No LVM on FreePBX Distro 7 - HowTo? Cause Issues in the Future?

Good Afternoon,

I’d like to setup the new FreePBX Distro 7 w/o LVM. I couldn’t find a way to specify this in the setup options. Is there a way?

W/O asking for a HowTO, lets assume I can conver the final LVM to a regular ext4 partition. What issues might this cause in the future? My only thought would be that we couldn’t get the High Availability Module since it probably expects the LVM, but other then that, would the upgrade scripts work fine? Any other issues you think might crop up?

Regards…

You’ll need to do a manual install. It’s under ‘Advanced’.

Note that doing an install without LVM will be slower than an install with LVM, especially in a Virtualized environment, or, when running of SSDs.

@xrobau I tried Custom OS, and it installs basically nothing, so thats not what I want, i just don’t want LVM, I tried Advanced install w/ Ast 13 and I got Deliberate Error, so I wiped the disks completely, and got the same error. How do I submit logs, it says to “switch to terminal”, but I can’t figure out how to get to Terminal

Update : Hit Alt-Tab

Now if only my machine would get an IP Address, the send logs would work (headbang)

@xrobau Since I can’t seem to get Advanced Install to work except for “Custom OS” which doesn’t install the packages, do you think it would be Ok to install w/ LVM, then just clone the LVM to a regular partition?

Update:

Well I just tried “Advanced Install” in a VM, just to make sure I wasn’t wasting my time, and it just auto installed everything, didn’t give me a chance to select the disk layout … Not very Advanced IMO. Looks like I’m just going to do a basic install and convert it from LVM to /dev/sda. Which brings me back to my original quesiton, Foresee any problems with this?

You have two problems:

  1. Your network card is not working. That’s ACTUALLY the problem.
  2. You don’t want to use LVM. (Please, use LVM. Trust me here.)

@xrobau I have 3 Nic’s and this is a verified working system. Is there no way for me to configure a NIC a the command line? & “Please, use LVM. Trust me here”, is not going to fly. I HATE LVM. I see no need for it and it complicates things. I generally have TB’s of extra storage and I prefer backing up entire systems w/ regular partitions that don’t need software to expose the data.

Yes. ‘ifconfig eth0 1.2.3.4’, exactly as you normally would.

Actually, it does the complete opposite. It simplifies things, especially with modern filesystems.

At this stage, since you’re trying to stray so far way from FreePBX Distro, it might be worth your while just doing a manual install, using the OS of your choice.

FreePBX Distro is there so we can guarantee that complex stuff will work, as it’s a fixed, well known (and well tested) environment. If you want to change the fundamental aspects of it (eg, it requires LVM), there’s not much point in USING FreePBX Distro!

There’s a bunch of wiki pages on how to install FreePBX - you probably want this one:

http://wiki.freepbx.org/display/FOP/Installing+FreePBX+13+on+CentOS+7

Basically if you want to use the FreePBX disto you need to use LVM. You can install FreePBX manually if you wish but for easy for use for us we force LVM.

I already hand compiled a system, I want FreePBX Distro, its kinda annoying to be told to “just don’t use the distro”, help on this forum should really take a page out of Stack Exchange’s book. Questions should be well phrased and answers should first and foremost, answer the question, with advice comming second.

I managed to get it to install W/O LVM in a VM via “Advaned Install” and then its sorta a “race to click” the disk install options before the installer begins. If you click first, you can select the disk layout as you please.

If you elaborate on WHY i NEED LVM, then I would consider using it, but “it needs it” isn’t very thorough. Will it break a future update? I’m assuming it blocks the HA Option, but thats something you kinda have to choose at initial install anyway.

PS: There is no command “ifconfig” found on the CLI during the install process from what I could tell, have you tried?

This isn’t stack exchange. We develop the FreePBX distro in house and therefore have certain requirements for it.

I really don’t know how much better we can say “sorry it won’t work without LVM”. That is what the distro requires. If you don’t like it then don’t use it. No one is forcing you to use the distro. For us to remove LVM is a lot of work.

Furthermore we answered your question. It can’t be done. It won’t work.

Yes

@tm1000

As my linux buddys would say “We can do anything in Linux”

I would love to know why this won’t continue to work?

That quote does not mean that you can do anything with the FreePBX distro. Look. You asked about LVM and this was the reply

I don’t think it can get more clearer than that?

No one said it won’t. We just said don’t do it. If you want to do it, that’s fine, but if things break unexpectedly in the future, because FreePBX Distro is designed to use LVM then what can we do apart from shake our heads and say ‘I told you so’?

I really hate having to say that.

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@xrobau I think we are getting off topic/talking about 2 topics. I was talking about configuring the NIC when I couldn’t use “send-logs” pre-install., tho I do anaconda root, is that pre-install? In CentOS 7 RHEL7 ifconfig is not pre-installed, and you need to use ipaddr. Maybe I was wrong, I didn’t realize you can CONFIGURE a nic via ifconfig. Its a nice tip, and sorry I doubted you if you are infact pre-install.

If only that was the first answer, not the 3rd…

I don't think it can get more clearer than that?

How about, The function X will break because it expects LVM, or the script Y expects LVM. Something that will give me an idea if “I THINK” its worth the “risk”. I get this isn’t stack exchange, but its a support forum, generally that implies Question and Answer, not Question and Opinion.

What about our current system which is FreePBX Distro w/o LVM on CentOS 6. There is supposedly an upgrade script, will that transform the root partition into an LVM? I highly doubt it, so anybody who upgrades from FreePBX Distro 10, to FreePBX Distro 7 (SNG7) who doesn’t already use LVM, will have a “FreePBX System that will eventually break.”

I think you are lying, pushing LVM, not giving any examples to back up your claims, and generally just not being understanding that some users may not want LVM or may want to change aspects of the FreePBX Distro for their own reason…

Ok. With the lying remark I think we are done here. You don’t want to take anything we are telling you to do and try it and would rather throw accusations around. It’s really not necessary and your tone and accusations are not welcome here.

Edit: Basically. Rob said, as nice as possible that we don’t support non-LVM. That we don’t want to support non-LVM. Unfortunately that was not a good enough answer. But it’s the truth and if you don’t want to accept that then you are free to spin up your own iso. We did detail (a few times) why we think LVM is better, specifically: “Note that doing an install without LVM will be slower than an install with LVM, especially in a Virtualized environment, or, when running of SSDs.” and “Actually, it does the complete opposite. It simplifies things, especially with modern filesystems.”.

FreePBX is open source and eventually we will release the commercial module repo for hand installed CentOS 7 installs in a few months, just like we have in the past. At that point you can spin up your own ISO without LVM or whatever else you want and it’ll be fine by us. But for now we are sticking to our guns on the LVM support for the reasons above.

I really wish this thread didn’t have to go the route of closing as I am trying to steer far and away from that but outright calling our team (and myself) a liar because our LVM usage reasoning is not good enough for you just means this thread has died a horrible death. Please think about the accusations you say before posting next time. I know I do.

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