[Zope] Living dangerously - lost objects re-appear after database packing

[Paul Browning]

Hi - I don't recall any mention of this sort of
experience before so I thought I'd share it and
would be interested in reactions. 

Yesterday around 18:30 (BST) two Linux boxes of
mine which both run Zope re-booted - as they
sit next to each other on the same electrical
supply I've assuming there was some sort of spike.

Neither are setup to re-start Zope services
automatically - these are not production servers.
They are also not backed up ....

So I did the usual manual restart and, on one,
got a bit of a shock. It went like this:

1. Login to box running RH 5.2
2. su
3. Start Zope 2.1.6 that has been running fine 
   for months.
4. Open browser to check most recent stuff that
   I've developed looks OK - it's not there.
5. Go to management screen - newer folders are missing.
6. Go to Undo. Most recent transaction Apr 19. Uh-oh.
7. Decide to get out quick. Shutdown via CP.
8. Data.fs shown as last modified 6 June.
9. Copied Data.fs (having no regular back-ups)
10. Restarted Zope
11. Packed database (shrinks from 36MB to 9MB).
12. Breathe sigh of relief as missing folders re-appear.

Is this normal, doctor?

Paul

--
 The Library, Tyndall Avenue, Univ. of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TJ, UK
     E-mail: paul.browning@bris.ac.uk  URL: http://www.bris.ac.uk/