ORA-00257: Archiver Error - Connect Internal Only Until Freed

ORA-00257: Archiver Error - Connect Internal Only Until Freed

Error Description

ORA-00257 occurs when the Oracle archiver process cannot write archive log files to the configured archive destination, typically due to insufficient disk space or permission issues. This is a critical error that can halt database operations.

Complete Error Message

ORA-00257: archiver error. Connect internal only, until freed.

Severity Level

🔴 CRITICAL - Database may halt new transactions until resolved.

Common Causes

1. Insufficient Disk Space

• Archive log destination filesystem is full
• Rapid log generation exceeding disk capacity
• Large transactions filling archive destination quickly

2. Permission Issues

• Oracle process lacks write permissions to archive destination
• Directory permissions changed after configuration
• File system mounted read-only

3. Hardware Issues

• Disk failure in archive destination
• Network issues with remote archive destinations
• Storage subsystem problems

4. Configuration Problems

• Invalid archive destination path
• Archive destination not accessible
• Multiple archive processes competing for resources

Immediate Diagnosis Steps

1. Check Archive Destination Space

-- Check current archive destination
SELECT destination, status, error
FROM v$archive_dest
WHERE status = 'ERROR';

-- Check archive destination space usage
SELECT destination,
       ROUND(space_limit/1024/1024, 2) as limit_mb,
       ROUND(space_used/1024/1024, 2) as used_mb,
       ROUND((space_used/space_limit)*100, 2) as pct_used
FROM v$recovery_file_dest;

2. Check Archiver Process Status

-- Check archiver processes
SELECT process, status, sequence#, thread#
FROM v$managed_standby
WHERE process LIKE 'ARC%';

-- Check archive log status
SELECT thread#, sequence#, status, archived, applied
FROM v$log
ORDER BY thread#, sequence#;

3. Check Operating System Space

# Check filesystem space (Linux/Unix)
df -h /u01/app/oracle/archive

# Check available inodes
df -i /u01/app/oracle/archive

# Check recent archive logs
ls -ltr /u01/app/oracle/archive/*.arc | tail -10

Immediate Solutions

1. Free Up Archive Destination Space

Delete Old Archive Logs (Use with caution)

# First, ensure logs are backed up or not needed for recovery
# Check what's safe to delete with RMAN

# Connect to RMAN
rman target /

# Delete obsolete archive logs
RMAN> DELETE ARCHIVELOG ALL COMPLETED BEFORE 'SYSDATE-7';

# Or delete specific sequence range
RMAN> DELETE ARCHIVELOG FROM SEQUENCE 1000 UNTIL SEQUENCE 1500 THREAD 1;

Move Archive Logs to Another Location

# Create new archive destination
mkdir -p /u02/app/oracle/archive
chown oracle:oinstall /u02/app/oracle/archive
chmod 755 /u02/app/oracle/archive

# Move old archives
mv /u01/app/oracle/archive/1_1000_*.arc /u02/app/oracle/archive/

2. Temporarily Disable Archiving (Emergency Only)

-- Connect as SYSDBA
ALTER SYSTEM SET log_archive_start=FALSE SCOPE=MEMORY;

-- Or change to NOARCHIVELOG mode (requires downtime)
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
STARTUP MOUNT;
ALTER DATABASE NOARCHIVELOG;
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

3. Add Additional Archive Destinations

-- Add secondary archive destination
ALTER SYSTEM SET log_archive_dest_2='LOCATION=/u02/app/oracle/archive OPTIONAL REOPEN=300';
ALTER SYSTEM SET log_archive_dest_state_2=ENABLE;

-- Verify new destination
SELECT destination, status FROM v$archive_dest WHERE dest_id = 2;

Long-term Solutions

1. Implement Archive Log Management Policy

RMAN Retention Policy

-- Set retention policy
RMAN> CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO REDUNDANCY 2;
RMAN> CONFIGURE RETENTION POLICY TO RECOVERY WINDOW OF 7 DAYS;

-- Configure automatic deletion
RMAN> CONFIGURE ARCHIVELOG DELETION POLICY TO APPLIED ON ALL STANDBY;

Scheduled Archive Log Cleanup

#!/bin/bash
# archive_cleanup.sh - Run daily via cron

export ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/19c
export ORACLE_SID=PROD
export PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/bin:$PATH

# Delete archive logs older than 7 days that are backed up
rman target / <<EOF
DELETE NOPROMPT ARCHIVELOG ALL COMPLETED BEFORE 'SYSDATE-7';
EXIT;
EOF

2. Monitor Archive Log Generation

-- Create monitoring view for archive log generation
CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW archive_log_rate AS
SELECT
    TO_CHAR(first_time, 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24') as hour,
    COUNT(*) as logs_per_hour,
    ROUND(SUM(blocks * block_size)/1024/1024, 2) as mb_per_hour
FROM v$archived_log
WHERE first_time > SYSDATE - 7
GROUP BY TO_CHAR(first_time, 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24')
ORDER BY 1 DESC;

