  LV  that  should be used to hold the cache.  With a cachevol, cache data and
       metadata are stored in different parts of the same fast LV.  This option can be used  with  dm-writecache
       or dm-cache.

       --cachedevice PV

       This  option  can  be  used in place of --cachevol, in which case a cachevol LV will be created using the
       specified device.  This option can be repeated to create a cachevol using multiple devices, or a tag name
       can  be specified in which case the cachevol will be created using any of the devices with the given tag.
       If a named cache device is unused, the entire device will be used to create the cachevol.   To  create  a
       cachevol of a specific size from the cache devices, include the --cachesize option.

   dm-cache block size
       A  cache  pool  will  have a logical block size of 4096 bytes if it is created on a device with a logical
       block size of 4096 bytes.

       If a main LV has logical block size 512 (with an existing xfs file  system  using  that  size),  then  it
       cannot  use a cache pool with a 4096 logical block size.  If the cache pool is attached, the main LV will
       likely fail to mount.

       To avoid this problem, use a mkfs option to specify a 4096 block size for the file system, or attach  the
       cache pool before running mkfs.

   dm-writecache block size
       The  dm-writecache block size can be 4096 bytes (the default), or 512 bytes.  The default 4096 has better
       performance and should be used except when 512 is necessary for compatibility.  The  dm-writecache  block
       size is specified with --cachesettings block_size=4096|512 when caching is started.

       When  a file system like xfs already exists on the main LV prior to caching, and the file system is using
       a block size of 512, then the writecache block size should be set to 512.  (The file system  will  likely
       fail to mount if writecache block size of 4096 is used in this case.)

       Check the xfs sector size while the fs is mounted:

       # xfs_info /dev/vg/main
       Look for sectsz=512 or sectsz=4096

       The writecache block size should be chosen to match the xfs sectsz value.

       It  is also possible to specify a sector size of 4096 to mkfs.xfs when creating the file system.  In this
       case the writecache block size of 4096 can be used.

       The writecache block size is displayed by the command:
       lvs -o writecacheblocksize VG/LV

   dm-writecache memory usage
       The amount of main system memory used by dm-writecache can be a  factor  when  selecting  the  writecache
       cachevol size and the writecache block size.

       • writecache  block  size  4096:  each  100  GiB of writecache cachevol uses slighly over 2 GiB of system
         memory.

       • writecache block size 512: each 100 GiB of writecache cachevol uses a little  over  16  GiB  of  system
         memory.

   dm-writecache settings
       To specify dm-writecache tunable settings on the command line, use:
       --cachesettings 'option=N' or
       --cachesettings 'option1=N option2=N ...'

       For example, --cachesettings 'high_watermark=90 writeback_jobs=4'.

       To include settings when caching is started, run:

       # lvconvert --type writecache --cachevol fast \
            --cachesettings 'option=N' vg/main

       To change settings for an existing writecache, run:

       # lvchange --cachesettings 'option=N' vg/main

       To clear all settings that have been applied, run:

       # lvchange --cachesettings '' vg/main

       To view the settings that are applied to a writecache LV, run:

       # lvs -o cachesettings vg/main

       Tunable settings are:

       high_watermark = <percent>
              Start writeback when the writecache usage reaches this percent (0-100).

       low_watermark = <percent>
              Stop writeback when the writecache usage reaches this percent (0-100).

       writeback_jobs = <count>
              Limit  the  number  of  blocks  that  are  in flight during writeback.  Setting this value reduces
              writeback throughput, but it may improve latency of read requests.

       autocommit_blocks = <count>
              When the application writes this amount of blocks without issuing the FLUSH  request,  the  blocks
              are automatically commited.

       autocommit_time = <milliseconds>
              The data is automatically commited if this time passes and no FLUSH request is received.

       fua = 0|1
              Use  the  FUA  flag  when  writing  data  from  persistent  memory  back to the underlying device.
              Applicable only to persistent memory.

       nofua = 0|1
              Don't use the FUA flag when writing back  data  and  send  the  FLUSH  request  afterwards.   Some
              underlying  devices  perform  better with fua, some with nofua.  Testing is necessary to determine
              which.  Applicable only to persistent memory.

       cleaner = 0|1
              Setting cleaner=1 enables the writecache cleaner mode in which data is gradually flushed from  the
              cache.   If  this is done prior to detaching the writecache, then the splitcache command will have
              little or no flushing to perform.  If not done beforehand,  the  splitcache  command  enables  the
              cleaner mode and waits for flushing to complete before detaching the writecache.  Adding cleaner=0
              to the splitcache command will skip the cleaner mode, and any required flushing  is  performed  in
              device suspend.

   dm-writecache using metadata profiles
       In  addition  to specifying writecache settings on the command line, they can also be set in lvm.conf, or
       in a profile file, using the allocation/cache_settings/writecache config structure shown below.

