Sybase Errors Test

This test periodically monitors the Sybase server’s error logs to promptly capture the errors that occur on the server and report the number and severity of the errors.  For execution, this test requires the enable monitoring, errorlog pipe max messages, and errorlog pipe active configuration parameters to be enabled.

Target of the test : A Sybase ASE on which MDA tables have been installed

Agent deploying the test : An internal agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for every Sybase Server being monitored.

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter Description

Test Period

How often should the test be executed.

Host

Refers to the IP address of the Sybase ASE server.

Port

The port number at which the Sybase server listens to.

User

To enable this test to connect to the Sybase server and collect the required metrics, it is enough if you configure the test with the name of a Sybase user who has the “mon_role”. However, for best results, it is recommended that you configure all Sybase tests with the credentials of a Sybase user who has the “mon_role”, “sa_role’, and “sybase_ts_role”.

Password

The password corresponding to the above user

Confirm Password

Confirm the password by retyping it here.

Detailed Diagnosis

To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG Enterprise embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option.

The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available only if the following conditions are fulfilled:

  • The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability
  • Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis measures should not be 0.
Measurements made by the test
Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation

Error count severity 10-16

The number of errors with severity codes between 10 and 16, which occurred on the Sybase server during the last measurement period.

Number

Error messages with severity levels 10-16 are generated by problems that are caused by user errors. These problems can always be corrected by the user.

To view the list of problems in this category, use the detailed diagnosis of this measure.

Error count severity 17-18

The number of errors with severity codes between 17 and 18, which occurred on the Sybase server during the last measurement period.

Number

Error messages with severity level 17 mean that the command has caused Adaptive Server to run out of resources or to exceed some limit set by the System Administrator. You can continue with the work you are doing, although you may not be able to execute a particular command. The Database Owner can correct the level 17 error messages indicating that you have run out of space. Other level 17 error messages should be corrected by the System Administrator.

Error messages with severity level 18 indicate some kind of internal software bug. However, the command runs to completion, and the connection to Adaptive Server is maintained. You can continue with the work you are doing, although you may not be able to execute a particular command. An example of a situation that generates severity level 18 is Adaptive Server detecting that a decision about the access path for a particular query has been made without a valid reason.

Since problems that generate such messages do not keep users from their work, users tend not to report them. Users should be instructed to inform the System Administrator every time an error message with these severity levels (or higher) occur so that the System Administrator can report them.

Error count severity 19-26

The number of errors with severity codes between 19 and 26, which occurred on the Sybase server during the last measurement period.

Number

Level 19: Adaptive Server fatal error in resource

Error messages with severity level 19 indicate that some non-configurable internal limit has been exceeded and that Adaptive Server cannot recover gracefully. You must reconnect to Adaptive Server.

Level 20: Adaptive Server fatal error in current process

Error messages with severity level 20 indicate that Adaptive Server has encountered a bug in a command. The problem has affected only the current process, and it is unlikely that the database itself has been damaged. Run dbcc diagnostics. You must reconnect to Adaptive Server.

Level 21: Adaptive Server fatal error in database processes

Error messages with severity level 21 indicate that Adaptive Server has encountered a bug that affects all the processes in the current database. However, it is unlikely that the database itself has been damaged. Restart Adaptive Server and run the dbcc diagnostics. You must reconnect to Adaptive Server.

Level 22: Adaptive Server fatal error: Table integrity suspect

Error messages with severity level 22 indicate that the table or index specified in the message was previously damaged by a software or hardware problem.

The first step is to restart Adaptive Server and run dbcc to determine whether other objects in the database are also damaged. Whatever the report from dbcc may be, it is possible that the problem is in the cache only and not on the disk itself. If so, restarting Adaptive Server will fix the problem.

If restarting does not help, then the problem is on the disk as well. Sometimes, the problem can be solved by dropping the object specified in the error message. For example, if the message tells you that Adaptive Server has found a row with length 0 in a nonclustered index, the table owner can drop the index and re-create it.

Adaptive Server takes any pages or indexes offline that it finds to be suspect during recovery. Use sp_setsuspect_granularity to determine whether recovery marks an entire database or only individual pages as suspect. See sp_setsuspect_granularity in the Reference Manual for more information.

You must reconnect to Adaptive Server.

Level 24: Hardware error or system table corruption

Error messages with severity level 24 reflect some kind of media failure or (in rare cases) the corruption of sysusages. The System Administrator may have to reload the database. It may be necessary to call your hardware vendor.

Level 23: Fatal error: Database integrity suspect

Error messages with severity level 23 indicate that the integrity of the entire database is suspect due to previous damage caused by a software or hardware problem. Restart Adaptive Server and run dbcc diagnostics.

Even when a level 23 error indicates that the entire database is suspect, the damage may be confined to the cache, and the disk itself may be fine. If so, restarting Adaptive Server with startserver will fix the problem.

Level 25: Adaptive Server internal error

Level 25 errors are not displayed to the user; this level is only used for Adaptive Server internal errors.

Level 26: Rule error

Error messages with severity level 26 reflect that an internal locking or synchronization rule was broken. You must shut down and restart Adaptive Server.

 

Total error count

The total number of errors that occurred on the Sybase server during the last measurement period.

Number

Ideally, this value should be 0.