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From: eik@os.is (Einar Kjartansson)
Newsgroups: comp.databases,comp.sys.hp
Subject: Corrupted database in Oracle
Keywords: Oracle HP-UX crash
Message-ID: <115@geysir.os.is>
Date: 3 Mar 89 16:22:26 GMT
Organization: National Energy Authority of Iceland
Lines: 42



We have been using Oracle on HP 9000/840 computer for  about 3 months.
During during this priod the database has become corrupted twice, 
both times resulting in total loss of data. The Oracle support people
in Danmark have not come up with any useful information about this.
One of the first symptoms is that the exp utility which is used to
export data out of the database (i.e. for backups) stops working, 
this is a sample output:
	 
	Connected to: ORACLE V5.1.22.2 - Production	
 	 
 	Enter array fetch buffer size(default is 4096)> 
 	Export file: expdat.dmp > 
 	E(ntire Database), U(sers), or T(ables): U > E 
 	Export Grants (Y/N): N > Y 
 	Export the rows (Y/N): Y >	
 	Compress extents (Y/N): Y >	
 	Exporting the entire data base. 
 	. Exporting user definitions. 
 	. Exporting all space definitions. 
 	. Exporting all clusters. 
 	Oracle Error: ORA-0038:	ksbgrb: incorrect table RBA in row block 
 	 
 	EXPORT terminated due to error 

 Both times that this happened we ended up rebuilding the database from 
 backups, resulting in the loss of several days of work. 

 This raises some questions: 

 Do things like this happen to others? 
	on hp9000/3?? or hp9000/8?? ?
 Why is there no way to patch up a corrupted database? 
 Is our experience with the usefulness of the Oracle support typical?


-- 
  Einar Kjartansson                           | eik@os.is
  Orkustofnun (National Energy Authority)     | eik@geysir.uucp
  Grensasvegi 9, IS-108 Reykjavik, Iceland    | mcvax!hafro!geysir!eik
  Phone: 354-1-83600    Fax: 354-1-688896    Home: 354-1-16407