Re: UTL_FILE : invalid_path error

Christopher Beck wrote:

> On Thu, 22 Jul 1999 16:37:53 +1200, "Alistair Connor"
> <alistair_at_webmasters.co.nz> wrote:
> >Modifying a package which uses the UTL_FILE package.
> >Package runs OK on production machine (O 7.3 on Solaris)
> >but on Development box (O 8.0.5 on Linux Redhat 5.1)
> >I get invalid_path error every time I try to open a file (UTL_FILE.FOPEN)
> >This happens even when the path is /tmp i.e. it is not a file rights issue.
> Verify that the init parameter UTL_FILE_DIR is set to the directory
> where the package is attempting to open the file. The package utl_file can
> only open file in directories where this parameter is set to. You
> can have multiple dirs by having multiple definitions of this parameter
> eg.
> utl_file_dir = /tmp
> utl_file_dir = /export/home/clbeck
> or if you want to allow utl_file to open a file anywhere then
> utl_file_dir = *
> will do the trick.
> If you change the value of utl_file_dir then you will have to restart the
> database for it to take effect.
> hope this helps.

You can also specify multiple directories like this:

utl_file_dir = (/tmp,/usr/tmp,/var/tmp)

The general suggestion is that you do not use '*' since that essentially gives you the ability to override permissions since it operations with suid privliges. I don't understand exactly why this is true, but that is the way it works. It is considered a security hole. Basically what it would allow you to do is examine any file on the system even if privileges are 000.

Ken Received on Thu Jul 22 1999 - 07:56:06 CDT