Logical logs full

The logical logs on our 'play' informix online server (ver 7.2) are full and we have not set up a backup procedure. We can't set up the backup procedure because the logs are full, and we can't empty the logs because we don't have a backup procedure. h e l p ........ Any help appreciated (even if its just "re-install"). Cheers, Duncan Kinnear.

While I would not recommend this for any system in production, you can set your logical log device to /dev/null (on UNIX - NUL on NT). This will cause the logical logs not to be backed up, but will simply flush them. You can still have a logged database with transaction, but you will not be able to fully restore the database to the point of a failure. This works fine for test systems (or for 'play' systems) ;-) Duncan Kinnear wrote: > The logical logs on our 'play' informix online server (ver 7.2) are full > and we have not set up a backup procedure. > > We can't set up the backup procedure because the logs are full, and we > can't empty the logs because we don't have a backup procedure. > h > e > l > p > > ........ > > Any help appreciated (even if its just "re-install"). > > Cheers, > > Duncan Kinnear.

backup procedure ?? You probably have a tape drive plugged to your server. Then, to flush your logs do: 1) backup all your logs: ontape -a To the question backup current log ? => yes finished. 2) When working on your database, continuously backup the logs on tape: ontape -c (keep this running) About backup procedure: if you want to do a full backup: ontape -s -L 0 If you don't have a tape drive: You probably cannot parameter the tape drive to /dev/null (informix does not accept if they are full) Here is the trick i use (free of charge for what it's worth :o) : Create a file named infxnull for instance, which is going to be in fact a link to your real /dev/null and try to backup your logs on this. Another idea would be to try to add logs and perform a full archive. Good luck Jean-Gabriel (Paris) http://perso.club-internet.fr/jgdaprem "Duncan Kinnear" <duncan@mccarthyNOSPAMHerePlease.co.nz> a 'crit dans le message news: 3A651918.6BFC0189@mccarthyNOSPAMHerePlease.co.nz... > The logical logs on our 'play' informix online server (ver 7.2) are full > and we have not set up a backup procedure. > > We can't set up the backup procedure because the logs are full, and we > can't empty the logs because we don't have a backup procedure. > h > e > l > p > > ........ > > Any help appreciated (even if its just "re-install"). > > Cheers, > > Duncan Kinnear. > "Duncan Kinnear" <duncan@mccarthyNOSPAMHerePlease.co.nz> a 'crit dans le message news: 3A651918.6BFC0189@mccarthyNOSPAMHerePlease.co.nz... > The logical logs on our 'play' informix online server (ver 7.2) are full > and we have not set up a backup procedure. > > We can't set up the backup procedure because the logs are full, and we > can't empty the logs because we don't have a backup procedure. > h > e > l > p > > ........ > > Any help appreciated (even if its just "re-install"). > > Cheers, > > Duncan Kinnear. >

Madison Pruet wrote: > While I would not recommend this for any system in production, you can set > your logical log device to /dev/null (on UNIX - NUL on NT). This will cause > the logical logs not to be backed up, but will simply flush them. You can > still have a logged database with transaction, but you will not be able to > fully restore the database to the point of a failure. This works fine for > test systems (or for 'play' systems) ;-) We've set up /dev/null in the config.arc file. Then we used onarchive to set up a VSET, but defining a volume as per the manual gives us an error saying: ARC-E-01165, Undefined device (see CONFIGURATION file) Here's the entry in the config.arc file: ! Device available for onarchive. DEVICE HO = /home DEVICE ho = /home DEVICE DISK = /disk/path DEVICE disk = /disk/path DEVICE TAPE = /dev/tapedev, /dev/tapedev2 DEVICE tape = /dev/tapedev, /dev/tapedev2 DEVICE TAPE_VOP = /dev/tapedev DEVICE tape_vop = /dev/tapedev DEVICE del = /dev/null DEVICE DEL = /dev/null and here's the onarchive command and it's output: ON-Archive Version 7.30 Copyright (c) 1993,1994 - Informix Software, Inc. Onarchive> DEFINE/VOLUME/VSET=devnull/MAX_SPACE=10000- _Onarchive> /VIRTUAL=(/) ARC-E-01165, Undefined device (see CONFIGURATION file). Any ideas? Cheers, Duncan Kinnear.

