locked file(s)... And useful --- UNLOCKER application

[Kenneth Brody]

On 4/11/2012 12:17 PM, Reggie Freedman BS wrote:
[...]
> exported file (example: dxmaint bkarcont -rf 1,10:7,1,d -oa -e) and indexes
[...]
> For some time I've experienced dxmaint to recreate most, but not all,
> automatic indexes (around 20MB in size) in the larger exported filePro files
> (file size of 130MB and 600,000 line items). Recently filePro simply freezes
> on a specific file. I found this was to a bad index.c.

What do you mean by "a bad index.c"?  (Especially since you are specifying 
the sort information on the command line, the contents of the current index 
should be irrelevant.)

> Deleting index.c and
> recreating it fixed this problem. This fixed the specific freeze problem but
> not the locked file problem.

What is the "locked file problem", if not the one that "freezes on a 
specific file"?

> Also nothing to do with filePro's own lockfile.
>
> Restarting the server fixed the issue, the script runs without crashing.

Did it "freeze" or "crash"?

> I.e., all filePro indexes will rebuild. The exports have always completed.
> Rebuilding filePro indexes and zipping these files nightly has not always
> worked. Restarting the server nightly (resetting Windows) before running the
> script is not acceptable.

I was going to suggest showlock, but that's for *nix, not Windows.

> This problem began some months ago. Maybe a windows update or ? This week, I
> added some pauses into the batch script to identify where / when the problem
> occurred. Looking at running processes, etc., nothing showed: no open files,
> no open sessions, no users connected, etc. I Googled and found an
> interesting application at http://www.filehippo.com/download_unlocker/
>
> snip...........................
[...]
> ..........................snip end
>
> When I right clicked the bkarcont.txt and selected Unlocker (which I had
> installed) it showed bkarcont.txt was locked by four instances of rreport.

"Locked"?  Unless this is an alien data file, filePro won't lock it.

> Clicking unlock, fixed the locked bkarcont.txt and dxmaint ran ok. Being
> unlocked, nightly backup's copied filePro name(s).txt files.
>
> Since then, while troubleshooting windows and apps, I have use Unlocker
> several times to unlock, move or rename .dll's, .ini's etc.,. Wish I had
> discovered this jewel years ago! Maybe Unlocker would be useful to you. It's
> freeware too!
>
> I have no answer to why rreport shows as the locking app. Rreport is run
> last, after automatic indexes are recreated, to update another filePro file
> with information such as last purchased date, contact or address change, YTD
> purchases, etc. If one of the name(s).txt files is accessed and is locked
> this scripted rreport update processing fails too.

Does it show anything other that "rreport.exe"?  Does it show the command 
line, which session is running it, the PID, or anything else?

If it doesn't show you anything more useful than "rreport.exe", try getting 
Process Explorer (www.sysinternals.com), which can show you more information 
about a process than you knew existed.  (Except, as far as I can tell, what 
file locks it has.)

> I would not know of the locked file(s) till the next day and then only if I
> looked as these files are not for general use by anyone. Seeing four
> instances of locker rreport simply could be four days passed by the time I
> looked or since rebooting the server. This is not always happening. I looked
> today and no problem. Over a week has passed since I discovered and
> unlocked. Weird. I am aware this has been happening for some time and I have
> no idea why.

-- 
Kenneth Brody