HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: markj@informix.com (Mark Jeske(Chicago Consultant))
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: Re: Online Checkpoint Issues
Date: 6 Sep 92 05:17:15 GMT
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

In article <1992Sep3.124413.9713@xact.demon.co.uk> ptm@xact.demon.co.uk (Paul Thomas Mahoney) writes:
>We run Online with about 200 users and I have some questions that I would
>appreciate some comments to. The configuration is as follows:
>
> - The OS is SCO 3.2.2
> - We have 9 client machines (Dell 33MHz 486) each supporting 25 users
>   running our application, written using ESQL/C.
> - These clients call across the net to the server (Dell 50MHz 486 with
>   about 2GByte disk).
>   
>Thus about 200 connections over I-Star to the engine. All databases use
>unbuffered logging and there is a 525MByte tape to do continuous backup.
>Overnight a level 0 backup is done to DAT. Shared memory is about 14MByte.
>Checkpoint interval is 3 mins. 
>
>Now the problem:
>
>Each checkpoint is taking 30-45 seconds to complete with about 3 megs of
>log to be written to disk. As the checkpoint starts, all currently running
>processes freeze. Then the disk activity takes place for 15-20 seconds and
>then the user tasks wake up, some much more slowly that others.
>
>Looking at the priorities of the sqlturbo processes on the server during
>checkpoints we find that, during normal running, they are in the mid 20's
>but by the end of the checkpoint their priorities have dropped (risen?) to
>65-70. I suppose this accounts for their slowness in re-starting.

Try setting your LRU_MAX_DIRTY and LRU_MINDIRTY tbconfig params lower,
something like 15 and 5 or 10 and 5.  This should cause more background
i/o by the page cleaners so there isn't as much to do at a checkpoint.

mark
From: cortesi@informix.com (David Cortesi)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: Re: FOR loop in ACE - bug?
Date: 9 Sep 92 20:59:18 GMT
Reply-To: cortesi@informix.com
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

In article <1992Sep9.104715.4047@spider.co.uk> ivan@spider.co.uk (Ivan Reid)  
writes:
> {Extract of report to perform repeated summations of columns for a period}

[abbreviated by me for clarity, logic unchanged i think! -- DC ]

> VARIABLE mx integer	{month}
> VARIABLE yx integer	{year}
> VARIABLE sm integer	{start month}
> VARIABLE em integer	{end month}
> ....
> LET sm=4
> LET em=12
> ....
> ON LAST ROW
>    FOR mx = sm TO em
>    DO BEGIN	{A}
> 	LET totalA = GROUP TOTAL OF columname 
> 		     WHERE month=mx AND year=yx
> 	... <lots of code> ...
> 	PRINT .....
>       END	{B}
>    END   
> 
> The FOR loop control values work and are PRINTed ok, but the GROUP
> TOTALs don't work as they should.

wait a minute, wait a minute!  You are on the LAST ROW of a
report, and you want to take group totals based on variables
that you are changing *in* the LAST ROW block???

That isn't my understanding of how reporting works! 
Group totals are accumulated while the rows are being
processed.  By the time you get to LAST row, all the other
rows that you might have accumulated are **gone**!  How do
you expect ACE to accumulate these totals?  Read the input
over again once for each pass through the FOR loop? 

Or, as it plainly says (ISQL 4.0 manual, page 5-83R, note 2):

   Aggregates produce unpredictable results when _expr1_ or _expr2_
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
   contains user-defined variables.

Which rather exactly sums up your situation, doesn't it?
From: widener!das13!dave.snyder@emory.mathcs.emory.edu (Dave Snyder)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: Re: HELP! Trying to UPDATE temp table HELP!
Date: 8 Sep 92 13:48:03 GMT
Reply-To: widener!das13!dave.snyder@emory.mathcs.emory.edu (Dave Snyder)
X-Informix-List-ID: <list.1432>

Quoting Mark L Trotter...
} 
}    I am trying to create a temporary table, insert some elements from
} another table, then go thru the temporary table using a cursor and 
} do some updating of other elements.  All works except:
}    1. I can't DEFINE a memory record LIKE the temporary table because
}       it doesn't exist at compile time so I assume I must define the
}       entire memory record via listing all of the elements, but if I do
}       that then: 
}    2. I can't UPDATE the temporary table using 
}        UPDATE temptablename SET temptablename.* = memrecord.*
}       because I get a compile error saying that memrecord was not
}       defined using the RECORD LIKE phrase.
} 
} Is this a know bug and is there any workarounds?
} 
Try this:

DEFINE the record the "long hand" way and then use an UPDATE statement like
this one...