set it in the $INFORMIXDIR/etc/$ONCONFIG file in the LTAPEDEV. For a 'play' system, I wouldn't use onarchive. I'd use ontape for any backups. Duncan Kinnear wrote: > Madison Pruet wrote: > > > While I would not recommend this for any system in production, you can set > > your logical log device to /dev/null (on UNIX - NUL on NT). This will cause > > the logical logs not to be backed up, but will simply flush them. You can > > still have a logged database with transaction, but you will not be able to > > fully restore the database to the point of a failure. This works fine for > > test systems (or for 'play' systems) ;-) > > We've set up /dev/null in the config.arc file. Then we used onarchive to set > up a VSET, but defining a volume as per the manual gives us an error saying: > > ARC-E-01165, Undefined device (see CONFIGURATION file) > > Here's the entry in the config.arc file: > > ! Device available for onarchive. > DEVICE HO = /home > DEVICE ho = /home > DEVICE DISK = /disk/path > DEVICE disk = /disk/path > DEVICE TAPE = /dev/tapedev, /dev/tapedev2 > DEVICE tape = /dev/tapedev, /dev/tapedev2 > DEVICE TAPE_VOP = /dev/tapedev > DEVICE tape_vop = /dev/tapedev > DEVICE del = /dev/null > DEVICE DEL = /dev/null > > and here's the onarchive command and it's output: > > ON-Archive Version 7.30 > Copyright (c) 1993,1994 - Informix Software, Inc. > > Onarchive> DEFINE/VOLUME/VSET=devnull/MAX_SPACE=10000- > _Onarchive> /VIRTUAL=(/) > > ARC-E-01165, Undefined device (see CONFIGURATION file). > > Any ideas? > > Cheers, > > Duncan Kinnear.

Madison Pruet <mpruet@home.com> wrote in message news:3A6619B7.4F92CA47@home.com... > set it in the $INFORMIXDIR/etc/$ONCONFIG file in the LTAPEDEV. > > For a 'play' system, I wouldn't use onarchive. I'd use ontape for any backups. I wouldn't use onarchive for *any* type of system unless I really secretly hated my client and wanted to boost my overtime payments.

Duncan, simply insert a tape into the device that you have the LTAPEDEV parameter set to and do a ontape -c or ontape -a. Ontape -a will do a complete backup of your logical logs and that's it. You should eject the tape when done. Ontape -c will do a continuous backup of your logical logs until the tape becomes full, or you terminate the process, whichever comes first. The other option is to configure onbar to connect to a storage manager. But since you said you haven't set up a backup procedure, I doubt you've made it that far. So go for the options above to remedy your immediate issue of having your instance hang because of full logical logs. Duncan Kinnear wrote: > The logical logs on our 'play' informix online server (ver 7.2) are full > and we have not set up a backup procedure. > > We can't set up the backup procedure because the logs are full, and we > can't empty the logs because we don't have a backup procedure. > h > e > l > p > > ........ > > Any help appreciated (even if its just "re-install"). > > Cheers, > > Duncan Kinnear. -- Phillip Tien Database Administrator Whole Foods Market, Inc. Children need encouragement. If a kid gets an answer right, tell him it was a lucky guess. That way he develops a good, lucky feeling.

Duncan Kinnear wrote: > > Madison Pruet wrote: > > > While I would not recommend this for any system in production, you can set > > your logical log device to /dev/null (on UNIX - NUL on NT). This will cause > > the logical logs not to be backed up, but will simply flush them. You can > > still have a logged database with transaction, but you will not be able to > > fully restore the database to the point of a failure. This works fine for > > test systems (or for 'play' systems) ;-) > > We've set up /dev/null in the config.arc file. Then we used onarchive to set > up a VSET, but defining a volume as per the manual gives us an error saying: > > ARC-E-01165, Undefined device (see CONFIGURATION file) > > Here's the entry in the config.arc file: > > ! Device available for onarchive. > DEVICE HO = /home > DEVICE ho = /home > DEVICE DISK = /disk/path > DEVICE disk = /disk/path > DEVICE TAPE = /dev/tapedev, /dev/tapedev2 > DEVICE tape = /dev/tapedev, /dev/tapedev2 > DEVICE TAPE_VOP = /dev/tapedev > DEVICE tape_vop = /dev/tapedev > DEVICE del = /dev/null > DEVICE DEL = /dev/null > > and here's the onarchive command and it's output: > > ON-Archive Version 7.30 > Copyright (c) 1993,1994 - Informix Software, Inc. > > Onarchive> DEFINE/VOLUME/VSET=devnull/MAX_SPACE=10000- > _Onarchive> /VIRTUAL=(/) > > ARC-E-01165, Undefined device (see CONFIGURATION file). > > Any ideas? > > Cheers, > > Duncan Kinnear. You can't do it this way with onarchive as every VSET on disk is in fact a directory, containing a 'label' file, which can't be created on /dev/null One of my customers runs onarchive for over 3 years now on more than 100 sites without any unresolvable issue. But - as all the other ppl on this list will tell you also - don't start to mess around with onarchive: use ontape or onbar instead. Onarchive was not created by Informix and noone can know how and how long it will be supported in the future Dick -- Richard Kofler debis Systemhaus Austria on a private account

Are they all full or does the system say it cannot go further and is waiting on LBU? If they are all really full, you cannot offload them because you need to log the fact that you are unloading the logs (even to /dev/null). In other words, you are hosed. You should set the parameter LBU_PRESERVE to 1 which will preserve the last logical log just for this purpose. Duncan Kinnear wrote: > > The logical logs on our 'play' informix online server (ver 7.2) are full > and we have not set up a backup procedure. > > We can't set up the backup procedure because the logs are full, and we > can't empty the logs because we don't have a backup procedure. > h > e > l > p > > ........ > > Any help appreciated (even if its just "re-install"). > > Cheers, > > Duncan Kinnear.