VOS_UNLOCKVLDB(1)

📦
version 1.8.16.1 · 10 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💅 vos_unlockvldb — AFS Command Reference ✨

okay bestie, sit down, hydrate, because we're unlocking some VLDB entries and it's giving chaos goblin energy but make it responsible. this is vos_unlockvldb from the AFS command reference, aka the "get me OUT of jail" button for locked Volume Location Database entries. 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

vos_unlockvldb — Unlocks several locked VLDB entries. that's it, that's the whole job, and she does it beautifully. no cap. 💖

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

vos unlockvldb [-server <machine name>]
    [-partition <partition name>]
    [-cell <cell name>]
    [-noauth] [-localauth]
    [-verbose] [-encrypt] [-noresolve]
    [-config <config directory>]
    [-help]

vos unlockv [-s <machine name>]
    [-p <partition name>]
    [-c <cell name>]
    [-noa] [-l] [-v] [-e] [-nor]
    [-co <config directory>]
    [-h]

notice how the second one is just the first one but ✨abbreviated✨ — that's her twin, vos unlockv, same girl different font. 👑

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

the vos unlockvldb command releases the lock on the Volume Location Database (VLDB) entries that you point at with your combination of arguments. it's a targeted kind of release, not a "whatever, yolo" kind of release. 🌈

here's the tea on which args unlock which things:

  • to unlock all entries in the VLDB: provide no arguments at all. go girl, no notes, just vibes. 🎀
  • to unlock all entries that mention a file server machine in a site definition: hand over its name with the -server argument.
  • to unlock all entries that mention a partition on any file server machine in a site definition: give the partition name with the -partition argument.
  • to unlock all entries that mention a specific site: provide both the -server and -partition arguments. teamwork, bestie. 🤝
and if you only wanna unlock a single volume? that is NOT this command. go use vos unlock instead, she's the specialist. 💅

💀 CAUTIONS 💀

Do not use this command under normal circumstances. i'm so serious. this is not a casual lil guy. 🙈

she is useful when VLDB entries for volumes at a certain site are locked but there's genuinely no reason to suspect inconsistency within the volume or between it and the VLDB. like, the lock is just vibing there for no reason and you need it gone. fine. that's the case.

also note: it's possible to list information from locked VLDB entries even though they cannot be manipulated in other ways. so you can peek, you just can't touch. 👀

and for the record, the vos lock command locks a VLDB entry so that no one else can perform an action that requires writing the VLDB. she's the one who put the lock there in the first place. it's giving toxic situationship but make it filesystem. 😭

🌟 OPTIONS 🌟

  • -server <server name> — Identifies the file server machine for which to unlock VLDB entries. Provide the machine's IP address or its host name (either fully qualified or using an unambiguous abbreviation). For details, see vos(1).
  • -partition <partition name> — Identifies the partition (on the file server machine specified by the -server argument) for which to unlock VLDB entries. Provide the partition's complete name with preceding slash (for example, "/vicepa") or use one of the three acceptable abbreviated forms. For details, see vos(1).
  • -cell <cell name> — Names the cell in which to run the command. Do not combine this argument with the -localauth flag. For more details, see vos(1).
  • -noauth — Assigns the unprivileged identity "anonymous" to the issuer. Do not combine this flag with the -localauth flag. For more details, see vos(1).
  • -localauth — Constructs a server ticket using a key from the local /etc/openafs/server/KeyFile file. The vos command interpreter presents it to the Volume Server and Volume Location Server during mutual authentication. Do not combine this flag with the -cell argument or -noauth flag. For more details, see vos(1).
  • -verbose — Produces on the standard output stream a detailed trace of the command's execution. If this argument is omitted, only warnings and error messages appear. (ngl this is the one you want when things get weird. 🔥)
  • -encrypt — Encrypts the command so that the operation's results are not transmitted across the network in clear text. This option is available in OpenAFS versions 1.4.11 or later and 1.5.60 or later.
  • -noresolve — Shows all servers as IP addresses instead of the DNS name. This is very useful when the server address is registered as 127.0.0.1 or when dealing with multi-homed servers. This option is available in OpenAFS versions 1.4.8 or later and 1.5.35 or later.
  • -config <configuration directory> — Set the location of the configuration directory to be used. This defaults to /etc/openafs, except if -localauth is specified, in which case the default is /etc/openafs/server. This option allows the use of alternative configuration locations for testing purposes.
  • -help — Prints the online help for this command. All other valid options are ignored. (she said "i contain multitudes but also i will ignore everything you say if you ask for help" — iconic 💅)

🍓 EXAMPLES 🍓

okay demo time, let's see her in action:

the following command unlocks all locked entries in the VLDB.

% vos unlockvldb

the following command unlocks all locked VLDB entries that mention the /vicepa partition in a site definition.

% vos unlockvldb -partition a

the following command unlocks all locked VLDB entries that refer to volumes on the /vicepc partition of the file server machine "fs3.example.com".

% vos unlockvldb -server fs3.example.com -partition c

see? surgical. precise. main character energy. ⭐

👑 PRIVILEGE REQUIRED 👑

the issuer must be listed in the /etc/openafs/server/UserList file on the machine specified with the -server argument and on each database server machine. and if the -localauth flag is included, the issuer must instead be logged on to a server machine as the local superuser "root".

so like… you need permission. actual, documented, on-the-list permission. no sneaking in through the group chat. 🚫

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

vos(1), vos_lock(1), vos_unlock(1)

(the friend group. go read them too, iykyk.)

IBM Corporation 2000. <http://www.ibm.com/> All Rights Reserved.

This documentation is covered by the IBM Public License Version 1.0. It was converted from HTML to POD by software written by Chas Williams and Russ Allbery, based on work by Alf Wachsmann and Elizabeth Cassell.

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🎀 this was OpenAFS, dated 2026-07-27 — go forth, unlock responsibly, and remember: not under normal circumstances. mwah. 💖✨🦋

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