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Network Server Problems

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    Network Server Problems

    I have a problem with alpha5 v4.5 build 266.

    One of my clients is using v4.5 on a network with runtime applications. The system has been installed for over a year with no problems. Now problems have been encountered when doing certain development on the server. Modifying the database design is ok but if you try to compress the database Alpha hangs. It has created a $$ file and seems to have started to write details back when it hangs. Updating indexes also causes Alpha to hang.

    If you copy the application to the C: drive and then carry out a compress and update indexes there is no problem.

    I have tried loading Alpha on to different PC�s on the network but with the same result.

    Pc�s have had Win 95/98 or 2000 installed and the server is running Novell 5. The only thing the client has said that they have done in the last 6 months is to start implementing Zen, they also have Contextless Log-ins

    Do you have an ideas what may be wrong.

    I am waiting agreement from the client to Implement Alpa5 V5 and that is likely to be in early January 2003. Is it possible the new version would have similar problems?

    Regards

    Andrew sim


    #2
    RE: Network Server Problems

    Andrew,

    I wonder if it's a simple matter of conflict with open files? When you compact the database, Alpha has to acquire an exclusive lock on all the tables. If others on the network are using the app, I would not be surprised for the effort to compact the database to fail. For this reason, and because crashes during development are not unheard of, many would advise AGAINST doing development work on the machine which serves as the file server.

    -- tom

    Comment


      #3
      RE: Network Server Problems

      Thanks for the Email. I carried out tests this morning and there were no other users logged on to the server using the Database.

      Yes major design updates are not done on the server. Mods done on the server tend to be changes to reports. Having to always do mods elsewhere and then upload takes longer. My client tends to create new reports as and when needed and I carry out all major design changes.

      This problem is new, didn't exist 6 months ago. I have other clients where we use the same procedures without any problems.

      The client also mentioned that there was a prior problem, which I do not if it has been sorted, which they stated had something to do with "Timing" on the server and outside consultants were to review. The IT staff member .who mentioned this was on holiday today


      Andrew Sim

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        #4
        RE: Network Server Problems

        Andrew, if workstations on the network crashed while running an Alpha app, could the server still have active processes running that were orphaned? I wonder if rebooting the server is apt to be helpful ?

        Another idea, would be to load a new database on the server... say the Alpha invoicing app... run it from a Win 98 station, and then try to compact it from the server. If this runs ok, wouldn't that rule out system level problems on the two machines? -- tom

        Comment


          #5
          RE: Network Server Problems

          >>My client tends to create new reports as and when needed and I carry out all major design changes.

          This problem is new, didn't exist 6 months ago.

          Comment


            #6
            RE: Network Server Problems

            Andrew

            If you cannot compact the database on the server with no terminal attached or files open, that is a good indication that at least some of the data dictionaries are corrupted (or a file is open) Many people don't realise that when they modify a report, form etc, the old design stays in the data dictionary until it is compacted. If the user has been playing with their own reports for six months, this is likely a problem.

            One clue that this might be happening would be file sizes. Check the size of all of the .ddm and .sem files for the application on the server. If any are very large, like over a few meg in size, then that would probably indicate a problem. The only reason these files might even be that large is if there are a lot of complex reports or forms. The largest I have seen in my apps is about 2.5 meg after compacting. I have seen one data dictionary for a table with only one form and no reports at over 10 meg. That one was giving the user many headaches. After compacting, I think it was about 400K. There was a lot of junk there.

            Most developers either don't allow the end user to make any modifications or include some maintenance process to run compact periodically.

            Jerry

            Comment


              #7
              RE: Network Server Problems

              I saw something similar to this a while back and it turned out to be the Novell client software.There were a few machines that got an error when optimizing ahude app and others that didn't.The ones that had a problem had a different version of the Novell client software.You might experiment with one machine changing the client software and see if that helps.

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