
Parameter Files and Types
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INIT.ORA: The Initialization File
In Oracle releases prior to Oracle9i, initialization parameters
are specified in a file referred to as the INIT.ORA file. The
actual file name is usually in the form
initsid.ora, where sid
is the SID, or system identifier, for your particular Oracle
instance. The SID is a unique name used to identify a partic-
ular instance. Typically, the INIT.ORA file is found in the
$ORACLE_HOME/dbs directory.
TIP
Refer to the Oracle documentation for the default loca-
tion of this file for your particular operating system.
Be sure to store the INIT.ORA file in a location where it is
accessible to the client that is starting the database.
Because the INIT.ORA file is a simple text file, it can be modi-
fied using any ASCII editor. However, be careful not to use a
word processing program such as Microsoft Word to edit the
INIT.ORA file; Oracle cannot read such files. If you must use
Word to create the file, save the file as a plain ASCII text file.
Parameters are typically entered into the file one parameter
and value per line, as shown in the earlier example. Com-
ments may be added after a parameter or on their own line,
but are always preceded by a # character. For example:
# The following line contains a comment
DB_FILE_MULTIBLOCK_READ_COUNT = 8 # Do not change
SPFILE: The Server Parameter File
Oracle introduced the concept of the server parameter file ...