Insights

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Freejack

The place I work at brought in the guy who teaches the Insights class. Prior to the class, they have you hit the website to take a test. From the test, they plot out details about you. You use it to understand how you do things but also to help in how to deal with others. I thought it was particularly interesting. I typed mine in and here it is. I did remove any work specific comments of course.

Note: This was taken with my work environment in mind and there are likely some differences between work and home.

Overview

These statements provide a broad understanding of Carl’s work style. Use this section to gain a better understanding of his approaches to his activities, relationships and decisions.

Personal Style

Carl is analytical, impersonal and interested in underlying principles. He tends not to show his private feelings, yet experiences a strong internal personal reaction to many situations and events. He is unlikely to be comfortable expressing his inner feelings to strangers. He is known for his patience and ability to conform. His strength is his ability to work independently. He tends to be good with practiced tasks, interested in the how and the why of the working.

He is strongly motivated to get things right, especially factually, and to be most effective he should be allowed to operate in a private environment. He likes to have clear direction in the form of strict agendas, timetables, procedures and regulations, and works well with a checklist. He takes his commitments and obligations seriously. He is concerned with schedule and system and appears to some to be a very private person. He has scant interest in theories or speculation for their own sake.

He sometimes feels less than adequate when he thinks of the effort of living up to his own high standards of perfection. He is seen as an unpretentious colleague who has a good understanding of the way things work. He focuses inward as an objective thinker and he rationalizes his view of the world through concrete facts. He tends to be disinterested in subjects for which he sees no practical application. Because he lives by principles and rules, Carl is very consistent and dependable.

Although disinterested in purely scholastic pursuits, knowledge is important for its immediate usefulness to him. He expects authority to establish clear guidelines, so that he knows exactly what to expect and can relate to clearly designated lines of responsibility. An objective thinker who likes to prepare himself for any eventuality, Carl sees himself as the person who does what should be and needs to be done. He displays little emotional response to situations which others may perceive as crises, and is usually seen to deal with them in a calm and cool way. When he does need company it may be difficult for him to reach out to people and to overcompensate for this he may retreat even further into himself.

He has rather demanding standards both at home and at work. He may appear more tolerant of others who prefer to operate in a moderate or controlled way. Carl’s view of the world is concrete and specific although he will occasionally be more spontaneous than he appears at first sight. He attends to and likes to remember significant events and important detail. Others need to be sure of their facts. His common-sense denotes a practical ability with people and things.

Interacting with Others

Carl applies objective analysis to most things, including people. He needs to know that he is making a unique contribution to the organization. Carl will tend to talk openly only about subjects he knows well and which allow him to share his great breadth of information. He is outstanding at establishing and implementing orderly procedures, rules and regulations, and may show impatience with those who don’t carry out their designated tasks or work by the rules. He is likely to prefer the dialogue which is going on in his head with his internal critic to participation in “meaningless” social chit-chat with others.

Carl prefers to organize concepts, knowledge and ideas rather than people or situations. He is mild mannered, with the decisiveness of his thinking usually revealed in intellectual matters. He tends to distrust strangers and will constantly worry about those who are close to him. He is suspicious of what may be lurking beneath a smile. He will often seek a strong protector or may ultimately rebel against authority. He has a desire to be loyal to a protective organization and may be content to spend all his working life with the same trusted employer. By demanding conformity to his customary way of doing things, he could discourage more creative or innovative approaches.

He is reluctant to display his emotions to others. Ever concerned with efficiency, (“a place for everything and everything in its place”), he may neglect the human element, unwittingly causing stress in the process. He will be willing to give help when it is genuinely needed, but only if it makes sense to him to do so. He may well have difficulty understanding others’ needs if they differ widely from his own. By remaining open-minded to untested or unconventional solutions, he would develop greater tolerance for differences and end up being more effective. He may also be rather uncomfortable in “touchy-feely” situations.

Decision Making

Carl is extremely realistic and relies on and trusts what his senses tell him about the world. Making decisions comes logically to him, although his need for detachment results in colleagues viewing him as rather distant. He sees himself as realistic, practical and matter-of-fact, although others may not always see the practicality of some of his decisions. He will be swayed by guarantees and case histories. He has a tendency to separate out the different components of his life, wanting predictability and preferring to know various options in advance.

He always tries to decide as much as possible through logical, analytical and highly organized thinking. His natural introversion does not prevent him from making critical and incisive comments with conviction and presence. He brings both analysis and personal feeling to the decision-making process. Carl’s decisions are usually consistent, practical and appropriate. With his moderate, affable stance, Carl is considerate, patient and willing to go along with those he considers friends.

Valuing logical and impersonal analysis highly, he is organized and systematic in his approach to following tasks through and getting them done. He is observant of the small jobs that need to be done and will often offer to do them or just do them automatically. With his focus on the reality of the situation, he trusts the evidence of his senses and relies on carefully accumulated past and present evidence to support his conclusions and future courses of action. He is not usually prepared to commit to high risk decisions. He is logical, objective and analytical with great reasoning power.

Personal Notes:

Key Strengths and WeaknessesStrengths

This section identifies the key strengths which Carl brings to the organization. Carl has abilities, skills and attributes in other areas, but the statements below are likely to be some of the fundamental gifts he has to offer.

Carl’s key strengths:
  • Honors his commitments.
  • A steady day-to-day planner.
  • Solid organizational abilities.
  • Realistic and cautious.
  • Orderly and organized.
  • Practical in finding solutions.
  • Good problem solver.
  • Quiet and conscientious.
  • Sets high personal standards of performance.
  • His word is his bond.

Personal Notes:

Key Strengths and Weaknesses

Possible Weaknesses

Jung said “wisdom accepts that all things have two sides”. It has also been said that a weakness is simply an overused strength. Carl’s responses to the Evaluator have suggested these areas as possible weaknesses.

Carl’s possible weaknesses:
  • Can appear indecisive.
  • May worry unduly – prone to pessimism.
  • May fail to respond adequately to “big picture” opportunities.
  • May hide strong feelings until it is too late.
  • Has difficulty with unstructured tasks.
  • Often requires extra time to complete tasks.
  • May get bogged down in the detail.
  • A lack of confidence in his own judgment, although that judgment is often correct.
  • Modesty or reticence may prevent timely interventions.
  • Tendency not to act until all the facts are available.

Personal Notes:

Value to the Team

Each person brings a unique set of gifts, attributes and expectations to the environment in which they operate. Add to this list any other experiences, skills or other attributes which Carl brings, and make the most important items on the list available to other team members.

