Segment Overflow database error

[navoff]

When I ran Analyzer on a project of mine, I got 8 database errors. Each one of them is barfing on a <pre> tag set. The error message is:

SegmentOverflowDefinition: @Text: String trunction: max=4000, len=xxxx, value='text_string'

Where the xxxx is a number greater than 4000 and text_string is a bunch of text which turns out to be the text inside a set of <pre> tags. I'm currently using Flare 4.1. We had to rollback to it when it turned out that 4.2 had a bug in it that caused the page numbers in the listOfProxy to disappear. Here's a sample of the code that causes Flare to barf (it has 4289 characters):

Code: Select all

<pre class="ascii_dump_9pt_no_indent" xml:space="preserve"><ANSI-41 Block>===================================================================

(0007)     Unit ID                     = NAS1
(0008)     Raw Data Block Size         = 2540
(internal) DB Key                      = [62454AF9]
(0176)     Query Link                  = Link:  2T 
(0177)     Response Link               = Link:  2R*

(0172)     Dest Point Code, Query      = 123123111
(0173)     Orig Point Code, Query      = 231231121
(0174)     Dest Point Code, Response   = 231231121
(0175)     Orig Point Code, Response   = 123123111

(0188)     SCCP Message type           = UDT
(0189)     SCCP Protocol class         = class 0, discard message on error

(    ) <-> SCCP Called Party Address:
(0178)  -   National/International     = 1, National
(0178)  -   Routing Indicator          = 1, DPC & SSN
(0181)  -   Subsystem Number           = 6, Home Location Register

(    ) <-> SCCP Calling Party Address:
(0183)  -   National/International     = 1, National
(0183)  -   Routing Indicator          = 1, DPC & SSN
(0185)  -   Signalling Point Code      = 231231121
(0186)  -   Subsystem Number           = 7, Visited Location Register

(0195)     Start Time          (local) = 11/23/2002 19:14:50114
(0197)     End Time            (local) = 11/23/2002 19:14:51003
(1441)     Hold Time     (H:MM:SSmmm) = 0:00:00196

(1439)     Delta Query       (seconds) =          0000
(1440)     Delta Response    (seconds) =          0196
(1437)     UTC Query         (seconds) = 1038100490113  11/24/2002 01:14:50113
(1438)     UTC Response      (seconds) = 1038100490309  11/24/2002 01:14:50309

(0191)     Disposition *************** = TC1

(0199)     TCAP Transaction ID Orig    = [8F071A67], 2399607399
(0200)     TCAP Transaction ID Resp    = [8F071A67], 2399607399
(0201)     TCAP Invoke ID              = [28], 40
(0202)     TCAP Correlation ID         = [28], 40
(1442)     TCAP Link Set               = A1

(0203) <-> TCAP Package Types:
(0430)  -   > Query with Permission    = 108 octets
(0432)  -   > Response                 = 232 octets
(0448)        Total Octets = 340

(0204) <-> TCAP Component Types:
(    ) IVL  > Invoke (Last)
(    ) RRL  > Return Result (Last)

(0209)     Private Operation Family    = 9

(0211)     Private Operation Specifier = 13, (RGN) Registration Notification

(0356) IVL MIN Mobile ID Number        = 1234567890

(    ) IVL ESN ElectronicSerialNumber:
(0357)  -   Manufacturer's Code        = 254
(0357)  -   Serial Number              = 12345678

(0366) IVL QUALCODE                    = 3, Validation and profile

(    ) IVL MSCID (serving):
(0361)  -   MarketID                   = 4112
(0359)  -   Switch Number (SWNO)       = 3

(0377) IVL MYTYP SystemMyTypeCode      = 3, Lucent Technologies

(1315) RRL MYTYP SystemMyTypeCode      = 3, Lucent Technologies

(0355) IVL LOCID                       = 46

(0746) IVL TERMTYP                     = 32, IS-95

(    ) IVL SMSADDR:
(1074)  -   Type of Digits             = 0, Not used
(1075)  -   Nature of Number           = 0
(    )  -   > National/International   = 0, National
(    )  -   > Presentation             = 0, Allowed
(    )  -   > Number                   = 0, Available
(    )  -   > User/Network             = 0, User provided, not screened
(1077)  -   Encoding                   = 3, Octet string
(1076)  -   Numbering Plan             = 13, ANSI SS7 PointCode & Subsystem Num
(1072)  -   Point Code *************** = 001177121
(1073)  -   SSN Subsystem Number ***** = 8

