How to Remove IGEL Managed Containers Storage

To store container artifacts, the IGEL Managed Containers (IMC) app creates a dedicated logical volume (LV) in the IGEL volume group. Uninstalling the IMC app does not remove this logical volume, it stays on disk and keeps occupying space in the IGEL volume group that other IGEL apps cannot reuse.

The tool imc_lv_remove.sh solves this by permanently deleting that logical volume and all container data it holds, freeing the space back to the IGEL volume group so it becomes available to other apps.

Before Removing the Storage

This operation is destructive and irreversible. All container data is permanently erased and cannot be recovered. This includes any persistent data stored in the dedicated storage partition for container data, mounted at /services_rw/imc/container_data. After the tool finishes, the IMC app can no longer be used and should be uninstalled.

In case a container has access to a data outside of the IMC partition, that data will not be deleted.

Run this tool while IMC is still installed, then uninstall the app:

Run imc_lv_remove.sh to remove the container storage.
Uninstall the IMC app as usual.

This order ensures the space is reclaimed and nothing is left behind after the app is uninstalled.

How the Tool Works

When you run it, the tool performs a clean shutdown and removal in the following order:

Stops all running managed containers and their supporting components.
Safely unmounts and releases the IMC encrypted storage area.
Permanently deletes the encrypted storage and everything it contains.
Reports the result and reminds you that the app should now be uninstalled.

If a step cannot complete (for example, a component is already stopped), the tool records a warning and continues, so the cleanup still finishes. Progress and result messages are written to the system log for auditing.

Removing the IMC Storage

The tool is shipped with the IMC app and is installed at /services/imc/usr/local/bin/imc_lv_remove.sh.

By default, the tool displays the following message:

WARNING: this permanently deletes the IMC container storage and all
container data it contains. This action cannot be undone.
Type 'yes' to continue:

Type yes to proceed with the removal.
Type anything else (or press Enter) to cancel. No changes are made.

To skip this prompt in automated or unattended scenarios, run the tool with the -y (or --yes) option.

On success, the tool prints a confirmation and the notice:
"The IMC app is no longer usable and should be uninstalled."

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	Storage removed successfully, or the operation was cancelled.
Non-zero	The tool was not run as administrator, an invalid option was given, or the storage could not be removed.