a script to shutdown database .....

Is this part of your backup strategy? IMO there is no need at all to shut down a database on a schedule.

Maybe if you explain why you are trying to do this then we may come up with a better solution for you.

You don't need to stop database to take a backup, you can use probkup online.

>> BUT  THE PARAMETER -BY WITH PROSHUT IS NOT WORKING

What does it mean it is not working, is there an error message, something else ... ?

Perhaps since it's in the batch file, you forgot to put "call", ie "call proshut dbname -by"

> WHAT IS THE BEST COMMAND TO SHUTDOWN A  DATABASE STARTED WITH OPENEDGE EXPLORER

call dbman -db .... -stop

call proshut db -by

thank you for your reply ,

if  I  use proshut  databasename , it works and it gives the selection option ,

but if i use it with the -by parameter  for a database started with openedgeexplorer i receive this error :

openedge release 11.3 ... invalid shutdown from user  username .

there is an article saying if the database started without the -i parameter , it could not be shutdown using -by parameter .

is that true and from where i can add this parameter from openedgeexplorer ?.

thank you for your reply ,

if  I  use proshut  databasename , it works and it gives the selection option ,

but if i use it with the -by parameter  for a database started with openedgeexplorer i receive this error :

openedge release 11.3 ... invalid shutdown from user  username .

there is an article saying if the database started without the -i parameter , it could not be shutdown using -by parameter .

is that true and from where i can add this parameter from openedgeexplorer ?.

somehow yes , we shutdown the databases and then we dump the folders on a tape .

we do not trust the probkup online  .......

Do not add the -i parameter... unless you would like your database to be corrupted and unusable.. -i stands for "no integrity".

You need to issue the shutdown with the same credentials that started the database. See this KB knowledgebase.progress.com/.../P10326

Or you could just use the adminserver to manage your resources and use dbman instead of proshut. Or apply the Linux patch to your Windows server....

I (and countless others) have used probkup online without issue for many many years without issue. I assure you it works just fine for any databases that are less than 2TB in size. After that it just starts to get a little slow :-)

Make your life easier... use probkup online. Stop trying to work around a non existent problem.

> there is an article saying if the database started without the -i parameter , it could not be shutdown using -by parameter .

It's just simply wrong.

> openedge release 11.3 ... invalid shutdown from user  username .

Db shutdown can be initiated only by administrator (root on Unix) or by user who started db.

> we do not trust the probkup online  .......

But probkup is the most safe way to backup db.

Can I help to build trust in online backup?

Online backup was introduced back in Progress 6.3 released in 1991.  In my experience more people use online backup than people use offline backup.  I personally have recovered several databases from online backups without any issues.

Technically speaking, online backup works as follows

- Backs up the Before Image file - during this part of the process, all update activity is paused

- Backed up the data blocks sequentially.

- If a block is being requested to be modified, the process that wants to modify it puts the block on the backup queue

- Blocks are processed off the backup queue before going to the next block sequentially

- When a block that was on the backup queue is reached by the sequential backup, this block is skipped.

This means that blocks in the backup archive will likely be out of order.  The prorest command handles this gracefully, this is why prorest extends the DB to the high water mark, prior to doing any restore of data blocks.

With all this said, the online backup is a snapshot in time at the time the probkup was invoked.

Backup alone does not make a solid recovery strategy (offline or online).  You need After Imaging (AI) to do this.  I hope AI is enabled in your production environment.  If it is not, it is like playing with fire.  Some day you will get burnt.

Mike

> Or apply the Linux patch to your Windows server....

Like this has anything to do with the problem here whatsoever. Not.

> On Mar 1, 2016, at 8:43 AM, George Potemkin wrote:

>

>> there is an article saying if the database started without the -i parameter , it could not be shutdown using -by parameter .

>

> It's just simply wrong.

Not simply wrong but dangerously bad advice.

The -i parameter should /never/ be used on a database you care about. (yes, i know, there are exceptions that can be used by experts for certain maintenance operations).

-i /disables crash recovery/.=

I see you're on 11.3. You would be wise to add bibackup all to your online backup (probkup online dbname backupname bibackup all), but other than that you should have every confidence in the online backup.

Do you have any evidence for your lack of confidence?

Good call James.

thanks for your concern , but actually we started twenty years ago with progress and we used to use this backup plan ...

and thanks god  everything went smooth  with the database and we rarely had a need to restore a backup ....

any way

i will try the probkup online     ,  

I'll bite. What is the impact or trade off of bibackup all?

James is using -bibackup all only necessary for pre 11.5?  (11.3/11.4)  to avoid this defect?  knowledgebase.progress.com/.../000054854

Or is it recommended for other reasons also?

somehow yes , we shutdown the databases and then we dump the folders on a tape

If this means that you are doing an operating system backup of the database and you trust this more than a Progress backup, then you have got things exactly backwards.  Whether online or offline, a Progress backup is ***always*** to be preferred to insure the integrity of your database.

I believe it's just for that defect, but it's a pretty nasty one if you do get bitten by it.

> I'll bite. What is the impact or trade off of bibackup all?

The impact is that probkup online reverts to its pre-11.3 behaviour of backing up the entire BI file.  

The probkup online default in 11.3 and later is "bibackup active", in which probkup online backs up only the active clusters in the BI file, which has the benefit of potentially reducing backup time and size, restore time, and the time that forward processing is stalled during the backup.

The bug (PSC00317988) is in 11.3 and 11.4 and is fixed in 11.5 and later.

Fantastic details to be aware of. Thank you.