As a team member, Carl:
  • Brings a mature and stabilizing influence to the team.
  • Helps foster high quality outputs.
  • Will see a project through to conclusion.
  • Helps set high quality standards for the team.
  • Adapts in performing his role and responsibilities.
  • Helps to create and maintain an orderly work environment.
  • Prefers to deal with the here and now and is unlikely to be distracted by abstract thinking.
  • Helps the team cope with complexity.
  • Almost always delivers on time.
  • Adds dependability.

Personal Notes:

Communication

Effective Communications

Communication can only be effective if it is received and understood by the recipient. For each person certain communication strategies are more effective than others. This section identifies some of the key strategies which will lead to effective communication with Carl. Identify the most important statements and make them available to colleagues.

Strategies for communicating with Carl:
  • Prepare thoroughly, and plan to explain every feature of your proposition
  • Allow time for him to think of the consequences.
  • Consider reconvening the meeting after he has had a chance to think about the issues.
  • Be precise and detailed.
  • Provide a safe environment in which he can learn, improve and grow.
  • Let him organize his thoughts.
  • Match his pace in presenting to him.
  • Let him know the unique contribution he is making.
  • Give him advance notice and time to prepare.
  • Present only solid and reliable facts.
  • Discuss and agree upon the deadlines.
  • Be clear and concise, and concentrate on the task in hand.

Personal Notes:

Communication

Barriers to Effective Communication

Certain strategies will be less effective when communicating with Carl. Some of the things to be avoided are listed below. This information can be used to develop powerful, effective and mutually acceptable communication strategies.

When communicating with Carl, DO NOT:
  • Demand an instant reaction.
  • Pretend that you know more than you do.
  • Be disorganized or inaccurate.
  • Labor the point or give lengthy verbal instructions.
  • Indulge in your own flights of fancy.
  • Say one thing and do another.
  • Stand or sit too close to him.
  • Assume that because you have “told it like it is”, this will make the slightest difference to the way that he does things.
  • Be too light hearted or superficial.
  • Discuss peripheral matters unrelated to the task in hand.
  • Speak too quickly
  • Get too close or touch him.

Personal Notes:

Possible Blind Spots

Our perceptions of self may be different to the perceptions others have of us. We project who we are onto the outside world through our “persona” and are not always aware of the effect our less conscious behaviours have on others. These less conscious behaviours are termed “Blind Spots”. Highlight the important statements in this section of which you are unaware and test them for validity by asking for feedback from friends or colleagues.

Carl’s possible Blind Spots:

Carl may reflect longer than is necessary before undertaking or beginning a project. Tending to shy away from making quick decisions, he has little understanding of the difficulties this preference creates for fast-paced people. He has a tendency towards perfectionism which leads him to refine and polish his ideas to a point where they may even fail to emerge. Unless he has the complete plan he may experience tension or frustration. He needs to work toward becoming more articulate and action-oriented.

When he is disappointed, he may become negative about everything and everyone around him. He responds well to praise, but is easily hurt by negative criticism, which makes him appear over-sensitive to some others. Carl takes even the most well-intentioned criticism personally and can respond by becoming flustered, hurt or angry. Carl’s responses in defense of people can be illogical to the point that he appears irrational. He may need to develop more assertiveness and would benefit from learning how to offer honest criticism of others when necessary.

Adopting a low profile is not always in his best interests. Speaking first rather than waiting to respond can help to balance the rather shy appearance he may project at times. His ability to detect what might go wrong is perceived by some others as suspicion of anything new and untested. Because of his well developed tolerance of himself and other people, Carl may appear detached and disinterested.

Personal Notes:

Opposite Type

The description in this section is based on Carl’s opposite type on the Insights Wheel. Often, we have most difficulty understanding and interacting with those who’s preferences are different to our own. Recognizing these characteristics can help in developing strategies for personal growth and enhanced interpersonal effectiveness.

Recognizing your Opposite Type:

Carl’s opposite Insights type is the Motivator, Jung’s Extraverted Intuitive” type.

Motivators have the ability to equally value results and people. They dislike detailed work but can do it to achieve a specific short-term objective. They enjoy assignments that they believe makes them look good. Carl may often see them, however as too optimistic about what they and other people can produce. Motivators may be difficult to manage. They are not natural administrators.

Carl may perceive the Motivator as indiscreet and sometimes hasty. Motivators need a variety of activities and the opportunity of working in an environment with other people. They may become workaholics if not aware of their limits. Motivators often seek material dominance, social standing and status. They detest routine, detail and close supervision and can be devious or even chameleon-like when something or someone gets in their way.

Carl will often sense a large ego in the Motivator and may wonder why the Motivator would much rather engage in brief, intellectual banter than conclude some task or spend some quiet time on their own. The Motivator may not remain totally commuted to a schedule or project if a better or more exciting challenge appears. They can often neglect important preparations that they consider unnecessary.

Personal Notes:

Opposite Type

Communication with Carl’s Opposite Type

Written specifically for Carl, this section suggests some strategies he could use for effective interaction with someone who is his opposite type on the Insights Wheel.

Carl Schelin: How you can meet the needs of your Opposite Type:
  • Adapt to sudden changes in direction.
  • Be firm, forceful and fearless.
  • Be alert and quick on your feet.
  • Add to the challenge and opportunity regularly.
  • Check that he is with you as he may be easily distracted from listening attentively.
  • Don’t always expect brief, specific answers.
Carl Schelin: When dealing with your opposite type DO NOT:
  • Forget to offer praise and recognition when it is due.
  • Let his imagination run riot at your expense.
  • Limit his range or scope of activity.
  • Question or challenge his personal values.
  • Dampen his enthusiastic energy with negative inputs.
  • Attempt to impose too much structure and formality.

Personal Notes:

Suggestions for Development

Insights Discovery does not offer direct measures of skill, intelligence, education or training. However, listed below are some suggestions for Carl’s development. Identify the most important areas which have not yet been addressed. These can then be incorporated into a personal development plan.

Carl may benefit from:
  • Looking to achieve quicker results.
  • Knowing it is OK to relax and laugh at himself.
  • Understanding that he can learn from people who do not share his views.
  • Articulating his ideas, rather than keeping them to himself.
  • Setting goals that will stretch him.
  • Acting without necessarily considering all the longer term implications.
  • Less structure.
  • Quicker decision making.
  • Practicing initiating conversation, particularly small talk, with strangers.
  • Attempting to respond more quickly to his more extraverted colleagues.

