Re: Corrupt CVS Files

[Larry Jones]

Mike Blake writes:
> 
> Some files in my repository have been corrupted.  I receive the following
> error when trying to look at the log on several files.  I can revert to old
> version, but does anyone have an idea of how this happened, and how I can
> prevent it in the future?

If your repository is on a network file system, that is almost certainly
the problem -- we have had a lot of reports of corruption due to
(usually interoperability) errors in network filesystem code.  If not,
you've probably got a hardware problem -- most likely bad memory in the
server, but also possibly a problem in the disk interconnect.  ECC, or
at least parity, memory (and checking!) is strongly recommended for
servers.  If you're using SCSI disks, make sure parity is enabled on the
SCSI bus.  If you're using IDE disks, make sure you're using at least
ATA/33 disks and controllers; otherwise, there is *no* integrity
checking of the interface.

-Larry Jones

Isn't it sad how some people's grip on their lives is so precarious
that they'll embrace any preposterous delusion rather than face an
occasional bleak truth? -- Calvin