CentOS/RHEL – vgs command reports error: “global/global_filter” unknown

The Problem

The user has set a new value for the parameter global_filter in the /etc/lvm/lvm.conf file. After setting the parameter value ‘vgs’ command gives below error:

# vgs
Configuration setting "global/global_filter" unknown.
...

The Solution

User has put the “global_filter” parameter under the ‘global {}‘ section in /etc/lvm/lvm.conf configuration file.

global {
	...
	global_filter = [ "r/.*/" ]
    ...
}

Perform the following steps to solve the LVM filter issue:

1. Take a backup of the existing /etc/lvm/cache/.cache file and remove the original file.

# mv /etc/lvm/cache/.cache /tmp

Here we are taking backup as well as removing the file in a single step and you can choose any other directory as well for backup.

2. Rearrange the “global_filter” parameter in /etc/lvm/lvm.conf file. Comment output the existing global_filter = [ “r/.*/” ]” line which is active in the global {} section of lvm.conf file. Add the same global_ filter parameter in the ‘devices {}‘ section of /eyc/lvm/lvm.conf file.

devices {
	...
	global_filter = [ "r/.*/" ]
    ...
}

3. Take a backup of the existing initramfs and rebuild it, so that the changed /etc/lvm/lvm.conf file will be used for subsequent reboots.