Personal Notes:

Management

Creating the Ideal Environment

People are generally most effective when provided with an environment which suits their preferences and style. It can be uncomfortable to work in an environment which does not. This section should be used to ensure a close match between Carl’s ideal environment and his current one and to identify any possible frustrations.

Carl’s Ideal Environment is one in which:
  • His highly developed analytical skills are fully utilized.
  • Time is carefully allocated to allow him to express his view.
  • Things are formal but relaxed.
  • Goals and outcomes are first agreed in writing.
  • Structure and systematic processes are prevalent.
  • There are quiet areas to work.
  • There is time for reflection and meditation.
  • His eye for detail and accuracy is appreciated.
  • Facts and information form the basis for decision making.
  • He has time to prepare for meetings or discussions.

Personal Notes:

Management

Managing Carl

This section identifies some of the most important strategies in managing Carl. Some of these needs can be met by Carl himself and some may be met by his colleagues or management. Go through this list to identify the most important current needs, and use it to build a personal management plan.

Carl needs:

  • The feeling that there is a sound and clear management structure.
  • Clearly stated areas of responsibility
  • Encouragement to deal with some issues immediately.
  • Time to answer questions.
  • Checks to ensure that he is not wasting time on minor issues, where detail is unimportant.
  • To be given opportunities to display his deep technical knowledge.
  • His intelligence to be complimented.
  • Technically challenging projects.
  • Access to sources of reference material relevant to the task.
  • A manager who communicates clearly and precisely, yet allows him room to maneuver.

Personal Notes:

Management

Motivating Carl

It has often been said that it is not possible to motivate anyone – only to provide the environment in which they will motivate themselves. Here are some suggestions which can help to provide motivation for Carl. With his agreement, build the most important ones into his Performance Management System and Key Result Areas for maximum motivation.

Carl is motivated by:

  • Encouragement to share his technical knowledge.
  • An internal desire “to do the right thing in the right way”.
  • Avoiding frequent meetings.
  • Knowing that his contribution to the team’s accuracy is valued.
  • Opportunities to enjoy the moment.
  • Recognition of his skill and knowledge.
  • Being given every opportunity to “get on with it”.
  • Being encouraged to research new technical developments.
  • Being free to subscribe to the technical jourlals of his choice.
  • Being able to make important decisions in his own time.

Personal Notes:

Management Style

There are many different approaches to management, most of which have different situational applications. This section identifies Carl’s natural management approach and offers clues to his management style, highlighting both gifts and possible hindrances that can be further explored.

In managing others, Carl may tend to:
  • Become confused with too much detail.
  • Be systematic and procedure-oriented
  • Be demanding of accuracy, logic and focus.
  • Avoid social chit-chat.
  • Avoid large social gatherings.
  • Be good at creating and monitoring project plans.
  • Insist upon attention to detail.
  • Under-delegate or re-assume tasks already delegated.
  • Lose sight of the objectives of meetings, often spending too much time discussing detail.
  • Become stubborn when challenged.

Personal Notes:

The Insights Wheel

carlswheel.jpg

Conscious Wheel Position

53: Observing Coordinator (Accommodating)

Personal (Less Conscious) Wheel Position

12: Supporting Coordinator (Focused)

Insights Colour Dynamics

carlspercents.jpg

Jungian Preferences

carlsjung.jpg

Posted in About Carl | Leave a comment

Creating a Workbench

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Freejack

You may remember this table:

It was what I call a hack. I was trying something out and it turned out well enough for me to paint and cover with felt. I also made the computer desk behind it. That was a bit more planned, based off of my dad’s overlarge desk. I wanted something a bit more compact. Anyway, about a month ago my wife checked a woodworking book out of the library. I’d been interested in spiffing up the garage with some real wood projects since we’re planning on being here a while. I found a couple of interesting ideas and after asking a few questions, got started. The project consisted of 6 sheets of 3/4″ Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF), a sheet of 1/2″ pine plywood, a sheet of 1/4″ hardboard, and about 12′ of 1″x8″ oak.

I got started by cutting out all the pieces and identifying them based on the plans. I was able to use lots of my tools to do the work. Circular saw, Miter saw, Table saw with a regular blade and a 5/8″ dado blade used to cut grooves. I also used a router and a drill.

I made everything based on the plans. Table top. Cabinets. Drawers. Glue and screw for everything. Lots of yellow wood glue.

I cut out, assembled, sanded, and then used some polyurethane to protect the drawers.

My wife suggested the green paint and I made two more cabinets. I had already cut out the oak and just put them in place to show where they’d be positioned.

I picked out the drawer hardware (the slides), measured, screwed the bottoms to the bottom of the drawers and the slides into the sides of the cabinet. I had to use washers to adjust them a little as they were a little loose.

And then assembled the faces and handles to the drawers.

I painted the handles red, just to be different and then made and attached the cabinet doors. Of course the cabinets were painted the same color as the other two cabinets.

Over the past few days used the router to trim the top to size. Then I glued the laminate down to the table top and trimmed it with the router. Then I glued the trim to the table top along with the backsplash. I moved all the gear out of the way and put the whole thing back against the garage wall then screwed the cabinets to the table top. Done. I learned a lot both about the tools and techniques but about my own abilities. I think this came out pretty well and I’m ready to move on to the next project. This was a very brief summary of the past month. For more pictures, feel free to check them out: http://schelin.org/20090720/gallery.php

Thanks for your time (hey, I’m proud of the job I did and wanted to share ).

Figure $425.00 for the materials and another $120 for tools I didn’t already have. I don’t have the receipt for the 12′ of Oak so I estimated $75. The internet purchase is an estimate too. I had to get over $50 to get free shipping so I added two more drawer hardware packages to get it over the top. In addition, I didn’t use up every bit so I have a savings on the next project (have a bunch of screws and a lot of scrap wood). I used scrap wood to make the two cabinet bases instead of buying another sheet of MDF for example. I also used some material I already had. Polyurethane paint I had for example. Oh, my wife bought the green paint but I don’t have a price for that either. It doesn’t include my time either It’s a reasonable materials estimate though.

Home Depot
MDF (6@28.34) = 170.04
BC Plywood = 27.88
Vinyl Panel = 17.21
Elmer’s Wood Filler = 4.98
Screws (6@2.19 (8×1 1/4″, 8×1 1/2″, 8×2″)) = 13.14
Screws 7@2.19 (#8×1″) = 15.33
Machine Screws = 5.97
Laminate = 35.64
Router Bit = 39.97
Clamps (2@39.96) = 79.92
ACE Box of 6×5/8″
Wood Screws = 3.89 Box of 6×3/4″
Wood Screws = 3.99
Box of Washers = 3.79

Internet
Hardware = 50.00

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New House Time (Radon)

Posted on May 2, 2009 by Freejack

Interesting. Rita found this. Sounds like someone on the sellers team is a scumbag.

