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Thread: What would happened if alert.log file is not accessible ?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Posts
    141

    Question

    Hi !

    I thought that if the alert.log file was not accessible (owned by root for instance), and if a background process had to write in it (during a logfile switch for instance), no transaction could occur on the database : no update until the backgroup process could write.

    But apparently, this is not true ...

    In that case, when are going the logs when the alert.log file is not reachable ?
    Because I could'nt found any alert.log file (even in the $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/log directory)...

    Thanks a lot in advance ...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    50
    the alertSID.log is specified in your initSID.ora , the parameter that defines is "background_dump_dest" guess if look for this parameter u'll get the actual path....
    Aniruddha Gupta

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
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    141
    The background_dump_dest was set correctly.
    But the alert.log file was modified by Unix user root.
    So the Oracle background processes could not modified the alert.log file.
    For example, when a switch of redo-log file occurs, the lgwr process creates a trace file which contains the following line :
    Cannot open alert file "/oracle/admin/ins1/bdump/alert_ins1.log"; errno = 13

    But the switch was done ... And updates are permitted.

    Where are the Oracle traces directed to ?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
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    Up s**t creek
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    1,525
    Originally posted by htanga
    The background_dump_dest was set correctly.
    But the alert.log file was modified by Unix user root.
    So the Oracle background processes could not modified the alert.log file.
    For example, when a switch of redo-log file occurs, the lgwr process creates a trace file which contains the following line :
    Cannot open alert file "/oracle/admin/ins1/bdump/alert_ins1.log"; errno = 13

    But the switch was done ... And updates are permitted.

    Where are the Oracle traces directed to ?
    Surely if you have read this trace file to get the above output you know where the Oracle traces are directed to??

    The database will not stop activity because the alert log cannot be written to, but it will generate traces as you have seen.

    What are you trying to resolve?

    Regards
    Jim
    Oracle Certified Professional
    "Build your reputation by helping other people build theirs."

    "Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit but its still funny"

    Click HERE to vist my website!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
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    141
    1) The database will not stop activity because the alert log cannot be written to, but it will generate traces.
    But during this period, any Oracle errors (ORA-00600 or others), or any informations are written nowhere ... I thought that the database really needs the alert.log file.

    2) Other question : what would happened if the background_dump_dest directory was dropped ? Will the database stop activity ?

    Thanks a lot for your answers !
    Best regards.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
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    Up s**t creek
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    If the background dump destination is not availiable Oracle will write to it's default location $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/log

    Regards
    Jim
    Oracle Certified Professional
    "Build your reputation by helping other people build theirs."

    "Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit but its still funny"

    Click HERE to vist my website!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Posts
    42
    Every background process opens that file (alertSID.log)

    when a process writes to that file and if it doesn't find the file it throws error(just like your log trace).So you'll
    be getting continuous traces like this.

    so you better ask root to give write permission on that file
    to oracle_owner(or change back to original permission)

    The traces messages are going no where .They are in the buffer...They'll be continuosly flushed i guess

    Hope this clears your doubt

    GOOD LUCK


    In GOD I find everything

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Posts
    141
    "The traces messages are going no where."

    That's all I wanted to know ...
    I was just asking that because during a short period of time, the alert.log file has belonged to root, so I just wanted to know if I was susceptible to have loose some Oracle messages ... and unfortunatly the answer is apparently yes.

    Thanks a lot !
    Best regards.

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