Obliterate: confusing error message

Tri · Post by **Tri** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 5:30 pm

Server 3.07

I would like to obliterate a folder, and got the following error message:

Unable to obliterate item: $/abc/123/cde/etc..

All branches of an item must be obliterated before the item itself can be obliterated. It is possible that some of the items have been deleted but not obliterated. You must obliterate all branches before you can delete this item. This item has branches at:
(the error message ends here. What branches did Vault Server was referring to?)

We don't use branching for this project. Why do we get this error message?

BTW, can you please fix a bug in Vaut Server. Upon an error message, Vault Server unselect all the items. And I got this message quite often.

ian_sg · Post by **ian_sg** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:01 am

Hello Tri.

This is a known issue that will probably be fixed in the 4.0 timeframe. The branches that Vault found are already deleted (but not obliterated), and the dialogue does not correctly indicate the names of the branches in this case.

If you can manually identify any deleted branches and obliterate them first, that will allow you to obliterate this item.

ian_sg · Post by **ian_sg** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 9:43 am

Jeremy just reminded me that snapshot and branch are interchangable as far as obliterate is concerned. Any deleted snapshots also need to be obliterated.

I also just now see that you don't believe you're branching at all for this project. Obliterate will (correctly) halt if there was ever a branch/snapshot of the item you're trying to obliterate, or any its children. Is it possible that one of the sub-folders or files may have been branched, or that there was an inadvertent or test branch that was deleted?

Tri · Post by **Tri** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 11:20 am

Can you please show me how to identify the branch to obliterate? The error message said nothing after "This item has branches at:".

Can you provide a quick fix to "Obliterate what is possible"? Example: 500 files/folders are selected to be obliterated. Vault Server will try to obliterate all those which can be obliterated and return a list of items where the operation had failed.

Currently, Vault Server takes a certain time (1 minutes to 30 mn depending on size) to process the list of files. And when it detects a "branch dependency" error (which is BTW unclear) it just stops and UNSELECT all the files selection. That is why Obliterating is a quite frustrating admin task.

May be it is possible to turn around this issue by using CLC or running some SQL Queries. If so, can you please provide us with the procedure?

ian_sg · Post by **ian_sg** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 1:26 pm

Tri,

Due to the permanent nature of obliterate, we're hesitant to provide anything that could be called a "quick fix" related to this feature. I can help you identify the branches that need to be obliterated.

I'll work out a procedure and post it here.

ian_sg · Post by **ian_sg** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 10:25 am

The easiest way to do this is to undelete the item in question and look at its history. Note all branches and snapshots, then re-delete the item. From the admin client, obliterate each of the branched items that you previously noted, then obliterate the original item.

Brody · Post by **Brody** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 6:07 pm

The files I am trying to obliterate have only one line of history - It is the creation of this file in the Snapshot.

The files are massively shared around which seems to be the only 'special' thing about them. Yet still they will not obliterate.

Any ideas?

*EDIT* IF I branch the individual files that are causing me grief then I am able to obliterate them. I am unable to obliterate them if they are shared around. Any chance there is an issue with massively shared files appear to be branched to the obliterate function?

*MORE EDIT* There is definitely a problem in Obliterate. I can't obliterate a folder with its files but I can delete all the files, obliterate them and then delete the folder and obliterate it. Surely that can't be right.

ian_sg · Post by **ian_sg** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 9:00 am

"Exotic" combinations of share/branch/snapshot could prevent you from obliterating, as we've tried to err on the side of safety here. I'm not sure I'll be able to resolve your problem to the point you'll be able to obliterate everything you'd like, but to reproduce it I'll need a clear description of what the tree in question looks like, and where the shares/branches/snapshots are.