These are Rough Notes for how I installed Linux Mint 13 Xfce on an old IBM P4 server using 3 10K RPM SCSI hard drives. As I continue to Install Mint 13 using LVM, the information in these notes will continue to expanded and evolve.

References:

• How-to: Linux Mint 13, 14 or 16 with LVM
• Setting up LVM on three SCSI disks with striping

Notes: If you are installing this on a newer computer system, then set the BIOS to boot using MBR – do not use the UEFI boot option. (These notes do not handle using UEFI.)

To create the LVM partitions then install Mint, use the Mint 13 Xfce live boot (Just let the Mint 13 DVD or USB boot to the desktop.)

• Settings » Software Sources » Other Software
  • Remove the packages.medibuntu.org software source (that repository no longer exists on the Internet)

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install lvm2

$ sudo vgchange -a y
$ sudo umount /dev/mapper/lm13-root
$ sudo umount /dev/mapper/lm13-home

$ sudo fdisk -l    # ensure the 3 drives are sda, sdb & sdc

GParted → to create the /boot & Physical LVM partitions

• Drive sda (/dev/sda)
  • Device » Create Partition Table (This will cause all data on the HDD to be lost.)
  • Create a 512MiB ext2 Primary Partition (to be used by /boot … “bootlvm” is the suggested Label)
  • Create an unformatted partition using the remainder of the drive space. (suggested Label pv01)

• Drives sdb (/dev/sda) & sdc (/dev/sdc)
  • Device » Create Partition Table (This will cause all data on the HDD to be lost.)
  • Create a 512MiB unformatted Primary Partition (empty space, so all lvm pv are the same)
  • Create an unformatted partition using the remainder of the drive space. (suggested Labels pv02 & pv03)

Terminal Commands → to create the LVM volumes

The below is assuming that at least three 73GB hard drives are used for this. Also, with how LVM works, leaving the remaining space unused – to permit resizing (enlarging) LVM Volumes as needed, creating other “purpose specific” Logical Volumes, etc.– is very desirable.

$ sudo -i
# fdisk -l     # confirm to use /dev/sda2 /dev/sdb2 /dev/sdc2
# vgcreate lm13 /dev/sda2 /dev/sdb2 /dev/sdc2
# lvcreate -i3 -I4  -L32G -n root lm13    # 3 drive, 4k stipe, 32GB
# lvcreate -i3 -I4  -L8G -n swap lm13    # 3 drive, 4k stipe, 8GB
# lvcreate -i3 -I4  -L100G -n home lm13    # 3 drive, 4k stipe, 100GB

$ sudo -i
# fdisk -l     # confirm to use /dev/sda2
# vgcreate lm13 /dev/sda2
# lvcreate -L 32G -n root lm13
# lvcreate -L 8G -n swap lm13
# lvcreate -L 100G -n home lm13

# ls /dev/mapper    # should output the below

control  lm13-home  lm13-root  lm13-swap

# mkfs -t ext4 /dev/mapper/lm13-root
# mkfs -t ext4 /dev/mapper/lm13-home
# mkswap /dev/mapper/lm13-swap
# exit
$ exit

• Run the “Install Linux Mint” application on the desktop
• Select language, then ensure drive space & Internet OK
• Installation Type → select Something Else
  • /dev/sda1 → Ext2 … /boot
  • /dev/mapper/lm13-root → Ext4 … /
  • /dev/mapper/lm13-swap → swap area
  • /dev/mapper/lm13-home → Ext4 … /home
  • “Device for boot loader installation:” → /dev/sda

• Select the correct Time Zone, then the correct Keyboard Layout
• Enter the appropriate information for Your Name, Your Computer's Name, etc.

If you have been at it tooooo long, and do hit the Reboot button, then go though these instructions again, this time doing things as a reinstall of this OS.

$ sudo -i

Mount then change to the OS that was just installed onto the 3 drives.

# mount /dev/mapper/lm13-root /mnt
# mount /dev/mapper/lm13-home /mnt/home
# mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot
# mount --bind /dev /mnt/dev
# chroot /mnt
# mount -t sysfs none /sys
# mount -t proc none /proc
# mount -t devpts none /dev/pts

The just installed OS again has the medibuntu repository … just ignore the errors about packages.medibuntu.org

# apt-get update

Now install LVM support in the newly installed OS.
This command should update grub and the initram file - look at the output messages!
you should see something like: update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-3.2.0-23-generic

# apt-get install lvm2
# blkid    # check the new (LVM) filesystem

Now unmount the installed OS and change back to the Live Boot.

# umount /dev/pts
# umount /proc
# umount /sys
# exit    # exits chroot
# umount /mnt/dev
# umount /mnt/home
# umount /mnt/boot
# umount /mnt
# sync    # write all changes to disk (just to be safe)

And finally the moment of truth … reboot the system