Provided by: lvm2_2.02.133-1ubuntu10_amd64 
NAME
lvmcache — LVM caching
DESCRIPTION
The cache logical volume type uses a small and fast LV to improve the performance of a large and slow LV.
It does this by storing the frequently used blocks on the faster LV. LVM refers to the small fast LV as
a cache pool LV. The large slow LV is called the origin LV. Due to requirements from dm-cache (the
kernel driver), LVM further splits the cache pool LV into two devices - the cache data LV and cache
metadata LV. The cache data LV is where copies of data blocks are kept from the origin LV to increase
speed. The cache metadata LV holds the accounting information that specifies where data blocks are
stored (e.g. on the origin LV or on the cache data LV). Users should be familiar with these LVs if they
wish to create the best and most robust cached logical volumes. All of these associated LVs must be in
the same VG.
Cache Terms
origin LV OriginLV large slow LV
cache data LV CacheDataLV small fast LV for cache pool data
cache metadata LV CacheMetaLV small fast LV for cache pool metadata
cache pool LV CachePoolLV CacheDataLV + CacheMetaLV
cache LV CacheLV OriginLV + CachePoolLV
Cache Usage
The primary method for using a cache type logical volume:
0. create OriginLV
Create an LV or identify an existing LV to be the origin LV.
lvcreate -n OriginLV -L LargeSize VG SlowPVs
Example
# lvcreate -n lvol0 -L 100G vg
1. create CacheDataLV
Create the cache data LV. This LV will hold data blocks from the OriginLV. The size of this LV is the
size of the cache and will be reported as the size of the cache pool LV.
lvcreate -n CacheDataLV -L CacheSize VG FastPVs
Example
# lvcreate -n cache0 -L 10G vg /dev/fast
2. create CacheMetaLV
Create the cache metadata LV. This LV will hold cache pool metadata. The size of this LV should be 1000
times smaller than the cache data LV, with a minimum size of 8MiB.
lvcreate -n CacheMetaLV -L MetaSize VG FastPVs
Example
# lvcreate -n cache0meta -L 12M vg /dev/fast
# lvs -a vg
LV VG Attr LSize Pool Origin
cache0 vg -wi-a----- 10.00g
cache0meta vg -wi-a----- 12.00m
lvol0 vg -wi-a----- 100.00g
3. create CachePoolLV
Combine the data and metadata LVs into a cache pool LV. The behavior of the cache pool LV can be set in
this step.
CachePoolLV takes the name of CacheDataLV.
CacheDataLV is renamed CachePoolLV_cdata and becomes hidden.
CacheMetaLV is renamed CachePoolLV_cmeta and becomes hidden.
lvconvert --type cache-pool --poolmetadata VG/CacheMetaLV
VG/CacheDataLV
Example
# lvconvert --type cache-pool --poolmetadata vg/cache0meta vg/cache0
# lvs -a vg
LV VG Attr LSize Pool Origin
cache0 vg Cwi---C--- 10.00g
[cache0_cdata] vg Cwi------- 10.00g
[cache0_cmeta] vg ewi------- 12.00m
lvol0 vg -wi-a----- 100.00g
4. create CacheLV
Create a cache LV by linking the cache pool LV to the origin LV. The user accessible cache LV takes the
name of the origin LV, while the origin LV becomes a hidden LV with the name OriginLV_corig. This can be
done while the origin LV is in use.
CacheLV takes the name of OriginLV.
OriginLV is renamed OriginLV_corig and becomes hidden.
lvconvert --type cache --cachepool VG/CachePoolLV VG/OriginLV
Example
# lvconvert --type cache --cachepool vg/cache0 vg/lvol0
# lvs -a vg
LV VG Attr LSize Pool Origin
cache0 vg Cwi---C--- 10.00g
[cache0_cdata] vg Cwi-ao---- 10.00g
[cache0_cmeta] vg ewi-ao---- 12.00m
lvol0 vg Cwi-a-C--- 100.00g cache0 [lvol0_corig]
[lvol0_corig] vg -wi-ao---- 100.00g
Cache Removal
Split a cache pool LV off of a cache LV
A cache pool LV can be disconnected from a cache LV, leaving an unused cache pool LV, and an uncached
origin LV. This command writes back data from the cache pool to the origin LV when necessary.
lvconvert --splitcache VG/CacheLV
Removing a cache pool LV without removing its linked origin LV
This writes back data from the cache pool to the origin LV when necessary, then removes the cache pool
LV, leaving the uncached origin LV.
lvremove VG/CachePoolLV
An alternative command that also disconnects the cache pool from the cache LV, and deletes the cache
pool:
lvconvert --uncache VG/CacheLV
Example
# lvs vg
LV VG Attr LSize Pool Origin
cache0 vg Cwi---C--- 10.00g
lvol0 vg Cwi-a-C--- 100.00g cache0 [lvol0_corig]
# lvremove vg/cache0
# lvs vg
LV VG Attr LSize Pool Origin
lvol0 vg -wi-a----- 100.00g
Removing a cache LV: both origin LV and the cache pool LV
Removing a cache LV removes both the origin LV and the linked cache pool LV.
lvremove VG/CacheLV
Cache Topics
Tolerate device failures in a cache pool LV
Users who are concerned about the possibility of failures in their fast devices that could lead to data
loss might consider making their cache pool sub-LVs redundant.
