Re: Are __db.00[123] lock files or not?

[James Olin Oden <joden malachi lee k12 nc us>]

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004, Andre Costa wrote:

> Hi Jeff,
> 
> On Thu, 15 Jan 2004 15:58:08 -0500
> Jeff Johnson <jbj@redhat.com> wrote:
> 
> > On Thu, Jan 15, 2004 at 07:02:54PM -0200, Andre Costa wrote:
> > > Thks a lot for the excellent explanation, Jeff =)
> > > 
> > > ... but, I must say it raised yet another question: these
> > > instructions[http://www.rpm.org/hintskinks/repairdb/] explicitely
> > > refer to/var/lib/rpm/__db* as lock files, and say they have to be
> > > removed prior to a DB rebuild. I am probably mixing apples and
> > > oranges, but it seems to go against what you say below. Could you
> > > please calrify it a little further?
> > 
> > "lock files" -- in some English sense -- is an appropriate term for
> > files that contain locks.
> > 
> > I'm not sure what to clarify. There are 3 types of information in
> > __db* files:
> >     1) a Berkeley DB version number that makes upgrades painful.
> >     2) ptrs to locks that can be shared within a dbenv.
> >     3) a "warm cache", i.e. a lookaside cache for retrieved data.
> > 
> > Go shop a better answer somewhere else if you don't believe me ...
> 
> Please, let me clarify that I was not doubting you at all -- how could I
> doubt the man responsible for RPM? ;) The pieces of the puzzle were not
> connecting on my head, and I thought maybe the info on rpm.org site
> could be incorrect in some sense. Also, my understanding of the meaning
> of lock files led to the confusion (I thought that their mere existence
> would block apps).
> 
> Please apologize for the confusion.
>
But I have to thank you both for causing me to finally have a better idea 
of what these files are.  I from time to time have to tell others to 
delete these files, and inevitably they always ask me what they 
are for.   I know from being corrected by Jeff that they are not lock 
files, but I was not persistant enough to get him to explain just what 
they were.  Now I can sleep better, and if someone asks again I can
give them an answer that will inhibit any further questions (-;

Cheers...james
> Thks again,
> 
> Andre
> 
>