(    ) IVL TRANSCAP:
(1132)  -   PROF Profile               = 0, Not capable
(1133)  -   BUSY Busy Detection        = 0, Not capable
(1134)  -   ANN Announcements          = 0, Not capable
(1135)  -   RUI Remote User Interact'n = 0, Not capable
(1136)  -   SPINI Subscriber PIN Inter = 0, Not capable
(1137)  -   Multiple Terminations      = 0
(1138)  -   TL TerminationList         = 0, Not capable

(    ) IVL EFTN ESID:
(0384)  -   dcs                        = 1
(0385)  -   ecp                        = 3
(0386)  -   sid                        = 4112

(0387) IVL EFTN Fraud ID               = 2
(0388) RRL EFTN Validation Indicator   = 1</pre>

I have some files that have text in <pre> </pre> tags that have more than 4000 characters but that don't trigger a database error. Here's one that's got 5455 characters:

Code: Select all

<pre class="ascii_dump_9pt_no_indent" xml:space="preserve"><Call Record>==================================================================
 (0007)     Unit ID                     = NAS2
 (0008)     Data Block Size             = 544
 (    )     SUtimer                     = 229
 (    )     IAMtimeout                  = 0
 (    )     RELtimeout                  = 3
 (    )     IsupInternalTestNumb        = 3152438
 (    )     IsupInternalTestByte1       = [01]
 (    )     IsupInternalTestByte2       = [00]

 (    )     Current Date & Time         = 08/20/98 14:32:29.0
 (0014)     Call Start Time             = 08/20/98 14:32:17.9
 (0016)     Call End Time               = 08/20/98 14:32:29.2
 (0018)     Billing Time                = 00:00:06.023
 (0019)     Hold Time                   = 00:00:11.381
 (0020)     Observe Time                = 00:00:05.343
 (0021)     Call Release Delay          = 00:00:00.015
 (0022)     Call Setup                  = 00:00:00.017

 (    ) <-> MSUs in this data block:      ms--------- Dir Link  SNum
 (0023)  -   msu IAM                    =           0  O   10T  [11]
 (0024)  -   msu ACM                    =          17  I   10R  [12]
 (0025)  -   msu ANM                    =        5343  I   10R  [13]
 (0028)  -   msu REL                    =       11366  I   10R  [14]
 (0029)  -   msu RLC                    =       11381  O   10T  [15]

 (    ) <-> MSU Octets:
 (0435)  -   msu IAM                    =  57
 (0436)  -   msu ACM                    =  33
 (0437)  -   msu ANM                    =  59
 (0440)  -   msu REL                    =  32
 (0441)  -   msu RLC                    =  16
 (0446)      ............. Total Octets = 197

 (0011)     CircuitID                   = 86
 (0037)     Destination Point Code      = 004.005.006
 (0038)     Originating Point Code      = 001.002.003

 (0042)     Call Direction              = Outgoing

 (0043)     Call Disposition Code ***** = CC1

 (    )     Call State                  = 4
 (0046)     Call Termination            = Terminator

 (    ) IAM Nature of Connection Ind's:
 (0095)  -   Satellite indicator        = 0, no satellite circuits in conn
 (0082)  -   Continuity Check Indicator = 0, not required (default)
 (0083)  -   Echo Control Device Ind    = outgoing half included

 (    ) IAM Forward Call Ind's (FCI):
 (0092)  -   Incoming International Ind = 0, not an incoming international call
 (0057)  -   End-to-End Method Ind      = 0, no end-to-end method available
 (0087)  -   Interworking Indicator     = 1, interworing encountered
 (0086)  -   IAM Segmentation Indicator = 0, no indication
 (0089)  -   ISDN User Part Indicator   = 1, ISUP used all the way
 (0062)  -   ISDN User Part Preference  = 3, spare
 (0088)  -   ISDN Access Indicator      = 1, originating access ISDN
 (    )  -   SCCP Method Indicator      = 0, no indication
 (0409)  -   Translated Called Num BitM = 0, LNP number not translated

 (0400) IAM Calling Party Category      = 4, operator, language Russian

 (    ) IAM User Service Information:
 (0058)  -   Info Transfer Capability   = 0, speech
 (0059)  -   Information Transfer Rate  = 16, 64 kbit/s
 (    )  -   Transfer Mode              = 0, circuit mode
 (0045)  -   Symmetry                   = 0, bi-directional symmetric

