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Log File Switch (Checkpoint Incomplete) Waits Event

PROBLEM:
Database response was very slow (almost frozen) with database spending most of the
time in wait event “log file switch (checkpoint incomplete)’ Waits event”

ANALYSIS:
As per Oracle docs:
This event indicates that Oracle needs to reuse a redo log file, but the current
checkpoint position is still in that log. In this case, Oracle must wait until the checkpoint
position passes that log. When the database waits on checkpoints, redo generation is
stopped until the log switch is done.

I will explain in simple manner:

Let’s say LGWR finished writing to log file 2 and ready to switch to log file 1 and start
writing. However the DBWR is still writing checkpoint related redo information of
logfile 1 to disk. So it cannot write to logfile 1 unless that checkpoint is completed .

< To complete a checkpoint, dbwr must write every associated dirty buffer to disk and
every datafile and controlfile should be updated to latest checkpoint number>

So I checked the status of redolog files:

SQL> select * from V$log;

GROUP# THREAD# MEMBER ARCHIVED STATUS Size (MB)

------ ------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- ----------

---------

1 1 /dataprod01/oradata/PRODB/redo01.log YES ACTIVE 50

2 1 /dataprod01/oradata/PRODB/redo02.log NO CURRENT 50

3 1 /dataprod01/oradata/PRODB/redo03.log YES ACTIVE 50

 • We can see two are in ACTIVE and one is CURRENT, no log is in either
INACTIVE or UNUSED state. i.e it is trying to do a log switch. But not able to do
see.

So I just add two additional redo log files:

alter database add logfile group 4 ('/dataprod01/oradata/PRODB/redo04.log') size 50M;

alter database add logfile group 5 ('/dataprod01/oradata/PRODB/redo05.log') size 50M;

GROUP# THREAD# MEMBER ARCHIVED STATUS Size (MB)

------ ------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- ---------- -----

----

1 1 /dataprod01/oradata/PRODB/redo01.log YES ACTIVE 50

2 1 /dataprod01/oradata/PRODB/redo02.log YES ACTIVE 50

3 1 /dataprod01/oradata/PRODB/redo03.log YES ACTIVE 50

4 1 /dataprod01/oradata/PRODB/redo04.log NO CURRENT 50

5 1 /dataprod01/oradata/PRODB/redo05.log No UNUSED 50

• As soon as, the additional redo log is added, all the stock transactions are
cleared and the wait event is gone completed.

CONCLUSION:
So, if you find log file switch (checkpoint incomplete)’ Wait events, then add additional
redo log groups to fix it. You can even add redologs of higher size. (and drop the old
ones). If still issue is there, then generate an AWR report and analyze.