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It's very misleading. Some explainaton say that "During checkpoint, dirty buffers are written into the disk" and at someother point we also come across statements like "A checkpoint occurs when the dirty buffers are written to the disk". I mean, which one of them is true? There is a sea of difference between the two hypothesises. Can someone clarify my obscurity?
Many thanks in advance..
DBWR writes dirty buffers to files when one of the following occurs.
- dirty list reaches a threshold value.
- A process scans a specified number of blocks in LRU list but doesn't find a free block.
- a time-out occurs.
- a checkpoint occurs.
So, a checkpoint forces DBWR to write dirty blocks to datafile BUT writing of dirty blocks to datafile in other scenarios doesn't force any checkpoint.
HTH
Hi,
The truth is "During checkpoint ,dirty buffers are written to the disk".From Oracle 7.3 ,there is a event called the checkpoint event.This event occurs because DBWR is very lazy in writing the dirty database buffers from database buffer cache to the datafiles.Whenever a checkpoint happens,LGWR writes the contents of the redolog buffer to the online redolog files.It then signals DBWR to write the contents of the database buffer cache to the datafiles. Also checkpoint occurs due to various situations such as a log switch,when the database is shutdown normal,transactional or immediate option,when u put ur tablespace in read-only mode or when you take ur tablespace offline with normal option or through checkpoint parameters in ur init.ora parameter file i.e LOG_CHECKPOINT_TIMEOUT and LOG_CHECKPOINT_INTERVAL.
Regards,
Rohit nirkhe,oracle/Apps DBA,OCP 8i
[email protected]
From the Concepts Guide ...
"The DBWn process writes dirty buffers to disk under the following conditions:
* When a server process cannot find a clean reusable buffer after scanning a threshold number of buffers, it signals DBWn to write. DBWn writes dirty buffers to disk asynchronously while performing other processing.
* DBWn periodically writes buffers to advance the checkpoint,which is the position in the redo thread (log) from which instance recovery begins. This log position is determined by the oldest dirty buffer in the buffer cache."
... and ...
"Checkpoint (CKPT) At specific times, all modified database buffers in the SGA are written to the datafiles by DBWn. This event is called a checkpoint. The checkpoint process is responsible for signaling DBWn at checkpoints and updating all the datafiles and control files of the database to indicate the most recent checkpoint."
Anyhow, I think that both explanations you quote are true - I see no contradiction in them, they are just looking at the process from different angles.
If you take a checkpoint, all the dirty buffers must be written to disk -- if you write all dirty bufers to disk, you can take a checkpoint.
Hi
Dirty Buffers are written to disk only under two circumstances.
1. When an Oracle process requests data, it searches the data in the buffer cache, and if it finds data, the result is a cache hit. If it cannot find the data, the result is a cache miss, and data then needs to be copied from disk to the buffer.Before reading a data block into the cache, the process must first find a free buffer. The server process on behalf of the user process searches either until it finds a free buffer or until it has searched the threshold limit of buffers. If the server process finds a dirty buffer as it searches the LRU list, it moves that buffer to the write list and continues to search. If an Oracle server process searches the threshold limit of buffers without finding a free buffer, the process stops searching and signals the DBWn background process to write some of the dirty buffers to disk.
2. When a checkpoint occurs. Checkpoints help to reduce the time required for instance recovery. A checkpoint is an event that flushes the modified data from the buffer cache to the disk and updates the control file and data files. The checkpoint process (CKPT) updates the headers of data files and control files; the actual blocks
are written to the file by the DBWn process.
Checkpoint occurs when log switch takes place. or depending on the values of LOG_CHECKPOINT_INTERVAL(blocks) and LOG_CHECKPOINT_TIMEOUT(seconds).
So you can say during checkpoint, dirty buffers are written to the disk.
Hope this helps
Regards
Amar
Oops! i need to increase my typing speed :-)
Cmon dude, how do you understand both to be true:rolleyes: :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally posted by slimdave
Anyhow, I think that both explanations you quote are true - I see no contradiction in them, they are just looking at the process from different angles.
If one says "A" happens due to "B" and the other says "B" happens due to "A", do you feel they are the same (and looking the process from different angle !?!)... Only one can be a "Catalyst" and the other "Reaction". Both can't be both.
Now coming back to the topic, I guess most want to say that "During Checkpoint, DBWR writes from buffers to files".
See this exact extract from SYBEX Series for OCP DBA 8i - which says - "A checkpoint occurs when the dirty buffers are written to the disk" Now does this mean it's an interpretation mistake of SYBEX.. can we conclude that.. I am looking for some Guru's to acknowledge this..
Regards,
Quester
Its wrong... By writting dirty blocks to datafile doesn't force or occure checkpoint. You can force checkpoint to write dirty blocks to datafile.. The question is quite well answered by Sanjay.Quote:
Originally posted by quester
See this exact extract from SYBEX Series for OCP DBA 8i - which says - "A checkpoint occurs when the dirty buffers are written to the disk" Now does this mean it's an interpretation mistake of SYBEX.. can we conclude that.. I am looking for some Guru's to acknowledge this..
