**New SQL*Net Tracing Mechanism: Oracle Trace**

Using Oracle Trace for SQL*Net
Oracle Trace Output Files for SQL*Net.

The SQL*Net tracing facility documented in the Oracle Network Products Troubleshooting Guide is used to track and examine application connections across the network. SQL*Net release 2.3 includes a new, optional source of SQL*Net tracing that uses the Oracle Trace product. Oracle Trace provides a standard, supported, tracing facility for Oracle products.

Oracle Trace is a general-purpose data collection product that has been introduced with the Oracle Enterprise Manager systems management product family. Oracle Trace allows Oracle products to collect data for a variety of uses, such as performance monitoring, diagnostics, and auditing. In addition to its use in SQL*Net release 2.3, Oracle Trace is also used to capture data for the Oracle Server release 7.3. For further information, see the Oracle Trace User's Guide contained in the Oracle Enterprise Manager Performance Pack documentation set.

**Using Oracle Trace for SQL*Net**

The tracing produced by Oracle Trace for SQL*Net release 2.3 is equivalent to the diagnostic tracing currently performed by the SQL*Net tracing mechanism for SQL*Net client, server, and listener processes. This tracing is documented in the Oracle Network Products Troubleshooting Guide.

Oracle Trace for SQL*Net release 2.3 is automatically invoked and controlled by the same diagnostic parameters used for the current SQL*Net tracing facility. When you perform SQL*Net tracing for a client, server, or listener, you are generating trace files for the current tracing mechanism and the new Oracle Trace facility.

SQL*Net tracing is controlled by setting SQL*Net control file parameters in your SQLNET.ORA and LISTENER.ORA control files. For example, starting and stopping SQL*Net client tracing is done by setting the SQLNET.ORA parameter, TRACE_LEVEL_CLIENT, to one of the following values: OFF, USER, or ADMIN. The default value for this parameter is OFF. Setting the value to USER will start user-level tracing for SQL*Net client processes, which generates English sentences describing significant client networking events. Similarly, starting and stopping SQL*Net listener tracing is done by setting the LISTENER.ORA parameter, TRACE_LEVEL_LISTENER, to one of the following values: OFF, USER, or ADMIN. Follow the tracing instructions contained in the Oracle Network Products Troubleshooting Guide to enable Oracle Trace for SQL*Net.

In addition, Oracle Trace SQL*Net tracing can be dynamically controlled by the Oracle Trace management console sold with the Oracle Enterprise Manager Performance Pack. Refer to the Oracle Trace User's Guide for more information on using the Oracle Trace Management Console.

**Oracle Trace Output Files for SQL*Net.**

When SQL*Net tracing is enabled for client, server, or listener processes, it produces trace output files for the current SQL*Net tracing mechanism and the tracing performed by the new Oracle Trace product. These output files contain the following file extension names:

filename.trc	trace files containing trace output from the older SQL*Net tracing mechanism
filename.cdf	Oracle Trace collection definition files used for the current tracing session
filename.dat	Oracle Trace output files containing the SQL*Net trace data in binary format

The Oracle Trace data collected in the FILENAME.DAT files is stored in binary format to reduce collection time overhead. The data can be accessed directly from the binary file or it can be formatted to Oracle tables for access by any SQL reporting tool. Oracle Trace provides a command line tool, OTRCREP, that formats the data inside the .CDF and .DAT files into text files. This tool has several options that can to be used over several different types of products. In addition, SQL*Net provides a script, TRCFMT, that uses the best options of OTRCREP for viewing network data specifically

**Viewing Oracle Trace Files for SQL*Net**

The TRCFMT script is executed with the following syntax:

trcfmt filename.cdf

In this syntax, filename should include the path to the files if it is not executed in the directory where the .CDF and .DAT files exist. This script extracts the trace data from .CDF and .DAT files and separates them into .TXT files based on process. If you have collected data from several processes within a single set of .CDF and .DAT files, they will be extracted to ASCII files with the name Pprocess_id.TXT.

Oracle Trace Detail Report

To produce an Oracle Trace Detail Report for the trace data, enter the following command at the system prompt:

        otrcrep [output_path] [-p] [-h] [-s] filename.cdf

This command may include the following options:

`output_path`	Optional. If not specified, the report files will be placed in the current directory.
-p	Determines the type and number of reports created
-h	Suppresses all event and item report headers, resulting in a shorter report
-s	Produces reports similar to those produced by the SQL*Net tracing mechanism

The Oracle Trace files produced for SQL*Net can be interpreted by using the instructions for interpreting trace files contained in the Oracle Network Products Troubleshooting Guide.

If the user wants more flexible, focused access to the SQL*Net trace data, the Oracle Trace data files can be formatted to Oracle tables for SQL reporting. Refer to the Oracle Trace User's Guide for information on formatting Oracle Trace data.

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