What is the correct order to remove a logical volume and its physical volumes?

• A. umount /mnt/log_files/; lvremove /dev/log_vg/log_lv; pvremove /dev/xvdf1 /dev/xvdj1; vgremove log_vg
• B. lvremove /dev/log_vg/log_lv; vgremove log_vg; pvremove /dev/xvdf1 /dev/xvdj1; umount /mnt/log_files/
• C. umount /mnt/log_files/; lvremove /dev/log_vg/log_lv; vgremove log_vg; pvremove /dev/xvdf1 /dev/xvdj1
• D. pvremove /dev/xvdf1 /dev/xvdj1; vgremove log_vg; lvremove /dev/log_vg/log_lv; umount /mnt/log_files/

Answer: (C)

Unmount the filesystem first so nothing is using the LV. You can’t remove or modify a mounted filesystem without risking data corruption. Next, remove the logical volume itself with lvremove, which deletes the LV and its metadata. Once all LVs inside the volume group are gone, the VG can be removed with vgremove, cleaning up the group and its association with the devices. Finally, erase the LVM metadata from the physical volumes with pvremove so those devices are freed for other uses.

This sequence works because each step depends on the previous one being completed: a mounted filesystem must be unmounted before any removal; an LV must be removed before its containing VG can be removed; and PVs should be cleared after the VG that referenced them has been removed. If there are multiple LVs, you’d remove all of them before vgremove, and only then proceed to pvremove.