Degraded zpool cannot detach old/bad drive

[Stefan Bethke]

Am 29.10.2010 um 07:51 schrieb Rumen Telbizov:

> Thanks for your quick response. Unfortunately I already did try this
> approach. Applying -d /dev/gpt only limits the pool to the bare three remaining disks
> which turns pool completely unusable (no mfid devices). Maybe those labels are removed
> shortly they are being tried to be imported/accessed?
> 
> What I don't understand is what exactly makes those gpt labels disappear
> when the pool is imported and otherwise are just fine?!
> Something to do with OpenSolaris ? On top of it all gpart show -l keeps
> showing all the labels right even while the pool is imported.
> 
> Any other clues would be appreciated.

The labels are removed by glabel as soon as something opens the underlying provider, i. e. the disk device, for writing.  Since that process could change the part of the disk that the label information is extracted from, the label is removed.  glabel will re-taste the provider once the process closes it again.

Since you're using gpt labels, I would expect them to continue to be available, unless zpool import somehow opens the disk devices (instead of the partition devices).


Stefan

-- 
Stefan Bethke <stb at lassitu.de>   Fon +49 151 14070811