Thanks Steve. If I understand your comment regarding the 16MB limit, it means I should not worry about the WAL file not being copied to the archive directory. I hope this also means a subsequent attempt to restore the db will successfully work since the WAL file is still in the pg_xlog directory. Drew ----- Original Message ---- From: "steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: windsurferdrew-pg@xxxxxxxxx Cc: pgsql-admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 5:31:30 PM Subject: Re: [ADMIN] WAL files during a backup This WAL wont get copied to the archive directory until it reaches 16MB worth of transactional data. I will actually be testing today for work, if I can grab the latest xlog and this can be used in the restore aswell as archived WAL's I will let you know the results, unless some1 else already knows.? On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:49:13 -0700 (PDT), windsurferdrew-pg@xxxxxxxxx wrote: > Steve, thanks for your response and your question. > > Ok, here is some clarification on the WAL file name used in the example > below. > > The WAL file name I used in the example is actually > 000000010000000000000088, and the backup file name is > 000000010000000000000088.0089ED8C.backup. > > The WAL file 000000010000000000000088 exists in the data/pg_xlog directory > after the backup run is completed. The problem for me is that it wasn't > copied to the archive directory. > > > Since this is a test machine and not much db activity occurring on this > server, there have been 6 additional WAL files added to the pg_xlog > directory in the last 6 hours since the last backup was performed. > > Drew > > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: "steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > To: windsurferdrew-pg@xxxxxxxxx > Cc: pgsql-admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx > Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 4:36:24 PM > Subject: Re: [ADMIN] WAL files during a backup > > 00000001000000000000223387 would usually be the next WAL to be written. > How often are you WALs written out? > > On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 07:07:17 -0700 (PDT), windsurferdrew-pg@xxxxxxxxx > wrote: >> I have a question regarding the WAL files that are moved during a backup > to >> the "archive directory". >> >> I have setup the postgresql.conf file to have the following archive >> command: >> >> archive_command = 'cp -i %p /var/lib/pgsql/backups/%f </dev/null' >> >> Environment: >> PG Version 8.1.4 >> OS: Linux 2.6.18-8.el5 >> >> After I have run the pg_hotbackup script, the backups directory contains >> only 2 files: >> 1. The gzipped tar file pg_hotbackup_<timestamp>.tar.gz, and >> 2. a WAL file ".backup" file, (for example >> 00000001000000000000223387.0089ED8C.backup) >> >> The actual WAL file did not get copied to the backups directory. From > the >> example above, I would have expected at least 1 WAL file named >> 00000001000000000000223387 to be in the backups directory. >> >> My questions are: >> 1. Is this normal behavior? (perhaps no activity in the DB to cause a > WAL >> file write during the backup?) >> 2. If I try to restore the DB without this WAL file, will the restore >> fail? >> >> Thanks in advance >> >> Drew >> >> >>
