Error when starting vertica database: ASR Required

Products

• CA Infrastructure Management
• CA Performance Management - Usage and Administration
• DX NetOps

Issue/Introduction

The database went down hard and we are trying to restart it.

We are seeing a message:

ASR Required

And the db does not start.

Environment

Release : 3.7.x

Release : 20.x

Component : IMSTOR

Cause

ASR Required

This means that there is a good epoch on each system, but they don’t match.

Resolution

Use the force argument to try and start the db:

1. su - dradmin
2. cd /opt/vertica/bin
3. Run the following command: ./admintools -t start_db -d <DB name> -F

E.G. ./admintools -t start_db -d drdata -F

4. If the above command fails, it should generate a new file named Epoch.log in the catalog directory.

E.G. */catalog/drdata/v_drdata_node0001_catalog/Epoch.log

5. Find the epoch version in hex in this file:

Last good epoch: 0xdeb93c ended at '2020-04-30 15:12:03.329844-04'

Last good catalog version: 0x1483430

K-safety: 0

AHM: 0xdeb93c ended at '2020-04-30 15:12:03.329844-04'

……….

6. Convert it to a decimal value: http://www.binaryhexconverter.com/hex-to-decimal-converter

And note the number.

7. Now open adminTools on the Data Repository

                        Choose #7 Advanced Menu

                        Choose #1 RollBack Database To Last Good Epoch

                        Choose the database in question

                       If the number it offers to roll back matches the number from the conversion, then that is the date of the available epoch. Say ok.

Additional Information

If there are problems utilizing the adminTools UI option in step 7 above, we can run the following command on the CLI of the DR DB to get around it.

• Command:
  • /opt/vertica/bin/adminTools -t restart_db -d <DBName> -e <decimalEpoch>
• Details:
  • Default path used.
  • Replace <DBName> with your DB Name.
  • Replace <decimalEpoch> with the decimal retrieved via hex conversion in Resolution step 6 above.
• Example with DR DB named drdata and hex translated to decimal 17387639.
  • /opt/vertica/bin/adminTools -t restart_db -d drdata -e 17387639