       It's possible to prepare a number of different  profile  files  in  the  /etc/lvm/profile  directory  and
       specify the file name of the profile when starting writecache.

       Example
       # cat <<EOF > /etc/lvm/profile/cache_writecache.profile
       allocation {
              cache_settings {
                     writecache {
                            high_watermark=60
                            writeback_jobs=1024
                     }
              }
       }
       EOF

       # lvcreate -an -L10G --name fast vg /dev/fast_ssd
       # lvcreate --type writecache -L10G --name main  --cachevol fast \
          --metadataprofile cache_writecache vg /dev/slow_hdd

   dm-cache with separate data and metadata LVs
       Preferred  way  of  using  dm-cache is to place the cache metadata and cache data on separate LVs.  To do
       this, a "cache pool" is created, which is a special LV that references two sub LVs, one for data and  one
       for metadata.

       To create a cache pool of given data size and let lvm2 calculate appropriate metadata size:

       # lvcreate --type cache-pool -L DataSize -n fast vg /dev/fast_ssd1

       To create a cache pool from separate LV and let lvm2 calculate appropriate cache metadata size:

       # lvcreate -n fast -L DataSize vg /dev/fast_ssd1
       # lvconvert --type cache-pool vg/fast /dev/fast_ssd1

       To create a cache pool from two separate LVs:

       # lvcreate -n fast -L DataSize vg /dev/fast_ssd1
       # lvcreate -n fastmeta -L MetadataSize vg /dev/fast_ssd2
       # lvconvert --type cache-pool --poolmetadata fastmeta vg/fast

       Then use the cache pool LV to start caching the main LV:

       # lvconvert --type cache --cachepool fast vg/main

       A  variation  of  the  same  procedure automatically creates a cache pool when caching is started.  To do
       this, use a standard LV as the --cachepool (this will hold cache data), and use another  standard  LV  as
       the  --poolmetadata  (this  will  hold  cache  metadata).   LVM  will create a cache pool LV from the two
       specified LVs, and use the cache pool to start caching the main LV.

       # lvcreate -n fast -L DataSize vg /dev/fast_ssd1
       # lvcreate -n fastmeta -L MetadataSize vg /dev/fast_ssd2
       # lvconvert --type cache --cachepool fast \
               --poolmetadata fastmeta vg/main

   dm-cache cache modes
       The default dm-cache cache mode is "writethrough".  Writethrough ensures that any data  written  will  be
       stored  both  in  the cache and on the origin LV.  The loss of a device associated with the cache in this
       case would not mean the loss of any data.

       A second cache mode is "writeback".  Writeback delays writing data blocks from  the  cache  back  to  the
       origin LV.  This mode will increase performance, but the loss of a cache device can result in lost data.

       With  the --cachemode option, the cache mode can be set when caching is started, or changed on an LV that
       is already cached.  The current cache mode can be displayed with the cache_mode reporting option:

       lvs -o+cache_mode VG/LV

       lvm.conf(5) allocation/cache_mode
       defines the default cache mode.

       # lvconvert --type cache --cachemode writethrough \
               --cachepool fast vg/main

       # lvconvert --type cache --cachemode writethrough \
               --cachevol fast  vg/main

   dm-cache chunk size
       The size of data blocks managed by dm-cache can be specified with the --chunksize option when caching  is
       started.   The  default unit is KiB.  The value must be a multiple of 32KiB between 32KiB and 1GiB. Cache
       chunks bigger then 512KiB shall be only used when necessary.

       Using a chunk size that is too large can result in wasteful use of the cache, in which  small  reads  and
       writes  cause large sections of an LV to be stored in the cache. It can also require increasing migration
       threshold which defaults to 2048 sectors (1 MiB). Lvm2 ensures migration threshold is at least  8  chunks
       in  size. This may in some cases result in very high bandwidth load of transfering data between the cache
       LV and its cache origin LV. However, choosing a chunk size that is too small can result in more  overhead
       trying  to  manage  the  numerous  chunks  that  become mapped into the cache.  Overhead can include both
       excessive CPU time searching for chunks, and excessive memory tracking chunks.

       Command to display the chunk size:

       lvs -o+chunksize VG/LV

       lvm.conf(5) allocation/cache_pool_chunk_size

       controls the default chunk size.

       The default value is shown by:

       lvmconfig --type default allocation/cache_pool_chunk_size

       Checking migration threshold (in sectors) of running cached LV:
       lvs -o+kernel_cache_settings VG/LV

   dm-cache migration threshold
       Migrating data between the origin and cache LV uses bandwidth.  The user can set a  throttle  to  prevent
       more  than a certain amount of migration occurring at any one time.  Currently dm-cache is not taking any
       account of normal io traffic going to the devices.

       User can set migration threshold via cache policy settings as "migration_threshold=<#sectors>" to set the
       maximum number of sectors being migrated, the default being 2048 sectors (1MiB).

