Re: Help: Oracle Web listener/Solaris error

"Colin Young" <cyoung_at_ceogroup.com> wrote:

>I'm receiving an error when I attempt to start up Oracle Web Listener 2.
>The error is:
>
>Error: DNS process exited with unexpected error.
>Error: The server could not initialize
>Information: The server is exiting
>
>The last two lines are normal if the server cannot start. The first line is
>the critical one. The operating system is Solaris 2.5.1. All other DNS
>services work (I can telnet into/out of the box, ftp in/out, nameserver
>lookup, ping, etc.) The only change I made before things quit working was
>to change the password for the WWW_DBA user (the user under whose
>privileges a HTTP client accesses maintenance functions). Oracle (7.3.2)
>runs and functions correctly.
>
>Oracle tech support has no clue what the problem is. There are no entries
>in any of the log/error files (and it doesn't matter how many times they
>ask, the errors still aren't there).
>
>Has anybody encountered this problem? Any ideas what it might be?
>
>Any help appreciated. Thanks.
>
>--
>Colin Young
>cyoung_at_ceogroup.com
>cayoung_at_cycor.ca
>

  I have all kinds of different errors with the webserver,  which can be fixed by running backing up the webserver config  for safety. Then rm $ORACLE_HOME/ows2.1 then reinstall the  webserver from the original distribution disks. It should  only take a few minutes.

  If Oracle were to provide some documentation about the config  files it would be pretty easy to figure out. However all of the  Oracle WebServer docs are online and accessable via a browser,  which doesn't do anyone any good if they cannot get the admin  listener to work.

  Once you do get it working keep a copy of the  "$ORACLE_HOME/ows2.1/admin/svadmin.cfg" file which is the  configuration for the admin web listener which runs on port  8888. Inside of the file is the setting for which userid  the web listener runs under.

 One problem that I have found is that if you configure a web  listener to run on port 80 you have to start it as root.  Also you can look at the svadmin.cfg file with any text editor  and figure out the passwords used to access the web server.

 The configuration for the DCD (Database Configuration Descriptors)  are also text files which you can edit to change a password.  I find that it is much easier to edit the config files with vi  and then start and stop the web listener with "wlctl21". You  can also make a backup copy of the config file in case you make  any mistakes.

 Editing the config files isn't much different than editing the  http or apache config files except for the total lack of  documentation.

 But I'm sure everyone has the time and the money to call  Oracle Tech support and wait on hold for 10 or 15  minutes so that they can tell you they need to schedule a  callback by a "Web Expert."  

• ========= ========= ========= ========= Noah Monsey noah_at_goodnet.com
• ========= ========= ========= ========= The only dumb question is the one that you don't ask.
• ========= ========= ========= ========= Oracle Master Database Administration, April 1992 Oracle Master Application Development, April 1992
• ========= ========= ========= =========