topic Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data in Alfresco Forum

Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

billybill07 — Wed, 21 May 2025 08:53:50 GMT

Hello everyone,

I recently performed a backup and restore operation for an Alfresco Community instance and ran into an issue I can’t resolve. Here is what I did step-by-step:

✅ Backup Process:

On the source server (Alfresco + PostgreSQL), I created a SQL dump using:

pg_dump -U alfresco -d alfresco > alfresco_backup.sql

✅ Transfer to VM:

I copied the backup file to a clean Linux VM using:

scp alfresco_backup.sql user@vm-ip:/home/user/

✅ Restore Process:

Inside the VM, I created a new PostgreSQL database, then restored the dump using:

psql -U alfresco -d alfresco < /home/user/alfresco_backup.sql

Note: I used the same database name and user credentials as the original instance.

✅ Verification:

After the restore, I verified that the database contains the expected tables and data using:

docker exec -it <your-postgres-container> psql -U alfresco -d alfresco

Inside the PostgreSQL shell:

SELECT COUNT(*) FROM alf_node;

SELECT COUNT(*) FROM alf_authority;

SELECT COUNT(*) FROM alf_store;

These queries returned valid counts, indicating that the node metadata and authorities were restored.

❌ Problem:

Even though the database seems to contain all the data (e.g., alf_node has thousands of rows), Alfresco Share shows no folders, or users or aspects after starting the containers.

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

LeoMattioli — Wed, 21 May 2025 13:24:13 GMT

Hi, but you see no folder at all or just an empty repository with the out-of-the-box folders?

A couple of silly questions: are you sure you are connecting to the correct DB? Have you started the DB container before repository tomcat?

Any error in the alfresco.log during startup?

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

billybill07 — Thu, 22 May 2025 08:39:50 GMT

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, I’m connected to the correct PostgreSQL database — I verified by checking tables like alf_node and alf_store, which contain valid data.

I restored the database using:

docker cp alfresco_backup.sql postgres-container:/tmp/
docker exec -it postgres-container psql -U alfresco -d alfresco -f /tmp/alfresco_backup.sql

Then I started all containers with docker compose up. No errors appear in the logs, but when I access Share, I only see the default folders (e.g., "Data Dictionary", "Guest Home"). None of the actual content or user-created folders are visible.

I suspect something is missing in the restore process — maybe related to contentstore or Solr?

Appreciate your help!

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

LeoMattioli — Thu, 22 May 2025 12:56:26 GMT

I think the restore has not really happened as intended, seems you see just an empty Alfresco. Do in the Alfresco.log you see the message:

INFO [domain.schema.SchemaBootstrap] [main] Creating Alfresco tables took xxx ms

Are the containers with postgresql and alfresco in the same docker network?

In any case Solr and contentstore are not involved when listing the repo from Share.

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

billybill07 — Thu, 22 May 2025 13:07:57 GMT

I can confirm that the backup/restore process finally worked correctly when I used DBeaver to restore the database. I now see all the expected tables and data in the server-side database, which suggests the restore was successful.

However, after the restore, I'm unable to log into the Share platform. It returns the following error:

"Your authentication details haven't been recognized or Alfresco Content Services may not be available at this time."

At this point, do you still believe Solr is not involved in this behavior? If not, what could cause this login issue after a valid DB restore?

Appreciate your guidance on what to check next.

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

LeoMattioli — Thu, 22 May 2025 13:15:28 GMT

Solr is not involved during login. Search in the alfresco.log and the share.log for an ERROR or SEVERE.

That error usually means that Alfresco is not started. Try to connect to /alfresco instead of /share: do you see the admin page? This is an example for ACS 7.4.1, but you should have one similar

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

billybill07 — Thu, 22 May 2025 15:10:15 GMT

All the containers (Alfresco, Share, Solr, and PostgreSQL) are started and running without issues. I can confirm that I am able to access the /alfresco endpoint and I do get an interface similar to the one in your screenshot when everything is working properly.