Can a home seller beat a radon test (cause it to pass)?

Radon levels will change when you open a window especially if the window is in the same area as the test kit. In general however the window or multiple windows have to be wide open in the test area to make a big change (cut radon levels in half). Opening windows can bring marginal radon levels below the guideline. Opening windows on floors above the area being tested can cause the radon levels to go either higher or lower. Moving the radon detector to a low radon area will obviously also change the results to the new location level but many testers will minimize this possibility with tamper resistant features. We have a full report on test tampering available as a download. Whether you believe radon is over-hyped or not, the EPA risk table graphically illustrates that the exposure risk is very serious and lung cancer is the most deadly cancer.

Yea. That’ll be something that needs to be fixed.

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New House Time

Posted on May 2, 2009 by Freejack

We just returned from the inspection (9am to 1pm or so). The guy was pretty thorough. He wanted us there for the inspection so he could educate us on what he’s looking at and make suggestions. We’ll still get the report but talking to him was an education.

House was built in 69. There are a few cracks in the driveway (you can see them in the pics) and a couple in the garage. On the east side of the house there’s a tiny tiny settle crack. Other than that, the exterior is in excellent shape. On the north-western side, the ground slopes a tiny bit to the house. He suggested extensions to the down spouts to get the water farther away from the house. The trees have some dead branches and could use some trimming. The air conditioner can be a bit loud so he suggested a small air conditioner sized fence to redirect the sound away from the patio.

The roof uses T-lock shingles and has two layers. There is a little cracking of the shingles on the south side. The shingles are too close to the roof piercings. The flashing extends 4″ to 6″ from the piercing and if the shingles are butted up next to it, it can collect debris and can damage the roof. So they need to be trimmed. In addition, the piercings need to be painted to prevent rust. An attic investigation shows that the attic fan is falling apart. The investigator recommended a solar powered fan for $200 or so. He also recommended reseating the nails and covering them with a dab of caulk to seal them.

In the basement, the furnace and air conditioner were installed in 2005 and the water heater in 2003. The washer looks to be original though. You can’t even read the Maytag dial any more. The dryer is newer and not gas driven any more. He found that the gas pipe didn’t have a cap (it did have a valve so it’s just good insurance). There’s a sump pump in case there’s any leaking from the surrounding ground but they put a French Drain in a few years ago so the pump container (looks like a 5 gallon paint tub) is bone dry and filled with spider webs. He also found a tiny gas leak that needs to be repaired (at one of the joints). You can just barely smell gas.

Speaking of gas, the Radon test found the 72 hour average is 5.2 which exceeds the recommended maximum of 4. As a side note, she recently married into a local real estate family. When the inspector arrived back on Wednesday, the owner met him on her way out. She was concerned that the house had been sealed up (unused) for several months and wanted to know if that would affect the Radon test. Joe (the inspector) assured her that it wasn’t a problem and that it only lasted 3 to 4 days. Someone (we suspect her new husband) had opened four basement windows to “air out” the basement ::) Joe suggested that if the Radon test had been closer to 4, he would have requested the test be redone but since it’s at 5.2, he’s recommending mitigation using a pressurization system that costs up to $2,000.

Radon (for the folks who don’t know) is a fairly stable radioactive gas with a half life of 3.8 to 4 days (so it goes inert and harmless in about 4 days). Radon is produced naturally however it is one of the causes of lung cancer and the second highest killer in the US (21,000 last year). The gas of course takes the path of least resistance. So in dryer weather, it’ll filter through the dry ground and out through the yard. In wetter weather the damp or frozen ground blocks it so the easier path is up through the concrete of the basement. There are several mitigation systems from rubber barriers (for crawl spaces) to negative pressurization systems.

He suggested replacing the pull out windows in the basement with better quality ones. In addition, the two bedrooms in the basement are non-conforming. In Colorado (and other places I’m sure) basement bedrooms require two means of egress. The door of course and the window. The window wells are pretty tiny so he suggested that if we wanted to have the rooms conform, we get someone in to widen one window in each of the bedrooms to be large enough for someone to escape in case of a fire.

On the main floor, he discussed the gas fireplace. There’s a requirement to prop the flue open so that carbon monoxide doesn’t kill the people in the house. Since we don’t use a fireplace, he suggested we cap the gas line outside, remove the gas fixtures and close the flue and then perhaps put a gate or door in the opening. The kitchen was remodeled recently (we were told $50,000 in work was done). The dishwasher and stove are pretty expensive looking and fancy. There’s also a wall sized built-in between the family room and the kitchen. The front windows (master bedroom and living room… *ahem* I mean Rita’s craft room) are pretty fancy Pella windows however the back part of the house has original windows so we’ll be replacing them too as well as one of the sliding glass doors (there are two).

The master bathroom is very small. Our plan is to tear down the wall between the master bedroom and the center room and then totally remake the bathroom to be a nice sized one (a master bedroom suite). The fun thing is that the toilet and even the toilet hardware (in the tank) are marked as being original equipment. That’s right, 1969! I can’t believe toilet hardware will last that long. The toilet in the main bathroom is also 1969 however the hardware has been replaced. And the basement bathroom is newer.

If you’re keeping track, there are only two things of any concern. The Radon and the tiny gas leak both in the basement. We’ll have the official report later today and will provide our response to the inspection (fix the leak and minimally get bids to mitigate the Radon or have one installed).

Otherwise, great house and a good selection by Rita.

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New House Time

Posted on April 30, 2009 by Freejack

Rita found a local company called SmartBox. They deliver a large box and we pack gear into it. Back when we got the house ready (end of January), we had 3 boxes delivered. We packed up most of the gear into the boxes. Just the books in my “Man Cave” (see the post up in the technical section) was about 3,000 pounds (and I had to move it 3 times :crazy2: ). All the book cases went in there, extra furniture. We reduced it down to a bare minimum so the house looked lived in but not cluttered.

Last week we had another box delivered. We put the second couch, dresser, and a bunch of boxes mostly from the garage in that one.

So we’re down to a real bare minimum of stuff.

