What techniques for disk, volume and file system management are possible with OS X, but troublesome within Disk Utility?

Solution 1:

Things not within a logical volume group (LVG) appear to be within the LVG

Affected: some applications of Core Storage, including but not limited to FileVault 2 in Mountain Lion.

Example

Disk Utility 13 (426) in Build 12A269 of OS X 10.8:

A shot of Disk Utility with an LVG containing three things not within the LVG

Volumes swap and spare are JHFS+ and truly not within the LVG.

disk0s3 is an Apple_Journal, currently unused and truly not within the LVG.

Disk Utility misrepresents all three as being within the LVG.

Solution 2:

A physical disk may be invisible

Affected: some applications of Core Storage, including but not limited to FileVault 2 in Mountain Lion.

S.M.A.R.T. status may be invisible

When Disk Utility can not visualise the disk:

it is impossible for the utility to present the status.

For users who see this as a regression in Mountain Lion: there are workarounds.

Solution 3:

Management of some types of partitions becomes impossible with the Partition tab

With Lion and Mountain Lion, when the Partition tab of Disk Utility in Lion can not manage a partition on a physical disk that uses Apple Core Storage:

ignore the Partition tab.

With Mountain Lion, disappearance of the physical disk – presentation of an LVG in its place – may be an additional source of confusion.