UPDATE temptablename SET (temptablename.col1, temptablename.col2, etc...)
		       = (memrecord.col1, memrecord.col2, etc...)

DAS
-- 
David A. Snyder @ Snide Inc. - Folcroft, PA                    Current Release
                                                               is db4glgen-3.7
UUCP:  ..!uunet!das13!dave   INTERNET:  dave.snyder@snide.com
From: bwilliam@ssblan.ssc.af.mil
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: re:  Out of Temporary String
Date: 14 Sep 92 13:18:03 GMT
Reply-To: bwilliam@ssblan.ssc.af.mil
X-Informix-List-ID: <list.1445>

Anna T. Luong (atl0@isg.com) writes in an 11 Sep 92 message:

> We have a program that runs on a client's machine many times a day.  It's 
> an input screen that logs incomming customer replies.  And usually after 
> the user enters 50 records, the program bombs out with the -4518 error 
> which is the "the 4GL program cannot allocate any more space for temporary 
> string storage. 
 
(remaining text deleted)

    We had a similar problem at this site, but the -4518 error was occurring 
in a REPORT section, not during input.  From what you said in your original 
message, this could be a new twist on a known problem.  

    The known problem, according to Informix Tech reps is a 4GL crash during 
a REPORT when using the WORDWRAP and USING clauses.  It has been assigned 
bug #13375 (no projected resolution date).

    Check your input form & 4GL and see if you're using both the WORDWRAP and 
USING clauses simultaneously in any respect whatsoever.  If you are, and you 
find that by "commenting out" either or both that the problem disappears, 
then - run, don't walk to the nearest telephone and report this new twist.

    I'd appreciate it if you'd e-mail me direct & let me know if this proves 
to be the case.


Bill Williams
Programmer/Analyst
Standard Systems Center, AL
(205) 416-1256

STANDARD DISCLAIMER:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(It goes without saying that) My opinions are my own and do not represent 
the views or opinions of the US Air Force, Department of Defense, or the US 
Government.  BUT THEY SHOULD!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: dsimon@informix.com (Don Simon)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: Re: SE version 4.00 vs. NFS
Date: 15 Sep 92 14:10:19 GMT
Reply-To: dsimon@informix.com
Organization: Informix Software


In article 3784@tiamat.fsc.com, jim@tiamat.fsc.com ( IT Manager) writes:
>Some time ago we made a decision based on the fact that some of Informix's
>files coule reside on directories which are NFS mounted.  Also, the 
>decription of the IN clause of the CREATE TABLE command seems to indicate
>that the directory used can be on an NFS mounted directory.
>
>But, when I try to use a table that has been put on an NFS mounted directory,
>I get the error "ISAM: can't use nfs".
>
>Is informix really checking to see if NFS is in use?  Or am I doing something
>wrong?  Heck, a while back someone from Informix even told me that THEY
>used Informix with stuff tucked into NFS mounted directories, so it must be
>possible.
>
>Thanks.
>------------- 
>James B. O'Connor                                     jim@tiamat.fsc.com
>Information Technology Manager                        voice 615/821-4022 x651
>Ahlstrom Filtration, Inc.                             fax   615/821-0616
>=========
>	"Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President,
>	 should, on no account, be allowed to do the job."
>	 Douglas Adams, _The Restaurant at the End of the Universe_


Yes, informix does check for the presence of NFS...while informix products may be stored on NFS mounted directories (ie $INFORMIXDIR), database directories/files must either be on the local machine...or you must have an informix networking product.
Sorry if this wasn't made clear to you, but the bottom line is that without an
informix networking product, the database files must be local, only informix product can be stored remotely.


Don Simon
Informix - Lenexa DB Tech Support
badinfo?disclaimer():recieve_accolade();

God is Love...Love is Blind...Blind is Ray Charles...Ray Charles is God...NOT!!
From: dccrjc9@bpats (David Stockel)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: Mixing Informix and Sybase
Date: 11 Sep 92 23:48:03 GMT
Article-I.D.: emory.9522
Reply-To: dccrjc9@bpats (David Stockel)
X-Informix-List-ID: <list.1441>

My client is going to pick up a used server for our group. The server
already has a Sybase SQL server on it, and we will probably need it. The
question is: can Informix and Sybase co-exist peacefully ?

	The server:	Sun 670
	The OS:		Sun OS 4.1
	The Sybase:	SQL server 4.2
	The Informix:	Informix 4.1 (probably)

My sources tell me that Sybase SQL Server uses a daemon and raw disks
like Informix's Online. I assume that there will be no problem if we
use Informix SE. I am less certain about what will happen if we try
to put up an instance of Informix Online. Does anyone have any
experience mixing the two system? Any comment on my assumption about
SE ?