However, the problem begins immediately after I restore the database using DBeaver. The restore completes successfully — I can see all the tables and data clearly in DBeaver. But once I try to log in via /share or the Admin Console, I consistently get the following error:

"Your authentication details haven't been recognized or Alfresco Content Services may not be available at this time."

This error only happens after the database restore. Before the restore, the system is fully functional and I can log in and navigate Share and the admin panel without any issues.

So it seems that while the data is present in the database post-restore, Alfresco fails to authenticate users or complete the startup process properly. Could this indicate an issue with how identity, authority, or schema data is being restored or interpreted?

I’ve also searched both alfresco.log and share.log for any ERROR or SEVERE messages after the restore. If needed, I can provide the relevant log excerpts.

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

LeoMattioli — Thu, 22 May 2025 15:15:26 GMT

Hi billybill07, maybe another silly one from me: You can't restore the DB while Alfresco is running. First you restore the DB, then you switch on Alfresco and Share. Are you following that order?

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

billybill07 — Sun, 25 May 2025 09:21:32 GMT

Thanks again for your help — and not silly at all, your suggestion was very logical.

I made sure to follow the correct order this time: I stopped both the Alfresco and Share containers, performed the database restore using DBeaver, and then started the containers again. The database restore completes successfully, and I can confirm that all the data is correctly present in the external PostgreSQL database (verified via DBeaver).

However, after starting the containers and navigating to http://192.168.2.1:8080/share, the login still fails with the same error:

"Your authentication details haven't been recognized or Alfresco Content Services may not be available at this time."

I also tried accessing /alfresco, and I do see the admin page, which confirms that Alfresco is running.

To summarize:

All containers (alfresco, share, solr, external postgres) are up and running.
The data looks fine in the database.
The issue only occurs after performing the restore, even when done with Alfresco and Share fully stopped beforehand.
The logs don’t show any major SEVERE or ERROR

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

LeoMattioli — Mon, 26 May 2025 09:25:30 GMT

If Share stops working after the restore, maybe there's some configuration persisted in the DB. Connect to /alfresco Admin Console and open the "JMX Settings". If there is any configuration, that is taking precedence against your docker file. You can click "Revert" to remove it and fall back to alfresco-global.properties.

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

billybill07 — Mon, 26 May 2025 09:55:50 GMT

I accessed the Admin Console at http://192.168.17.1:8080/alfresco and logged in as admin. However, I couldn't find the JMX Console you mentioned. There’s no visible JMX console or “Revert” option.
Could it be that it’s missing in the Community Edition or needs to be enabled manually?

I’ve attached a screenshot for reference.

Thanks again for your help!

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

LeoMattioli — Mon, 26 May 2025 12:03:37 GMT

Sorry, I forgot Community doesn't have that page. Can you upload the alfresco.log? Remove any password or public hostname. Also, if you open the browser's Developer Tools before hitting the button "login" in share, do you have any error?

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

billybill07 — Mon, 26 May 2025 15:08:24 GMT

I re-restored the DB and after restarting Alfresco, the Share UI loaded the users/tasks for a few seconds, then crashed with a "500 Internal Server Error".
I’m attaching logs from the moment of the crash. The Network tab only shows the 500 error when accessing the users list.
Do you think some authority or orphaned data could be breaking Share after the restore?

