Deleting the GPSTOPLog.ldf on a SSMS ver 15.0.18131.0

Willie, Joe 25

We have a 1.8TB log file that we want deleted from our 2016 Datacenter edition server. The log file GPSTOPLog.ldf on our SQL sever (SSMS 5.0.18131.0)is primarily used to capture issues with logging in and out and if deleted, recreate itself and we have no known issues where we believe that we’d need to look at this log file. So, we’d like GPSTOPLog.ldf deleted and, would you please tell us the steps of how you deleted it so we can delete, or truncate some of these log files going forward.

I have seen a few other related posts on how to do this, but I am hoping for a more specific response.

Erland Sommarskog 114.7K Reputation points MVP

2024-12-29T19:34:39.4566667+00:00

First of all, which version of SSMS you are using is not very relevant. SSMS is just a tool to talk to SQL Server, which does not have UI of its own. The version of SQL Server could matter, though. What does the query "SELECT @@version" return?

Next, you cannot delete a log file. Or, well, with brute force you can, but since the database cannot function without the log file, this means that you lose the entire database. So, don't do that!

The log file is not a file you look at, it is a file used to recover the database in case of a disaster. If it has grown to 1.8TB, this suggest it has not been managed correctly.

To give you an answer on how to deal with this situation, I need to know what your SLA (Service Level Agreement) is for the database, and specifically what your RPO (Recovery Point Objective). That is, if there is a disaster and the database is lost, how much data can you accept to lose? Will the business be content if your restore the backup taken during the night? Or do they want to lose as little as possible?
Willie, Joe 25 Reputation points

2024-12-29T19:43:16.5466667+00:00

Thank you for the quick response. You've certainly given me more to think about on this one and I will proceed with caution on this one.
Erland Sommarskog 114.7K Reputation points MVP

2024-12-29T19:46:36.8266667+00:00

Yes, you may need talk to your business users before you can give an answer. But 1.8TB log file is not exactly normal, so it is an issue you need to address. The question is only how. And that depends on the RPO.
Erland Sommarskog 114.7K Reputation points MVP

2024-12-29T19:50:04.76+00:00
Oh, by the way, what does this query return:

SELECT log_reuse_wait_desc FROM sys.databases WHERE name = 'yourdbhere'

1 answer

ZoeHui-MSFT 39,191 Reputation points

2024-12-30T06:50:02.4666667+00:00

Hi @Willie, Joe,

We have a 1.8TB log file

The file is so large, and the most common situation is that the database is in full recovery mode and the transaction log backups are not coming fast enough or not happening at all. Next, it may be that you have a large transaction, such as a large data import, rebuilding all indexes, etc. These will be recorded and remain there until the .ldf file is backed up.

You can refer to the following links to manage transaction log file size.

Manage the size of the transaction log file

Regards，

Zoe Hui

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Deleting the GPSTOPLog.ldf on a SSMS ver 15.0.18131.0

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