Foglight Oracle Agent Fails with ORA-02396: Exceeded Maximum Idle Time (4230679)

The Foglight Oracle agent intermittently fails to collect data from monitored Oracle instances. The following error messages appear in the agent logs:

ERROR [<instance>-lowPriorityPool-XXX-[DBO_Datafile_IO_Activity]] 
com.quest.qsi.fason.oracle.collection.processor.DBOInstanceProcessor - 
Failed to run DBODatafileIOActivityProcessor processor of DBO_Datafile_IO_Activity collection of <instance> instance.
java.lang.RuntimeException: Failed to execute collection [DBO_Datafile_IO_Activity], reason=ORA-02396: exceeded maximum idle time, please connect again

Additional errors may include:

ERROR [<instance>-lowPriorityPool-XXX-[DBO_Instance_General]] 
com.quest.qsi.fason.framework.connections.oracle.OracleConnectionImpl - 
"Failed to set context info, reason=<instance>-DBO_Instance_General"
com.quest.qsi.fason.framework.connections.common.exceptions.FrameworkQueryException: 
ORA-02396: exceeded maximum idle time, please connect again

The Oracle database enforces an IDLE_TIME limit via user profiles. When the Foglight agent's session remains idle longer than the configured threshold, Oracle terminates the session, resulting in the ORA-02396 error. This typically occurs when:

• The agent collection interval is longer than the allowed idle time.
• The Oracle user is assigned a profile with a restrictive IDLE_TIME setting.

Option 1: Increase or Disable the Oracle IDLE_TIME Limit

1. Identify the profile assigned to the Foglight user:

   SELECT username, profile FROM dba_users WHERE username = 'C##USERNAME';

2. Modify the profile to increase or disable the idle timeout:

   ALTER PROFILE <profile_name> LIMIT IDLE_TIME UNLIMITED;

   Or set a higher value (in minutes):

   ALTER PROFILE <profile_name> LIMIT IDLE_TIME 120;

Note: This change affects all users assigned to the profile. Use with caution.

Option 2: Create a Custom Profile for the Foglight User

CREATE PROFILE foglight_profile LIMIT IDLE_TIME UNLIMITED;
ALTER USER C##USERNAME PROFILE foglight_profile;
  

Option 3: Adjust Foglight Agent Collection Frequency

Reduce the collection interval in the Foglight Oracle agent configuration to ensure the session remains active within the allowed idle time.

• Ensure the Foglight Oracle agent is running the latest version.
• Review connection pooling settings if applicable.
• Monitor for other connectivity or performance issues in the agent logs.