VOS_ZAP(1)

📦
version 1.8.16.1 · 10 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

✨ vos_zap — bestie, this is the "yeet it and don't tell anyone" command 💅

okay so real talk, we're in the AFS Command Reference and this is the manpage for vos_zap(1). yes the name is giving "delete but make it sneaky" and honestly? that's exactly what it is. buckle up 🎀

🌸 NAME 🌸

vos_zap — Removes a volume from its site without writing to the VLDB

like. it just takes the volume out and tells the Volume Location Database absolutely nothing. iconic behaviour, questionable choices 💀

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

vos zap -server <machine name>
    -partition <partition name>
    -id <volume ID>
    [-force] [-backup]
    [-cell <cell name>]
    [-noauth] [-localauth]
    [-verbose] [-encrypt] [-noresolve]
    [-config <config directory>]
    [-help]

vos z -s <machine name>
    -p <partition name>
    -i <volume ID>
    [-f] [-b] [-c <cell name>]
    [-noa] [-l] [-v] [-e] [-nor]
    [-co <config directory>]
    [-h]

yep, z is the short king abbreviation and every single flag has a glow-down version too. slay ✨

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

So the vos zap command does a very specific, very chaotic thing: it removes the volume with the volume ID you gave it from the site defined by the -server and -partition arguments, and it does not even attempt to change the matching Volume Location Database (VLDB) entry. it's giving "not my department" 🫶

and listen — if removing the volume could possibly result in incorrect data in the VLDB, a warning message gets displayed. so it does warn you. it's not a monster.

The -force flag removes a volume even if it cannot be "attached" (brought online) — which can happen either because the volume is extremely damaged or because the Salvager functioned abnormally. Without this flag, this command cannot remove volumes that are not attachable. also, go read CAUTIONS before you get any ideas, bestie. seriously.

Wanna take out the specified read/write volume's backup version at the same time? Then include the -backup flag. two-for-one, no cap 🎀

⚠️ CAUTIONS ⚠️

okay this is the part where I hold your hand because it matters.

Do not use this command as the standard way to remove a volume, because it is likely to put the VLDB out of sync with the volumes on servers. use the vos remove command instead. fr fr. 🙈

That said, this command is useful in situations where it's important to delete the volume but for some reason the VLDB is unreachable — for example, because the Volume Location Server is unavailable. The issuer can remove the VLDB entry later with the vos remove or vos delentry command, or it gets removed automatically when the vos syncserv and vos syncvldb commands run. so it cleans up after itself eventually. eventually being the key word 💀

Want to remove a read-only site that got defined in the VLDB by mistake, before a copy actually exists at the site? use the vos remsite command. Want to remove an entire VLDB entry without affecting volumes at their sites? use the vos delentry command. each of these commands has main character energy in its own lane, don't mix them up 👑

Do not use the -force flag if the volume is online. use it only when attempts to remove the volume with the vos remove or the vos zap command have failed, or the volume definitely cannot be attached. And after using the -force flag, make sure the volume's VLDB entry is also removed — issue the vos delentry command if necessary. no leaving mess behind 🧹

Also, adding the -force flag makes the command take considerably longer — about as long as a salvage of the relevant partition — since the Volume Server examines all inodes on the partition for traces of the volume. yes, ALL of them. so go get a snack. maybe two. 🍓

✨ OPTIONS ✨

  • -server <server name> — Identifies the file server machine from which to remove the volume. Give the machine's IP address or its host name (either fully qualified or using an unambiguous abbreviation). For details, see vos(1).
  • -partition <partition name> — Identifies the partition (on the file server machine specified by the -server argument) from which to remove the volume. Provide the partition's complete name with the preceding slash (for example, "/vicepa") or use one of the three acceptable abbreviated forms. For details, see vos(1).
  • -id <volume ID> — Specifies the volume ID number of the volume to remove, which can be of any of the three types. The volume name is not acceptable. numbers only, bestie.
  • -force — Removes the volume even though it cannot be attached (brought online). Use only after the failure of previous attempts to remove the volume by using the vos remove command or the vos zap command without this flag.
  • -backup — Removes the backup version of the read/write volume specified by the -id argument. Do not use this flag if the -id argument identifies a read-only or backup volume. wrong volume type = wrong vibe 🚫
  • -cell <cell name> — Names the cell in which to run the command. Do not combine this argument with the -localauth flag. For more details, see vos(1).
  • -noauth — Assigns the unprivileged identity "anonymous" to the issuer. Do not combine this flag with the -localauth flag. For more details, see vos(1).
  • -localauth — Constructs a server ticket using a key from the local /etc/openafs/server/KeyFile file. The vos command interpreter presents it to the Volume Server and Volume Location Server during mutual authentication. Do not combine this flag with the -cell argument or -noauth flag. For more details, see vos(1).
  • -verbose — Produces on the standard output stream a detailed trace of the command's execution. If this argument is omitted, only warnings and error messages appear.
  • -encrypt — Encrypts the command so that the operation's results are not transmitted across the network in clear text. This option is available in OpenAFS versions 1.4.11 or later and 1.5.60 or later.
  • -noresolve — Shows all servers as IP addresses instead of the DNS name. This is very useful when the server address is registered as 127.0.0.1 or when dealing with multi-homed servers. This option is available in OpenAFS versions 1.4.8 or later and 1.5.35 or later.
  • -config <configuration directory> — Set the location of the configuration directory to be used. This defaults to /etc/openafs, except if -localauth is specified, in which case the default is /etc/openafs/server. This option allows the use of alternative configuration locations for testing purposes.
  • -help — Prints the online help for this command. All other valid options are ignored. it said what it said 💅

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

This one removes the volume with volume ID 536870988 from the /vicepf partition of the file server machine "fs6.example.com", without noting the change in the VLDB:

% vos zap -server fs6.example.com -partition f -id 536870988

look at her go. no VLDB update, no drama, just yeet 🔥

👑 PRIVILEGE REQUIRED 👑

The issuer must be listed in the /etc/openafs/server/UserList file on the machine specified with the -server argument and on each database server machine.

If the -localauth flag is included, the issuer must instead be logged on to a server machine as the local superuser "root". so, like, either be on the list or be root. pick your lane 🫶

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

vos(1), vos_delentry(1), vos_remove(1), vos_remsite(1)

go read those too, they're the responsible older siblings of this command 💜

IBM Corporation 2000. <http://www.ibm.com/> All Rights Reserved.

This documentation is covered by the IBM Public License Version 1.0. It was converted from HTML to POD by software written by Chas Williams and Russ Allbery, based on work by Alf Wachsmann and Elizabeth Cassell.

okay bestie that's the whole page 💖 this was brought to you by OpenAFS, 2026-07-27, and remember: vos zap is a scalpel, not a vibe. use vos remove. mwah 🎀✨

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