Your error message is about OS connections (or exceeding file system limit of connections to single file), not db links. -----Original Message----- From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 4:26 PM To: Freeman, Donald; Oracle-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: Help with Windows error Yes. The problem crops up over time. I would say, on average, things run fine for 4-6 weeks. In that respect, it certainly seems like OS is hitting some sort of limit and then the problem(s) start. The other tidbit I withheld is that there are 2 servers at this location and I have seen the same error on both - even though they are running different applications/databases. I thought Paul's question about the DB links was relevant but the developers assure me that any data used between/among the databases is extracted and loaded. I am not 100% convinced this is true, however. -joe > -----Original Message----- > From: Freeman, Donald [mailto:dofreeman@xxxxxxxxxxx] > Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 2:19 PM > To: Sweetser, Joe; Oracle-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: RE: Help with Windows error > > Did it ever work? If it did, when did it start failing? > > -----Original Message----- > From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Sweetser, Joe > Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2006 3:52 PM > To: Oracle-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: Help with Windows error > > > Oracle 8.1.7.4.1 > Windows 2000 SP4 > > Intermittent error that (so far) is only resolved with a server reboot. > Error manifests itself many ways but the most obvious are inability to > connect to the database and/or inability to log into the server itself. > If you do get logged in to the server...inability to start an > application; be it cmd or sqlplus. The error at that point is "Failed > to initialize application". No errors in alert.log and database comes > up fine after reboot. > > The only error I've found is in the listener.log and I can't figure what > the underlying Windows error truly means. I have googled and metalink'd > to no avail. > > 26-JUN-2006 10:23:18 * <snip> * establish * limsprod * 12500 > TNS-12500: TNS:listener failed to start a dedicated server process > TNS-12560: TNS:protocol adapter error > TNS-00530: Protocol adapter error > 32-bit Windows Error: 31: Too many links > > Can anyone shed some light on what "Too many links" means? Open files? > Network connections? Sockets? > > Thanks in advance, > -joe > -- > //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l > -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l