RE: alter system reset

Is the want to read the spfile just a curiosity? One should not rely on either the init.ora or the spfile to determine which parameters are set, but should query the database.

Now that we have both init.ora and an spfile someone is going to get caught. For instance a patch requirement requires 150 MB shared_pool and java_pool sizes and warns about an unrecoverable memory error if the pools are undersized. The person dutifully makes the changes to the init.ora and starts the database, but forgets that an spfile is being used with the database He then starts the patch and it fails with the unrecoverable memory error.

I would have been caught by this if my patchset installation procedure did not include "show parameter" to verify their settings.

Ian MacGregor
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
ian_at_SLAC.Stanford.edu

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2003 8:19 PM To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

Prem,

The SPFILE should never be opened to be modified; opening a file to see the contents are acceptable and that's what I said. Sometimes opening the file in an editor may not be needed; "type" in Windows command prompt or "cat" in unix will let us achive the same objective.

Talking about the SPFILE modification, you can't effectively modify it with accuracy. The file is binary (actually binary in the beginning and then text towards the bottom part), so even if you open it in notepad and save it, there is no guarantee that the file will be accurately saved with all contents intact.

By the way, I have edited the SPFILE in some cases, only in development, though; but I wouldn't advise it to be done that way; always use ALTER SYSTEM ... SCOPE=SPFILE to modify it or edit the init.ora file and then create the SPFILE from it. You can create the spfile from pfile even when the instance is down.

HTH. Arup

• Original Message ----- To: "Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L" <ORACLE-L_at_fatcity.com> Sent: Monday, September 01, 2003 10:49 PM

> Arup Bhai, i remember oracle docs saying NOT to open a spfile and that
> it

may even
> corrupt the file.
>
> Is that always true ?
> Can the spfile be opened ?
> can you kindly explain me ?
>
> Thanks & Regards,
> Prem Khanna J.
>
>
> 02-09-2003 04:14:26, "Arup Nanda" <orarup_at_hotmail.com> wrote:
> >Does the entry even exist in the SPFILE? Open up the spfile in
> >notepad

and
> >check the existence of the parameter in there. Do the following:
> >SQL> alter system set undo_suppress_errors = false scope=spfile
sid='ananda';
> >System altered.
> >SQL> ALTER SYSTEM RESET undo_suppress_errors scope=spfile
> >SQL> sid='ananda';
> >System altered.
> >Arup
>
>
>
> --
> Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.net
> --
> Author: Prem Khanna J
> INET: jprem_at_kssnet.co.jp
>
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  INET: orarup_at_hotmail.com

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  INET: ian_at_SLAC.Stanford.EDU

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