Re: spfile vs pfile in 9i

Niall Litchfield wrote:
>
> Howard J. Rogers wrote:
> > Niall Litchfield wrote:
> >
> > > "Richard Stanton" <richardpstanton_at_yahoo.com> wrote in message
> > > news:87bc8a5f.0410132342.64e5a5bf_at_posting.google.com...
> > >> richardpstanton_at_yahoo.com (Richard Stanton) wrote in message
> > >> news:<87bc8a5f.0410120846.75eeb98e_at_posting.google.com>...
> > >>> Hello
> > >>>
> > >>> can anyone explain to me what the advantages of using spfiles are
> over
> > >>> the traditional pfiles? Is it just the ability to make changes
> to the
> > >>> database on the fly without editing files etc?
> > >
> > > dynamic changes without restart is one.
> >
> > That is 1000% incorrect. It's burleson-speak (which amounts to the
> same
> > thing).
>
> ouch!
>
> > The existence of the SPFILE makes not a single parameter more or less
> > dynamically settable than when an init.ora is used.
> <snip>
> > If you meant to say that the existence of the spfile means you don't
> have to
> > remember to manually edit a file to make the dynamic changes persist
> across
> > instance startups, then say so. But try not to imply that dynamic
> changes
> > are now possible with one that aren't with the other, because that is
> > simply not true.
>
> That was what I had in mind. You are correct however that I didn't say
> it, and that what I did say was incorrect and misleading for which I
> apologize. I also had in mind that Oracle itself utilizes the spfile
> (specifically) for (at least) DataGuard and is likely to do so more as
> time goes on.
>
> > > ability to control multiple instances from one file.
> >
> > You can do that with an init.ora. The init.ora is perfectly capable
> of using
> > the "*." notation which the spfile introduced, and therefore multiple
> > instances can be controlled just fine with one.
>
> That I didn't know. Thank you.
>
> > In summary: don't over-sell the spfile. It is merely a binary version
> of the
> > init.ora, and intrinsically has no advantages over the init.ora at
> all.
>
> I'm not a fan of the spfile. I cannot understand why it isn't text
> only, indeed it would seem to be the sort of thing that xml was
> invented for. I do hope my post wasn't a sales pitch saying you must
> use it.
>
> Niall Litchfield
> Oracle DBA
> http://www.niall.litchfield.dial.pipex.com

when you work at a site where you have SYSDBA access but not any access to the box itself, then an SPFILE is a nice thing to have. Much better than having a DBA start the database from a pfile sitting on their own C: drive (or worse)

hth
connor

-- 
Connor McDonald
Co-author: "Mastering Oracle PL/SQL - Practical Solutions"
ISBN: 1590592174

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