Fatal error on snapshot import

[Barry]

after importing a snaphot to another machine for data input work, we tried to import the updated snapshot from this machine back onto the original it was made on only to get several nasty errors

the pc used to input products had its /My documents folder on the D drive, unlike the original machine which was on the default (C)

heres the first error;

Actinic failed to open the database DSN=ActinicCatalog8.
The database may be corrupt or the version may be newer than expected.
This prevents Actinic working.

The error was:

Could not find file '(unknown)'.
Driver's SQLSetConnectAttr failed

Please refer to the troubleshooting section in the MU Installation and User guide for possible solutions.


Then I got a message telling me to upgrade MDAC drivers which i did, only to get this error

Errors
(File ExportSite.cpp, Line 1353) - Upgrade of the imported site database failed. This is a serious error and may leave the site in an unusable state. You may have to restore the site from the backup file created before import (C:\Program Files\Actinic v8\SiteBackups\OverwrittenSite-testsite.zip).


Thanks for any help you can give

[NormanRouxel]

First thing to do is to backup all of the existing Site folder (on the original machine) somewhere safe.

After that, try importing (on the original machine) the Snapshot you earlier made (that you exported to the secondary system) and report what happens.

[Barry]

Thanks Norman

i did manage to restore to that point, unfortunatly that does not include all the products recently entered on the 2nd machine though

i first had to copy an old backup of Actinicatalog.mdb to the site1 folder before i could input the old snapshot (actinic would not even open before i did that, im using Business Multisite and run about 5 sites)

having a lot of difficulty with exporting/ importing to other machines for data input, not an easy process, many danger for unweawy twaveller

[TraceyHand]

can you import the "dodgy" snapshot back onto the machine it was taken from?

(back up the site1 folder on that machine before trying)

[Barry]

Hi Tracey

Not easy to test that one, ill have to get back to you in a few days on that

what would it imply if the snaphot worked / failed on that machine?

any other ideas anyone?

[TraceyHand]

well, I guess it would tell you that the snapshot itself was the problem rather than some compatibility issue between the snapshot and the machine you're importing it into?
Perhpas compacting the database on the exporting machine and running another snapshot export could be worth a try?
Do you know if the database was compacted prior to the snapshot being taken?

I'm just throwing out ideas, obviously it could be a whole host of things causing the problem.

editted to add...I would have thought that, if the C/D drive was an issue, it would have given you grief when you first imported the snapshot before the recent data input was done?

[Barry]

thanks for the leads Tracey, i think your right, need to experiment with the other machine when i can

gee i think christmas is going to be long gone before i get all these problems sorted and get the products up on the site

[Barry]

update

hiya

Just to update the thread;

I went back to the other machine that we exported the snaphot from (with lots of new products now input) to export another snapshot (with the contents of the store unaltered from the last time)

we managed to get 3 different file size snapshots with 3 attempts!!

the fist one, made while we were using other software at the same time was less than half the size it should have been, we tried again and got what looked like the right size snapshot, but it still crashed the main machine on import

so, we tried again this time shutting down ALL unneccessary software, this time we got a snaphot approx 500k bigger, but this time it imported to the main machine ok!!!

hooooray!!!!
life goes on!! ok at a very painful crwal, but at least it goes on!

so i would say that Actinic, on top of all the other problems, also has some kind of latency/ buffer/ memory problems. You cannot have anything else running on a machine that you are exporting from otherwise your snapshot will have chunks missing

how i yearn for the good old V7 days....

[Orchid]

I'm getting a very similar problem

I did a "deploy snapshot" from the design menu.

My client attempted to import having previously backed up. They got the following import error.

FATAL ERRORS
(File ImportBackup.cpp, Line 286) - Archive error 5 - The compression operation failed

Library error - Can not open file C:\Documents and Settings\nigel\My Documents\Actinic v8\Sites\Site1\ActinicCatalog.ldb ! has been caught.
(File ExportFiles.cpp, Line 176) - Archive error 13 - Extract selected files call failed

Library error - Error creating file C:\Documents and Settings\nigel\My Documents\Actinic v8\Sites\Site1\ActinicCatalog.mdb !
has been caught.

Unfortuneatly instead of then re-importing his backup and asking me to supply a new snapshot he downloaded orders.

So my questions are -
is the error important? I notice that the first file that it can't extract is a locking file (which wouldn't be too important). However the second is the database itself... Does this suggest that the import didn't actually happen and he actually in a pre-import state (admitadly with a few extra picture files now in his site1 folder.)

However if this isn't the case and we now have an unstable installation - how do I get the client's back-up reimported whilst making sure he doesn't lose any orders?

[Barry]

hiya

ActinicCatalog.ldb ! has been caught. often means that you have another aplication open that is accessing the mdb file at the same time, close that and try again

make sure you have the latest version of actinic too, the 8.5.2 upgrade fixed lots of our problems

as for not losing any orders, tricky one but you might want to try setting up a temp site(s), then importing your orders into that from your other snapshots, then at least you will have one site/ mdb with all orders in, then perhaps you can re import that to your main site once you fix the problems with that

all the best with it

[Orchid]

thanks - will do as you suggest...

[wjcampbe]

To ensure no orders are lost, just read each screen carefully during the snapshot import - there is an option to control what happens to orders.

[Orchid]

yes - I knew about that, but was a bit unsure whether it was a good idea if the snapshot was unstable. However we have now done this as we'd been using it for a day with no seeming problems.

I think that the snapshot didn't actually import at all so I have now advised the client to do a new import from a new snapshot.

Thanks for both replies.