Weird database name in error log

  • It's been a week I am seeing weird database names in error log with message:

    Starting up database '_1P90VSAGM'.

    Starting up database '_1P912J6BP'.

    Starting up database '_1P917904K'.

    Starting up database '_1PA0LF93L'.

    They keep popping up every few hours. I don't have any databases with names mentioned above. None of the databases have auto_close option on. It's a SQL Server 2000 SP3a. Please help!

  • That is strange. Never seen that. The Autoclose will result in this message, but not sure why you'd see this with no dbs having those names.

    Check master.dbo.sysdatabases to see if there are strange rows.

  • Do you have any applications on that server? Could they have created 'hidden' databases? For example, Veritas' Backup Exec creates a SQL Server database and sometimes you will see their database start and stop if you have it installed.

    -SQLBill

  • To answer Steve: I checked sysdatabases table there is nothing weird there. It's just regular databases that I see in enterprise manager.

    SQLBill: We don't have any applications on that server. We are using Legato backup utility though. But I don't know if it creates any hidden databases. Do you know if I can make a hidden database visible? But again there is nothing in sysdatabases about them.

  • Did you check your developers who may dynamically create and drop databases every few hours just to test something? For example if someone is working on the application installation package that should create a database as well. He may test the package and clean up after himself.

    Regards,Yelena Varsha

  • Thanks for all the help you guys gave me. Right now I am being pulled into another high priority task and can't continue to investigate this. You guys gave me some good lines to think on and if I am able to figure this out I will defnitely share it with you all. Thanks again...

  • If it is happening at "regular" intervals it may be easy to catch with Profiler.  Otherwise you may need to setup a trace and let it run for a while.  It may give you a bit more information to go on. 

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply