Impact of System Configuration on Oracle Latch Contention

One of the regular contributors to these NG's observed in a recent message that "If processes wait unacceptably long for a latched row, it is called latch contention. But it should not happen in a correctly configured system."

Could someone expand on that observation and address what does and does not contribute to correct system configuration as it relates to latch contention in an Oracle database? Alternatively, could someone point me to relevant literature on the subject?

Thanks and regards,

PJF Received on Sat Mar 17 2001 - 20:16:20 CST