Donald K. Burleson

Oracle and Expert Systems Technology

Oracle - Using Trace Assistant

Oracle*Net includes the Oracle Trace Assistant, a tool introduced with SQL*Net version 2.3 to help decode and analyze the data that is stored in Oracle*Net trace files. The Oracle Trace Assistant provides an easy way to understand and take advantage of the information stored in trace files.  It also is useful for diagnosing network problems and analyzing network performance.  The Oracle*Net Trace Assistant (trcasst) is now available to help you understand the information provided in your trace files by converting existing lines of trace file text into a more readable paragraph.  To run the Trace Assistant, type the following at any command line prompt:

Here are the major options that are available with the trcasst command.

-o = display connectivity information

-s = display statistical information

-e = enable the display of error information

Here is an example of the output from the trcasst utility:

Here we can see that the encrypted information has been nicely formatted and displayed in an easy to read format.  It should be noted that reading a trace file is a very rare occurrence even for the most seasoned DBA.  In 99% of the cases, the connectivity problem can be resolved before using the trace files.

In this lesson we have learned a great deal about the location usage, definition and application of Oracle log and trace files for Oracle*Net troubleshooting.  The main points of this lesson 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 Oracle*Net connection, but they are rarely used to diagnose connectivity problems.

• To diagnose a Oracle*Net connection problem, check.

a) connectivity to the server (tnsping)

b) connectivity to the listener (server-side loopback connection)

c) connectivity from the client to the server.

In this lesson, we will be looking at the important area of Oracle security in a Oracle*Net environment.  Whenever a product such as Oracle delivers a broad flexible solution to networked databases, many possible points of entry exist and database security becomes far more challenging.  In the following lessons we will be looking at:

• Identifying the Oracle*Net security areas.

• The risks associated with external identification of Oracle users.

• The security risks with ops$ users.

• How to audit a Oracle*Net environment.

• How to view and maintain database links.

• The features of the advanced Networking Option.

Because of the flexibility and the many options available in Oracle*Net, managing security can prove to be a formidable challenge.  Let's begin by looking at the main areas of Oracle*Net security.

You can buy it direct from the publisher for 30%-off and get instant access to the code depot of Oracle tuning scripts.  Click here for more books by Donald K. Burleson.