Master Bedroom: Bed, end tables, dresser
Guest Bedroom: Bed, end tables, dresser, bookcase
TV room: TV, stand, two Ikea chairs
Living room: Couch
Dining room: Table and 4 chairs
Family room: My desk, bookcase
Craft room: Rita’s work table, 2 book cases
Garage: Tool chest, 2 book cases, router table.

And of course a selection of boxes for stuff.

So we’re ready for a quick move 🙂

My co-worker lives right around the corner so I’m taking the bikes up there one at a time and parking them in his garage. We’ll be down to just my Hayabusa and Rita’s Ninja (well and her car too 🙂 ).

We’re organized and ready to go 😀

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New House Time

Posted on April 27, 2009 by Freejack

Yep, we finally got the house sold. We had a bit of a problem with the digital document signing (glitch in the company’s software) but it’s been fixed and we’re moving forward. Closing is on the 13th of May and we have to be out by 6pm on the 14th.

Oh, we also found a house. It took a bunch of looking but Rita finally found it. Head over to and look up MLS 583476. Closing is May 14th and we’ll move in on the 15th or so. Cutting it close.

I just whipped up a rough floor plan based on the listed room sizes and put them about where they are in the house.


I put “pic #” around the two plans to show where the pictures in the MLS listing were taken.

The Living Room is going to be Rita’s craft room and the two downstairs bedrooms will be the library and computer room. Rita already has plans for the master bedroom and we’re putting up a fence so we can let the cats go out back.

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Resizing File Systems

Posted on January 6, 2009 by Freejack

This is Linux specific of course. There are three file systems I’ll be listing here. The more common EXT4, newer XFS, and newest GPT file system.

For this example, we have a small image and need to extend it. Additional space has been added to bring the file system to 20 Gigabytes. You just need to expand the space to 20 Gigabytes.

One note here before we continue. Observe that all these examples are a single file system. What that means is extending a partition is pretty easy. But what happens with a normal configuration where there are separate file systems such as root, usr, home, var, etc? If the file system is at the end of the partition table, it’s pretty easy to extend it which is why, typically var is the last file system. But what happens if home needs to be extended? When you’re adding sectors, you add it to the end of a disk. What this means is you need to create a new home file system with the new size, move all the files to the new file system, unmount the old one, fix /etc/fstab, and remount. And now you have the old home directory as a blank spot in your partition table. You might be able to use it to extend usr if it needed extending. Or maybe use it as a /var specific file system such as for mysql. It’s why LVM is so popular.

EXT4 File System

# df -k
Filesystem     1K-blocks   Used Available Use% Mounted on
udev             1014152      0   1014152   0% /dev
tmpfs             204548   2948    201600   2% /run
/dev/vda1        2030416 991160    918068  52% /
tmpfs            1022720      0   1022720   0% /dev/shm
tmpfs               5120      0      5120   0% /run/lock
tmpfs            1022720      0   1022720   0% /sys/fs/cgroup
tmpfs             204544      0    204544   0% /run/user/0

Run the fdisk command to confirm space was added and is recognized.

# fdisk -l
Disk /dev/vda: 20 GiB, 21474836480 bytes, 41943040 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0xe5c3b0d8
 
Device     Boot Start     End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/vda1  *     2048 4194303 4192256   2G 83 Linux

And there it is, 20 GiB. You’ll delete the existing partition table and add it back in at the new size. Until you actually write to the disk, the changes are in memory. Exiting without saving will prevent the update.

# fdisk /dev/vda
 
Welcome to fdisk (util-linux 2.33.1).
Changes will remain in memory only, until you decide to write them.
Be careful before using the write command.
 
 
Command (m for help): p
Disk /dev/vda: 20 GiB, 21474836480 bytes, 41943040 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0xe5c3b0d8
 
Device     Boot Start     End Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/vda1  *     2048 4194303 4192256   2G 83 Linux
 
Command (m for help): d
Selected partition 1
Partition 1 has been deleted.
 
Command (m for help): n
Partition type
   p   primary (0 primary, 0 extended, 4 free)
   e   extended (container for logical partitions)
Select (default p): p
Partition number (1-4, default 1): 1
First sector (2048-41943039, default 2048):
Last sector, +/-sectors or +/-size{K,M,G,T,P} (2048-41943039, default 41943039):
 
Created a new partition 1 of type 'Linux' and of size 20 GiB.
Partition #1 contains a ext4 signature.
 
Do you want to remove the signature? [Y]es/[N]o: n
 
Command (m for help): p
 
Disk /dev/vda: 20 GiB, 21474836480 bytes, 41943040 sectors
Units: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disklabel type: dos
Disk identifier: 0xe5c3b0d8
 
Device     Boot Start      End  Sectors Size Id Type
/dev/vda1        2048 41943039 41940992  20G 83 Linux
 
Command (m for help): w
The partition table has been altered.
Syncing disks.

From here you can either reboot the server or if partprobe is installed, run it to register the new table to the kernel.

# partprobe

Once registered, you simply extend the file system to fit the now available space using resize2fs.

# resize2fs /dev/vda1
resize2fs 1.44.5 (15-Dec-2018)
Filesystem at /dev/vda1 is mounted on /; on-line resizing required
old_desc_blocks = 1, new_desc_blocks = 3
[ 4014.025845] EXT4-fs (vda1): resizing filesystem from 524032 to 5242624 blocks
[ 4014.172547] EXT4-fs (vda1): resized filesystem to 5242624
The filesystem on /dev/vda1 is now 5242624 (4k) blocks long.

And done, the file system now registers 20 Gigabytes.

# df -k
Filesystem     1K-blocks    Used Available Use% Mounted on
udev             1014152       0   1014152   0% /dev
tmpfs             204548    2948    201600   2% /run
/dev/vda1       20608592 1008764  18723724   6% /
tmpfs            1022720       0   1022720   0% /dev/shm
tmpfs               5120       0      5120   0% /run/lock
tmpfs            1022720       0   1022720   0% /sys/fs/cgroup
tmpfs             204544       0    204544   0% /run/user/0

XFS File Systems

In this case, you won’t need to use fdisk to make the necessary changes. Once the 20 Gig has been added, you just need to run the growpart command to extend the file system.

# growpart /dev/vda 1
CHANGED: partition=1 start=2048 old: size=16384000 end=16386047 new: size=41940992 end=41943039

Then use the xfs_growfs command to extend the file system.

