Help with arscacheSL file at 96%

[TSAlegCenturyLink]

Running 7.1.2.0 with two AIX servers, Object & Library. Library server has arscacheSL that we need to reduce.

We ran arsmaint command on object server with the following options:

> arsmaint -c -d -u admin -p ----- -n 90 -x 92

This produced the following:

Object Server
pkda0190-/arsacif1> df -k | grep arscache
/dev/cache1lv   102465536   9198772   92%   443153    18% /arscache1
/dev/cache2lv   102465536   9985352   91%    71318     4% /arscache2
/dev/cache3lv   104857600  10202036   91%    68942     3% /arscache3
/dev/cache4lv   102465536  10005884   91%    64991     3% /arscache4
/dev/cache5lv   102465536   9942508   91%    63968     3% /arscache5
/dev/cache6lv   102465536  10017804   91%    64098     3% /arscache6
/dev/cache7lv   102465536  10012332   91%    63299     3% /arscache7


Library Server - arscache size is unchanged

pkda0193-/reprint> df -k | grep arscache
/dev/sysloglv     1769472     86644   96%    15638    37% /arscacheSL

IBM isn't helping us since we are beyond end of service date

We need to know how to get the system cache reduced? Will running arsmaint on the library server reduce the arscacheSL? Or is there another parameter we need to specify on the command (like -g System  Log)

[pankaj.puranik]

I am not very sure on this one but here's what you may try.
Lower the upper threshold and the lower threshold values to say 10 and 60 and try.
Experinting with these values may free up the cache.

[pankaj.puranik]

I found this article which may be useful for you. This one also suggests to run arsmain with a lower 'high threshold value'.

[Alessandro Perucchi]

Well, the advice of Pankaj is good.

I have 2 other advices to give you:

1. Increase disk space (Ok, ok, ok... obvious... but still valid!!)
2. use the time option of arsmaint.
   -> arsmaint -I ARCHIVE -u admin -p password -cvs -t <internal CMOD Date - Default Today>

Example, today we are the 21.04.2011 -> Internal CMOD Date : 15086

The today date was found like that
$ /opt/ondemand/bin/arsdate 04/21/11
04/21/11   ->   15086

Let say we go 1 month in the future : 21.05.2011 -> 15116

So the arsmaint command will be:

arsmaint -I ARCHIVE -u admin -p password -cvs -t 15116

The drawback of the method.... you loose 1 month of cache, but your immediate problem of disk space is gone.

I needed to do that with a customer, because he couldn't afford new disk space, and changing the threshold didn't help...

Cheers,
Alessandro

[TSAlegCenturyLink]

Won't the space parms 10 and 60 run for hours - this is a business critical application we can't take the system down more than 4 hours overnight.

Where is the article you referenced?

How do we increase the space of the arscacheSL w/o taking down the system? Is this a DBA function?

[pankaj.puranik]

OOPS!!

Here it is.

https://www-304.ibm.com/jct01003c/support/docview.wss?rs=3247&uid=swg21421795&context=SSCVQSN&cs=utf-8&lang=en&loc=en_US

About your other question, I don't have any experience on that. Alessandro/JD would definitely have something for you.

[TSAlegCenturyLink]

Thanks. We're reviewing the article.

Theresa

[Alessandro Perucchi]

Hello Theresa,

All I can say is that you can without any problems run ARSMAINT for the cache during production time... I've done countless times... But only for the cache of course!

But again, it depends on your internal processes, on how and when you want to do this.

Cheers,
Alessandro

[Justin Derrick]

Unless arscacheSL is the FIRST cache filesystem in your ars.cache file, remove it.  It'll stop growing, and start shrinking on itself over time without intervention.

If it *is* the first cache filesystem, you'll need to expand it -- you're stuck with it until you migrate to new filesystems, or move to new hardware.

-JD.

[sandeepveldi]

It's ok to change the min & max percentages to 0 in the arsmaint -c command. It'll just expire the eligible data. Note that this is based on the assumption that you don't have to keep any of the data in cache file systems that's ready for expiration.

Filesystem expansion is something that your AIX admin can do with the help of storage team. It should be an online activity based on the AIX version you are using.

Regards,
SV