[ntadmin2]

Does anyone know how to reconfigure listeners?
i have 2 instances, 1 oracle server. Installing the 2nd instance and creating a listener for it has 'broken' the connection to my first instance. I know i'm not supposed to manually edit listener files but what is alternative? i've been round and round Net Manager and Oracle Net Configuration. I have had a support call open with Oracle for a week. The last advice was to rebuild! i know oracle is not easy but surely it cannot be permanently broken because i installed a 2nd listener instead of adding to initial listener configuration? Currently i cannot access either instance through any oracle management tool. DBCA on one instance gives me an error message - ora01081 instance already running, on the other instance the only option is to switch from Dedicated to Shared Server mode.
The 'stuff' in the instances - my doc mgmt system and my virtual servers are all working but i'm getting increasingly nervous since i can't monitor anything anymore my office is now running on a hope and a prayer.
Any advice that improves on the oracle official advice of 'rebuild the lot' would be welcome.

[anacedent]

With V10 Oracle (& higher), no listener.ora file is required.
In My Opinion, in most cases there is no need to have multiple listeners running on a single server.

[ntadmin2]

Wow, now i'm even more confused. Oracle support told me yesterday that i can have 1 or many listeners. Now u say i actually need 0 listeners. Unbelievable - do definitive answers exist on planet Oracle?

Maybe i'm asking the wrong question, i'm a sysadmin for a windows network, i installed oracle 9i in a fit of niavety 2 years ago - i believed the salesman who assured me oracle was practically maintenance free. Obviously I should have researched this properly to see what i was getting into, now i don't believe oracle is ever maintenance free.

What i want to know is the best or at least most sensible and stable way to do things: 1 server, 1 home, 2 instances.
How many listeners is it best to have? 0,1 or 2?
(if 0 then what is alternate mechanism for database connections?)
What is best tool to use to configure whatever number of listeners?
Net Manager? Net Configuration Assistant? DBCA? The command line? Editing listener.ora manually?
i've tried them all, i notice each one has a different effect on listener.ora, some use SIDs, some use Service Names, some don't work at all (editing manually).
I think if i knew the definitive or standard way to set up the listener.ora files i might have more chance of working it out. I have a pretty simple setup.
I've asked oracle support - at first i thought it would be a 15 minute job. Now it's dragged on for 2 weeks.
What i'm trying to achieve is the ability to connect to both instances successfully with Enterprise Manager so i can monitor the databases. I thought this would be a very standard thing to do. I can't understand why it is so difficult and why there isn't a definite way for doing something so simple.

[anacedent]

>Oracle support told me yesterday that i can have 1 or many listeners.
The statement above is correct.

>Now u say i actually need 0 listeners.
Please note that words have meanings & meanings matter.
I never said "0 listeners".
I implied 0 listener.ora files.
In other words you can start the V10 listener when NO listener.ora file exists.
It is not clear to me what you actually have.
What OS name & version?
Which version(s) of Oracle to 4 decimal places?

[ntadmin2]

ok, always a listener but not always a listener.ora file - i'll write that on my wall.
1x win2003 R2 64bit, 1x win2003 R2 32bit. The 32bit machine has been running since 2005 and it's ok. The 64bit server is new, it was fine until i installed the 2nd instance (for vmware). I am running oracle 10g 10.2.0.1.0 on all servers. (Not allowed to upgrade to 10.2.0.3.0 until doc mgmt vendor validates on this version).
i understand now that i can have multiple listeners. That is how oracle support suggest i leave it. I actually want to know the best way to do it. From your earlier comment i think that you're recommending one listener to connect to both instances? If that is the case how to change the config of the 2nd instance to look for 'listener' instead of 'listener_vpx'.
(1st instance - 'listener', port 1521, 2nd instance - 'listener_vpx', port 1522)
(i can see from all the config files and from the front end of EM when it fails to connect that my 2nd instance is configured everywhere for listener_vpx

Oracle support took me thru Net Manager and we deleted 2nd listener - but it's still there as a windows service so i bet i could start it again.
Then in net manager we configured 1st listener to open both instances (database services) but it didn't work and 2nd instance still wants 2nd listener.
DBCA gives no relevant options for 2nd instance and listener. Likewise Oracle Administration Assistant for Windows.
And i have learned not to manually edit listener.ora - oracle support sent me what my listener.ora file should look like and told me to cut and paste into original listener.ora - that broke everything - i put it back cos i took a backup but since then i have been hitting the forums. Still, it is useful to know what the config should look like, i just don't know how to apply it.

I'm sorry to ask such basic questions, i figure i must have missed something obvious but i just can't see how to do this, i have even tried the lsnrctl on the command line but i don't see how to add instances there either.

