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Conference iosg::all-in-1_v30

Title:	OLD ALL-IN-1 (tm) Support Conference
Notice:	Closed - See Note 4331.l to move to IOSG::ALL-IN-1
Moderator:	IOSG::PYE

Created:	Thu Jan 30 1992
Last Modified:	Tue Jan 23 1996
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	4343
Total number of notes:	18308

1223.0. "Old NBS files in OA$MTI_DATA never go away" by SHALOT::LANPHEAR (Take the tide one wave at a time) Wed Aug 12 1992 16:42

    Hi,
    
      Our customer saw that there were a number of mail fixes in the
    patches for V2.4, so they updated their system through K603 (plus
    WPS-PLUS V4.0).  They were hoping that some of these fixes would cut
    down on the number of NBS files in OA$DATA, but it hasn't really
    helped.  They still see upwards of ten to twenty files per day that
    stay around, always accompanied by an entry in OA$MTI_LOG of:
	12-AUG-1992 10:11:19 -SYSTEM-W-ACCONFLICT, file access conflict      
	12-AUG-1992 10:31:45 %EMD-I-FILCDERR, error in closing and deleting t
	12-AUG-1992 10:31:46 -RMS-E-MKD, ACP could not mark file for deletion
    etc.  Is there any hope for a fix for this?  Because VMS performance
    degrades when the number of files in a directory reaches over 500 or so
    (128 block directory size), the customer wants a real fix, instead of
    having to constantly clean files out of the directory.
    
    						Cheers, Dan'l

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1223.3	SPR?	AIMTEC::WICKS_A	DEC Mail Works for ME sometimes	`Wed Aug 12 1992 21:28`	10
	Dan'l note 3122 in the old conference, 799, 1299 amongst others discuss this error. I don't recall it still being a known problem post-K603 so I guess your large chemical company customer must have found a new instance of it - SPR time Regards, Andrew.D.Wicks
1223.5	This is an OLD problem...	AIMTEC::PORTER_T	Terry Porter, ALL-IN-1 Support, Atlanta CSC	`Tue Sep 01 1992 20:51`	41
	I have been working on this problem (FILCDERR and NBS files not deleted) for the last 4 years (both as a memeber of IOSG and a member of the Atlanta CSC). And now (roll of drums ...) I have a solution!!!! Unfortunately it is a code level change so don't get too excited. For some reason (which I am still persuing with VMS engineering) a directory file can be locked when it should not be. The file access conflict is when ALL-IN-1 (via RMS) is trying to delete the file from the directory. I suspect (but have not yet proved) that the cause is related to a combination of factors - MR creates files in OA$MTI_DATA accross DECnet - ALL-IN-1 deletes files by opening them with the close on delete flag set and then closing the file (in this case the open works but the close fails) - The filenames are such that files are deleted and created at the end of the directory file. The workround for ALL-IN-1 is to avoid the problem by re-trying the failed close (with a limit on the re-trys) with a short delay between re-trys. I have only been anle to reproduce the problem using DEBUG to get the timing right (stopping ALL-IN-1 between the open and the close, locking the directory file, and stepping through the close) so I am not 100% sure that re-trying will fix the problem on a 'live' system. I am working closely with a customer on this and he is testing this workround over the next week or so. If it works I will be sending it back to IOSG for incorporation into a patch. When/if this fix gets into a patch is a decision for IOSG, but considering the low impact of the problem my personal recomendation would be to include the fix in the V3.0 patch after the one currently being developed (presumably V3.0-2) and not to patch it for earlier versions. If you have customers who need an earlier patch than this then now is the time to make a bid to IOSG :-) I'll add updates when the customer has finished the testing Hoping this is really the solution ... Terry
1223.6	Good news, and Bad news	AIMTEC::PORTER_T	Terry Porter, ALL-IN-1 Support, Atlanta CSC	`Wed Sep 16 1992 00:10`	19
	The good news is that the fix I put together for the FILCDERR errors works. The customer (who gets 10 of these a day normally) has been running with the fix for over a week without a single occurence of the error. The bad news is that Message Router hits the same problem and generates %MRROUTER-E-FLOCK errors. The same fix should work here, but it needs to be in the MR code which I do not have access to. I have SPRed the whole problem and solution to IOSG with the recomendation that it be fixed, and that they work with MR engineering (who are in the same building) to get a similar fix into MR. I have also QARed the base problem (the fact that the directory files are locked in the first place) against VMS V5. Now we wait to see what happens ... Terry
1223.7		FORTY2::ASH	Grahame Ash @REO	`Tue Sep 22 1992 18:59`	5
	Having been faced with trying to fix this back in pre-Terry days, I'm delighted that he's got a solution after all of the work involved. Congratulations, Terry! Now you'll need a new career goal!! grahame