Reproducible: dbsrv17 -k

...stay tuned for more details.

The previous title was "Why are most DB_PROPERTY values returned as zero?" but the question is more fundamental: What could possibly make 17.0.10.5963 return '0' from DB_PROPERTY ( 'ConnCount' ) without crashing the server or causing other symptoms?

Why are most DB_PROPERTY values returned as zero?

I have never seen anything like this: The databases in one instance of SQL Anywhere 17.0.10.5963 are returning zero for many DB_PROPERTY values.

For example, DB_PROPERTY ( 'ConnCount' ) cannot be zero, yet for this server the return value is '0'.

Here are some excerpts from SELECT CURRENT TIMESTAMP, @@VERSION, * FROM sa_db_properties() from the suspect server, and from a test server on a different computer:

Suspect server...

2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,392,'ApproximateCPUTime','Approximate CPU time used','1724030.1124608'
...
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,2,'BytesReceived','Bytes received by server','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,3,'BytesReceivedUncomp','Bytes received after decompression','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,4,'BytesSent','Bytes sent to client','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,5,'BytesSentUncomp','Bytes sent before compression','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,10,'CacheHits','Cache Hits','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,16,'CacheRead','Cache reads','0'
...
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,43,'ConnCount','Number of active connections','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,393,'ConnectedTime','Total time connections have been connected','14877281.5125692'
...
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,54,'DiskRead','Disk reads','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,55,'DiskReadHint','Disk read hints','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,56,'DiskReadHintPages','Disk read hint pages','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,52,'DiskReadIndInt','Disk index interior reads','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,53,'DiskReadIndLeaf','Disk index leaf reads','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,63,'DiskReadTable','Disk table reads','0'
2020-02-12 08:53:22.426,'17.0.10.5963',0,66,'DiskReadWorkTable','Disk work table reads','0'

Working server...

2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,392,'ApproximateCPUTime','Approximate CPU time used','.2028544'
...
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,2,'BytesReceived','Bytes received by server','24501'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,3,'BytesReceivedUncomp','Bytes received after decompression','24501'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,4,'BytesSent','Bytes sent to client','11262'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,5,'BytesSentUncomp','Bytes sent before compression','11262'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,10,'CacheHits','Cache Hits','8914'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,16,'CacheRead','Cache reads','8914'
...
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,43,'ConnCount','Number of active connections','3'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,393,'ConnectedTime','Total time connections have been connected','89.2171611900035'
...
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,54,'DiskRead','Disk reads','191'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,55,'DiskReadHint','Disk read hints','146'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,56,'DiskReadHintPages','Disk read hint pages','222'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,52,'DiskReadIndInt','Disk index interior reads','10'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,53,'DiskReadIndLeaf','Disk index leaf reads','59'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,63,'DiskReadTable','Disk table reads','123'
2020-02-12 08:30:39.808,'17.0.10.5963',0,66,'DiskReadWorkTable','Disk work table reads','0'