Hot copy problem opening database.

themave

Hot copy problem opening database.

My database was in 16 parts – 2 gigs each, spread out over 4 mirrored drives. It is in this format, because when we started with Navision back in 2.0, the database file size was limited to 2 gig, so E:\Navision\live\database.fdb was are first database part, then F:Navision\live\database1.fdb, and on and on to g and h as time advanced, each new part got put on one of the four drives as the database grew.

File structure as:

E:\Navision\live\database.fdb
E:\Navision\live\database4.fdb
E:\Navision\live\database8.fdb
E:\Navision\live\database12.fdb
F:Navision\live\database1.fdb
F:Navision\live\database5.fdb
F:Navision\live\database9.fdb
F:\Navision\live\database13.fdb
G:\Navision\live\database2.fdb
G:\Navision\live\database6.fdb
G:\Navision\live\database10.fdb
G:\Navision\live\database14.fdb
H:\Navision\live\database3.fdb
H:\Navision\live\database7.fdb
H:\Navision\live\database11.fdb
H:\Navision\live\database15.fdb

I am moving to a new server, so I set up the drives and folder structure in the same format, I ran hotcopy to copy of the database parts to a removable drive, hooked it up to the new server, copied the database parts into the correct folders. And started the new server service up. But it can’t open the database, it says, database parts not in order

It appears I can’t use hotcopy, unless the database parts are all numbered sequentially in the same directory. So, I would need to have E:\Navision\live directory have

Database1 through 4, then f drive directory have database parts 5 – 9 ect.

Of coarse I can not just put the my current files in that order, because Navision still can’t open it, because it expects to find databse1.fdb on the f drive.

Over the weekend, I went ahead and created a new database with only four parts, one on each drive, will try the hotcopy with that, and see if it works.

Am I doing anything wrong that you can see. Since it seems that hotcopy really doesn’t create a usable database hot backup if you have multiple parts in different directories, thankfully I have also been doing regular Navision backups, otherwise if I had a disaster, and I was relying on hotcopy, I would be in big trouble.

Savatage

Why not make a backup, create your new database the way you want it & restore the backup?

themave

Savatage wrote:

Why not make a backup, create your new database the way you want it & restore the backup?

backup and restore takes almost an entire day, I was hoping to us hotcopy to make the hotcopy at night, and first thing in the morning, be backup with the new server.

themave

This is also a potential big problem with hotcopy, if companies are using it, thinking they have a copy ready to go, they may be in for a rude awaking, if they find they can't open there hotcopy copy of their database becuase of this problem.

Savatage

I used to do something similar. Lets say I had Database split onto F, G & H Drives

I would just copy the database parts to a "backup location"

copy f:\Database.fdb x:\database.fdb
copy g:\Database1.fdb y:\database1.fdb
copy h:\Database2.fdb z:\database2.fdb

For example.

If I ever needed to restore all I had to to was copy the database parts back. Takes minutes instead of hours. I think this is what you are trying to do.

So everything is setup the same way? Is even the server named the same?

themave

Savatage wrote:

I used to do something similar. Lets say I had Database split onto F, G & H Drives

I would just copy the database parts to a "backup location"

copy f:\Database.fdb x:\database.fdb
copy g:\Database1.fdb y:\database1.fdb
copy h:\Database2.fdb z:\database2.fdb

For example.

If I ever needed to restore all I had to to was copy the database parts back. Takes minutes instead of hours. I think this is what you are trying to do.

So everything is setup the same way? Is even the server named the same?

everything is identicle, all names, servers, folders, ect.

only difference is new server is more powerful, and disk are larger.

I did reconfigure the database into 4 parts each 7 gigs, did the restore into that database, it worked but took the better part of the weekend to complete, and had a few problems of its own,

I will try the hotcopy with this new database and see what happens.

Savatage

did you try copying all the nav directories on the old server & overwrite them into the new server?

nunomaia

themave wrote:

Hot copy problem opening database.

My database was in 16 parts – 2 gigs each, spread out over 4 mirrored drives. It is in this format, because when we started with Navision back in 2.0, the database file size was limited to 2 gig, so E:\Navision\live\database.fdb was are first database part, then F:Navision\live\database1.fdb, and on and on to g and h as time advanced, each new part got put on one of the four drives as the database grew.

