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If when your attempt to create device meta-data fails this is drbd preventing you from corrupting a file system present on the target partition.

$ drbdadm create-md drbd0

v08 Magic number not found
md_offset 30005817344
al_offset 30005784576
bm_offset 30004867072

Found ext2 filesystem which uses 190804004 kB
current configuration leaves usable 29301628 kB

Device size would be truncated, which
would corrupt data and result in
'access beyond end of device' errors.
You need to either
* use external meta data (recommended)
* shrink that filesystem first
* zero out the device (destroy the filesystem)
Operation refused.

Command 'drbdmeta /dev/drbd0 v08 /dev/sda4 internal create-md' terminated with exit code 40
drbdadm aborting

Once you have confirmed that the file system present on the target partition is no longer required at the prompt type the following:

Replace /dev/sdaX with the block device you are targeting.

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdaX bs=1M count=128

Once this has completed the drbdadm create-md drbd0 command will complete with a "success."

$ drbdadm create-md drbd0
v08 Magic number not found
v07 Magic number not found
v07 Magic number not found
v08 Magic number not found
Writing meta data...
initialising activity log
NOT initialized bitmap
New drbd meta data block successfully created.
success
$

 

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I Just added a few new functions to the latest 10.0.1 patch release which should be generally available next week.
  1. New MD5( expC ) function to calculate an MD5 crypto key from any character expression
  2. New MD5FILE( expC ) function calculates an MD5 crypto key for a given filename. If the filename is a pattern e.g *.* it will calculate the key across all files matching the pattern
  3. New mod_recital.so available for using Recital Web on linux x86_32
  4. New mod_recital64.so available for using Recital Web on linux x86_64 
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After split brain has been detected, one node will always have the resource in a StandAlone connection state. The other might either also be in the StandAlone state (if both nodes detected the split brain simultaneously), or in WFConnection (if the peer tore down the connection before the other node had a chance to detect split brain).

At this point, unless you configured DRBD to automatically recover from split brain, you must manually intervene by selecting one node whose modifications will be discarded (this node is referred to as the split brain victim). This intervention is made with the following commands:

# drbdadm secondary resource 
# drbdadm disconnect resource
# drbdadm -- --discard-my-data connect resource


On the other node (the split brain survivor), if its connection state is also StandAlone, you would enter:

# drbdadm connect resource


You may omit this step if the node is already in the WFConnection state; it will then reconnect automatically.

If all else fails and the machines are still in a split-brain condition then on the secondary (backup) machine issue:

drbdadm invalidate resource
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STRERROR()

Syntax

STRERROR( [ <expN> ] )

Description

The STRERROR() function returns a string describing the last operating system error message. If the optional error number is specified then the related operating system error message will be returned.

Example

mqdes=mqcreate("/myqueue", 2)
 if (mqdes < 0)
     messagebox(strerror()+",errno="+alltrim(str(error())))
    return
 endif
 rc = mqsend(mqdes, "Test message")
 if (rc < 0)
     messagebox(strerror()+",errno="+alltrim(str(error())))
    return
 endif
 mqclose(mqdes)

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Recital 10 enhanced Recital by enabling it to be used in bash shell scripts and in shell commands which use pipes and/or redirect stdin and stdout. If stdin is not redirected then recital will startup and operate as normal in a terminal window. Additionally you can use heredoc to denote a block of recital commands that should be executed. Note that when used in this manner, no UI commands can be executed and no user interaction is allowed.  
# recital < mrprog.prg 
# recital < myprog.prg > myoutput.txt
# recital > myoutput.txt <<END
use customers
list structure
END
# echo "select * from sales!customers where overdue" | recital | wc -l
Individual commands can be executed in shell scripts.
# recital -c "create database sales"
# recital -c "create table sales!invoices (id int, name char(25), due date)"
Expressions can be evaluated and used in shell scripts.
# VER=`recital -e "version(1)"`
You can view what command line options are available by typing:
# recital --help
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The Recital Universal ODBC Driver is a 32 bit implementation, so is not listed in the 64 bit ODBC Data Source Administrator, which is the default administrator accessed from Control Panel | Administration Tools.

