MIMCONTROL - Controlling the Database Server

MIMCONTROL functionality is supplied on all platforms as a complete administration tool for managing database servers.


UNIX: The database servers on a Unix node can be controlled using the mimadmin command (see the mimadmin man-page). This command invokes the `MIMCONTROL` program, and other programs, as required. The `MIMCONTROL` command can also be used directly under Unix. A database server on Unix can be administered by the owner of it or by the superuser root. To change ownership of a database the mimdbfiles command is used (see the `mimdbfiles` man-page). When a database server on a Unix machine is started for the first time, `MIMCONTROL` will create a default multidefs file containing appropriate default parameter values, based on the amount of memory installed on the machine. Refer to The MULTIDEFS Parameter File for details. Database server performance can be fine-tuned later by adjusting the parameters as required.


VMS: The database servers for the local databases on an OpenVMS node are controlled by using the `MIMCONTROL` command directly (as described in this section). When a database server on an OpenVMS machine is started for the first time, `MIMCONTROL` will create a default `MULTIDEFS` file containing appropriate default parameter values, based on the amount of memory installed on the machine. Refer to The MULTIDEFS Parameter File for details. Database server performance can be fine-tuned later by adjusting the parameters as required.


Win: The Mimer Administrator can be used to control database servers on Windows platforms. Database servers are also controlled by using the Mimer Controller utility. Refer to the Windows help provided with the Mimer Controller for further details. You must belong to the administrators group to control database servers. It is also possible to use the Windows commands `NET START`, `NET STOP`, etc. to control database server processes.

Syntax

MIMCONTROL is controlled by flagged information specified on the command-line.

The overall syntax for MIMCONTROL (expressed in short form Unix-style) is:

 mimcontrol [-bcdegkstwA] [-l chan] [database]

If MIMCONTROL is invoked without any options, it displays help options on the command-line.

Command-line Arguments


Unix-style	VMS-style	Function
-b --dcl	/STATUS/DCL	Output status information about the specified database server as a single-line list suitable for use in a script. For details about the output string resulting from this option, see Database Server Status.
-c --status	/STATUS	Output status information about the specified database server. This option can be combined with the `-s` option, see Examples.
-d --disable	/DISABLE	Disable new user connections to the database server. Users already connected are not affected. This option can be combined with the `-s`, `-t` and `-w` options, see Examples.
-e --enable	/ENABLE	Enable new user connections to the database server.
-? --help	/HELP	Show help text.
-k --kill	/KILL	Kill the database server immediately. This should only be used in emergency situations when a normal stop using the `-t` option does not work. The next time the database is started, all databanks that were open at the time the server was killed will be automatically checked. Connected users will receive an error the next time they attempt to access the database.
-l chan --logout=chan	/LOGOUT=chan	Force logout of the specified channel number. Use channel numbers displayed by the `USERS` option of the `MIMINFO` command, see The Users List.
-g --generate	/GENERATE	Generate a default multidefs file. Win: This switch is not available in the Windows environment.
-s [timeout] --start[=timeout]	/START[=timeout]	Start the database server. If the server does not become operational within the specified number of seconds, the server will be killed. Default timeout is 600 seconds. This option can be combined with the `-c` and `-d` options, see Examples.
-t [timeout] --stop[=timeout]	/STOP[=timeout]	Stop a database server. Any remaining users will be logged out. If the server does not stop within the specified number of seconds, the server will be killed. The default timeout is 120 seconds. This option can be combined with the `-d` and `-w` options, see Examples.
-w [timeout] --wait[=timeout]	/WAIT[=timeout]	Wait for all connected users to log out. If there are still users connected after the timeout period expires, the command fails. The timeout period should be given in seconds. If no timeout period is specified wait will be performed without any timeout. This option can be combined with the `-d` and `-t` options, see Examples.
-A --dump	/DUMP	Create a dump directory and produce dumps of all internal database server areas to files in that directory. The files produced can be examined by using the `MIMINFO -f` command, see MIMINFO - System Information.
[database]	[database]	Specifies the name of the database to access. If a database name is not specified, the default database will be controlled. The default database is determined by the setting of the `MIMER_DATABASE` environment variable. The `DEFAULT` setting in `SQLHOSTS` is not used for `MIMCONTROL`.


