Lotus Notes Archive RRV Bucket Corrupt

IBM Notes is a popular application that is considered an email program by most but isn’t. The application is a collaboration of a number of applications that combine to create a well-integrated tool for organizational usage and communication purpose along with data creation & maintenance of data/records. Therefore, the application is built with a number of components one of which is RRV, i.e. Record Relocation Vector. The following segment discusses about the same and the condition where Lotus Notes Archive RRV bucket corrupt.

The RRV Bucket in IBM Notes

An RRV is a Record Relocation Vector that directly points to the primary database of IBM Notes. The vector is meant for commanding IBM Notes application about the NotesID location on machine. In case a user attempts to access any of the mailbox email components, the vector finds this item by tracking down the object identifier within the respective database.

IMPORTANT: An issue of any sort that occurs with involvement to the vector also ends up corrupting the primary database.

Therefore, as a result the database user receives a message stating that the Lotus Notes RRV Bucket is Corrupt. The message states IBM Notes is unable to find the object identifier that is being looked for. Nevertheless, there is a high possibility of other reasons being involved in such an issue. Moreover, some of the causes have been listed below that occur in the most common of situations displaying the mentioned message as a result:

1. The RRV bucket is excessively damaged and Notes is failing to open it resulting in the occurrence of the message. This kind of situation generally takes place when the icons or bookmarks are corrupt. A quick fix RRV bucket error would be to first backup the files and then change the name of desktop5.dsk (R5) file. Once you are done, perform a rebuild.
2. When IBM Notes application is failing to start up despite renaming and rebuilding the dsk file, the user must try to rename the bookmark file. When unsuccessful at logging onto the application, you are supposed to remove any or all-corrupt icons from the workspace. These kinds of conditions are common to take place and are prominent in case of a database that is template based.
3. When caught up with a similar issue, you are suggested to follow the given steps as a resolution for RRV bucket error:
   1. Attempt to restore data from the last known healthy backup of the database.
   2. Use the command: R fixup -f followed by compact -c -i in order to recover a corrupt Notes database file.

RRV bucket corruption messages appear in different forms and the fixture applied to each such case differs from the other one. Other such messages include ‘HTTP Web Server: Lotus Notes Exception – RRV Bucket is Corrupt’. The mail in such a condition can neither be opened on the Notes interface and nor on the Web. Using the ‘Design Refresh or Replace’ in a similar case has resulted in helping resolve the problem.

1. Compact your database as the first step. Compaction of the database reduces the overall size of the database by reducing the available unused space. A temporary replication of the database is generated first and compaction is then performed. The database is then changed back to its original form.
   1. Open the Notes database
   2. Now go to File menu and select Properties from Database
   3. Go to Info Tab
   4. Click on the % used
   5. If the unused space in the database is in or around 10% then perform compact process
   6. Click on Compact
2. Process the task for mail file convert
   1. Shut down the router
   2. Run the command: load convert -e maildirectory\mailfilename
   3. The command is to avoid routing the mail to the primary mail file.

NOTE: A user’s mail file is stored within the Mail Directory

1. Now enable the IMAP settings for all mail files in the subdirectory via: load convert -e mail\*.nsf command
2. When you are done with the above stated steps, load the router using the command for load
3. Perform configuration of IMAP client

Exception Case: If you are still unable to fix lotus notes RRV bucket error then I would suggest you to convert lotus notes nsf to outlook pst, and after successful conversion processes All emails can be opened easily using Outlook from converted PST file.

Conclusion: As per the observation, all the above stated methods are applicable for a situation where Lotus Notes archive RRV bucket corrupt. However, on not ending up with a solution you are advised to take help from a third party solution instead of wasting time and efforts in resolving the issue on your own.