[anacedent]

You are going to have to humor me before I provide you a direct solution.
From a DOS/CMD (command) window, issue the following 2 commands:

lsnrctl status


lsnrctl status listener_vpx

The use CUT & PASTE & please post the results back here using <code tags>;
which are like the following but with the space characters removed between the square brackets:

[ code ]

[ /code ]

[ntadmin2]

anacedent if u can provide a direct solution i'll recommend you to take over oracle support dept effective immediately.

LSNRCTL for 32-bit Windows: Version 10.2.0.1.0 - Production on 09-JAN-2008 09:34:04
Copyright (c) 1991, 2005, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Welcome to LSNRCTL, type "help" for information.
LSNRCTL> status
Connecting to (DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=ors-silo)(PORT=1521)))
STATUS of the LISTENER
------------------------
Alias LISTENER
Version TNSLSNR for 32-bit Windows: Version 10.2.0.1.0 - Production
Start Date 08-JAN-2008 17:43:17
Uptime 0 days 15 hr. 51 min. 12 sec
Trace Level off
Security ON: Local OS Authentication
SNMP OFF
Listener Parameter File d:\oracle\product\10.2.0\db_1\network\admin\listen er.ora
Listener Log File d:\oracle\product\10.2.0\db_1\network\log\listener .log
Listening Endpoints Summary...
(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=ors-silo.orsoxford.co.uk)(PORT=1521)))
Services Summary...
Service "orstest" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "orstest", status UNKNOWN, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "orstest.orsoxford.co.uk" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "orstest", status READY, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "orstestXDB.orsoxford.co.uk" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "orstest", status READY, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "orstest_XPT.orsoxford.co.uk" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "orstest", status READY, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "virtualcenter" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "virtualc", status UNKNOWN, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
The command completed successfully

C:\Documents and ettings\Administrator.ORSOXFORD>lsnrctl
LSNRCTL for 32-bit Windows: Version 10.2.0.1.0 - Production on 09-JAN-2008 09:46:47
Copyright (c) 1991, 2005, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Welcome to LSNRCTL, type "help" for information.
LSNRCTL> status listener_vpx
TNS-01101: Could not find service name ∟╠,LSNRCTL>

That is everything that displayed on the screen. 'listener' is reporting as only being up for 15hrs cos i restarted it yesterday trying yet again to reconfigure it. 'listener_vpx' is not there as oracle support told me to delete it. As i said previously the service is still there in windows, but i can't start it - gives a windows error msg about starting and stopping. I bet if i recreated it in Net Manager i could get it working. Preferable would be to configure 'listener' to connect to both instances.
I hope this is useful, i'm worried i've missed something out because i don't understand what you mean when you say use code tags. I'm sure you mean something straightforward but i've been staring at this for 15 mins and i still can't figure it out so i'm just going to post this.

[anacedent]

Service "orstest" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "orstest", status UNKNOWN, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "orstest.orsoxford.co.uk" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "orstest", status READY, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "orstestXDB.orsoxford.co.uk" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "orstest", status READY, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "orstest_XPT.orsoxford.co.uk" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "orstest", status READY, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
Service "virtualcenter" has 1 instance(s).
Instance "virtualc", status UNKNOWN, has 1 handler(s) for this service...
The command completed successfully

Notice the lines above.
It appears the LISTENER knows about all the above Instance(s).
So what exactly is your problem again?

Please post the contents of the listener.ora, sqlnet.ora & tnsnames.ora files

Explanation of <code tags> & other valid tags see URL below
http://www.dbforums.com/misc.php?do=bbcode

[ntadmin2]

hi anacedent.
i don't mind posting my files but i should say first that it's fixed now - called a contractor yesterday - he talked me thru adding 4 lines in a config file. Took 50minutes. Probably would have been a lot quicker if i'd let him have the vpn connection he wanted but i need to learn these tricks for the next time.
The problem was i couldn't connect to either instance, the issue started out with not being able to connect to one of my instances, the other was fine. After going thru some config with oracle support then i could no longer open either. That was when i started panicking.
Contractor just made me replace old listener.ora file (which i'd backed up) and after i read it out to him he told me the 4 lines to add.
Was a very expensive solution and i'm about to show the boss the bill which won't be fun but it is fixed and i can connect again so it's good.
Also i feel a bit glad (even tho i couldn't fix it myself) in that the issue was what i thought - misconfiguration of listener.ora. I did explicitly describe my setup to oracle support and did emphasis that it was a very very basic problem, i even escalated it, but i don't think i really got through to them.
I can see now that going round and round all those gui's was a waste of time tho. My take on it now is forget about sales-speak, Oracle definitely has to be configured on the command line and by editing config files. I've bought the O'Reilly book yesterday - maybe that will help.
Considering cancelling the support contract with oracle but that's probably sour grapes so i'll sleep on that decision, and i guess metalink is useful - or maybe it will be after i get past the basics.
Anyway thanx for your time