# xfs_growfs -d /dev/vda1
meta-data=/dev/vda1              isize=512    agcount=4, agsize=512000 blks
         =                       sectsz=512   attr=2, projid32bit=1
         =                       crc=1        finobt=1, sparse=1, rmapbt=0
         =                       reflink=1
data     =                       bsize=4096   blocks=2048000, imaxpct=25
         =                       sunit=0      swidth=0 blks
naming   =version 2              bsize=4096   ascii-ci=0, ftype=1
log      =internal log           bsize=4096   blocks=2560, version=2
         =                       sectsz=512   sunit=0 blks, lazy-count=1
realtime =none                   extsz=4096   blocks=0, rtextents=0
data blocks changed from 2048000 to 5242624

And the file system is 20 Gigs now.

GPT File Systems

This one is pretty similar to the EXT4 File System updates. The only change is managing partition tables uses gdisk instead of fdisk. Otherwise everything else is the same as EXT4.

# gdisk /dev/vda
GPT fdisk (gdisk) version 1.0.3
 
Partition table scan:
  MBR: protective
  BSD: not present
  APM: not present
  GPT: present
 
Found valid GPT with protective MBR; using GPT.
 
Command (? for help): p
Disk /dev/vda: 41943040 sectors, 20.0 GiB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512/512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): E1A6C9DD-012D-4943-8697-0FE02F412F36
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
Main partition table begins at sector 2 and ends at sector 33
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 41943006
Partitions will be aligned on 2048-sector boundaries
Total free space is 37332958 sectors (17.8 GiB)
 
Number  Start (sector)    End (sector)  Size       Code  Name
   1          227328         4612062   2.1 GiB     8300
  14            2048           10239   4.0 MiB     EF02
  15           10240          227327   106.0 MiB   EF00
 
Command (? for help): d
Partition number (1-15): 1
 
Command (? for help): n
Partition number (1-128, default 1): 1
First sector (34-41943006, default = 227328) or {+-}size{KMGTP}:
Last sector (227328-41943006, default = 41943006) or {+-}size{KMGTP}:
Current type is 'Linux filesystem'
Hex code or GUID (L to show codes, Enter = 8300):
Changed type of partition to 'Linux filesystem'
 
Command (? for help): p
Disk /dev/vda: 41943040 sectors, 20.0 GiB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512/512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): E1A6C9DD-012D-4943-8697-0FE02F412F36
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
Main partition table begins at sector 2 and ends at sector 33
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 41943006
Partitions will be aligned on 2048-sector boundaries
Total free space is 2014 sectors (1007.0 KiB)
 
Number  Start (sector)    End (sector)  Size       Code  Name
   1          227328        41943006   19.9 GiB    8300  Linux filesystem
  14            2048           10239   4.0 MiB     EF02
  15           10240          227327   106.0 MiB   EF00
 
Command (? for help): w
 
Final checks complete. About to write GPT data. THIS WILL OVERWRITE EXISTING
PARTITIONS!!
 
Do you want to proceed? (Y/N): y
OK; writing new GUID partition table (GPT) to /dev/vda.
Warning: The kernel is still using the old partition table.
The new table will be used at the next reboot or after you
run partprobe(8) or kpartx(8)
The operation has completed successfully.

Again, you’ll use partprobe and resize2fs to extend the file system.

Notes

Just noting that this was done quite some time ago and it’s been updated several times over the years to be more current.

Posted in Computers, Troubleshooting | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Linux Logical Volume Management

Posted on January 4, 2009 by Freejack

Overview

There are many articles and tutorials on the use of the Linux Logical Volume Manager (LVM). I have two goals when I write up these sorts of docs. One to create a document that is appropriate for the environment and two to help others who need the information in the wee hours during an incident or event.

Background

One of the issues with disk management in Linux is being able to extend a file system when needed. Since file systems are generally split up into different uses; root, usr, var, home, and so on, being able to extend that file system when not using LVM means the new space must be contiguous with the file system you want to extend. For this reason, generally var is the last file system created in a system as that’s the file system more likely to need to be extended. The logs get bigger, applications such as mysql are in /var, etc. If a different file system needs to be extended, you have to create a brand new one of the new size, move all the files to the new file system, unmount the old one and mount the new one. This also leaves a gap in the file system usage. As such, when creating file systems admins tend to err on the side of caution and give a bit of extra space.

When using LVM, you add the new disk to the volume group and extend the volume to the necessary size. It does add a layer between the application and the physical disk so there is a minor performance hit. And with the new virtual technology, an admin can add a new disk at the touch of a button.

As a note, the boot disk is a physical slice and not brought under LVM control. This is due to the kernel being located in this file system and loaded prior to the LVM modules. Make sure this file system is large enough to support multiple kernels, about 500 gigabytes.

Commands

There are three groups of commands. Physical Volumes, Volume Groups, and Logical Volumes. Physical Volume commands manage the physical disks. Adding or removing them from LVM and making them available to the system. Volume Groups are collections of one or more Physical Volumes. And Logical Volumes are slices of the Volume Groups.

I’m not going to dig into every command. Feel free to check the references at the end of this article and on Linux server, use the lvm command to see a list of all possible commands on a server.

To view summary information, the pvs (physical volume), vgs (volume group), and lvs (logical volume) commands are used. The pvdisplay, vgdisplay, and lvdisplay provide extended information.

To create LVM volumes, the pvcreate (add a physical disk to lvm), vgcreate (create a volume group), and lvcreate (create a logical volume) commands are used.

To extend LVM volumes, the pvextend, vgextend, and lvextend commands are used. If you’re given a new disk, you would use pvcreate and then vgextend and lvextend. If an existing physical disk is extended though, you’d use pvextend and then lvextend.

Physical Volume Management

You are given a disk to be used for a server and need to add it. First off, you need to add it to LVM. This can be the entire disk or a partition on the disk. A partition will end in a number.

# pvcreate /dev/sda2
# pvcreate /dev/sdb

To view the information, you can use the pvs or pvdisplay command.

# pvs
  PV         VG   Fmt  Attr PSize    PFree
  /dev/sda2  vg00 lvm2 a--    37.79g 4.00m
  /dev/sdb   vg01 lvm2 a--  <100.00g    0
# pvdisplay
  --- Physical volume ---
  PV Name               /dev/sda2
  VG Name               vg00
  PV Size               <37.80 GiB / not usable 4.00 MiB
  Allocatable           yes
  PE Size               4.00 MiB
  Total PE              9675
  Free PE               1
  Allocated PE          9674
  PV UUID               UCPvsu-xHVc-hZ12-CQGW-y3Ss-vfUp-x1zCdS

  --- Physical volume ---
  PV Name               /dev/sdb
  VG Name               vg01
  PV Size               100.00 GiB / not usable 4.00 MiB
  Allocatable           yes (but full)
  PE Size               4.00 MiB
  Total PE              25599
  Free PE               0
  Allocated PE          25599
  PV UUID               eipsjW-KysF-VK4o-mUcV-D4j7-FsOu-uqra6l

Note that the pvdisplay command gives you the number of available or Free Physical Extents. This is the number you’d use when creating a logical volume.

