Using existing LVM - bug in the Debian Installer?

[Sander Marechal <s.marechal@jejik.com>]

Hello,

I am having some trouble installing Debian/etch on my existing
Debian/etch-xen server. I'm unsure how to accomplish what I want without
wiping all my data.

Currently my server runs Etch-xen. It's partitioned as follows:

Hardware RAID #1:
	* 128 Mb ext3 /boot (for Xen)
	* 128 Mb free space (to be used as /boot for the new install)
	* 18 Gb Physical volume for LVM
Hardware RAID #2:
	* 109 Gb Physical volume for LVM

The two physical LVM volumes are joined into one volume group. They
contain the root and swap for the Xen domain0, plus a bunch of disks and
swaps for various domU's.

What I want to do is use the 128 Mb free space as /boot for a new
install and create two new LVM volumes in my big volume group for the
root and swap. How do I tell the installer to do that? It looks like the
installer doesn't recognise existing LVM groups. Is that a bug I should
report?

When running the installer it does show the two PV partitions, but
doesn't tell me that they are already in use for LVM. There is no option
to configure the existing LVM. All I can do is mark those two partitions
 as PV for LVM. Then then "configure LVM" option appears, but it wants
to write the changes to disk first. I'm afraid that if I do that, the
installer will erase the existing LVM.

If I write the changes to disk (creating the 128 Mb /boot and setting
the two big partition's use flag as "PV for LVM") and proceed to
configure LVM, will the installer then recignise the exiting LVM and the
volumes?

Thanks in advance,

-- 
Sander Marechal
http://www.jejik.com