String 

BACKGROUND_DUMP_DEST = {pathname | directory} 

Dynamic. Scope = ALTER SYSTEM. 

Operating system dependent 

Any valid local path, directory, or disk 

BACKGROUND_DUMP_DEST specifies the pathname (directory or disc) where debugging trace files for the background processes (LGWR, DBWn, and so on) are written during Oracle operations. (For information on setting a destination for server process trace files, see "USER_DUMP_DEST".)

An alert file in the directory specified by BACKGROUND_DUMP_DEST logs significant database events and messages. Anything that affects the database for an instance or globally is recorded here. The alert file is a normal text file. Its filename is operating system dependent. For platforms that support multiple instances, it takes the form ALERT_sid.LOG (where sid is the system identifier). This file grows slowly, but without limit, so you might want to delete it periodically. You can delete the file even when the database is running. See Also:

• Oracle8i Administrator's Guide for more information on setting this parameter and on alert files.

• Your operating system specific Oracle documentation for the default value of this parameter.