So, to create and configure Recital ODBC datasources, you need to use the Window 32 bit ODBC Data Source Administrator or Recital's own  Recital Universal ODBC Manager (32-bit).

The Window 32 bit ODBC Data Source Administrator is %windir%\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe.
The Recital Universal ODBC Manager (32-bit) can be accessed from the Control Panel (icon view).
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Latest Development News

The Lianja Application Platform is a cost-effective cloud database computing platform for SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) that lets them focus on developing and deploying business Apps without the need to invest in lengthy application development times and an expensive IT infrastructure.

The three pillars of Lianja are:
  • The Lianja App Builder
  • The Lianja Cloud Database
  • Lianja.com Apps
If you need to develop and deploy cross-platform Visual FoxPRO GUI, Web or Mobile Apps visit the Lianja website for further details.

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RTOS()

Syntax

RTOS( [ <workarea> ] )

Description

The RTOS() function returns all the fields in the current row as a string. The string will begin with the unique row identifier and then the deleted flag, followed by the data in the record. An optional workarea can be specified, otherwise the current workarea will be used

Example

use backup in 0
use accounts in 0
nrecs=reccount()
for i = 1 to nrecs
  if rtos(accounts) != rtos(backup)
     debug("record "+recno()+" don't match")
  endif
next

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This article looks at After Image Journaling and audit trails in Recital using SET JOURNAL and associated commands.

Overview

After Image Journaling, used in conjunction with a structured backup policy is an effective disaster recovery solution. Any transaction that takes place on a table that is being journaled is logged in the journal file. In the event of a disk crash or similar event in which the table is lost, the journaled transactions can be reapplied to the latest backup copy of the table. Alternatively or additionally, the journal can be used to provide an audit trail to all modifications made to the table data.

NOTE: Recital also provides Before Image Journaling via BEGIN TRANSACTION / END TRANSACTION blocks, allowing unsuccessful transactions to be rolled back to a set saved state.

SET JOURNAL and RECOVER

Regular backups are an essential routine for any system, but in high-transaction environments restoration of the latest backup can still mean a major loss of data. After image journaling can successfully be used as part of your disaster recovery strategy to minimize data loss and down time. Recital after image journaling functionality is based on the use of the SET JOURNAL and RECOVER commands.

SET JOURNAL
SET JOURNAL TO [<.dbj filename> | ()]
SET JOURNAL ON | OFF | ()

The SET JOURNAL command is used to enable the After Image Journaling and audit trail for the active table. The TO <.dbj filename> clause associates the specified transaction journal file with the active table.  If the journal file does not exist, it will be created.  The filename can be substituted with a <expC>, enclosed in round brackets, which returns a valid filename.  If no file extension is specified, ‘.dbj’ is used. When specifying a journal file, it is recommended that the journal file is stored on a different disk than that which the table is stored on, so that if a fatal disk error occurs, then the journal file will not be lost along with the table. 

//Enable journaling for the southwind!orders table
open database southwind
use orders
set journal to /journals/ord_journ

The <.dbj filename> is a standard table.  It contains seven fields that are specific to a journal file, followed by the first 249 fields of the associated table.

The first seven fields in the journal are:


Field

Type

Display

Storage

Description

AUD_DATE

Date

8 | 10 *

4

The date on which the transaction was performed.

AUD_TIME

Character

8

8

 The time at which the transaction was performed, in the format HH:MM:SS.

AUD_TERM

Character

12

12

The name of the terminal from which the transaction was performed

AUD_UID

Short

5

2

The ID of the user who performed the transaction.

AUD_GID

Short

5

2

The group ID of the user who performed the transaction.

AUD_CMD

Short

4

2

The command number of the transaction performed from the command table below

AUD_RECNO

Integer

7

4

The record number in the associated table which the transaction was performed on.


* Dependent on SET CENTURY setting.

The AUD_CMD Command Reference Numbers are as follows:


Command

Number

DELETE

14

RECALL

36

REPLACE

41

BROWSE

6

CHANGE

8

EDIT

17

INSERT

26

APPEND

5

READ

35


Since journal files are standard Recital tables, you can use standard Recital commands such as the REPORT command to print audit trails, transaction logs, etc.