If an existing physical disk is extended, you will need to delete the partition table and recreate it to the new size.

I’ve broken the example below up into sections to make it easier to parse.

# fdisk /dev/sda
Welcome to fdisk (util-linux 2.23.2).

Changes will remain in memory only, until you decide to write them.
Be careful before using the write command.


Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/sda: 85.9 GB, 85899345920 bytes, 167772160 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk label type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x000f08ea

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *        2048     1026047      512000   83  Linux
/dev/sda2         1026048    80478207    39726080   8e  Linux LVM

Command (m for help): d
Partition number (1,2, default 2): 2
Partition 2 is deleted

Note that the Linux LVM partition is 80k sectors. This equates to about 40 gigabytes. As noted here, you’ve been given 40 gigabytes more space but extending the original disk not as a second disk. You’ll delete the second partition (sda2) and add it back in at the new size.

Again, this is a single session. Do not save until the end.

Command (m for help): n
Partition type:
   p   primary (1 primary, 0 extended, 3 free)
   e   extended
Select (default p): p
Partition number (2-4, default 2): 2
First sector (1026048-167772159, default 1026048): 
Using default value 1026048
Last sector, +sectors or +size{K,M,G} (1026048-167772159, default 167772159): 
Using default value 167772159
Partition 2 of type Linux and of size 79.5 GiB is set

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/sda: 85.9 GB, 85899345920 bytes, 167772160 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk label type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x000f08ea

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *        2048     1026047      512000   83  Linux
/dev/sda2         1026048   167772159    83373056   83  Linux

We’ve created a new partition using all the available sectors to extend it to 80 gigabytes. There is a slight issue though. Did you notice it?

Command (m for help): t
Partition number (1,2, default 2): 2
Hex code (type L to list all codes): 8e
Changed type of partition 'Linux' to 'Linux LVM'

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/sda: 85.9 GB, 85899345920 bytes, 167772160 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk label type: dos
Disk identifier: 0x000f08ea

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *        2048     1026047      512000   83  Linux
/dev/sda2         1026048   167772159    83373056   8e  Linux LVM

It’s not a Linux LVM partition. You’ll need to change the partition type from Linux to 8e aka Linux LVM.

Command (m for help): w
The partition table has been altered!

Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table.

WARNING: Re-reading the partition table failed with error 16: Device or resource busy.
The kernel still uses the old table. The new table will be used at
the next reboot or after you run partprobe(8) or kpartx(8)
Syncing disks.

And save your changes. Once done, use the partprobe command to have the kernel recognize the new partition table.

# partprobe

And finally you extend the physical volume in LVM.

# pvdisplay
  --- Physical volume ---
  PV Name               /dev/sda2
  VG Name               vg00
  PV Size               37.89 GiB / not usable 3.00 MiB
  Allocatable           yes 
  PE Size               4.00 MiB
  Total PE              9698
  Free PE               2
  Allocated PE          9696
  PV UUID               tsFRnn-bQNH-qm0Q-CY7O-6GTl-93P2-4lbbig
      
# pvresize /dev/sda2
  Physical volume "/dev/sda2" changed
  1 physical volume(s) resized / 0 physical volume(s) not resized
# pvdisplay
  --- Physical volume ---
  PV Name               /dev/sda2
  VG Name               vg00
  PV Size               79.51 GiB / not usable 2.00 MiB
  Allocatable           yes 
  PE Size               4.00 MiB
  Total PE              20354
  Free PE               10658
  Allocated PE          9696
  PV UUID               tsFRnn-bQNH-qm0Q-CY7O-6GTl-93P2-4lbbig

Volume Group Management

Now that you have physical volumes prepared, you need to either add a new volume group or extend an existing one.

# vgextend vg00 /dev/sdb
# vgcreate vg01 /dev/sdc

In order to view a volume group, you can use the vgs or vgdisplay commands.

# vgs
  VG   #PV #LV #SN Attr   VSize    VFree
  vg00   1   6   0 wz--n-   37.79g 4.00m
  vg01   1   1   0 wz--n- <100.00g    0
# vgdisplay
  --- Volume group ---
  VG Name               vg00
  System ID
  Format                lvm2
  Metadata Areas        1
  Metadata Sequence No  7
  VG Access             read/write
  VG Status             resizable
  MAX LV                0
  Cur LV                6
  Open LV               6
  Max PV                0
  Cur PV                1
  Act PV                1
  VG Size               37.79 GiB
  PE Size               4.00 MiB
  Total PE              9675
  Alloc PE / Size       9674 / <37.79 GiB
  Free  PE / Size       1 / 4.00 MiB
  VG UUID               yTaVIr-8bLB-HvQ9-WSns-LB6O-FYXW-AkydB2

  --- Volume group ---
  VG Name               vg01
  System ID
  Format                lvm2
  Metadata Areas        1
  Metadata Sequence No  2
  VG Access             read/write
  VG Status             resizable
  MAX LV                0
  Cur LV                1
  Open LV               1
  Max PV                0
  Cur PV                1
  Act PV                1
  VG Size               <100.00 GiB
  PE Size               4.00 MiB
  Total PE              25599
  Alloc PE / Size       25599 / <100.00 GiB
  Free  PE / Size       0 / 0
  VG UUID               5Llgfv-9fxg-IxzJ-dT4j-ef5Q-NB0Y-RHL5jS

Logical Volume Management

Now you want to use the available space in file systems. Either by creating a new one or extending an existing file system such as /var.

The logical volume command has two flags for identifying space. The -l (lower case L) flag which uses the physical extents as the option and the -L flag which uses disk sizes in Megabytes, Gigabytes, etc as options.

The -n flag names the file system.

For example, to create a 20 gigabyte file system called fs01 using the vg00 volume group:

# lvcreate -L20G -nfs01 vg00

You can also create one using physical extents. You’ll need to get the amount of Free PE from the output of the pvdisplay command and then calculate what 20 gigabytes might be. In looking at the above examples, 80 gigabytes is approximately 20,354 physical extents. divide by four and you get approximately 5,000 physical extents.