-- Check current generation rate
SELECT * FROM archive_log_rate WHERE ROWNUM <= 24;

3. Set Up Archive Destination Monitoring

-- Create alert when archive destination reaches 85% full
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE check_archive_space AS
    v_pct_used NUMBER;
BEGIN
    SELECT ROUND((space_used/space_limit)*100, 2)
    INTO v_pct_used
    FROM v$recovery_file_dest;

    IF v_pct_used > 85 THEN
        -- Send alert or write to alert log
        EXECUTE IMMEDIATE 'BEGIN DBMS_SYSTEM.KSDWRT(2, ''WARNING: Archive destination '' || :1 || ''% full''); END;'
        USING v_pct_used;
    END IF;
EXCEPTION
    WHEN OTHERS THEN
        NULL; -- Handle exceptions appropriately
END;
/

Prevention Strategies

1. Proactive Monitoring

• Set up alerts at 75% and 85% space usage
• Monitor archive log generation rates
• Track filesystem growth trends
• Implement automated cleanup procedures

2. Capacity Planning

-- Calculate archive log generation trends
SELECT
    TRUNC(first_time) as log_date,
    COUNT(*) as daily_logs,
    ROUND(SUM(blocks * block_size)/1024/1024/1024, 2) as daily_gb,
    ROUND(AVG(blocks * block_size)/1024/1024, 2) as avg_log_size_mb
FROM v$archived_log
WHERE first_time > SYSDATE - 30
GROUP BY TRUNC(first_time)
ORDER BY 1 DESC;

3. Best Practices

• Configure multiple archive destinations
• Use Fast Recovery Area (FRA) for automatic management
• Implement RMAN backup strategy
• Regular capacity monitoring and alerting
• Test archive log recovery procedures

Related Parameters

Key Archive Parameters

-- Check current archive configuration
SELECT name, value FROM v$parameter
WHERE name IN (
    'log_archive_dest_1',
    'log_archive_dest_2',
    'log_archive_format',
    'log_archive_max_processes',
    'db_recovery_file_dest',
    'db_recovery_file_dest_size'
);

Recommended Settings

-- Basic archive configuration
ALTER SYSTEM SET log_archive_dest_1='LOCATION=/u01/app/oracle/archive';
ALTER SYSTEM SET log_archive_format='%t_%s_%r.arc';
ALTER SYSTEM SET log_archive_max_processes=4;

-- Fast Recovery Area configuration
ALTER SYSTEM SET db_recovery_file_dest='/u01/app/oracle/fra';
ALTER SYSTEM SET db_recovery_file_dest_size=100G;

Troubleshooting Steps

1. Verify Archive Process Health

-- Check archiver background processes
SELECT paddr, name, description
FROM v$bgprocess
WHERE name LIKE 'ARC%';

-- Check for archiver errors in alert log
SELECT message_text, originating_timestamp
FROM v$diag_alert_ext
WHERE message_text LIKE '%ARC%'
AND originating_timestamp > SYSDATE - 1
ORDER BY originating_timestamp DESC;

2. Check File System Issues

# Check for filesystem errors
dmesg | grep -i error | tail -20

# Check file system health
fsck -n /dev/sdb1  # Read-only check

# Check mount options
mount | grep archive

3. Network Connectivity (Remote Destinations)

# Test network connectivity to standby
ping standby_server

# Test SQL*Net connectivity
tnsping standby_service

# Check listener status
lsnrctl status

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Never delete archive logs without backup verification
2. Don’t disable archiving in production without understanding impact
3. Avoid setting archive destinations to root filesystem
4. Don’t ignore archive destination monitoring
5. Never delete current online redo logs

Related Oracle Errors

• ORA-16038: Log Cannot Be Archived - Archive destination issues
• ORA-01654: Unable to Extend Index - Space-related errors
• ORA-19502: Write Error on File - File system write errors

Emergency Recovery

If database is hung due to ORA-00257:

-- Connect as SYSDBA (may need to connect internal)
sqlplus / as sysdba

-- Check database status
SELECT status FROM v$instance;

-- If needed, force log switch to different destination
ALTER SYSTEM SWITCH LOGFILE;

-- Temporarily change archive destination
ALTER SYSTEM SET log_archive_dest_1='LOCATION=/tmp';

-- Clear the error after freeing space
ALTER SYSTEM ARCHIVE LOG CURRENT;

Documentation and Monitoring

Keep track of:

• Archive log generation patterns
• Space usage trends
• Cleanup schedules and results
• Recovery procedures tested
• Alert thresholds and responses

This error requires immediate attention as it can halt database operations. Always ensure you have tested backup and recovery procedures before making changes to archive log configuration.