Re: Running SE with log files linked to /dev/null

Jack G. Jolly writes: [ some details deleted] > >If we first link the log file to /dev/null, then load the graphics files, >we don;t have to worry about the log file getting so big that it uses all >the disk. At this point, I have to ask why you are using a log in the first place? It provides no functionality, and in fact is only serving to slow down processing (due to writing log records out). You have no capability to rollback your work. Why not just turn logging off? >As an example - I do a "load project db" operation that results in a >total db size of 70K blocks. After I "cat >> log.file" the total db >size shrinks to 6K blocks. > >Why doesn't SE have a reusable log??? Is it a technological limitation >or a marketing decision?? Pardon me for sounding like a politician here, but from one perspective you do have a reuseable log, and you are using the correct method to reuse it. From a technical perspective, consider this: do you want Informix second-guessing when you are "done" with the current contents of your log file? My guess is no. So as a dba, you are responsible for "resetting" the log file manually. As I suggested in a previous posting, it seems to make the most sense to null out your log file whenever you back up your database. That allows you to restore the database with minimal pain. If you are not backing your database up occasionally (brave man, if that is the case), then pick your favorite interval for nulling out your log. Stick it in a crontab if you have a reliable "downtime" of the db. Dave -- Disclaimer: These opinions are not those of Informix Software, Inc. ************************************************************************** "I look back with some satisfaction on what an idiot I was when I was 25, but when I do that, I'm assuming I'm no longer an idiot." - Andy Rooney