Re: spfile vs pfile in 9i

Kenneth wrote:
> On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 00:21:03 +1000, "Howard J. Rogers"
> <hjr_at_dizwell.com> wrote:
>
> Point it : using a spfile does some basic validation. It does not
> validate *everything*, and I did not claim that.

I note Howard's point about what is validating what - specifically it is alter system that is doing the validation not the fact of writing to the spfile.

>
> Some validation is still better than no validation. Things don't have
> to be perfect to be valuable. Not for me, at least.

Here I entirely disagree. If you know (from bitter experience or whatever) that a system allows you to put garbage into it, then you tend to be very careful about what you are doing. A system however that appears to validate your input, whilst not in fact doing so or doing so incorrectly, actually falsely raises your confidence in the system.

In the case of the spfile, the fact that you can merrily stuff it up and then be unable to start the instance (because you can no longer edit the spfile) or correct the problem without restoring from backup is a rather large defect.
Niall Litchfield
Oracle DBA
http://www.niall.litchfield.dial.pipex.com Received on Tue Oct 26 2004 - 09:12:10 CDT