Subject: LIsten Errror

From: tiamoh m <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 14 Aug 2024 13:00:46 -0400

Hello all,

We keep having these errors  below in our different clusters.

LISTEN| PGE-58P01: ERROR:  could not access status of transaction 4543382428

When it starts occurring, so far the only way to stop it has been to
restart.

Is there any permanent fix for this issue?

Thank you
Tiamoh J

---

From: Asad Ali <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2024 12:36:07 +0500

The error PGE-58P01: ERROR: could not access status of transaction in
PostgreSQL typically points to an issue with the Transaction ID (XID)
wraparound or corruption in the transaction status file (also known as
pg_clog or pg_xact).
Understanding the Error

This error indicates that PostgreSQL is unable to access the status of a
specific transaction, which is critical for determining whether the
transaction was committed, rolled back, or is still in progress. When the
system cannot access this information, it may lead to database instability
or corruption.
Causes

   1. *Transaction ID Wraparound:* PostgreSQL uses 32-bit Transaction IDs
   (XIDs) to track transactions. When the XID reaches its maximum value
   (around 2 billion), it wraps around to 0, which can cause issues if the old
   transactions are not properly cleaned up.
   2. *Corruption in pg_xact (formerly pg_clog):* The files storing
   transaction status information may get corrupted, leading to this error.
   3. *Hardware or Filesystem Issues:* Disk corruption or other hardware
   issues might also cause corruption in the transaction status files.
   4. *Improper Database Shutdowns:* Unexpected shutdowns or crashes can
   leave transaction status files in an inconsistent state.

Steps to Diagnose and Fix1. *Check for XID Wraparound Issues*

   - You can check the age of the oldest transaction in the database using:

   SELECT age(datfrozenxid) FROM pg_database WHERE datname =
'your_database_name';

   - If the age is approaching 2 billion, you may need to perform a VACUUM
   FREEZE operation to prevent XID wraparound issues.

2. *Check for Corruption in pg_xact*

   - Inspect the contents of the pg_xact directory ($PGDATA/pg_xact/),
   where the transaction status files are stored.
   - Check the PostgreSQL logs for additional details or errors related to
   file access in the pg_xact directory.

3. *Run a Consistency Check*

   - Use the pg_check utility or other tools like pg_repack to check the
   consistency of the database. This can sometimes identify and fix minor
   issues without requiring a full restart.

4. *Repair the Corruption*

   - If corruption is confirmed, you may need to restore the database from
   a backup or use tools like pg_resetxlog (in older versions) or
   pg_resetwal (in newer versions) to reset the WAL (Write-Ahead Log) and
   transaction files. *Note:* This should be done with extreme caution, as
   it can lead to data loss or further corruption.

5. *Ensure Regular Maintenance*

   - Regularly perform VACUUM and ANALYZE operations to keep the
   transaction ID from getting too old.
   - Consider increasing the autovacuum frequency or tuning the parameters
   for your workload to ensure that the pg_xact files are regularly
   maintained.

---

From: tiamoh m <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2024 11:31:08 -0400

Thank you Asad Ali.

I appreciate

On Thu, Aug 15, 2024 at 3:36 AM Asad Ali <[email-masked]> wrote:

>    SELECT age(datfrozenxid) FROM pg_database WHERE datname = 'your_database_name';
>
>    - Check the PostgreSQL logs for additional details or errors related
>    to file access in the pg_xact directory.
>
>    - If corruption is confirmed, you may need to restore the database
>    from a backup or use tools like pg_resetxlog (in older versions) or
>    transaction files. *Note:* This should be done with extreme caution,
>    as it can lead to data loss or further corruption.
>
>    - Consider increasing the autovacuum frequency or tuning the
>    parameters for your workload to ensure that the pg_xact files are
>    regularly maintained.
>
>

---

From: Laurenz Albe <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2024 06:17:39 +0200

On Wed, 2024-08-14 at 13:00 -0400, tiamoh m wrote:
> When it starts occurring, so far the only way to stop it has been to restart.  
> 

This can happen if you have transactions that are open for a very long time.
Avoid such transactions.

Yours,
Laurenz Albe