Re: I/O error on data file, can't run backup

On 10/05/2011 02:48 PM, Leif Biberg Kristensen wrote:
>
> I had a hang on the machine a few hours earlier that required a power-off
> reboot. That has been a problem with this rig since I built it about a year
> ago, it's probably a funky connection somewhere. This may be the direct cause
> of the I/O error, which also may mean that the disk is not to blame.
>
> I'm so used to postgres and everything else coming up without a hiccup after a
> power-off that I don't usually pay much attention to it
PostgreSQL is great, but it can't overcome defective hardware.

I'm thinking perhaps a funky memory problem - you are having odd crashes
after all.

If memory is failing you could have a file that is corrupted not on disk
but in the cache. Perhaps in the process of stopping and starting
PostgreSQL, the data that was causing the trouble got flushed from cache
then reread from disk. You may find this story interesting:
http://blogs.oracle.com/ksplice/entry/attack_of_the_cosmic_rays1

Cheers,
Steve