How to Invoke Tracing

1. Choose the component to be traced:

• client

• server

• listener

• Connection Manager and pump (cmanager)

• Navigator (navigator)

• Names Server

• Names Control Utility

• TNSPING Utility

2. If an existing trace file from a previous trace session exists for a listener or a client and you need to retain the information in it, save that file under another name. Otherwise, the new trace file will overwrite the existing trace file. (For Interchange components and the server, the trace facility appends a process identifier to each trace file, so each one is unique.)

For the Names Server, the trace facility appends a process identifier to each trace file only if NAMES.TRACE_UNIQUE is set to ON or TRUE in the NAMES.ORA file. For the Names Control Utility, the trace facility appends a process identifier to each trace file only if NAMESCTL.TRACE_UNIQUE is set to ON or TRUE in the SQLNET.ORA file. To ensure unique trace files, you must set NAMES.TRACE_UNIQUE to ON in NAMES.ORA, then restart the Names Server. You cannot set this from the Names Control Utility.

3. The trace facility for the listener is controlled through the Listener Control Utility. The trace facilities for the Connection Manager and pumps and for the Navigator are invoked through the Interchange Control Utility. For the listener, the LSNRCTL TRACE command can be used to set the trace level while the component is running; for Interchange components, the INTCTL TRACE_ON command does the same thing.

If you use this method, steps 4 and 5 can be skipped. See Understanding SQL*Net and the Oracle MultiProtocol Interchange Administrator's Guide for specific syntax.

Ttacing for the Names Server and Names Control Utility itself is invoked either from NAMESCTL or by setting the parameter in the configuration file and restarting the Names Server or NAMESCTL. For the Names Server, only the NAMES.TRACE_LEVEL command can be used to set the trace level from NAMESCTL while the Names Server is running. You must set the other trace commands in the configuration file, then restart either the Names Server or NAMESCTL. For specific syntax guideline, see the Oracle Names Administrator's Guide.

4. For any component, you can invoke tracing by editing the component configuration file that corresponds to the component traced. The component configuration files are SQLNET.ORA, LISTENER.ORA, INTCHG.ORA, and NAMES.ORA. The trace parameters are described in the section "Summary of Trace Parameters" later in this chapter, and a summary of all trace parameters is provided in Tables 3-2 through 3-7.

5. Execute or start the component to be traced. If the trace component configuration files are modified while the component is running, the modified trace parameters will take effect the next time the component is invoked or restarted. Instructions for each component follow:

6. Be sure to turn tracing off when you do not need it for a specific diagnostic purpose.