//Enable journaling for the southwind!orders table
open database southwind
use orders
set journal to /journals/ord_journ
//.. transactions
close data
//View journaled records
use /journals/ord_journ.dbj

Click image to display full size

Fig 1: Journal Record Example.

The SET JOURNAL TO command without a <.dbj filename> specified closes the active journal file and no further journaling will take place on the active table until the SET JOURNAL TO <.dbj filename> is reissued.

The journaling features are mainly used with shared tables.  It should be noted that there is an overhead in enabling transaction journaling, as records updated in a table are also written to the journal file. When records are appended into a journal file, locking is automatically performed so that multiple users can update the journal concurrently.  The associated table must be opened shareable for this to occur.  Each table can have a journal file associated with it. 

The SET JOURNAL ON | OFF command enables or disables transaction journaling.  This command is primarily used in applications where journaling can be disabled for a certain class of operations. By default, SET JOURNAL is ON, but no journal files are set.

NOTE: Only the first 249 fields of a table can be journaled: subsequent fields are ignored. The maximum number of fields in a Recital table is 256.

RECOVER
RECOVER FROM <.dbj filename> | ()

The RECOVER command uses the journal file to reapply lost transactions to a previous backup of the data after a fatal error such as a disk head crash. The FROM clause specifies the journal file to use. The file name can be substituted with an <expC>, enclosed in round brackets, which returns a valid filename.  If no file extension is specified, then ‘.dbj’ is assumed. 

Regular backups are essential to the successful use of After Image Journaling.   It is also very important to reinitialize the journal file after each backup: either open the journal file as you would a normal table and use the ZAP command, or delete the file completely. If a fatal error occurs, such as a disk head crash, the table and index files must be restored from a backup, then the RECOVER command executed. RECOVER will reapply' all of the transactions in the journal file to the table, and update the indexes.  After the RECOVER command has completed, you can continue with normal processing. 

//Create a backup of the southwind!orders table
//...backup table and associated files
//Reinitialize the journal file
erase /journals/ord_journ.dbj
//Enable journaling for the southwind!orders table
open database southwind
use orders
set journal to /journals/ord_journ
//.. transactions
//Restore the backup of the southwind!orders table
//...restore
//Open the restored backup
open database southwind
use orders
//Reapply the transactions using the journal
recover from /journals/ord_journ.dbj
//Now, enable the journal file again or
//restart with a new backup

Journaling Memo Fields

By default, memo fields - variable length text fields - are not journaled due to the possible storage overhead of multiple copies of potentially large blocks of text. But, if memo journaling is required, the SET MEMOJOURNAL ON command can be used to enable this.

SET MEMOJOURNAL
SET MEMOJOURNAL ON | OFF | ()

The SET MEMOJOURNAL command causes memo fields to be journaled when journaling is set on a table. This command allows the optional logical expression <expL> to be evaluated.  If a value of  .T. is returned, MEMOJOURNAL is set ON.  If a value of .F. is returned, MEMOJOURNAL is set OFF.  By default SET MEMOJOURNAL is OFF.

Like a normal Recital table, the journal holds only a pointer to a data block in an associated memo file, not the actual memo data itself. The journal's memo file has a file extension of .dbm rather than the standard Recital .dbt. Therefore, if the journal is being opened as a table, in order to view the journal's memo data, the SET MEMOEXT command should be used.

//Enable journaling for the southwind!suppliers table
open database southwind
use suppliers
set journal to /journals/sup_journ
//.. transactions
close data
//Set filename extension for memo file
set memoext to '.dbm'
//View journaled records
use /journals/sup_journ.dbj

Summary

The After Image Journaling enabled by the SET JOURNAL and RECOVER commands can be used in conjunction with a strict backup regime to minimize data loss in cases where tables become damaged or irretrievable. Journal files can be accessed like standard Recital tables and provide detailed information about the transactions applied to a table, so can be used for auditing purposes.

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lslk lists information about locks held on files with local inodes on systems running linux.

Install it with:

yum install lslk
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