If it helps in future, I use this script (don't remember where I had
found it..) to backup the databases on disk, and then the backup
directory can be backed up to the tape --
#!/bin/sh
# Backup PostgreSQL
TMPDIR=/var/lib/pgsql/backups
export TMPDIR
echo $TMPDIR
# dump each database schema/data separately
su -l postgres -c "psql -At -F ' ' -U postgres -d template1 <<__END__
SELECT datname FROM pg_database WHERE datallowconn;
__END__
" | while read DB; do
echo "PostgreSQL db $DB"
mkdir -p $TMPDIR/$DB
# schema
su -l postgres -c "pg_dump -Cs -F c -Z 9 -S postgresql $DB" \
> $TMPDIR/$DB/schema.pg
rm -rf $TMPDIR/$DB/schema.pg.gz
gzip $TMPDIR/$DB/schema.pg
# data
su -l postgres -c "pg_dump -bd -F c -Z 9 -S postgresql $DB" \
> $TMPDIR/$DB/data.pg
rm -rf $TMPDIR/$DB/data.pg.gz
gzip $TMPDIR/$DB/data.pg
# simple
su -l postgres -c "pg_dump $DB" \
> $TMPDIR/$DB/simple.sql
rm -rf $TMPDIR/$DB/simple.sql.gz
gzip $TMPDIR/$DB/simple.sql
done
# dump all globals (users/groups)
su -l postgres -c "pg_dumpall -g" \
> $TMPDIR/globals.sql
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom Lane [mailto:tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us]
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 10:51 AM
To: Jeff Boes
Cc: pgsql-admin@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: [ADMIN] Transaction logs gone, how to restart?
Jeff Boes <jboes@nexcerpt.com> writes:
> We backed up our test server yesterday (Pg 7.4.1) as the first step in
> switching from Red Hat 7 to Whitebox. However, we failed to back up
> the transaction and commit logs. Now that the OS and database are back
> to where they were, we get this message on attempting to restart:
> LOG: could not open file
> "/usr/local/pgsql/data/pg_xlog/00000041000000EE" (log file 65, segment
> 238): No such file or directory
Urgh. If you shut down the postmaster cleanly before backing up, then
you don't really need pg_xlog --- running pg_resetxlog will get you out
of the above problem. However, if you did not save pg_clog then I fear
you are well and truly screwed.
How long ago was your last complete (database-wide) VACUUM? If it was
just before shutdown then you may be able to achieve some semblance of a
consistent database, but if it was awhile ago then you do not have a
database but just a pile of bits :-(
regards, tom lane
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