Re: Help with backup control file to trace

Andrew,

I presume you are running on Unix ?

If so, I have suffered from the same problem. The trace file is saved as 'ora_nnnnn.trc' in the USER_DUMP_DEST location.

If this is the first time in this session that you have 'alter database backup controlfile to trace' then a file is created and 'nnnnn; is the process id of the process called 'oracleSID' on the server. (SID being the instance SID as normal !)

If this is the second time, then the file is 'assumed' to have been created already and nothing appear to be written to the original trace file. On my DBA course (for O7) I was told that this is all down to Unix buffereing - but I am just a wee bit suspicious of that explanation, especially as I have since found out that subsequent calls actually APPEND to the first file. (I'm on HP others might be different.)

I do remember on my course, that the second attempt to create a trace file didn't produce anything, and didn't append either - but I can't remember which flavour of Unix I was using then - but I think it was Solaris. We had to shut down the instance and restart it to get the trace file out second time around. This gives the 'oracleSID' process a different process id.

Try the following on a test instance :

1. Delete everything from USER_DUMP_DEST (or move it safely out of the directory)
2. Run svrmgrl and do the command
3. Switch into the OS again, and check the contents of the USER_DUMP_DEST - there should be a single file called 'ora_nnnnn.trc'. Run 'ls -l' and note the results (date time size).
4. Back in svrmgrl again, run the command again.
5. Do step 3 again, and see if there was a difference - if so, the file has either been overwritten or appended to. If not it is probably a Solaris thing.

HTH Norman.

Norman Dunbar		EMail:	NDunbar_at_LynxFinancialSystems.co.uk
Database/Unix administrator	Phone:	0113 289 6265
Lynx Financial Systems Ltd.	Fax:	0113 201 7265
			URL:	http://www.LynxFinancialSystems.com


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-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Au [mailto:andrewa1_at_home.com] Posted At: Wednesday, May 09, 2001 4:29 AM Posted To: server
Conversation: Help with backup control file to trace Subject: Help with backup control file to trace

Has anyone seen this problem before?
I am running Oracle 8.1.6 on Solaris. When I issue Alter database backup controlfile to trace

it is supposed to generate a trace file in the udump directory. But sometimes it does not create anything in the udump. It just executes the command but no trace file is generated. I checked the udump directory as specified in:

show parameters dump

so I am sure I am looking at the right directory. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. This is driving me crazy.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Please Email me as well as posting to this group. Received on Wed May 09 2001 - 03:51:35 CDT