# lvcreate -l5000 -nfs01 vg00

Of course it’s not exactly 20G which is why you’d use the -L flag vs trying to figure out what 20 gigabytes is in physical extents.

Assuming you’re creating a file system, you’ll use the appropriate command to format it. In this example, I’m using a common EXT4 file system but others are available depending on your use case.

# mkfs -t ext4 /dev/mapper/vg00-fs01
mke2fs 1.41.12 (17-May-2010)
Filesystem label=
OS type: Linux
Block size=4096 (log=2)
Fragment size=4096 (log=2)
Stride=0 blocks, Stripe width=0 blocks
4915200 inodes, 19659776 blocks
982988 blocks (5.00%) reserved for the super user
First data block=0
Maximum filesystem blocks=4294967296
600 block groups
32768 blocks per group, 32768 fragments per group
8192 inodes per group
Superblock backups stored on blocks: 
	32768, 98304, 163840, 229376, 294912, 819200, 884736, 1605632, 2654208, 
	4096000, 7962624, 11239424

Writing inode tables: done                            
Creating journal (32768 blocks): done
Writing superblocks and filesystem accounting information: done

This filesystem will be automatically checked every 27 mounts or
180 days, whichever comes first.  Use tune2fs -c or -i to override.

Finally update /etc/fstab to add the mount point for the new file system.

And you’ll use the lvs or lvdisplay commands to view information about the logical volumes on the system.

# lvdisplay
  --- Logical volume ---
  LV Name                /dev/vg00/lv00
  VG Name                vg00
  LV UUID                Zr3Axv-eoOJ-cdM8-Cuvo-t7Db-vlPF-u3wpB3
  LV Write Access        read/write
  LV Status              available
  # open                 1
  LV Size                1.00 GB
  Current LE             32
  Segments               1
  Allocation             inherit
  Read ahead sectors     auto
  - currently set to     256
  Block device           253:0
   
  --- Logical volume ---
  LV Name                /dev/vg00/lv05
  VG Name                vg00
  LV UUID                30VD3I-i90d-Efl1-PReu-0Wi3-V7ri-tyUJ4L
  LV Write Access        read/write
  LV Status              available
  # open                 1
  LV Size                4.00 GB
  Current LE             128
  Segments               1
  Allocation             inherit
  Read ahead sectors     auto
  - currently set to     256
  Block device           253:1
  ...

If you want to extend a logical volume once more space has been added, you’ll use the lvextend command. It works the same as the lvcreate commands with a few changes.

First, you’ll want to pass the -r flag as it extends the file system in addition to extending the logical volume. Much like when you delete a partition and add it back in, and needing to use resize2fs to extend the file system, the -r flag extends the file system.

Next up you can either use a plus to add more space to at logical volume or simply select a larger size than it current is. For example, if you extend a 40 gigabyte logical volume to 80 gigabytes you can either pass -L+40G or -L80G.

# lvextend -r -L+40G /dev/mapper/vg00-fs01
lvextend -- extending logical volume "/dev/vg00/fs01" to 80 GB
lvextend -- doing automatic backup of volume group "vg00"
lvextend -- logical volume "/dev/vg00/fs01" successfully extended

If you forget the -r flag, use the resize2fs command to resize the file system (or other command if not an EXT4 file system).

# resize2fs -p /dev/vg01/fs01
resize2fs 1.41.12 (17-May-2010)
Resizing the filesystem on /dev/vg00/fs01 to 104855552 (4k) blocks.
Begin pass 1 (max = 1600)
Extending the inode table     XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The filesystem on /dev/vg00/fs01 is now 104855552 blocks long.

Removing Volumes

In case you need to remove a logical volume, volume group, or physical volume, use the following commands.

To remove a logical volume, you have to unmount it first. Of course this means making sure no applications are using the file system or you won’t be able to unmount it.

# umount /dev/mapper/vg00-fs01
# lvremove /dev/mapper/vg00-fs01
lvremove -- do you really want to remove "/dev/mapper/vg00-fs01"? [y/n]: y
lvremove -- logical volume "fs01" successfully removed

Don’t forget to remove it from /etc/fstab.

To remove a volume group, run the vgremove command.

# vgremove vg01

If you just need to remove a physical volume from a volume group, use the vgreduce command.

# vgreduce vg01 /dev/sdb

Finally if you need to remove a physical volume from LVM control, use the pvremove command.

# pvremove /dev/sdb

References

A lot of this is experience but the LVM documentation got me started.

Posted in Computers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mom’s Apple Pie

Posted on November 23, 2008 by Freejack

Pie recipe for Mom’s Apple Pie. Includes pie crust. Pretty tasty.

  • 2 Cans of Pie Apples or about 6 medium sized cored and peeled apples plus about a quarter cup of water.
  • 3/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup of Sugar
  • 4 Tbl Flour
  • 2 Tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Tsp Nutmeg
  • 3/4 Tsp Cloves
  • 1/4 Tsp Salt

Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Heat the oven to 400F. Put the ingredients into a pie shell and cover. Cook for 1 hour, every 15 minutes spreading a pat of butter on the crust.

Pie Crust

I increased the ingredients a tad to make sure I had enough for crust. I’d rather cut off a bit of dough than have to try and stretch it out a bit and have it be weak or broken through.

  • 2 1/2 Cups of Flour
  • 1 1/4 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup Shortening

Mix together until it looks like corn meal. Add up to 8 Tsp cold water. Mix with a fork and press into a ball. Divide in half and roll out on a floured board.

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Mom’s Cherry Pie

Posted on November 23, 2008 by Freejack

This is my mom’s recipe for cherry pie. It includes making a pie crust as well. I’ve made it for several years and it’s pretty good.

  • 2 Cans of pitted tart red cherries. No cherry pie filling.
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • 4 Tbl Corn Starch
  • 1 Tsp Cloves
  • 2 Tsp Cinnamon

Drain the cherries into the pan and stir in the ingredients until thick. Pour with the cherries into the pie shell. put the top of the pie crust on top. Cut a few slices into the top of the crust. Cook at 400F for about an hour, crust should be brown on top.

Pie Crust

  • 2 Cups of flour
  • 1/2 Tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup butter
  • 7 to 8 Tbl Water

Stir flour and salt into a medium sized bowl with a pastry blender or a fork. Stir in butter until the pieces are pea sized. At the smallest amount of water and toss with a fork until all the flour is moistened and the mixture starts to form a ball. If necessary, add the remaining water to the crumbs in the bottom of the bowl. Gather dough into your hands, split it in half, and gradually shape it into a circle. You’ll need two, top and bottom.

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