Application Delivery Management
Application Modernization & Connectivity
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CyberRes
Avoiding eDirectory Meltdowns With the 'eDirectory Transaction ID Finder
This program finds Transaction IDs embedded in eDirectory 8.7.3.x / 8.8x roll-forward log files (as found in the nds.rfl directory).
If repairs are not run regularly on your eDirectory servers, it is important to know the range of transaction IDs that are currently being issued on each server, so that you can take the necessary preventative action when required.
eDirectory is based on the FLAIM database engine, which has a maximum transaction value of FFFFE000 (hex) and as such it is possible to 'run out' of transaction IDs if a repair is not run (which will reduce the last transaction ID counter).
If a server does run out of transaction IDs, only Novell Technical Services has the ability to correct the problem.
See: eDirectory "Transaction ID" Warning / error -618 database stops working and won't open.
http://www.novell.com/support/viewContent.do?externalId=7002658&sliceId=1
By using this program and comparing results, it is also possible to approximate how long it will be before a particular server runs out of transaction IDs, allowing you to plan accordingly if you have a 24x7 eDirectory server.
Running The Program
The program uses a copy of the roll-forward log from any 8.7.3.x or 8.8x database.
The roll-forward log files are normally located in:
In most cases, the roll-forward log will be called 00000001.LOG and should have a fairly recent timestamp.
In some cases, there may be no log files, the log file may be only 512 bytes in size (no transactions) or there may be multiple log files.
Generally, only one log file is in use at any time by one eDirectory instance.
There are multiple ways to identify the current roll-forward log file. If there is only one log file in the nds.rfl directory then this is the file 'in use'. If there are multiple files, identifying the file with the latest time stamp should indicate which file is being used. The dsbk command can also be used:
Via iManager - eDirectory Maintenance - Backup Configuration options.
If there are no log files, you may need to enable roll-forward logging before you can make use of this program (see eDirectory documentation).
Program Requirements:
The program has been tested on SLED10 and Windows XP, but should run on any OS that supports Perl 5.5.8 or later.
The program was tested with Perl 5.5.8 on Linux and Activeperl 5.10.1 on MS Windows.
Installation:
Make a new directory and place the roll.pl and allroll.pl programs in the directory. Acquire a copy of the the roll-forward log file from the server to be checked and place in the directory with the perl programs.
Execute the program using: perl roll.pl
Enter the name of the log file to be processed (case sensitive on Linux/Unix).
Example Program Run / Output:
Name of roll-forward log file [Default=00000001.log]: 00000001.LOG
Processing!
Last Transaction ID identified: Hex [6392b4e5] : HexMax [FFFFe000]
Dec [1670558949] : DecMax [4294959104]
Number of Transactions left : Dec [2624400155] 61.10% remaining