Example
0. Create an origin LV we wish to cache
# lvcreate -L 10G -n lv1 vg /dev/slow_devs
1. Create a 2-way RAID1 cache data LV
# lvcreate --type raid1 -m 1 -L 1G -n cache1 vg \
/dev/fast1 /dev/fast2
2. Create a 2-way RAID1 cache metadata LV
# lvcreate --type raid1 -m 1 -L 8M -n cache1meta vg \
/dev/fast1 /dev/fast2
3. Create a cache pool LV combining cache data LV and cache metadata LV
# lvconvert --type cache-pool --poolmetadata vg/cache1meta vg/cache1
4. Create a cached LV by combining the cache pool LV and origin LV
# lvconvert --type cache --cachepool vg/cache1 vg/lv1
Cache mode
The default cache mode is "writethrough". Writethrough ensures that any data written will be stored both
in the cache pool LV and on the origin LV. The loss of a device associated with the cache pool LV 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 pool back to the
origin LV. This mode will increase performance, but the loss of a device associated with the cache pool
LV can result in lost data.
With the --cachemode option, the cache mode can be set when creating a cache LV, or changed on an
existing cache LV. The current cache mode of a cache LV can be displayed with the cache_mode reporting
option:
lvs -o+cache_mode VG/CacheLV
lvm.conf(5) allocation/cache_mode
defines the default cache mode.
Example
0. Create an origin LV we wish to cache (yours may already exist)
# lvcreate -L 10G -n lv1 vg /dev/slow
1. Create a cache data LV
# lvcreate -L 1G -n cache1 vg /dev/fast
2. Create a cache metadata LV
# lvcreate -L 8M -n cache1meta vg /dev/fast
3. Create a cache pool LV
# lvconvert --type cache-pool --poolmetadata vg/cache1meta vg/cache1
4. Create a cache LV by combining the cache pool LV and origin LV,
and use the writethrough cache mode.
# lvconvert --type cache --cachepool vg/cache1 \
--cachemode writethrough vg/lv1
Cache policy
The 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 "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
creating a cache LV, or changed on an existing cache LV (both options can be used together). The current
cache policy and settings of a cache LV can be displayed with the cache_policy and cache_settings
reporting options:
lvs -o+cache_policy,cache_settings VG/CacheLV
Example
Change the cache policy and settings of an existing cache LV.
# lvchange --cachepolicy mq --cachesettings \
'migration_threshold=2048 random_threshold=4' vg/lv1
lvm.conf(5) allocation/cache_policy
defines the default cache policy.
lvm.conf(5) allocation/cache_settings
defines the default cache settings.
Spare metadata LV
See lvmthin(7) for a description of the "pool metadata spare" LV. The same concept is used for cache
pools.
Automatic pool metadata LV
A cache data LV can be converted to cache pool LV without specifying a cache pool metadata LV. LVM will
automatically create a metadata LV from the same VG.
lvcreate -n CacheDataLV -L CacheSize VG
lvconvert --type cache-pool VG/CacheDataLV
Create a new cache LV without an existing origin LV
A cache LV can be created using an existing cache pool without an existing origin LV. A new origin LV is
created and linked to the cache pool in a single step.
lvcreate --type cache -L LargeSize -n CacheLV
--cachepool VG/CachePoolLV VG SlowPVs
Single step cache pool LV creation
A cache pool LV can be created with a single lvcreate command, rather than using lvconvert on existing
LVs. This one command creates a cache data LV, a cache metadata LV, and combines the two into a cache
pool LV.
lvcreate --type cache-pool -L CacheSize -n CachePoolLV VG FastPVs
Convert existing LVs to cache types
When an existing origin LV is converted to a cache LV, the specified cache pool may be a normal LV,
rather than a cache pool LV. In this case, lvm will first convert the normal LV to a cache pool LV. A
pool metadata LV may optionally be specified.
lvcreate -n OriginLV -L LargeSize VG
lvcreate -n CacheDataLV -L CacheSize VG
lvconvert --type cache --cachepool VG/CataDataLV VG/OriginLV
This is equivalent to:
lvcreate -n OriginLV -L LargeSize VG
lvcreate -n CacheDataLV -L CacheSize VG
lvconvert --type cache-pool VG/CacheDataLV
lvconvert --type cache --cachepool VG/CachePoolLV VG/OriginLV
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)