If you're curious, zap me some e-mail. If there is enough interest,
I will summarize the responses. Thanks in advance.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Stockel                       Internet: dccrjc9@bpats.bell-atl.com
 of  ADIA Information Technologies     Voice: (215) 466-3216
 at  Bell Atlantic                       Fax: (215) 665-1329
     1717 Arch Street 4-N-8
     Philadelphia, PA 19103         Proudly serving my corporate masters
From: manmetha@gauss.rutgers.edu (Rajesh Malhotra)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: ESQL/C Question -- char or varchar columns padded?
Keywords: char type, varchartype, strings not null terminated?
Date: 9 Sep 92 18:37:39 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.


Fellow Informix'ers,

	In ESQL/C, when you retrieve a column of type char or varchar,
is the data padded with spaces at the end? Is there a way to 
retrieve NULL terminated strings like a normal C program would
expect?

	Any and all responses appreciated,

Raj.
-- 
===============================================================================
  __  __     .
 /   __/    /                               Raj Malhotra.
/   ( /_   /                                voice : (908)613 4313. 
        __/                                 email : manmetha@gauss.rutgers.edu

===============================================================================
From: dksl2vq@mt2.BELL-ATL.COM (Rory Martin)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: Re: Error 581 ???
Date: 14 Sep 92 19:58:03 GMT
Reply-To: dksl2vq@mt2.BELL-ATL.COM (Rory Martin)
X-Informix-List-ID: <list.1447>

> 
> 
> I've recently installed INFORMIX dbaccess Ver: 5.0.
> 
> When I tried to create a stored procedure I got the message:
> 
>   581: Error loading message file.
> 
> It surely looks like an installation problem? But I can't figure out
> what message file the error is referring to.
> The procedure is the example "read_address" from the stores5 demos.
> 
> I've checked the file and directory permissions and they seem to be
> sufficient. Also, no files seem to be missing according to the table of
> contents from the installation tapes. 
> 

Patrik,
I don't know if this is helpful to you - but here is the standard error
message for the 581 message:

-581    Error loading message file.

This SET EXPLAIN statement could not be completed because the
database engine was unable to find the file of message templates it
uses when preparing explanatory output. Consult with the person
who installed the Informix software.

Perhaps you should check your installation again to make sure that the
msg directory is available/has correct permissions/has all necessary files.
Sorry I couldn't be more help.

-- 
Rory Martin                        Internet:  dksl2vq@bell-atl.com
Bell Atlantic Network Services     
2221-L Broadbirch Drive            Voice:  1+ (301) 989-5075
Silver Spring, MD 20904-1985       "No matter where you go, there you are."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: randy@turq.b8.ingr.com (Randy Paries)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: Help In creating a Struct in a .ec file
Date: 11 Sep 92 15:58:04 GMT
Reply-To: randy@turq.b8.ingr.com (Randy Paries)
X-Informix-List-ID: <list.1437>


 Hi,
 	I am looking for some help in creating a Global structure
 	in a share.h file.
 
 	If I create the struct in a module ie
 	$struct test{
 		int num;
 		char str[5];
 	};
 
 	$struct test *try;
 
 	This works fine. But If I move this struct into an .h file
 	I can't get it to compile. 
 
 	If I try the above syntax when I compile I get 
 "share.h", line 13: this declaration has no storage class or type specifier
   $struct test{
 		
 	And If I leave off the "$" then it compiles but when I try to 
 	define one in the module: 
 	$struct test *try; 
 	
 	it fails on finding test.
 
 
 	Any Help??
 	Thanks
 -- 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------     
  |--------------|            #          -------------------------------|
  | Randy Paries |       ____/|   _______| b8!turq!randy                |
  | x6191   cr041|        \ oO|  /       | uunet!ingr!b8!turq!randy     |
  |--------------|    ##   | ~|_/ ##     | randy@turq.b8.ingr.com       |
                     ####  `-U'  ####    |Intergraph, Huntsville Alabama|
                        \\  ||  //       ================================
  TEAM "CATS"             \/  \/ ples exuse al speln mstaks
 "Smells like team spirit" |  | 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Root@letterkenn-emh1.army.mil
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: fglgo eating cpu
Date: 11 Sep 92 16:53:15 GMT
Reply-To: Root@letterkenn-emh1.army.mil
X-Informix-List-ID: <list.1439>

