Enabling Oracle ARCHIVELOG Mode

Procedure 1

Login as "ora" or su - from "root" at operating system

# sqlplus /nolog

SQL > connect / as sysdba
SQL > shutdown immediate;
SQL > startup mount;

Checking the current archive mode status.

SQL> SELECT LOG_MODE FROM SYS.V$DATABASE;
LOG_MODE
------------
NOARCHIVELOG

Set archivelog destination and format :

SQL> alter system set log_archive_format=’ SIDarch%t_%s.dbf;
SQL> alter system set log_archive_dest=’/oracle/SID/archivelogs;

Check archivelog destination and format

SQL> select name,value from v$parameter where name=’log_archive_format’;
SQL> select name,value from v$parameter where name=’log_archive_dest’;

Backup or Copy original "initSID.ora" :

# cp /oracle/SID/920_64/dbs/initSID.ora /oracle/SID/920_64/dbs/initSID.ora.orig

SQL> create pfile=’ /oracle/SID/920_64/dbs/initSID.ora’ from spfile;
SQL> alter database archivelog;
SQL> select log_mode from v$database;
LOG_MODE
------------
ARCHIVELOG
SQL> alter database open;
SQL> exit

PROCEDURE 2 [only do this procedure if procedure 1 above failed]

This procedure update the pfile directly. The pfile should be in either $ORACLE_BASE/admin/SID/pfile or $ORACLE_HOME/admin/SID/pfile.

Login as "ora" or su - from "root" at operating system.

# sqlplus /nolog

SQL > connect / as sysdba

Checking the current archive mode status, if status "NOARCHIVELOG" than shutdown database to run enable archivelog mode procedure.

SQL> SELECT LOG_MODE FROM SYS.V$DATABASE;
LOG_MODE
------------
NOARCHIVELOG
SQL > shutdown immediate;
SQL > exit

# vi $ORACLE_BASE/admin/SID/pfile

Add the following lines to the end of the pfile :

# Archive Log Destinations #
log_archive_dest_1='location=/oracle/SID/archivelogs'
log_archive_start=TRUE

Startup the database in mount mode and put it in archivelog mode.

# sqlplus /nolog

SQL > connect / as sysdba
SQL > startup mount;
SQL> alter database archivelog;
SQL> alter database open;

Check archivelog destination and status

SQL> SELECT LOG_MODE FROM SYS.V$DATABASE;
LOG_MODE
------------
ARCHIVELOG
SQL> show parameter log_archive_dest_1
SQL> show parameter spfile;
SQL> show parameter log_archive_start;

Test create archivelog

SQL> alter system switch logfile;
SQL> create pfile from spfile;
SQL> shutdown immediate;
SQL> startup
SQL> exit