       Command to set migration threshold to 2MiB (4096 sectors):

       lvcreate --cachepolicy 'migration_threshold=4096' VG/LV

       Command to display the migration threshold:

       lvs -o+kernel_cache_settings,cache_settings VG/LV
       lvs -o+chunksize VG/LV

   dm-cache cache policy
       The  dm-cache  subsystem  has additional per-LV parameters: the cache policy to use, and possibly tunable
       parameters for the cache policy.  Three policies are currently available: "smq" is  the  default  policy,
       "mq"  is  an  older  implementation,  and  "cleaner" is used to force the cache to write back (flush) all
       cached writes to the origin LV.

       The older "mq" policy has a number of tunable parameters. The defaults are chosen to be suitable for  the
       majority of systems, but in special circumstances, changing the settings can improve performance.

       With the --cachepolicy and --cachesettings options, the cache policy and settings can be set when caching
       is started, or changed on an existing cached LV (both options can be used together).  The  current  cache
       policy and settings can be displayed with the cache_policy and cache_settings reporting options:

       lvs -o+cache_policy,cache_settings VG/LV

       Change the cache policy and settings of an existing LV.
       # lvchange --cachepolicy mq --cachesettings \
            'migration_threshold=2048 random_threshold=4' vg/main

       lvm.conf(5) allocation/cache_policy
       defines the default cache policy.

       lvm.conf(5) allocation/cache_settings
       defines the default cache settings.

   dm-cache using metadata profiles
       Cache  pools  allows  to set a variety of options. Lots of these settings can be specified in lvm.conf or
       profile settings. You can prepare a number of different profiles in the  /etc/lvm/profile  directory  and
       just  specify the metadata profile file name when caching LV or creating cache-pool.  Check the output of
       lvmconfig --type default --withcomments for a detailed description of all individual cache settings.

       Example
       # cat <<EOF > /etc/lvm/profile/cache_big_chunk.profile
       allocation {
              cache_pool_metadata_require_separate_pvs=0
              cache_pool_chunk_size=512
              cache_metadata_format=2
              cache_mode="writethrough"
              cache_policy="smq"
              cache_settings {
                     smq {
                            migration_threshold=8192
                            random_threshold=4096
                     }
              }
       }
       EOF

       # lvcreate --cache -L10G --metadataprofile cache_big_chunk vg/main \
               /dev/fast_ssd
       # lvcreate --cache -L10G vg/main --config \
               'allocation/cache_pool_chunk_size=512' /dev/fast_ssd

   dm-cache spare metadata LV
       See lvmthin(7) for a description of the "pool metadata spare" LV.  The same concept  is  used  for  cache
       pools.

   dm-cache metadata formats
       There  are  two  disk  formats  for  dm-cache  metadata.   The  metadata  format  can  be  specified with
       --cachemetadataformat when caching is started, and cannot be changed.  Format 2 has  better  performance;
       it  is more compact, and stores dirty bits in a separate btree, which improves the speed of shutting down
       the cache.  With auto, lvm selects the best option provided by the current dm-cache kernel module.

   RAID1 cache device
       RAID1 can be used to create the fast LV holding the cache so that  it  can  tolerate  a  device  failure.
       (When using dm-cache with separate data and metadata LVs, each of the sub-LVs can use RAID1.)

       # lvcreate -n main -L Size vg /dev/slow
       # lvcreate --type raid1 -m 1 -n fast -L Size vg /dev/ssd1 /dev/ssd2
       # lvconvert --type cache --cachevol fast vg/main

   dm-cache command shortcut
       A single command can be used to cache main LV with automatic creation of a cache-pool:

       # lvcreate --cache --size CacheDataSize VG/LV [FastPVs]

       or the longer variant

       # lvcreate --type cache --size CacheDataSize \
               --name NameCachePool VG/LV [FastPVs]

       In this command, the specified LV already exists, and is the main LV to be cached.  The command creates a
       new cache pool with size  and  given  name  or  the  name  is  automatically  selected  from  a  sequence
       lvolX_cpool,  using  the  optionally  specified  fast PV(s) (typically an ssd).  Then it attaches the new
       cache pool to the existing main LV to begin caching.

       (Note: ensure that the specified main LV is a standard LV.  If a cache pool LV is  mistakenly  specified,
       then the command does something different.)

       (Note:  the  type  option  is interpreted differently by this command than by normal lvcreate commands in
       which --type specifies the type of the newly created LV.  In this case, an LV  with  type  cache-pool  is
       being created, and the existing main LV is being converted to type cache.)

SEE ALSO

       lvm.conf(5), lvchange(8), lvcreate(8), lvdisplay(8), lvextend(8), lvremove(8), lvrename(8), lvresize(8),
       lvs(8),
       vgchange(8), vgmerge(8), vgreduce(8), vgsplit(8),

       cache_check(8), cache_dump(8), cache_repair(8)