$ Linux Command

Disk

pvscan

Scan all disks for LVM physical volumes.

lvmphysical volumescandiscoverydisk management

Additional Notes

pvscan scans all available block devices on the system for LVM (Logical Volume Manager) physical volume labels and metadata. It updates the LVM cache with current information about which devices are PVs and which volume groups they belong to.

System administrators run pvscan after adding new disks, reconnecting SAN storage, or when LVM does not automatically detect PVs. It is the discovery command for LVM: it finds all PVs, reports their properties, and refreshes the kernel's LVM device state.

Syntax

pvscan [options] [device...]

Parameters

  • options: Flags that change how pvscan behaves.
  • target: Optional file, device, interface, user, service, or command target when the command supports one.

Common Options

  • -a, --all: Show all devices, including those not identifiable as PVs.
  • -b, --cache: Update the LVM cache file (/etc/lvm/cache/.cache).
  • -c, --colon: Colon-separated output (machine-parseable).
  • -C, --columns: Columnar output format.
  • -d, --debug: Debug output.
  • -e, --exported: Show only exported (foreign) PVs.
  • -n, --novolumegroup: Show only PVs that are not part of a volume group.
  • -s, --short: Short format (PV name only).
  • -u, --uuid: Show PV UUIDs.
  • --uuidonly: Show only UUIDs.
  • -v, --verbose: Verbose output.
  • --reportformat basic|json: Output format.

Examples

pvscan

Scan all devices and display discovered physical volumes.

pvscan -u

Scan and show physical volume UUIDs.

pvscan -n

Show only physical volumes not assigned to any volume group.

pvscan -a

Show all devices, including those without LVM labels.

pvscan -b

Scan and update the LVM cache file.

pvscan --cache /dev/sdb

Scan a specific device and update the cache.

pvscan -e

Show only exported (foreign) physical volumes.

pvscan -s

Short output showing only PV device names.

Practical Notes

  • Run pvscan after adding new disks or when LVM does not detect newly connected storage.
  • The LVM cache file (/etc/lvm/cache/.cache) speeds up subsequent LVM commands by storing previously discovered devices.
  • If pvscan finds a PV that belongs to an inactive VG, it may automatically activate it depending on the lvmetad or event-based activation configuration.
  • On systems using lvmetad (deprecated in newer LVM), pvscan communicates with the daemon. Modern LVM uses direct scanning.
  • For a quick summary of all PVs, use pvs instead. For detailed information, use pvdisplay.
  • If a PV is not found by pvscan, check that the device is accessible with lsblk or fdisk -l.