See what physical volumes contain and how they map into volume groups and logical volumes. 25.06.2026 | reading time: 3 min Want to know what a physical volume holds and how it contributes to a volume group? Use `pvdisplay` to inspect LVM physical volumes and read their size, allocation and UUID at a glance. Build and inspect a PV Follow along: create a PV and examine it with `pvdisplay` to see the fields you will use in operations. ``` $ sudo pvcreate /dev/sdb1 Physical volume "/dev/sdb1" successfully created. $ sudo pvdisplay /dev/sdb1 --- Physical volume --- PV Name /dev/sdb1 VG Name vg_data PV Size 100.00 GiB / not usable 2.00 MiB Allocatable yes PE Size 4.00 MiB Total PE 25599 Free PE 25599 Allocated PE 0 PV UUID a1b2C3d4-E5f6-7890-1234-56789abcdef0 ``` What matters in the output Read the key lines: "PV Name" identifies the device, "VG Name" links the PV to a volume group, "PV Size" and "Free PE" show capacity and available physical extents, and "PV UUID" is handy for scripting and recovery; the command can target a single device or display all PVs when run without arguments. Useful options and workflows Use `pvdisplay` when troubleshooting space or when preparing devices for `vgcreate` or `vgextend`; for scripting prefer machine-friendly flags like unit selectors and nosuffix to normalize sizes, and use the mapping option to reveal which logical volumes occupy which physical extents when you need layout details for performance or recovery. Commands to reach for next After `pvdisplay`, combine it with `pvcreate` to add devices, `pvremove` to wipe PV metadata, `vgdisplay` to inspect the volume group context, and `lvdisplay` to find the logical volume end points; for quick overviews use the `pvs` command for compact columns. Wrap-up and next steps pvdisplay is a straightforward diagnostic that makes the physical layer of LVM visible; practice on virtual disks, try mapping a VG across multiple PVs, and then push your skills toward certification — consider studying for CompTIA Linux+ or LPIC-1 and try the intensive exam preparation at bitsandbytes.academy. Join Bits & Bytes Academy First class LINUX exam preparation. storage utilities infrastructure troubleshooting
