Sybase instance fails to start: Error: 905, Severity: 17, State: 1

Question

My Sybase instance fails to start.

Database log show:

00:0002:00000:00001:2015/05/12 15:51:44.51 server The transaction log in the database 'sybsystemdb' will use I/O size of 4 Kb. 00:0002:00000:00001:2015/05/12 15:51:44.52 server Resident Node id: 926a95836174 00:0002:00000:00001:2015/05/12 15:51:44.55 server Transaction coordinator initialized. 00:0002:00000:00001:2015/05/12 15:51:44.55 server Database 'sybsystemdb' is now online. 00:0002:00000:00001:2015/05/12 15:51:44.57 server Increase the config parameter 'number of open databases' to avoid descriptor reuse. Reuse may result in performance degradation. 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.59 server Error: 905, Severity: 17, State: 1 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.59 server Unable to allocate a DBTABLE descriptor to open database 'sybsystemdb'. Close or drop another database before opening this one, or ask your System Administrator to raise the configuration parameter 'number of open databases'. 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.59 server Error: 905, Severity: 17, State: 1 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.59 server Unable to allocate a DBTABLE descriptor to open database 'sybsystemdb'. Close or drop another database before opening this one, or ask your System Administrator to raise the configuration parameter 'number of open databases'. 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.59 server Error: 905, Severity: 17, State: 1 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.59 server Unable to allocate a DBTABLE descriptor to open database 'sybsystemdb'. Close or drop another database before opening this one, or ask your System Administrator to raise the configuration parameter 'number of open databases'. 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.60 server Error: 905, Severity: 17, State: 1 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.60 server Unable to allocate a DBTABLE descriptor to open database 'sybsystemdb'. Close or drop another database before opening this one, or ask your System Administrator to raise the configuration parameter 'number of open databases'. 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.60 server Error: 905, Severity: 17, State: 1 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.60 server Unable to allocate a DBTABLE descriptor to open database 'sybsystemdb'. Close or drop another database before opening this one, or ask your System Administrator to raise the configuration parameter 'number of open databases'. 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.60 server Error: 905, Severity: 17, State: 1 00:0002:00000:00005:2015/05/12 15:51:44.60 server Unable to allocate a DBTABLE descriptor to open database 'sybsystemdb'. Close or drop another database before opening this one, or ask your System Administrator to raise the configuration parameter 'number of open databases'.

When trying to increase number of database files:

C:\>isql -Usa -P<password>
1> select count(*) from sysdatabases
2> go

1> sp_configure "number of open databases", 20
2> go
Msg 225, Level 16, State 1:
Server 'ILVQA3SYBAS157', Procedure 'sp_configure', Line 232:
Cannot run query--referenced object (name NAME NOT RECOVERABLE) dropped during
query optimization.

Sybase version:

C:\>isql -Usa -P<password>
1> select @@version
2> go

Adaptive Server Enterprise/15.7/EBF 21339 SMP SP101 /P/X64/Windows Server/ase15 7sp101/3439/64-bit/OPT/Thu Jun 06 12:11:05 2013

Please advice, Shay

Answer 1

The default number of databases per Sybase instance is 12. Once you reached it, and created a new database (no. 13 and above), you will probably not get any error and database will be created. The error will arrive once you bounce the instance.

To solve this, you need to edit the parameter file: C:\{Sybase Location}\{SERVERNAME}.cfg and change the value for: number of open databases under [Meta-Data Caches] section.