It is definetely under the auspicious of the LRU mechanism but the Dirty blocks are subjected to the mechanism of MRU due to which the checkpoint is enforced writing the dirty block back to the datafile.Quote:
Originally posted by Sameer
Its wrong... By writting dirty blocks to datafile doesn't force or occure checkpoint. You can force checkpoint to write dirty blocks to datafile.. The question is quite well answered by Sanjay.
So far very good discussion.
VAST
I think you are getting distracted by semantics. Writing all dirty buffers to disk allows a checkpoint to be taken, and taking a checkpoint requires that all dirty buffers be written to disk. Both of these scenarios make perfect sense, so there oughtn't to be any confusion.Quote:
Originally posted by quester
Cmon dude, how do you understand both to be true:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
If one says "A" happens due to "B" and the other says "B" happens due to "A", do you feel they are the same (and looking the process from different angle !?!)... Only one can be a "Catalyst" and the other "Reaction". Both can't be both.
Now coming back to the topic, I guess most want to say that "During Checkpoint, DBWR writes from buffers to files".
See this exact extract from SYBEX Series for OCP DBA 8i - which says - "A checkpoint occurs when the dirty buffers are written to the disk" Now does this mean it's an interpretation mistake of SYBEX.. can we conclude that.. I am looking for some Guru's to acknowledge this..
Regards,
Quester
If you come across statements that appear to be contradictory, I suggest that you look at the Oracle documentation to resolve the issue. It took me about 60 seconds to do so myself.
First of all thanks for all the responses. I am clear that the First point is right and SYBEX has made a mistake either "theoritically" or "English Language Based".
..Well.. again, you see you may derive your own way of understanding things to benefit your convinience of notions. But 'ENGLISH' remains the same. A statement of meaning can only be precise..it cannot be "Subjective" left to the imaginations of the reader. A "technical statement" ought to be precise and not poetry. I hope you will agree.Quote:
Originally posted by slimdave
I think you are getting distracted by semantics. Writing all dirty buffers to disk allows a checkpoint to be taken, and taking a checkpoint requires that all dirty buffers be written to disk. Both of these scenarios make perfect sense, so there oughtn't to be any confusion.
Your words of "Allows" and "Requires" are your imaginations to suit your notion, it has no bearing on what SYBEX has said as "A checkpoint occurs when the dirty buffers are written to the disk" . To me, I am in no-way supportive to this statement of SYBEX, regardless of how one would want to interpret based on their convinences. In My Honest Opinion, it's a GROSS MISTAKE on SYBEX's part of either "understanding the concepts" or "English Usage". Period.
Irrespective of what the SYBEX is saying is not to our discomfiture.Quote:
Originally posted by quester
First of all thanks for all the responses. I am clear that the First point is right and SYBEX has made a mistake either "theoritically" or "English Language Based".
..Well.. again, you see you may derive your own way of understanding things to benefit your convinience of notions. But 'ENGLISH' remains the same. A statement of meaning can only be precise..it cannot be "Subjective" left to the imaginations of the reader. A "technical statement" ought to be precise and not poetry. I hope you will agree.
Your words of "Allows" and "Requires" are your imaginations to suit your notion, it has no bearing on what SYBEX has said as "A checkpoint occurs when the dirty buffers are written to the disk" . To me, I am in no-way supportive to this statement of SYBEX, regardless of how one would want to interpret based on their convinences. In My Honest Opinion, it's a GROSS MISTAKE on SYBEX's part of either "understanding the concepts" or "English Usage". Period.
Nevertheless whatever database might be it is all for the sole reason of basic nomenclature and same can be construed for all databases as ORACLE being one of them.
It is very interesting and misleading when the AUTHOR of this query poser mentioned the misleading factor of Checkpoint behaviour.
Perhaps there should be misconstrued by readers and the same can be interpreted.
Anyhow very nice discussion and good understanding
VAST
I think nothing was so interestng as this paragraph of yours:) Anyways, I take it as a compliment:cool:Quote:
Originally posted by vastdba
It is very interesting and misleading when the AUTHOR of this query poser mentioned the misleading factor of Checkpoint behaviour.
Anyhow very nice discussion and good understanding
VAST
I have no idea what a "convenience of notions" is, or how my "word of" allow and requires are "imaginations", but if the point you were raising is that technical documentation is often poorly written/inaccurate then you are quite right. That's why I pointed you towards the Oracle manuals -- they are (usually) much more accurate, and often better written, than books by third-parties. The main thing is that we all now understand the relationship between checkpoints and dirty buffers, I think.Quote:
Originally posted by quester
..Well.. again, you see you may derive your own way of understanding things to benefit your convinience of notions. But 'ENGLISH' remains the same. A statement of meaning can only be precise..it cannot be "Subjective" left to the imaginations of the reader. A "technical statement" ought to be precise and not poetry. I hope you will agree.
Your words of "Allows" and "Requires" are your imaginations to suit your notion, it has no bearing on what SYBEX has said as "A checkpoint occurs when the dirty buffers are written to the disk" . To me, I am in no-way supportive to this statement of SYBEX, regardless of how one would want to interpret based on their convinences. In My Honest Opinion, it's a GROSS MISTAKE on SYBEX's part of either "understanding the concepts" or "English Usage". Period. [/B]
For a real feast of inaccuracies and misleading statements, try "SQL for Dummies" -- it's a real laugh.