Unknown Cancer in eMO Database, Treatment expected from CEPT

You may be wondered while reading this heading.  But if you are a System Administrator or a person familiar with database in your office, surely you will understand what I am going to tell is.  Because, for the last few weeks, Database Administrators in Post Offices are struggling with this new disease of eMO database.

eMO database in your office may be infected by this cancer, but you may be unaware of its presence.  Like normal cancer this cannot be identified until its final stage.  But if I tell the symptoms, you will understand that whether your office is affected by this disease or not.

Symptoms

1.       Difficulty in accessing eMO and its communication module.

2.       Regularly showing “Time out expired” error in eMO module.

3.       Difficulty in invoicing eMOs in Postman module.

4.       “Time out expired” error in Postman module.

5.       Delay in calling eMO Client.

If you don’t understand yet, I shall explain the case in detail.

Cases are reporting from various parts of the country that the log file of eMO database is growing abnormally due to unknown reason.  After this phenomenon, the size of the log file is mentioning in terms of GBs.  Even in the B Class Sub Office, the size of the log file is growing to above 10GB.

Size of the eMO log file has grown to 45GB in an HO in Kerala Circle.  Normally the size was below 1GB for years.

While reading this GB figures, you may think that what the relevancy of this figures here is. Yes, there is a close relation between size of the log file (or data) and performance of the software related to that database.

Same thing happened here also.  The modules related to eMO database has started malfunctioning and due to which “Time Out Expired” error comes frequently.

Reasons

Actually I don’t know the correct reason, but we can presume something like below.

1.       Some corrupted files may be transmitted from Central Server and same may be received through eMO client.  This corrupted file may continuously try to access the database from data folder and file remains pending at Data folder.

2.       Virus infected files may be received through eMo client and continuously accessing database.

3.       Local virus issue spread through Drop Box or Google Drive.

Evidence

The first evidence of the issue is the large size of eMO log file.  But some more evidences pointing towards the same issue.  They are:

1.       Two files stand pending in Data folder (one is a temp file).  Name of the files are almost same in all Offices.

2.       Abnormal data download statistics.  If the office is using broadband, the monthly charge will be twice or thrice the normal rate.

Solution

Here starts the comedy. The available solution is shrinking the database or removes the log file, but this is not a permanent solution.  After shrinking, the log file will be reached to the same size within two days and will start interrupting eMO operations.

The System Administrators have to visit these offices in every two days inorder to clear the log file.  But this is practically not possible.

The case has been reported to CEPT by several System Administrators, but they don’t even trying to trace out the correct reason for the issue.  Instead, CEPT still is giving the same reply that Shrink the database or flush old data.  Everyone knows these solutions without contacting CEPT. 

Officials are expecting a professional reply from CEPT support team.  But the actual condition of support has already shown in my post See how CEPT Support Team distracting employees through HDMS.

Conclusion

Don’t see it as a silly matter because if it fails to bring a permanent solution, the issue may be spread over to unaffected areas.  This will affect India Post’s most prestigious and reliable eMO System.  So higher authorities should give proper attention to this case and obtain a permanent solution from CEPT.