UNIX: The Unix-style command-line flags must be used on a Unix machine. Both short form switches (e.g. -s), and long form switches (e.g. --start) are supported.


VMS: Either the Unix-style (short or long form) or the VMS-style command-line flags may be used on an OpenVMS machine - see the Mimer SQL VMS Guide for more details.


Win: The Unix-style command-line flags can be used from a Command Prompt window. Both short form switches (e.g. -s), and long form switches (e.g. --start) are supported.

Database Server Status

The mimcontrol -b (MIMCONTROL/STATUS/DCL) command is a special form of the mimcontrol -c (MIMCONTROL/STATUS) command which returns the database server status information in the form of a single string containing a comma-separated list which is useful when writing scripts.


UNIX: On Unix, the string returned from `mimcontrol -b` can be piped and processed as required. The Unix command `cut` can be used to extract the list elements, e.g. the following command which will print the second list element: # mimcontrol -b \| cut -f2 -d ','


VMS: On OpenVMS, the `MIMCONTROL` command is silent and sets the DCL symbol `MIMER_STATUS` to the value of the status string. The lexical function `F$ELEMENT()` can be used to extract the list elements, e.g. the following command will extract the second list element: $LOGINS=F$ELEMENT(1,",",MIMER_STATUS)


Win: On Windows, the string returned from `mimcontrol -b` can be piped and processed as required, depending on the script language being used.

Status String Components

The status string has the following components:

 server-state,logins,db-directory,connections,server-pid,start-date,bpool-size

Each component is described below:


Component	Description
`server-state`	The server-state value shows the state of the database server. The value is one of: stopped, starting, running, stopping or crashing.
`logins`	The logins value is either: enabled, if new logins are permitted, or disabled, if the server has been ordered to reject new logins.
`db-directory`	The db-directory field shows the home directory for the database.
`connections`	The connections field shows the number of clients connected to the server.
`server-pid`	The server-pid field gives the process id of the database server process.
`start-date`	The start-date field gives the date and time when the database server was started.
bpool-size	The size of the buffer pool (in bytes).

Note: If the database server is not operational, the status string will contain empty fields.

Examples

The parameter options can be combined in the following ways, examples are given in both VMS-style and Unix-style:

Start a database server, but disallow new logins immediately:

 MIMCONTROL/START/DISABLE db_server_name
 mimcontrol -sd db_server_name
 mimcontrol --start --disable db_server_name

Start a database server and output a status message for the newly started server:

 MIMCONTROL/START/STATUS db_server_name
 mimcontrol -sc db_server_name
 mimcontrol -start --status db_server_name

Disable new user connections, then wait for up to three minutes for all users to log out.:

MIMCONTROL/DISABLE/WAIT=180 db_server_name mimcontrol -dw 180 db_server_name mimcontrol --disable --wait=180 db_server_name

The exit code from the MIMCONTROL command is success if all users logged out within the three minute timeout period.

If the timeout period expires and there are still users logged in on the system, the MIMCONTROL command will exit with a warning status code.

The following command will wait for all users to log out of the system:

MIMCONTROL/WAIT/STOP db_server_name mimcontrol -wt db_server_name mimcontrol --wait --stop db_server_name

When all users are logged out, the system will be stopped. If the wait timeout period expires, the MIMCONTROL command will exit with a warning status code without stopping the system.

The following command is similar to the previous one, but will ensure that no new users log in to the system while waiting for all users to log out:

 MIMCONTROL/DISABLE/WAIT/STOP db_server_name
 mimcontrol -dwt db_server_name
 mimcontrol --disable --wait --stop db_server_name

Exit Codes

MIMCONTROL returns a status code to the environment executing the command. The status code can be examined by scripts.


VMS: On OpenVMS, the status codes correspond to the OpenVMS condition code severity levels. Use the `$SEVERITY` symbol in DCL command procedures.

The following return codes are used:


Unix/Windows	VMS	Usage
`0 (success)`	`1 (success)`	This code is used when the `MIMCONTROL` command has executed all options with no problems.
`1 (warning)`	`0 (warning)`	The warning code is used when there was a timeout in one of the options. The complete sequence of options may not have been executed.
`> 1 (error)`	`2 (error)`	The error code is used when the specified command could not be executed at all. For instance, if there was an illegal combination of options, or if the specified database name was not found. If an error status code is returned, an informational error message will also be produced.