FMS server Win gives message Could not pause file

[teukka]

One of our customers is having quite large FMS/FMP6 client/server solution (sales mgmt & control). There are approx. 40-60 simultaneous users online every day from 4-6 different locations. There are four applications under the same server and file amount is in maximum (124 files, each application having 31 files). Each app. has 1-1,5 million recors. About 100000 records are updated per week, ab. 10000-50000 new records created per week (in two out of four applications, two are just for training & testing of new functionality).

Recently we've got few Error messages in Win2000 server log (& FMS log) saying Could not pause file "filename.fp5" because of an outstanding database lock from guest "username".

The times when those messages occur are sometimes round the FMS bkp schedule times and sometimes when someone is doing a massive record loading/updating. But we have not found a real reason why this message occurs. It does not seem to make anything wrong or failing.

HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED ANY SIMILAR OR DOES SOMEONE KNOW THE REASON or maybe even some solutions not getting those messages.

Server is HP Proliant 1,4GHz, 1G RAM, RAID 1, etc. so that is quite enough. More problems causes actually nw connections and the delays in those... But that is an other topic.

Thank you for any additional information

[DykstrL]

It seems that you've answered your own question. If a user is doing an import or export and the server tries to kick off a scheduled backup and the task times out you will get that alert in the event log. I think also, that if a user is running a script that has a long running time and User abort is off, will also trigger this message. The same also holds true when the server is doing a cache flush - I don't think that this is nearly as serious an issue. The cache will just save again when it is idle, or when it gets full, or the next scheduled time.

IMHO, the more important issue is that that file will not get backed up in this situation. If at all possible, try to schedule your backups at a time when the least amount of users will be accessing the files.

[teukka]

Thanks for info & confirmation to my suspects! Like I explained everything looked ok and is still so.

The bkps are running basically three times/day: round lunch time, right after busy hours ~4-5 pm (these are called everyday bkps) and then at 11 pm a weekday bkp that is then saved for the whole week.

Those two day bkps are during working hours but they might be of importance (a couple of times they have been!). End of morning might save the work done during morning hours and the end of afternoon bkp the work done during business hours (if e.g. a bigger upload is done in the evening and something goes wrong).

System is still being constantly developed - new versions are changed 3-5 times a year and some parts then at least the same amount. So at least we get fresh compressed copies quite often

Version change in FM based big system is quite interesting... Everything goes with push of a button but requires quite a lot prework so that scripts will eventually do all the imports, possible relookups, replacements, etc. bits & pieces required for putting the data to the new version, incrementing the record id:s, making the comressed clones, putting all in zip (rar) and into extranet. No way doing that all manually anymore...

[DykstrL]

Here's a couple of ideas to ponder:

1. If all of these uploads are kicked off via a script, you could do a time check when the upload script starts that if the time (and day) is the same time as the server backup time, do not allow the upload. You could show a message to the user that "uploads are not allowed during the scheduled server backup from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Please try later."

2. Here's another way to backup the data that will not generate the errors. It will slow response time a little, but your data will be backed up.

Set up a regular PC with FileMaker installed. Create an opener file that runs a script that exports the data (only) from the file to a FP5 file, including all fields, on the PC. You could then use Task Schdeuler to open that opener file at the times you want to do your backups. You would also use Task Scheduler to move/copy those data files to other folders/drives, etc. If you use a plug-in such as Troi File, you could set it to name the files to the specific day & time and store them in a central folder on the PC.