Received: from maia.hub.org (unknown [200.46.208.211])
	by mail.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0154B63276B
	for <pgsql-admin-postgresql.org@mail.postgresql.org>;
	Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:44:37 -0300 (ADT)
Received: from mail.postgresql.org ([200.46.204.86])
	by maia.hub.org (mx1.hub.org [200.46.208.211]) (amavisd-maia,
	port 10024) with ESMTP id 56198-03 for
	<pgsql-admin-postgresql.org@mail.postgresql.org>;
	Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:44:22 +0000 (UTC)
X-Greylist: from auto-whitelisted by SQLgrey-1.7.6
Received: from sss.pgh.pa.us (sss.pgh.pa.us [66.207.139.130])
	by mail.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 22A0D6326F5
	for <pgsql-admin@postgresql.org>; Fri, 16 Apr 2010 16:44:26 -0300 (ADT)
Received: from sss2.sss.pgh.pa.us (tgl@localhost [127.0.0.1])
	by sss.pgh.pa.us (8.14.2/8.14.2) with ESMTP id o3GJiNM4013972;
	Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:44:23 -0400 (EDT)
To: "Kevin Grittner" <Kevin.Grittner@wicourts.gov>
cc: jd@commandprompt.com, "Alexandre Leclerc" <aleclerc@ipso.ca>,
	pgsql-admin@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: Vacuum Full (PG 8.1) - Urgent help needed - Cancel & transaction
	"liberation"
In-reply-to: <4BC871F90200002500030A0D@gw.wicourts.gov> 
References: <4BC8639C.4010202@ipso.ca> <9048.1271429162@sss.pgh.pa.us>
	<4BC8A623.8090201@ipso.ca>
	<4BC8638E0200002500030A01@gw.wicourts.gov>
	<4BC8B0CE.2010401@ipso.ca>
	<1271444725.21263.80.camel@jd-desktop.unknown.charter.com>
	<4BC871F90200002500030A0D@gw.wicourts.gov>
Comments: In-reply-to "Kevin Grittner" <Kevin.Grittner@wicourts.gov>
	message dated "Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:19:37 -0500"
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:44:23 -0400
Message-ID: <13971.1271447063@sss.pgh.pa.us>
From: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
X-Virus-Scanned: Maia Mailguard 1.0.1
X-Spam-Status: No, hits=-2.116 tagged_above=-10 required=5 tests=AWL=-0.206,
	BAYES_00=-1.9, T_RP_MATCHES_RCVD=-0.01
X-Spam-Level: 
X-Archive-Number: 201004/228
X-Sequence-Number: 34322

"Kevin Grittner" <Kevin.Grittner@wicourts.gov> writes:
> "Joshua D. Drake" <jd@commandprompt.com> wrote:
>> if you actually managed to start two services against the
>> same data directory, I hope you have a backup, you can restore
>> from.
 
> This is 8.1 under Windows, and he connected to a different database
> with each backend.  He got errors writing the WAL files, and it
> apparently wouldn't let him start a second VACUUM on the other
> database.  I'm hoping that the initial VACUUM (of the big database)
> can continue and the WAL problems will cycle out without corrupting
> anything.  Is that overly optimistic?

Maybe, but if he doesn't have a recent backup then that's probably the
best thing to try.  I'm not actually sure how he would've started two
standalone backends though --- there *is* an interlock against that,
just as there is for two postmasters in the same data directory.
Maybe if he was bullheaded enough to remove the lock file manually :-(

> Also, the
> "full-database vacuum" terminology seems too likely to be
> interpreted as VACUUM FULL for best results.  Perhaps it's worth
> changing that to just "database vacuum" or "vacuum of the entire
> database"?

We did change that ...
http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-committers/2008-12/msg00096.php

			regards, tom lane