Why is MetaDefender ICAP Server unable to connect to the database?

Issue

MetaDefender ICAP Server fails to connect to the database. The following is displayed when connecting to the MetaDefender ICAP Server web console:

The following error is displayed in the mdicapsrv.log:

Error

“[ERROR] <timestamp>:(icap.postgres) Postgres issue, error=’Could not load postgres’s information from file', param-'config file is invalid, ....”

Cause

The mdicapsrv_postgres.dat and mdicapsrv_postgres.cat files have become corrupted.

Remediation Steps

Stop the MetaDefender ICAP Server Service
Backup the corrupted Files

Backup the corrupted mdicapsrv_postgres.dat and mdicapsrv_postgres.cat files to a different location for future reference.

Windows: The files are located in the ICAP Server’s installation folder.
Linux: The files are located at:
/usr/lib/mdicapsrv/mdicapsrv_postgres.cat /usr/lib/mdicapsrv/mdicapsrv_postgres.dat

Remove the corrupted files "mdicapsrv_postgres.dat" and "mdicapsrv_postgres.cat" files

Windows: Navigate to the ICAP Server’s installation folder and delete the files.
Linux: Run the following commands:

sudo rm /usr/lib/mdicapsrv/mdicapsrv_postgres.cat sudo rm /usr/lib/mdicapsrv/mdicapsrv_postgres.dat

Create the Ignition File

Create an ignition file with the specified content.

Windows: Create C:\opswat\mdicapsrv.conf
Linux: Create /etc/opswat/mdicapsrv.conf

NOTE

If you are restoring an existing database, you will need to provide the username and password credentials used previously. Please consult your internal change management documentation to get these credentials.

Add the following to the file:

[dbserver] type=your db type, 'local' for bundle postgres, 'remote' for remote postgres. host=ip address of remote postgres. For bundle postgres, it has to be localhost. port=port of postgres. user=postgres's user. password=postgres's password.

Example of an ignition file using bundled postgres:

[dbserver] type=local host=localhost port=5432 user=mypostgresuser password=mypostgrespassword

Customers who specified an instance name during ICAP Server installation need to enter the correct value instance_name in the ignition file. If not, ICAP Server will initiate a new database with the default instance name.

Example:

[dbserver] type=local host=localhost port=5432 user=mypostgresuser password=mypostgrespassword instance_name=myinstancename

If customers have configured a private user for their database and want to reuse this private user, they need to ensure that correct private_username and private_password are set in the ignition file.

Example

[dbserver] type=local host=localhost port=5432 user=mypostgresuser password=mypostgrespassword private_username=myprivateusername private_password=myprivatepassword

Re-generate mdicapsrv_postgres.cat and mdicapsrv_postgres.dat

Windows

Open Command Prompt as Administrator
Navigate to the MetaDefender ICAP Server’s installation folder.
Run the following command:

mdicapsrv-upgrade-db.exe

Linux

Export:

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib/mdicapsrv:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

Run the upgrade database tool using:

sudo /usr/sbin/mdicapsrv-upgrade-db

Change the owner and set permissions for the newly generated mdicapsrv_postgres.cat and mdicapsrv_postgres.dat files:

sudo chown metascan:metascan /usr/lib/mdicapsrv/mdicapsrv_postgres.cat sudo chown metascan:metascan /usr/lib/mdicapsrv/mdicapsrv_postgres.dat sudo chmod 777 /usr/lib/mdicapsrv/mdicapsrv_postgres.cat sudo chmod 777 /usr/lib/mdicapsrv/mdicapsrv_postgres.dat

Start MetaDefender ICAP Server Service

Conclusion

Following these steps should resolve the issue of MetaDefender ICAP Server failing to connect to the database due to configuration files corruption. If the problems persist, please contact OPSWAT support for further assistance.

Last updated on

Was this page helpful?