Rename/Moving Alert Log.

[smoothyc]

I'm a newly apointed DBA at my job and the SR. DBA is out. Our alert logs are larger than we'd like to have them.

Can I save off the current alter log by renaming it (to .old) while the database is up and running? Will Oracle create another alert log
dynamically when it needs to if it doesn't exists?

We are on a Solaris system running Oracle 8.0.6 and 8.1.7.


Thanks,
smoothyc

[dbasupuser]

I have tried this and it sure works. Rename the alert log and have a new alert.log file so that oracle can start writing to the blank file. I guess oracle p'bly would create a new one but to be in the safe side just have a blank file out there.

[launchpad]

Sure, you can, just rename it to something like filename.old. Oracle will create new alert file dynamically while instance is up.

[smoothyc]

Thanks. I will rename it on our development box and if all goes well... onto production.

Thanks again for all the help!

smoothyc...

[kgb]

If you run Linux, do not try to rename or move trace files of background processes, you will not crush Oracle, but Oracle will keep file handle opened even if file does not exists anymore. In that situation all trace information will not be written, new trace files will not be created.