File structure as:

E:\Navision\live\database.fdb
E:\Navision\live\database4.fdb
E:\Navision\live\database8.fdb
E:\Navision\live\database12.fdb
F:Navision\live\database1.fdb
F:Navision\live\database5.fdb
F:Navision\live\database9.fdb
F:\Navision\live\database13.fdb
G:\Navision\live\database2.fdb
G:\Navision\live\database6.fdb
G:\Navision\live\database10.fdb
G:\Navision\live\database14.fdb
H:\Navision\live\database3.fdb
H:\Navision\live\database7.fdb
H:\Navision\live\database11.fdb
H:\Navision\live\database15.fdb

I am moving to a new server, so I set up the drives and folder structure in the same format, I ran hotcopy to copy of the database parts to a removable drive, hooked it up to the new server, copied the database parts into the correct folders. And started the new server service up. But it can’t open the database, it says, database parts not in order

It appears I can’t use hotcopy, unless the database parts are all numbered sequentially in the same directory. So, I would need to have E:\Navision\live directory have

Database1 through 4, then f drive directory have database parts 5 – 9 ect.

Of coarse I can not just put the my current files in that order, because Navision still can’t open it, because it expects to find databse1.fdb on the f drive.

Over the weekend, I went ahead and created a new database with only four parts, one on each drive, will try the hotcopy with that, and see if it works.

Am I doing anything wrong that you can see. Since it seems that hotcopy really doesn’t create a usable database hot backup if you have multiple parts in different directories, thankfully I have also been doing regular Navision backups, otherwise if I had a disaster, and I was relying on hotcopy, I would be in big trouble.

When you open the files for the first time, you had to give a parameter to server to find correct files.

kriki

And renaming the files to a shorter name and then using

DATABASE=D:\n\F1.fdb+E:\n\F2.fdb+...

Remember that the size of that string is quite limited.

themave

nunomaia wrote:

When you open the files for the first time, you had to give a parameter to server to find correct files.

This is not opening for the first time, the database was working fine, it was trying to use a hotcopy copy of the database.

this was set up on the new server, the server was installed, the database created, several different times the database was restored into this for testing. the server service was fine, the clients could access it fine.

This server was set up identical to the existing server, same computer name, same IP address, same server name, Same navision server tcp port, same directory structure, same version of client and server. everything.

I stopped the server service, copied the hotcopy copy of the database into the same directories as the original server and tried to restart the service. How is this any different then trying to load the hotcopy copy of the database on the original server.

I know there are different ways to open a database in multiple parts, but that was not the way hotcopy is described as working. you are supposed to be able to drop the files back into the same directory stucture as the original database and restart the service and be up and running.

This was part of my emergency plan, with a back up server ready to go. But I am seeing that it has a few bugs, and the old slow and reliable backup and restore may be the only way to go. As hotcopy doesn't work as stated.

themave

Ok here is the latest.

server changes made - none, software changes – none, no setting have been changed.

On the live database on the old server (still being used)
I backed up database, deleted it and recreated with just 4 parts

E:\Navison\Live\Database.fdb
F:\Navison\Live\Database1.fdb
G:\Navison\Live\Database2.fdb
H:\Navison\Live\Database3.fdb

and restored the database over the weekend, all worked fine. Old server and Navision working fine.

did a hotcopy last night after business closed.

Went to new server today, changed nothing there. Stopped the server service, deleted the database files, copied the four new hotcopy copies into the same directories, Started the server service,

Logged on to Navision, and system went through the normal “recovering list of free blocks, and then loaded Navision client without problems, and it all works fine. ( on a side note, only changes I needed to make was the windows logins, were pointed to the old id’s on other server, which it should, so I did have to deleted and recreate the new windows logins, to point the new AD users on new system) Database logins all worked fine without modification.

So the problem is with the hotcopy copies of the database, if they are sequentially numbered in the same directory they will work, if they are not sequentially numbered, they can not just be copied back into the same database structure and work. This is clearly how hotcopy is supposed to work, I can only assume this is a bug. since it doesn't work that way.

It is not startup parameters, file permissions, or anything else I can find.

Albertvh

Hi

As I recall you cannot rename database parts as you have done as I expect that you expanded your database using the Advanced option
ie Set Pathname and size 2 GB

If you then create a new database with less parts then NAV does not recognise the database as you cannot change the pathnames for each part.

You will have to do a NAV backup and restore to do this and then use hotcopy to copy this new database.


Cheers

themave

Albertvh wrote:

Hi

As I recall you cannot rename database parts as you have done as I expect that you expanded your database using the Advanced option
ie Set Pathname and size 2 GB

If you then create a new database with less parts then NAV does not recognise the database as you cannot change the pathnames for each part.

You will have to do a NAV backup and restore to do this and then use hotcopy to copy this new database.


Cheers

Your mixing up what was done, I did not rename database parts, My first attempt was straight hotcopy, same names sames parts same location, that didn't work.

second attempt was to create new database with fewer parts,

then do the same thing, hotcopy, same names same parts same locations, that worked.

only difference was in the first attempt the database did not have sequential numbers in the same directory.

in the second attempt, there was only one database part per directory