the logs (the last 300 lines ) the .log file is not supported to sent here :

at org.alfresco.repo.node.db.DbNodeServiceImpl.getPrimaryParent_aroundBody84(DbNodeServiceImpl.java:1985) ~[alfresco-repository-25.1.0.71.jar:25.1.0.71]
at org.alfresco.repo.node.db.DbNodeServiceImpl$AjcClosure85.run(DbNodeServiceImpl.java:1) ~[alfresco-repository-25.1.0.71.jar:25.1.0.71]
at org.aspectj.runtime.reflect.JoinPointImpl.proceed(JoinPointImpl.java:164) ~[aspectjrt-1.9.22.1.jar:?]
at org.alfresco.traitextender.RouteExtensions.intercept(RouteExtensions.java:100) ~[alfresco-repository-25.1.0.71.jar:25.1.0.71]
at org.alfresco.repo.node.db.DbNodeServiceImpl.getPrimaryParent(DbNodeServiceImpl.java:1982) ~[alfresco-repository-25.1.0.71.jar:25.1.0.71]
at jdk.internal.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor255.invoke(Unknown Source) ~[?:?]

2025-05-26T14:09:43,051 [] INFO [alfresco.repo.admin] [http-nio-8080-exec-1] Using database URL 'jdbc:postgresql://192.168.17.1:5432/alfresco' with user 'alfresco'.
2025-05-26T14:09:43,055 [] INFO [alfresco.repo.admin] [http-nio-8080-exec-1] Connected to database PostgreSQL version 16.5 (Debian 16.5-1.pgdg120+1)
2025-05-26T14:09:43,056 [] INFO [api.probes.ProbeEntityResource] [http-nio-8080-exec-1] readyProbe: Success - Tested
2025-05-26T14:10:06,432 [] ERROR [quartz.core.JobRunShell] [SearchScheduler_Worker-1] Job Solr.SolrWatcher threw an unhandled Exception:
org.alfresco.error.AlfrescoRuntimeException: 04260061 Read timed out
at org.alfresco.repo.search.impl.solr.AbstractSolrAdminHTTPClient.getOperation(AbstractSolrAdminHTTPClient.java:96) ~[alfresco-repository-25.1.0.71.jar:25.1.0.71]
at org.alfresco.repo.solr.SOLRAdminClient.executeAction(SOLRAdminClient.java:221) ~[alfresco-repository-25.1.0.71.jar:25.1.0.71]
at org.alfresco.repo.solr.SOLRAdminClient$SolrTracker.pingSolr(SOLRAdminClient.java:333) ~[alfresco-repository-25.1.0.71.jar:25.1.0.71]
at org.alfresco.repo.solr.SOLRWatcherJob.execute(SOLRWatcherJob.java:54) ~[alfresco-repository-25.1.0.71.jar:25.1.0.71]
at org.quartz.core.JobRunShell.run(JobRunShell.java:203) [quartz-2.5.0.jar:2.5.0]
at org.quartz.simpl.SimpleThreadPool$WorkerThread.run(SimpleThreadPool.java:566) [quartz-2.5.0.jar:2.5.0]
Caused by: java.net.SocketTimeoutException: Read timed out

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

billybill07 — Tue, 27 May 2025 08:54:45 GMT

the logs : 2025-05-26T14:10:06,432 [] ERROR [quartz.core.JobRunShell] [SearchScheduler_Worker-1] Job Solr.SolrWatcher threw an unhandled Exception:
Picked up JAVA_TOOL_OPTIONS: -Dencryption.keystore.type=JCEKS -Dencryption.cipherAlgorithm=DESede/CBC/PKCS5Padding -Dencryption.keyAlgorithm=DESede -Dencryption.keystore.location=/usr/local/tomcat/shared/classes/alfresco/extension/keystore/keystore -Dmetadata-keystore.password=mp6yc0UD9e -Dmetadata-keystore.aliases=metadata -Dmetadata-keystore.metadata.password=oKIWzVdEdA -Dmetadata-keystore.metadata.algorithm=DESede

