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TECHNOTES
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BULLETIN #: 211
Date: 4 April 1991
Summary: Problem with pgms.db file owned by root.
Server: All
Software Version: 4.00 (1) and 4.00 (2)
Category: Administration
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PROBLEM:
In the VINES internal software, the /disk1/local/ss directory contains
files that identify third-party application programs to the VINES
Server Service. In this directory, the pgms.db database file
identifies the types of third-party services that can exist on a
VINES server. (The "VINES Applications Developer's Guide" contains
details on the purpose and format of the pgms.db file.)
When you install a third-party service on a VINES 4.00 (1) or 4.00 (2)
server, the INSTALL program may exit with an the following message:
Error: Cannot update pgms.db
INSTALL ABORTED ...
This error occurs because ownership of the pgms.db file has been
transferred from "local" to "root", and therefore cannot be modified
by the INSTALL program.
In addition, the error often truncates the size of the pgms.db file to
0 bytes, thus corrupting the file. As a result, third-party services
will not come up running the next time that services are restarted
(for example, if the server is rebooted).
This error was introduced in the 4.00 (1) patch and is also present
in the 4.00 (2) maintenance patch. If either of these patches has
been installed, the ownership of the pgms.db file has been changed
to root. Therefore, any attempt to install a third-party service will
result in this error condition.
AFFECTED PLATFORMS:
Any platform running VINES 4.00 (1) or 4.00 (2) is affected.
SOLUTION TO OWNERSHIP OF PGMS.DB FILE:
The problem of the ownership of the pgms.db file having been changed
from "local" to "root" will be fixed in the subsequent maintenance
patch and in all future releases of VINES software. In the meantime,
you can install site-specific patch VINES 4.00 Applications Toolkit P1.
This patch changes the ownership of all files in the directory
/disk1/local/ss to the correct local owner.
Although the patch is named Applications Toolkit P1, you can apply it
on servers that do not have the VINES Applications Toolkit installed,
but have third-party services (or on which you intend to install
third-party services).
NOTE: It is strongly recommended that you install the P1 patch
before you attempt to install any third-party service on a 4.00 (1)
or 4.00 (2) server. Because the patch does not reboot the server,
you can apply it at any time without affecting other services or
users on the server.
SOLUTION TO CORRUPTION OF PGMS.DB FILE:
The application of the Toolkit P1 patch will prevent the corruption
of the pgms.db file in future installations of third-party services.
However, the patch will not rebuild the file if it has already been
damaged.
To correct this problem, the pgms.db file must be restored to an
uncorrupted condition, and the third-party service can then be
installed correctly. How you do this depends on whether the
third-party service that you tried to install was the ONLY third-party
service on the server when the problem occurred or if OTHER third-party
services were running on the server. Both situations are covered in
the next two sections.
No Other Third-Party Services:
If the service that you attempted to install is the ONLY third-party
service on the server, all you have to do is to install the 4.00
Applications Toolkit P1 patch and then re-install the third-party
service. There are no further steps to perform.
Other Third-Party Services:
If there were OTHER third-party services installed on this server when
the problem occurred, the recovery procedure that you use depends on
whether there is a DOS/UNIX Bridge File Service on the server.
If a DOS/UNIX Bridge File Service is on the server, examine the pgms.db
file to determine if it is missing data or is corrupted. If the file
is 0 bytes in length, it is corrupted. If the file is undamaged, all
you need to do is to install the 4.00 Applications Toolkit P1 patch
and then re-install the service that incurred the original error.
No further action is necessary.
If the pgms.db file is corrupted or if you do not have a a DOS/UNIX
Bridge File Service on the server, you may be able to rebuild the
pgms.db file by simply re-installing each existing third-party service.
However, it is strongly recommended that you contact the developer of
the third-party service before you re-install the service. The
installation procedure may initialize or destroy critical data files
that are used by the service. The developer should be able to tell you
if the service installation procedure performs a cleanup of its data
directories.
Use the following procedure:
1. Install the 4.00 Applications Toolkit P1 patch.
2. If you determined from the developer of the third-party service
that you can safely re-install the service, continue with these
steps:
a. Use the MSERVICE command to stop all third-party services.
b. Re-install each third-party service from the vendor's
original distribution media.
c. Use the MSERVICE command to restart all third-party
services.
If you cannot safely re-install the service, you cannot rebuild
the pgms.db file yourself. A dial-in to the server will be
necessary to repair the pgms.db file. Perform these steps:
a. Obtain from the developer the content of their service's
pgms.db line (that is, service category, service description,
name of the service executable, and service home directory).
b. To prepare for the dial-in, make sure you have a Hayes
modem (or a 100% Hayes-compatible modem) and a serial cable
connected to the serial port of the server.
c. Contact your Support Center for assistance in repairing
the pgms.db file. The Support Center will dial-in to the
server and repair the file.
NOTE FOR THIRD-PARTY DEVELOPERS:
If you are shipping applications to run on VINES 4.00 (1) or 4.00 (2)
servers, please also send the 4.00 Toolkit P1 patch with the application,
and instruct your customers to install this patch prior to installing
your application.
End of TechNote #211
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