On Wed, Oct 25, 2006 at 03:54:17PM -0400, Mike Goldner wrote: > Finally, and most important is the blocking. The vacuum duration > reported in the log converts to about 170 minutes. I can track > backwards in the log and the only messages prior to the 6:52am > completion of the vacuum end at 3:57am (almost exactly 170 minutes > prior). > > So, all indications point to postgres blocking all access during the > entire vacuum. The vacuum command you posted doesn't block. I can think of two other explanations: 1. You just didn't have any activity then. Don't throw away this possibility without evidence: I can't count the number of blind alleys I've been down because someone insisted that "never happens". 2. You're completely pegged on I/O. Vacuum will make this worse, and maybe therefore no transactions get through. You can fiddle with the vacuum settings to get them to back off a little and let some other transactions through. That said, your essential problem is that one table. Vacuum it more often -- from the look of the churn on it, I'd just put a job on it that runs all the time and sleeps for a few seconds in between -- and you shouldn't have this problem. But you'll need to VACUUM FULL or dump and reload first. A -- Andrew Sullivan | ajs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Windows is a platform without soap, where rats run around in open sewers. --Daniel Eran
