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Re: Experience with FSFS repository

From: Greg Goodrich <ggoodrich_at_medinotes.com>
Date: 2004-09-17 07:20:07 CEST

Scott Palmer wrote:

> I was just reading through the 1.1 release notes and the blurb about
> the pros and cons of 'fsfs'. It seems that at least for my purposes
> 'fsfs' is superior. I know the others in my office would not tolerate
> a database that would need to be un-wedged every so often.
>
> Anyway, I'm evaluating Subversion as a replacement for VSS, and it
> seems that the 1.1 release will be what I start with should I decide
> to go ahead. So I'm just wondering if anyone has any thing to say
> about the 'fsfs' repository from personal experience. Has anyone had
> their 'fsfs' repository get "stuck"? Have you had any problems with
> it whatsoever?

I've been trying to convert our decent sized VSS db over to Subversion
for some time. After MANY problems with "stuck" bdb databases (I had a
very positive feeling towards bdb before using it with Subversion) I
would never use it with Subversion. Not only did my db get "stuck"
EVERY time I tried to convert it, but I also had it get stuck into a
state where even the db_recover wouldn't fix it. It would simply hang
there forever (until I finally killed it). My only recourse (that I
could figure) was to blow away the repository and start over. As far as
I'm concerned, bdb, at least with Subversion, is NOT AN OPTION. I
really wish the developers would see this and get a decent db backend
for it. I finally quit trying to move to Subversion after realizing
that it just wasn't going to go (using the berkeley db). I even made my
migration script "restartable" so that when it inevitably got "stuck" I
could unstick it and then continue with the migration. This got old
after 5 or 6 iterations of this and not even being close to being
migrated over yet.

I then noticed RC2 out there, with the promise of "stable" fsfs with
1.1, and decided that I needed to give this a try. I've NEVER had this
stick (which makes sense, as the "sticking" is a bdb thing I think).
I've also not had problems with it. I've successfully converted our
entire repository a couple of times (I'm still not really done, trying
to make my migration script handle labels from VSS as well as multiple
VSS projects at one time). It may be slower (I really don't know, as I
couldn't get the bdb version to allow me to convert everything over),
but at list it WORKS. I had all but given up on Subversion until I
tried the fsfs (I really didn't want to give up on it, as I think it is
a very nice app).

If you browse through the mailing list, you will see basically no end to
db lock ups referenced. This problem is not likely to go away. For all
of those users using it successfully, more power to you (you're braver
than I).

>
> I know that VSS generally sucks, but as far as problems go, we have
> never really had any data loss (that we are aware of :) ) with VSS,
> and one of the concerns with moving to a new system is that there will
> be new problems.

The day will come (as it did for us) where you won't be able to make the
claim that you made here. We were in the same situation (or thought we
were), and then one day we couldn't even pull one of our files out.
We're not talking one rev of the file missing, but the entire file was
corrupted and inaccessible. Thank God for backups :) We then ran their
"cleanup" tool, or whatever it is called (the one that Microsoft
recommends you run once a week), and it generated over 2000 errors!!!
It took one of our guys running this tool countless times before it
stopped reporting errors and actually got the db "fixed". Who knows
what we lost in the process. I strongly encourage you to switch at your
earliest convenience.

>
> Scott
>
>
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-- 
*Greg Goodrich*
Development Manager
*MediNotes Corporation*
1025 Ashworth Road, Suite 222
West Des Moines, IA 50265
Phone: 515.327.8850 ext. 251/
/Fax: 515.327.8856
	
<http://www.medinotes.com>
*Charting Plus - "The Best EMR Value on the Market!"
**www.medinotes.com* <http://www.medinotes.com/>
 
Received on Fri Sep 17 07:21:14 2004

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