In response to gaukur@rhi.hi.is whose fglgo eats cpu:
We have  similar problem frequently on our Unisys 5000, runniing sql SE 2.10G
where a user is running a report script which is waitng for input from the
terminal (accepting input before running the report). If our off-brand LAN
disconnects them, or the disconnects from it without first deleting(CANCEL) our
of the prompt, the sql  process becomes a child of PID #1 and takes on a life
of its own, eating memory til we run out. When we do a ps -efl and look in
the SIZE column it gets as big as our kernal tuning will allow, which is too
much for anything else to run. System halts. Kernal is tuned that way for
various nightime process which need it. I was just hoping our soon-to-be-
installed 4.0 would repair the problem! Meanwhile, we have a scripts that runs
from cron every 5 minutes and kills any process bigger than XXXX.
Does anyone else have SQL/SE that does this? Is 4.0 better?

Ann Barnes
Letterkenny Army Depot
From: ivan@spider.co.uk (Ivan Reid)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: FOR loop in ACE - bug?
Keywords: report
Date: 9 Sep 92 10:47:15 GMT
Followup-To: comp.databases.informix
Organization: Spider Systems Limited, Edinburgh, UK.

Hi folks! I've come across a very annoying bug in Informix's report
writer. Have any of you had similar experiences, and what was your
workaround? Mine was to split the report into two and link them using
a shell-script. Not very satisfactory, since it takes twice as long,
and still approaches the size/complexity limit for ACE. Anyway, here's
the scenario:

{Extract of report to perform repeated summations of columns for a period}

VARIABLE mx integer	{month}
VARIABLE yx integer	{year}
VARIABLE sm integer	{start month}
VARIABLE em integer	{end month}
...
LET sm=4
LET em=12
...
ON LAST ROW
FOR yx = 1992 TO 1993
DO BEGIN
   IF yx=1993 THEN BEGIN	{yes, I know this is logically a bit messy ...}
		   LET sm=1
		   LET em=3
		   END

   FOR mx = sm TO em
   DO BEGIN	{A}
	LET totalA = GROUP TOTAL OF columname 
		     WHERE month=mx AND year=yx
	... <lots of code> ...
	PRINT .....
      END	{B}
   END   

The FOR loop control values work and are PRINTed ok, but the GROUP
TOTALs don't work as they should. The columns "month" and "year" are
both integer types, so match those of "mx" and "yx". My only recourse
was to scrap the FOR loops and duplicate the large chunks of code
between {A} and {B} (12 times!), substituting the appropriate values
for mx and my. This meant that the report exceeded ACE's
size/complexity limit, and had to be coded as two reports, reporting
to separate files, ultimately linked by a shell-script.

FOR loops in ACE are claimed by the manual to be valid, and I can't
see any errors in the code above (types,syntax etc..). I am very
annoyed with INFORMIX! The only potentially mitigating factor is that
we've got an old release of INFORMIX. But even then ....! Grrrr!
-- 
Ivan Hans Mark Reid                      Management Information Systems Analyst
"Information is Power ..."                                   Spider Systems Ltd
vox: (+44 31) 554 9424                                 Spider Park, Stanwell St
fax: (+44 31) 554 0649                              Edinburgh EH6 5NG, SCOTLAND
From: gaukur@rhi.hi.is (Kristjan Gaukur Kristjansson)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: Endless loops on abstract quitting?
Date: 10 Sep 92 09:59:32 GMT

Hello netters!

My system is I-OnLine 4.1 with I-4GL RDS on an IBM R-6000 320 AIX 3.1 with
users coming in through ethernet.  Now sometimes when they quit abstractly
(like turning off the terminal/computer without quiting the system or breaking
out with ctrl-c or somesuch) the 'fglgo' process goes into an endless loop
eating up all the cpu it can get.
When first I set up the connection for the users I ran the program with the
'exec' command and this problem happened all the time.  Then I stopped using
the 'exec' command and let the programs run in their own shell and now it
only happens once in a while.
My guru suggested that what happens is that a read command gets an 'eof'
message when the connection breaks but doesn't get or doesn't interpret
correctly the exit code that says the connections dead.

Has anyone had a similar problem, and maybe an explanation and a fix?

Any help greatly appreciated,

			Gaukur.

				gaukur@rhi.hi.is
From: aland@informix.com (Colonel Panic)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: Re: Strings in SPL (Stored Procedure Language)...
Date: 15 Sep 92 01:38:22 GMT
Organization: Enterprise Technology Center, Informix Software, Inc.

In article <1992Sep14.191520.5759@colorado.edu> reetz@news.colorado.edu (Mike Reetz) writes:
>Is there any way to concatentate strings in SPL?  Can't find 
>a way to do it (or I'm just stoooopid).  Anyone have a
>good idea?

