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From: Robert Eskridge <>
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 16:25:08 -0600
Message-ID: <>

Ah well, never mind. I continued to cruise metalink with various searches and with a search on "rdbmsRelState" I stumbled on the answer. Prompted by note 1061946.6, I compared the databases listed in the snmp_rw.ora file to those in the oratab and found that the snmp_rw.ora still had a reference to a discontinued database. Doing the little stop/edit/start magic cleared up the problem.

(Doesn't it always work that way, you find the answer in the docs after you've posted a question to the list. Maybe that's how I should just start working on a problem.... :-)


R> We use MRTG to do some monitoring of our 8.1.7 databases that are
R> running on Solaris 9 Sparcs, mostly as a visual tool to look back and
R> see when certain things started to happen.

R> Our MRTG config uses the perl snmp modules to grab stuff from the
R> various machines. One of our long gone DBA's grabbed the scripts from
R> who knows where. It's been working fine, but I've notice that one of
R> our remote machines has quit answering for just one of the OID's that R> the scripts ask for:

R> # Database State
R> $oid[0] = '.';

R> This one machine just suddenly quit liking this particular request:

R> $snmpget -c public -v1 -Ou z1 . .
R> . enterprises. enterprises.111.4.1.
R> enterprises.

R> Error in packet

R> Reason: (genError) A general failure occured R> Failed object:
R> enterprises. = Counter32: 118585464
R> enterprises. = Counter32: 1079032
R> enterprises. = Counter32: 66598668

R> Curiously, the script never uses the value once it has it, but it's
R> annoying that a machine that is supposed to be identically configured
R> to several other machines quits responding with no apparent R> provocation for one OID, but continues to answer for the others.
R> I say supposed to be configured identically, but we're not absolutely
R> sure.  We inherited the machine from a sister company and they were
R> supposed to configure it to our instruction.  It was responding as
R> expected then just stopped on a day when no changes were being made.

R> I know there must be some difference as I do see one apparently snmp
R> related process running on the machine that I don't see on the others, R> atmsnmpd.
R> I've made my scripts work again by removing the offending but unused
R> OID.  But I just don't like it when something changes with no
R> explanation.

R> Has anyone seen this before when playing with dbsnmp?

R> -rje

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Received on Thu Feb 12 2004 - 16:25:08 CST

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