BUG: Load Master DB Can Fail After Master.Dat is Rebuilt

• Microsoft SQL Server, versions 4.21a and 6.0

SYMPTOMS

When a database dump of master taken from the master database that was upgraded from version 4.21a to 6.0 (with a size of 23 MB) and subsequently loaded into a master from a rebuilt MASTER.DAT (with a size of 25 MB), SQL Server will fail to start and the following (or similar entries) will be present in the errorlog:

95/12/03 18:47:43.94 kernel   Microsoft SQL Server 6.0 - 6.00.121 (Intel
X86)
        Jun 13 1995 11:32:40
        Copyright (c) 1988-1995 Microsoft Corporation

95/12/03 18:47:43.94 kernel   Copyright (C) 1988-1994 Microsoft

95/12/03 18:47:43.94 kernel   All rights reserved.
95/12/03 18:47:43.95 kernel   Logging SQL Server messages in file
'D:\SQL\LOG\ERRORLOG'
95/12/03 18:47:43.96 kernel   initconfig: number of user connections

95/12/03 18:47:43.96 kernel   SQL Server is starting at priority class
'normal' with dataserver serialization turned on.

95/12/03 18:47:44.04 kernel   initializing virtual device 0,

95/12/03 18:47:44.05 kernel   Opening Master Database ...
95/12/03 18:47:44.17 spid1    Loading SQL Server's  default sort order and

95/12/03 18:47:44.18 spid1    Getpage: bstat=0x1008/0, sstat=0, copy=0
95/12/03 18:47:44.18 spid1      pageno is/should be:    objid is/should be:
95/12/03 18:47:44.19 spid1      0x205(517)              0x3(3)
95/12/03 18:47:44.19 spid1      0x205(517)              0x2d(45)
95/12/03 18:47:44.19 spid1    ... extent objid 0x3, mask 0xff/0,

CAUSE

A MASTER.DAT that is created under version 4.21a with the default size of 15 MB and is subsequently upgraded to version 6.0 will have a final size of 23 MB. A new installation of SQL Server 6.0 will generate a MASTER.DAT with a size of 25 MB. During a situation where the MASTER.DAT must be rebuilt, SQL Setup is used and the resulting file size for MASTER.DAT is 25 MB. It is not possible to create a MASTER.DAT that is less than 25 MB.

WORKAROUND

The only options once the MASTER.DAT is lost are to perform either of the following procedures:

a. Use a rebuilt MASTER.DAT. This will mean that the current database

   device files must be reestablished in the master database by using Disk
   Reinit and Disk Refit commands. The user login accounts will have to be
   recreated as well.

   the correct size, then upgrade this MASTER.DAT to SQL Server 6.0. Once
   this is accomplished, follow the steps in the "Administrator's
   Companion" listed for loading a master database dump.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft SQL Server version 6.0. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.