12.3 Error Messages or Unexpected Output

Follow these steps to troubleshoot and fix error messages and unexpected output.

• Data Entry Terminal Considerations
  
• Tool Runs without Producing Files
  
• Messages similar to “line ****: **** Killed $perl_cmd 2>> $ERRFIL?”
  
• Messages similar to “RC-001- Unable to read driver files”
  
• Messages similar to “There are prompts in user profile on [hostname] which will cause issues in [tool] successful execution”
  
• Problems Related to Remote Login
  
• Other Error Messages in orachk_error.log or exachk_error.log
  
• Space available on {node_name} at {path} is {x} MB and required space is 500 MB
  
• Running ORAchk on Microsoft Windows Throws '{oratab}' is empty Error
  

12.3.1 Data Entry Terminal Considerations

Description:

Use any supported UNIX and Linux terminal type (character mode terminal, ILOM, VNC server) to run Oracle ORAchk and Oracle EXAchk .

Respond to the prompts during interactive runs, or while configuring the daemon.

Each terminal type has advantages and disadvantages. The effect of a dropped network connection varies based on the terminal type used.

For example, in an interactive run using a character mode terminal, if all the prompts are answered before the network drop, then the running process completes successfully even if the network connection drops. If the network connection drops before all the input prompts are answered, then all the running processes hang. Clean up the hung processes manually when the network connection is restored.

Using a remote connection to a VNC server running on the database where Oracle ORAchk and Oracle EXAchk are running minimizes the network drop interruptions.

If you use accessibility software or devices that prevent the use of a VNC server, and experience network drops, then contact your system administrator to determine the root cause and adjust the environment as necessary.

For example, if an accessibility aid inserts suspensions and restarts the interactive process running Oracle ORAchk and Oracle EXAchk lead to an operating system timeout due to terminal inactivity. Lengthen the inactivity timeouts of the environment before running the commands.

The timeout caused by an assistive tool at the operating system level due to terminal inactivity is not specific to Oracle ORAchk and Oracle EXAchk. The timeout could happen to any process managed by the assistive technology.

12.3.2 Tool Runs without Producing Files

Description:

Oracle ORAchk and Oracle EXAchk create temporary files and directories at runtime, as well as output files for data collection.

If you cancel Oracle ORAchk using Ctrl+C or if Oracle ORAchk fails due to an error, then Oracle ORAchk cleans up the files that Oracle ORAchk created while running.

If Oracle ORAchk or Oracle EXAchk completes health check runs, but did not generate output files, then there is an error probably near the end of the run that caused an ungraceful exit.

Action:

If the problem persists, then run the tool again in debug mode and examine the output. If necessary, contact Oracle Support for assistance.

12.3.3 Messages similar to “line ****: **** Killed $perl_cmd 2>> $ERRFIL?”

Description:

Oracle ORAchk and Oracle EXAchk have a built-in watchdog process that monitors and kills the commands that exceed default timeouts to prevent hangs.

Cause:

Killing a command results in “line ****: **** Killed $perl_cmd 2>> $ERRFIL?” error.

12.3.4 Messages similar to “RC-001- Unable to read driver files”

Description:

There are a number of possible causes related to not having a supported platform or not being able to read or write into temporary, working or installation directories.

Oracle ORAchk and Oracle EXAchk display the same error message also as, RC-002- Unable to read driver files

Action:

1. Verify that you are running on a supported platform.

2. Verify that there is sufficient diskspace available in the temporary or output directory. If necessary increase disk space or direct temporary and output files elsewhere.

3. Verify the hidden subdirectory .cgrep exists within the install location. This directory contains various support files some of which are platform-specific.

4. Verify that you are able to write into and read out of the temporary and working directory location.

12.3.5 Messages similar to “There are prompts in user profile on [hostname] which will cause issues in [tool] successful execution”

Description:

Oracle ORAchk and Oracle EXAchk exit if the tools detect prompts in the user profile.

Oracle ORAchk and Oracle EXAchk fetch the user environment files on all nodes. If the user environment files contain prompts, for example, read -p, or other commands that pause the running commands, then the commands timeout. The commands timeout because there is no way to respond to the messages when it is being called.

All such commands cannot be detected in the environment. However, the commands that can be detected lead to this message.

Action:

Comment all such prompts from the user profile file (at least temporarily) and test run again.

12.3.6 Problems Related to Remote Login

Action:

If you see messages similar to No such file or directory or /usr/bin/scp -q: No such file or directory, then refer to Remote Login Problems to fix the issues.

12.3.7 Other Error Messages in orachk_error.log or exachk_error.log

Description:

When examining the orachk_error.log , some messages are expected and they are not indicative of problems. These errors are redirected and absorbed into the error.log to keep them from being reported on the screen.

For example, an error similar to the following is reported numerous times, once for each Oracle software home for each node:

/bin/sh: /u01/app/11.2.0/grid/OPatch/opatch: Permission denied
chmod: changing permissions of `/u01/app/oracle_ebs/product/11.2.0.2/VIS_RAC/.patch_storage': Operation not permitted
OPatch could not open log file, logging will not be possible
Inventory load failed... OPatch cannot load inventory for the given Oracle Home.

These types of errors occur in role-separated environments when the tool runs as the Oracle Database software owner uses Opatch to list the patch inventories of homes that are owned by Oracle Grid Infrastructure or other Oracle Database home owners. When you run Opatch to list the patch inventories for other users, Opatch fails because the current user does not have permissions on the other homes. In these cases, the Opatch error is ignored and the patch inventories for those homes are gathered by other means. To avoid such errors, Oracle recommends that you run Oracle ORAchk and Oracle EXAchk as root in role-separated environments.

Action:

You do not need to report these types of errors to Oracle Support.

Also, ignore the errors similar to the following:

orachk: line [N]: [: : integer expression expected

The line number changes over time. However, the error indicates that the tool was expecting an integer return value and no value was found. The value was null that the shell was not able to compare the return values. The error is repeated many times for the same command, once for each node.

12.3.8 Space available on {node_name} at {path} is {x} MB and required space is 500 MB

Description:

Oracle ORAchk displays an error message when there is no enough space in the location for temporary files and directories.

Space available on at /users/oracle is 441 MB and required space is 500 MB
Please make at least mentioned space available at above location and retry to continue.[y/n][y]?

Cause:

Oracle ORAchk creates temporary files and directories during execution. The default location for temporary files and directories is the $HOME directory of the user who runs the tool.

Action:

To change the location of Oracle ORAchk temporary files set the RAT_TMPDIR environment variable to the new location before running Oracle ORAchk.

12.3.9 Running ORAchk on Microsoft Windows Throws '{oratab}' is empty Error

Description:

Running Oracle ORAchk commands throws the following error:

'{oratab}' is empty. 
Verify Oracle database registry entries name in '{regout}' in case Oracle database is install. 
If Oracle database registry entries name does not contains 'ORA'/'OH' 
then set registry key patterns using 'RAT_KEY_DB' environment variable.

Cause:

1. Oracle Database is not present on the system.
2. The keyword for Oracle Database registry key is different. Generally the registry key contains ORA or OH, but on some systems it can be different. Set the environment variable RAT_KEY_DB to the right Oracle Database registry keyword.
3. The initialization parameter file initSID.ora is missing from $ORACLE_HOME/database.

   Oracle ORAchk looks for the initSID.ora file in $ORACLE_HOME/database for getting the instance name. If the initSID.ora file is not present, then you will encounter the aforementioned error.

Action:

Specify Oracle Database details using the -dbconfig option.

orachk -dbconfig db_home_path%db_name