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We have a developer db server with 11g on Windows Server 2003 R2. I just noticed that the alert_dev11g.log file in the F:\Oracle11g\diag\rdbms\dev11g\dev11g\trace folder is nearly 4GB large.

I'd like to know if this is a way to delete the log file or dramatically reduce the size of it. I've tried renaming the file, but Windows says that the file is in use by another process.

So far, my research has ended up in many dead ends. Everything I can find on Oracle log files pertains to the redo logs. I found info on the MAX_DUMP_FILE_SIZE parameter, but it excludes the alert file.

PEBKAC
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  • Boot up Windows in safe mode and delete it. You can't modify files while they are being used. Or, boot into Linux and delete it from there. – Blender Dec 21 '11 at 18:55
  • OK, but is there a way to manage the log from Oracle itself? –  Dec 21 '11 at 19:20

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Oracle's usage pattern for this file is:

open file
write entry
close file

So I suspect you tried to delete/rename the file while it was being actively used.

Adam Musch
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  • I heard that is the case for linux based Oracle. Is it the same on Windows based Oracle? The file hasn't been modified in 2 years, but it still shows as being accessed by another process. The box was rebooted two days ago. – PEBKAC Dec 22 '11 at 18:28
  • See this discussion on asktom.oracle.com: http://asktom.oracle.com/pls/apex/f?p=100:11:0::::P11_QUESTION_ID:402360068979 – Adam Musch Dec 22 '11 at 19:57