In this module you learned a great deal about the location usage, definition and application of Oracle log and trace files for Oracle Network Services troubleshooting. The main points of this module include:
- The location of the main Oracle trace files is governed by the init.ora parameters.
- Log files provide overall information, and trace files offer detailed session information.
- Oracle tracing is very resource intensive and should only be used sporadically and for short duration.
- Listener tracing can be set in the listsner.ora file, or it can be activated with the “lsnrctl trace” command.
- Client tracing involved changing the local sqlnet.ora file, and exiting and re-entering the application.
- Trace files can provide highly detailed information about a Net8 connection, but they are rarely used to diagnose connectivity problems.
- To diagnose an Oracle Network Services connection problem, check.
- connectivity to the server (tnsping)
- connectivity to the listener (server-side loopback connection)
- connectivity from the client to the server.
The next module addresses the important issue of Oracle security in a Net8 environment.
To implement log tracing in Oracle, several components are required:
- Oracle Database: This is the core component that needs to be installed and configured before log tracing can be implemented.
- Oracle Trace File Analyzer (TFA): TFA is a collection of command-line tools that can be used to collect diagnostic data from an Oracle database and analyze it to troubleshoot issues.
- Oracle Diagnostics Pack: This pack is an optional, paid component that provides additional diagnostic capabilities for Oracle databases. It includes tools such as the Automatic Database Diagnostics Monitor (ADDM) and the SQL Tuning Advisor.
- Oracle Trace File Analyzer Collector (TFAC): TFAC is a Java-based tool that can be used to collect diagnostic data from an Oracle database and send it to TFA for analysis.
- Oracle Trace File Analyzer Repository (TFAR): TFAR is a database schema that can be used to store diagnostic data collected by TFA and TFAC.
In addition to these components, the DBA needs to configure the database to generate trace files and configure TFA to collect and analyze the trace files. This typically involves setting specific initialization parameters, setting trace levels for specific components, and configuring TFA to collect and analyze the trace files. It is important to note that the specific implementation and configuration of log tracing can vary depending on the version of Oracle database and the specific use case.