Look under "concatentation operator" (||) in the SQLR index.  It will point 
you to page 7-356 in SQLR (== "The Informix Guide to SQL: Reference").


--
Alan Denney      aland@informix.com      {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland

I'm Pro-Anarchy...   and I Vote!
From: cortesi@informix.com (David Cortesi)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: Re: Help In creating a Struct in a .ec file
Date: 13 Sep 92 18:34:09 GMT
Reply-To: cortesi@informix.com
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

In article <9512@emory.mathcs.emory.edu> randy@turq.b8.ingr.com (Randy Paries)  
writes:
>  	If I create the struct in a module...
 [ example omitted]
>  	This works fine. But If I move this struct into an .h file
>  	I can't get it to compile...when I compile I get 
>  "share.h", line 13: this declaration has no storage class or type specifier

Change the #include to $include so that the file contents are
included by the ESQL/C preprocessor.

This is discussed on page 1-5 of the ESQL/C Programmer's Manual.
From: pp@q8.dk (Poul Pedersen)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: TPS transactions per second
Date: 11 Sep 92 17:58:03 GMT
Reply-To: pp@q8.dk (Poul Pedersen)
X-Informix-List-ID: <list.1440>


        TPS (transactions per second) question:
        ---------------------------------------

        If I have an Informix online database, how do I then
        see or calculate the number of transactions per second ?

        Is there different definitions on TPS ?

        Could TPS be defined as the sum of:  Calls to the
        write function, calls to the rewrite function and
        calls to the delete function ?  These given by tbstat -p.
        This information will be divided by the time elapsed
        from the last tbstat -z.

        Do you have any comments ?  If yes please mail me:


        Thanks from

        -----------------------------------------------------------------
        Databaseadministrator Poul Pedersen
        Kuwait Petroleum (Denmark) A/S
        Hummeltoftevej 49                         Mail:   pp@q8.dk
        2830  Virum                               Voice:  +45 45 98 45 94
        Denmark                                   Fax:    +45 42 85 14 18
        -----------------------------------------------------------------
From: jaak@stacken.kth.se (Jaak Lippmaa)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: What is right selection of tools?
Date: 4 Sep 92 20:24:50 GMT
Organization: Stacken Computer Club, Stockholm, Sweden

I need Your help for choosing right configuration. It seems to me that
Informix is right choise, but on our limited information I cannot
figure out right configuration.

We are small newspaper (ca. 100 000 subscribers, biggest in Estonia).
Our needs are usual accountig procedures, processing subscriptions and
processing articles and advertisments. Currently some of this software
is written in C using homemade libraries, some of it in foxpro. Some
of it runs under unix, some under dos. Some of it is still
unimplemented.

Now we are considering to rewrite it in uniform fashion both for dos
and unix using some good database system. After all we have financal
limitations about 3000$ for buying software (its big money for us,
as average salary in estonia is about 50 dollars in month).

Programs must run both on dos and SCO unix. (We have 3 unix machines
and about 20 dos boxes). So far i have considered the following
configuration:

for unix
- Informix Standard Engine
- Informix 4GL Rapid Development System or ESQL/C

for dos
- Informix NET-PC with Sun PC-NFS

Now i have some questions about abowe configuretions which i can't
resolve due to my limited informationt.

- is Informix NET all what we need for dos, can we run applications
  produced in unix by 4GL-RDS on dos or we must buy separate products
  for dos?
- if something more is needed, what and why?
- what are advantages of 4GL-RDS against ESQL/C (its much cheaper, and
  its realy important for us)
- does ESQL/C include libraries for menu, forms, ... creation (of
  course there remains possibility to write them in C) 
- does the Standard Engine include recovery possibilities ?

Please replay by mail to the following address:  taavi@pm.postimees.ee

--
Taavi Talvik            |  Newspaper "Postimees", Tartu, Estonia
taavi@pm.postimees.ee   |  Software R&D division
Phone: (7-01434) 31-551 |  EE2400 Gildi 1, Tartu, Estonia
Fax: (7-01434) 33-348   |
From: billd@informix.com (William Daul)
Newsgroups: comp.databases.informix
Subject: Looking for David A. Snyder
Date: 14 Sep 92 17:47:39 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.
Originator: billd@cheetah

David (sorry to everyone else),

Please send me your email address and phone number.

Thanks,  --Bill
-- 
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
 William Daul             Advanced Support      INFORMIX SOFTWARE INC.
 4100 Bohannon Dr.        (415) 926-6488 - wk
 Menlo Park, CA. 94025    uunet!infmx!billd  or  billd@informix.com