 (    ) IAM Called Party Number:
 (0397)  -   Nature of Address Ind      = 4, international number
 (0398)  -   Numbering Plan Indicator   = 1, ISDN (Telephony)
 (0034)  -   Address Signals            = 7778885380

 (    ) IAM Calling Party Number:
 (0401)  -   Nature of Address Ind      = 1, unique subscriber number
 (0402)  -   Numbering Plan Indicator   = 1, ISDN (Telephony)
 (0067)  -   Address Presentation Rstrn = 0, allowed
 (0069)  -   Screening Indicator        = 0, reserved (user provided not scrnd)
 (0035)  -   Address Signals            = 3337772324

 (    ) IAM Charge Number:
 (0403)  -   Nature of Address Ind      = 99, spare
 (0404)  -   Numbering Plan Indicator   = 1, ISDN (Telephony)
 (0036)  -   Address Signals            = 6307666961

 (    ) ANM Connection Request:
 (0063)  -   Local Reference            = 460035
 (0066)  -   Point Code                 = 024.012.009
 (0068)  -   Protocol Class             = 34
 (0055)  -   Credit                     = 45

 (    ) ANM Call Reference:
 (0044)  -   Call Identity              = 1508100

 (    ) ANM Backward Call Indicators:
 (0052)  -   Charge Indicator           = 0, no indication (default)
 (    )  -   Calling Party's Status     = 2, connect when free
 (    )  -   Calling Party's Category   = 1, ordinary subscriber
 (0040)  -   End-to-End Method Ind      = 0, no end-to-end method available
 (0077)  -   Interworking Indicator     = 1, interworking encountered
 (0076)  -   IAM Segmentation Indicator = 0, no indication
 (0079)  -   ISDN User Part Indicator   = 0, ISUP not used all the way
 (0094)  -   Holding Indicator          = 0, not required (default)
 (0078)  -   ISDN Access Indicator      = 1, terminating access ISDN
 (    )  -   Echo Control Device Ind    = 0, incoming half not included
 (    )  -   SCCP Method Indicator      = 0, no indication (default)

 (    ) REL Cause Indicators:
 (0064)  -   Location                   = 0, user
 (0072)  -   Cause Value:               = 16
 (    )  -   > Class:                   = normal event
 (    )  -   - > Value                  = normal clearing</pre>

I haven't been able to figure out why one causes a database error and the other doesn't. Has anyone run into this before?

[pcalnan]

I realize this is more than a year-and-a-half since you posted this but I thought I'd reply with a "workaround" of sorts that we use to fix this problem.

We include example SSL certificates in our documentation (with invalid content, of course) and originally, the text strings were so long that Analyzer was choking on them. To get around this problem, we simply opened the certificates in a text editor, took a screen shot and converted them into images which we then inserted into our help topics. This also served to avoid any potential security risks by not allowing the readers to copy-and-paste the contents of our invalid examples into real life certificates.

Works for us although it would be better if Analyzer didn't choke on long character strings.

[navoff]

I realize this is more than a year-and-a-half since you posted this but I thought I'd reply with a "workaround" of sorts that we use to fix this problem.

We include example SSL certificates in our documentation (with invalid content, of course) and originally, the text strings were so long that Analyzer was choking on them. To get around this problem, we simply opened the certificates in a text editor, took a screen shot and converted them into images which we then inserted into our help topics. This also served to avoid any potential security risks by not allowing the readers to copy-and-paste the contents of our invalid examples into real life certificates.

Works for us although it would be better if Analyzer didn't choke on long character strings.

I have since found out that this is a limitation of the underlying SQL database and the way the fields are defined. And it's not a simple matter of redefining a field because it affects other hooks into the database when you do that. I have used the screen capture image thing to deal with some complex tables (lots of row and column spans) that don't play nice in Flare (but work fine if pulled up in a normal browser window indicating the problem is with Flare's rendering, not the underlying html code) but this isn't a very viable solution for us in the long run. It becomes very time intensive to rebuild the document when these things start playing differently on the page because you've added or deleted text that comes before the <pre></pre> tags. Then you have to redo the image files and hope you don't mess it up (break it up in the wrong spot, repeat some parts of the text or not include others, etc.). Since the book builds even with the error messages and appears to do everything it's suppose to do, I just ignore the error messages. It's enough to have to deal with the tables as images but as the alternative is unreadable, I don't have much of a choice there.

[ChoccieMuffin]

Would there be a point in including two separate <pre> sections? (Might be a completely silly suggestion, if so I apologise.)