Thread: Lost database

<div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal">While prepping a second server today the /var/lib/postgres/ directory
gotdeleted.  Yes, everything.  We’re running on Ubuntu 10.4 and Postgres 8.4.  We immediately shutdown everything but
nowneed to recover the directory tree.  No, the customer did not do any backups – the database was just under 1 TB and
theydidn’t want to take the time.<p class="MsoNormal"> <p class="MsoNormal">We’re looking into using extundelete or
ext4magicto try to recover the files and, if successful, are there any further steps we need to take to bring up the
databaseagain?  <p class="MsoNormal"> <p class="MsoNormal">If we’re unsuccessful, we do have a filesystem backup from
severalmonths ago that we can apply and then go through the tedium of trying to fill in the missing blanks for those
months. Since there are so many rows, is there a tool or procedure we can use to verify the integrity of the data once
Postgresis back up and running?<p class="MsoNormal"> <p class="MsoNormal">I don’t expect any miracles, but want to be
surethere isn’t less intensive alternative out there.<p class="MsoNormal"> <p class="MsoNormal">Thanks,<p
class="MsoNormal"> <pclass="MsoNormal">Steve Erickson</div> 

On 12/9/2013 10:17 PM, Dinesh Kumar wrote:
>
> If we’re unsuccessful, we do have a filesystem backup from several
> months ago that we can apply and then go through the tedium of trying
> to fill in the missing blanks for those months.  Since there are so
> many rows, is there a tool or procedure we can use to verify the
> integrity of the data once Postgres is back up and running?
>

if the postgresql server was running when that file backup was made(*),
its pretty much worthless, it will have data corruption and errors
throughout.


(*) unless pg_start_backup() was called before the backup, and
pg_stop_backup() afterwards, which I sort of doubt would have been done
based on what was written.

--
john r pierce                                      37N 122W
somewhere on the middle of the left coast

John R Pierce wrote:
> if the postgresql server was running when that file backup was made(*),
> its pretty much worthless, it will have data corruption and errors
> throughout.

Well, it would be better than nothing.
You can pg_resetxlog and manually clean up the inconsistencies.
That's better than nothing at all.

Yours,
Laurenz Albe