Caused by: org.alfresco.service.cmr.repository.InvalidNodeRefException: Node does not exist: workspace://SpacesStore/9bfd454c-8b4d-4a2a-bd45-4c8b4dda2a03 (status:null)
at org.alfresco.repo.node.db.DbNodeServiceImpl.getNodePairNotNull(DbNodeServiceImpl.java:187) ~[alfresco-repository-25.1.0.71.jar:25.1.0.71]
at org.alfresco.repo.node.db.DbNodeServiceImpl.getPrimaryParent_aroundBody84(DbNodeServiceImpl.java:1985) ~[alfresco-repository-25.1.0.71.jar:25.1.0.71]
at org.alfresco.repo.node.db.DbNodeServiceImpl$AjcClosure85.run(DbNodeServiceImpl.java:1) ~[alfresco-repository-25.1.0.71.jar:25.1.0.71]
at org.aspectj.runtime.reflect.JoinPointImpl.proceed(JoinPointImpl.java:164) ~[aspectjrt-1.9.22.1.jar:?]

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

LeoMattioli — Tue, 27 May 2025 09:55:44 GMT

Difficult. I can see only that a node is not existent, but without the full Stacktrace is not easy to understand what is doing (and even with full stack trace could be difficult).

The SolrJob error is not an issue: it's a periodic job that tries to gather statistics from SOLR.

The real issue is the "Node does not exist": it's doing a getPrimaryParent so, probably trying to evaluate the container of the node, maybe a group or a folder, and can't find it. I usually see those problems when there are customizations involved. You see the problems for all the users?

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

billybill07 — Tue, 27 May 2025 10:12:25 GMT

Thanks, Leo.

Yes, the issue seems to affect all users. After restoring the database and restarting the Alfresco container, I was briefly able to see the tasks and users on Share. But shortly after, an "Internal Server Error" appeared and everything became inaccessible.

There are no visible customizations on this Alfresco setup — it’s a fresh install on a VM using the official `acs-deployment` repo with Docker Compose, and the database restore was from another Alfresco Community instance.

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

LeoMattioli — Wed, 28 May 2025 05:44:04 GMT

Do you still have the old installation? Can you check what is the node workspace://SpacesStore/9bfd454c-8b4d-4a2a-bd45-4c8b4dda2a03 with the node browser?

Maybe you can find why the node is no more present after restore.

Can you run also these queries on old and new installation?

SELECT * FROM alf_node where uuid = '9bfd454c-8b4d-4a2a-bd45-4c8b4dda2a03'; SELECT * FROM alf_node_properties where node_id in (SELECT id FROM alf_node where uuid = '9bfd454c-8b4d-4a2a-bd45-4c8b4dda2a03'); SELECT * FROM alf_child_assoc where parent_node_id in (SELECT id FROM alf_node where uuid = '9bfd454c-8b4d-4a2a-bd45-4c8b4dda2a03') or child_node_id in (SELECT id FROM alf_node where uuid = '9bfd454c-8b4d-4a2a-bd45-4c8b4dda2a03');

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

billybill07 — Wed, 28 May 2025 08:42:07 GMT

I’ve just checked the node workspace://SpacesStore/9bfd454c-8b4d-4a2a-bd45-4c8b4dda2a03 using the Node Browser in the restored instance — it does not exist.

I also ran the SQL queries you provided on both the restored and original installations, and all three queries return 0 rows. The node is missing from the alf_node, alf_node_properties, and alf_child_assoc tables in both cases.

Even in the original environment, the Node Browser indicates that this node does not exist.
It looks like the node was already missing before the backup.

What would you suggest as the next step?

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

LeoMattioli — Wed, 28 May 2025 08:46:03 GMT

Check the logs, can you put them in a pdf file and attach to this? Maybe we can see the operation that is blocked and work around it.

Re: Restored PostgreSQL .sql Backup – Database Tables Exist but Alfresco Share Shows No Data

billybill07 — Thu, 29 May 2025 09:53:15 GMT

Thank you for your continued support.

As requested, I’ve exported the relevant Alfresco logs to a PDF file and attached it here. Hopefully, this will help identify the operation causing the issue after the database restoration.

Please let me know if any additional information or logs are needed — I’ll be happy to provide them.