Oracle utilities orakill

For Oracle support & training call (800) 766-1884

Oracle Utilities - Using Hidden Programs, Import/Export, SQL Loader, oradebug, Dbverify, Tkprof and More

Tips for using orakill

• The orakill utility should be used as a last resort only. If the session cannot be killed more gracefully (via alter system kill session), or the instance is inaccessible via SQL, then orakill should be used to terminate the offending session.

• Background processes should not be terminated, mainly user sessions. Killing a background process like SMON or PMON can cause serious Oracle errors and can bring the database down. To confirm that it is not a background session being killed, the following query can be used to identify the SPID for each background process:

select c.name, b.spid, a.sid
from v$session a, v$process b, v$bgprocess c
where c.paddr <> '00'
and c.paddr = b.addr
and b.addr = a.paddr;

NAME SPID SID
----- ------------ ----------
PMON 1680 1
DBW0 1828 2
LGWR 1844 3
CKPT 1852 4
SMON 1848 5
RECO 2060 6
CJQ0 2064 7
QMN0 2072 8

• Access to the Windows machine containing the database must be secure. Any user with access to the box could access orakill or the Windows Task Manager and damage database processes.
• The DBA may decide to use operating system utilities to kill sessions and monitor Oracle CPU utilization. Starting at the operating system level is an effective technique employed by many seasoned DBAs.

The above is an excerpt from Oracle Utilities - Using Hidden Programs, Import/Export, SQL Loader, oradebug, Dbverify, Tkprof and More by Rampant TechPress.

For more details on Oracle utilities, see the book "Advanced Oracle Utilities" by Bert Scalzo, Donald K. Burleson, and Steve Callan.

You can buy it direct from the publisher for 30% off directly from Rampant TechPress.

For more details and scripts, see my new book " Oracle Tuning: The Definitive Reference", over 900 pages of BC's favorite tuning tips & scripts.

You can buy it direct from the publisher for 30%-off and get instant access to the code depot.

Fast-Track Oracle Support
PO Box 511
Kittrell, NC 27544

Email BC: