Date: Fri, 06 Aug 1999 15:53:52 -0400
From: Lamar Owen <lamar.owen@wgcr.org>
Subject: Re: [HACKERS] Unable to create tables...
To: Don Baccus <dhogaza@pacifier.com>
Cc: Postgres Hackers List <hackers@postgreSQL.org>
Message-id: <37AB3D50.90B9448C@wgcr.org>
Organization: WGCR Internet Radio
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References: <37AB25F0.CB67F617@wgcr.org>
 <37AAFF29.958CE9F2@alumni.caltech.edu>
	<3.0.1.32.19990806094228.00e0388c@mail.pacifier.com>
	<3.0.1.32.19990806115431.00e087c8@mail.pacifier.com>

Don Baccus wrote:
> Obviously, some table contents somewhere must be messed
> up.  Any ideas?

Ooooo....

If this were happening to me, I'd probably stop postmaster, rename the
PGDATA tree to something else, initdb, start postmaster, restore from
the last good dump, stop postmaster, copy back the user database dirs
under PGDATA, restart postmaster, VACUUM all tables -- on the production
machine, if that is where the problems are. Then, I'd pull that PGDATA
binary backup over to a development workstation, start up a postmaster
pointing to it, and do a post-mortem, checking all system tables for
their contents, running vacuum, et al (all the while keeping a good copy
of the old PGDATA tree -- just in case something blows up).

Obviously, some system catalog somewhere is getting farkled -- Don, I'm
assuming that you are vacuuming often.

HTHaL

Lamar