Advantage Database Server Shutdown

[former_member1062412]

Hello All - -

I'm new to ADS. Most of my experience is with MS SQL Server.

We have started using a third party application that uses ADS as its backend. The software vendor recommends simply copying the database directory as a backup method, saying that we should use backup software that will copy files, even when they are still open.

As an experienced IT/database professional, this makes me uncomfortable.

My alternate proposal was to simply stop the ADS service (on Windows server). That way, there will be no locked files.

The software vendor countered: "Shutting down the Advantage database is complicated as you need to be sure all users are logged off."

Is this true?

As a database administrator, I often have to shut MS SQL Server down. It will gracefully close connections, terminate transactions, an so on. Is it true that stopping the ADS service is a risky business, requiring that the DBA manually log each user off?

- - Herb

[former_member751964]

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[former_member1252007]

Hello Herb; If all you want is to backup your db, then there is no need to shutdown. Just use the backup utility. It works great even as transactions are currently happening. The way it works, is that the backup utility takes a snapshot of the db at the moment the backup begins. All transactions that began after that point are left out of the backup. Look for backup utility on the documentation.

Hope that helps,

[joachim_drr · Accepted solution]

stopping the service will disconnect all connected users ... and rollback all open transactions. The application will get a timeout error and need to reconnect/restart. There won't be any index issues or other corruptions due to a controlled shut down.

Easiest is to use

NET STOP ADVANTAGE

[former_member1050949 · Accepted solution]

I apologize for being extremely late to this conversation, but if the application is not connecting to the database using a Data Dictionary, then there are no rollbacks. Applications using non-ADT tables might be opening the tables as free tables (not attached to a Data Dictionary), thereby eliminating all the benefits that come from using a Data Dictionary. You should ask the application developer how they connect to the database. They may have been correct that terminating users could lead to other problems if they were in the middle of a transaction.

[former_member1050949 · Accepted solution]

I should clarify that ADT tables can also be opened as free tables.

[former_member1062412]

Reibaldo —

Thanks for your input, but I've already written a lot of code to automate the process using NET STOP. It's working perfectly, and absolutely no one will be using the system during off hours.

— Herb

[former_member1252007]

Hello Herb; If all you want is to backup your db, then there is no need to shutdown. Just use the backup utility. It works great even as transactions are currently happening. The way it works, is that the backup utility takes a snapshot of the db at the moment the backup begins. All transactions that began after that point are left out of the backup. Look for backup utility on the documentation.

Hope that helps,

[former_member1314736]

I take care of a large 30GB sybase 11 database. I back it up two ways.

A. Easiest is to shutdown the sysbase server which will unlock files

I run a batch before and after.

for /f "skip=4 tokens=1" %%a in ('net files') do net files %%a /close
Timeout /t 20
NET STOP ADVANTAGE /YES
Timeout /t 20

Here I run Cobain Backup which basically zips the entire directory. Then after its done I run another batch to turn it back on. Cobain just controls the batch files I am running in proper order. It has a built in Zip and built in FTP

NET START ADVANTAGE
Timeout /t 30

So

1. Turn it off

2. Back up the folder to zip

3. Turn it back up

4. Auto sFTP to offsite

B. You can back up the VM is it is aware of sybase. I would not trust it with live files, I do this off hours

Altaro backup works fine.

Been doing this 10+ years and no issues on restoring. Once in a while even shutting down the service a few files will remain locked. To ensure they are all unlocked I will put in a server reboot batch that runs before any backups are started.

[james_beard2]

I would recommend using the ADSBACKUP utility that ships with Advantage Database Server for backup and restore of ADS files.

This can backup ADS files that are in use without the need to shutdown the ADS Service.

[former_member1062412]

Joachim - -

Thanks for your quick response. This is the way I had suspected that it would be: similar to SQL Server --- merely stopping the service will force a graceful shutdown.

- - Herb