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Thursday, October 13, 2022

DIAGNOSTIC & TUNING packs automatically used

We have configured an Oracle Enterprise Manager report that shows us the use of EE-options where we don't have a license.

What shows up, immediately started to confuse us. 
It showed that the DIAGNOSTIC+TUNING option was used in several databases:

When checking the settings from within Oracle Enterprise Manager => Management Pack Usage, it showed that the packs were not in use, the radio-button was not active:


When clicking on the Edit button next to the radio-button, it surprised us to see this:

So it looks to enabled, unless the previous screen did not show that.

When looking at the database itself, we see the following:

SQL> show parameter control_management_pack_access

NAME                                 TYPE
------------------------------------ ---------------------------------
VALUE
------------------------------
control_management_pack_access       string
DIAGNOSTIC+TUNING
SQL>

So, it is active.

Checking the spfile it is not defined there. So activation is probably a default. 
Then we found this document:

where is states:


So, when installing an Enterprise Edition of Oracle, and you don't have any pack licenses, you should explicitly set this option to NONE.

I myself find this default value very much up to discussion. When a junior DBA installs a database for the company he starts working for, creates unknowingly a huge risk of extra costs when subjected to a License Audit. 

The solution is easy, but also easily forgotten when installing a new database release:

SQL> alter system set control_management_pack_access=NONE scope=both;