RE: Oracle in NT and file locks

From: O'Neill, Sean <Sean.ONeill_at_organon.ie>
Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 10:48:59 +0100
Message-Id: <10690.122840@fatcity.com>

Tim,

Thanx for taking the time to post this. I hit a similar problem with Veritas backup and v7.3.3 database.
We take disk-to-disk cold backups so I had the luxury of asking NT admin guy to exclude the Oracle data files from the backup cycle, as they were being backed up from disk-to-disk copy. As for Veritas backup exec, which I don't manage, I get the impression, from your posting, that Veritas can be configured to overcome this problem?. If so I'd like to hear more please!.

Sean :)

######   ######  ######  ###### 
#    #   #    #  #    #  #    #  Rookie
####     #    #  ######  ######  Data
#   #    #    #  #    #  #    #  Base 
#    #  #######  ######  #    #  Adminstrator
-------------------------------- ------------ 

Organon (Ireland) Ltd.
E-mail: sean.oneill_at_organon.ie [subscribed: Digest Mode]

Visit: http://www.egroups.com/group/Oracle-OCP-DBA

The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.

• Theodore Roosevelt

>------------------------------

>
> From: Tim Onions <tim.onions_at_speechmachines.com>
> Date: Thu, 23 Nov 2000 09:42:54 -0000
> Subject: Oracle in NT and file locks
>
>I'm new-ish to Oracle on NT (UNIX & VMS background) this was news to me and
>got me out of bed last night. So I thought I'd share it with the list.
>Apologies if it is old-hat or irrelevant but the consequences are serious

if

>you do not realise how Oracle locks any of its files under NT (and that
>includes redo logs and control files as well as database files). This is a
>snip from WWS:
>
><SNIP>
>On NT Oracle does not lock any of the files (datafiles, redolog files,
>controlfiles etc). There is a "shared lock", you cannot delete files of a
>running database, but other processes can go in and lock parts of files as
>well. That's the way it has been designed and nothing can or will be done
>about that. 
>
>Problems start when other programs take locks on pieces of the database
>files that we try to write to (eg backup software other than NT backup
>command but it could be ANYTHING).
></SNIP>
>
>In my case Veritas backup exec had been configured incorrectly and was
>taking write locks on my duplexed redo logs and control files. Oracle fell
>over in a horrible mess (ora-600s, dropped threads, no ability to connect
>even as internal) and the only solution was to restart NT.

Received on Fri Nov 24 2000 - 03:48:59 CST