updated db from 9077 to 9100 cant launch zones now
 

Hey all...I've got a server that's got some significant character development on it for my friends and I that I'd really not want to lose (lvl 65s, which is the server cap as I don't like anything beyond PoP), that I've been trying to update for a while. I managed to get through some of the more recent update scripts (took backups of EVERYTHING) and got the db up from 9077 to 9100 via the automated script, but now my zones won't launch. I can get to character select despite it saying the server's down, but ALL zones are unavailable. Looking at recent zone file logs I get the errors below. What do I still need to fix, or have I hosed things too far and need to go back to a backup?

[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Zone Server] CURRENT_VERSION: 1.1.3
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Zone Server] Mapping Incoming Opcodes
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Zone Server] Loading Variables
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Zone Server] Loading zone names
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Zone Server] Loading items
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Error] Error Loading Items: EQEmu Exception (SharedDatabase) in ..\..\common\shareddb.cpp at line (811): Couldn't load items because items_mmf->Size() != size
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Error] Loading items FAILED!
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Error] Failed. But ignoring error and going on...
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Zone Server] Loading npc faction lists
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Zone Server] Loading loot tables
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Zone Server] Loading skill caps
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Error] Error loading skill caps: EQEmu Exception (SharedDatabase) in ..\..\common\shareddb.cpp at line (1388): Unable to load skill caps: skill_caps_mmf->Size() != size
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:06] [Error] Loading skill caps FAILED!
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Zone Server] CURRENT_VERSION: 1.1.3
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Zone Server] Mapping Incoming Opcodes
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Zone Server] Loading Variables
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Zone Server] Loading zone names
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Zone Server] Loading items
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Error] Error Loading Items: EQEmu Exception (SharedDatabase) in ..\..\common\shareddb.cpp at line (811): Couldn't load items because items_mmf->Size() != size
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Error] Loading items FAILED!
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Error] Failed. But ignoring error and going on...
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Zone Server] Loading npc faction lists
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Zone Server] Loading loot tables
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Zone Server] Loading skill caps
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Error] Error loading skill caps: EQEmu Exception (SharedDatabase) in ..\..\common\shareddb.cpp at line (1388): Unable to load skill caps: skill_caps_mmf->Size() != size
[10-08-2016 :: 14:59:39] [Error] Loading skill caps FAILED!
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Zone Server] CURRENT_VERSION: 1.1.3
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Zone Server] Mapping Incoming Opcodes
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Zone Server] Loading Variables
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Zone Server] Loading zone names
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Zone Server] Loading items
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Error] Error Loading Items: EQEmu Exception (SharedDatabase) in ..\..\common\shareddb.cpp at line (811): Couldn't load items because items_mmf->Size() != size
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Error] Loading items FAILED!
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Error] Failed. But ignoring error and going on...
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Zone Server] Loading npc faction lists
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Zone Server] Loading loot tables
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Zone Server] Loading skill caps
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Error] Error loading skill caps: EQEmu Exception (SharedDatabase) in ..\..\common\shareddb.cpp at line (1388): Unable to load skill caps: skill_caps_mmf->Size() != size
[10-08-2016 :: 15:10:48] [Error] Loading skill caps FAILED!

first of all you can save your accounts and charecter tables to upload again in the future if you need to. The way you do this is export the tables to excell which is easy, simply go intothe accounts table for instance then right click on any value and click export grid rows.

Secondly the database may not be compatible. I wouldn't recommend that you keep "up to date" on the database, but thats just me, I run a classic server though. What may have happened is the values may be different, like there may be an extra row added to the items or skill caps table or something like that. Hopefully a dev will see this and give you better advice but if it was me I would save the account and charecter tables and drop the db and add the new db then re-add your old account and charecter tables to the new database and don't update the database again ;).

Rerun shared_memory.

shared_memory seems to be trying to load, then vanishes...but there's no log for it that I can see under logs\

Running shared memory from command prompt so that the window doesn't vanish, it runs the following, then exits without error:

C:\eq\eqemuserver>shared_memory.exe
[Status] Loading items...
[Status] Loading factions...
[Status] Loading loot...
[Status] Loading skill caps...
[Status] Loading spells...
[Status] Loading base data...

C:\eq\eqemuserver>

Ok...fixed. Updated binaries AND dll's again (I KNOW I updated binaries before, THOUGHT I updated DLLs before but MIGHT not have.) Zones actually loaded and are stable finally. Database appears fully functional, characters have no further problems logging in. All is well, it looks like :)

great thanks for letting us know

Yeah, usually a good idea to run shared_memory before every server start. Or at least I do. That will pick up any changes made to the items, factions, spells, etc in the database.

Problem was an outdated DLL that was causing shared_memory to crash, and the zones basically followed. Fixed that, shared_memory is at the beginning of the startup process in my script...everything's perfect now. :)