if [ "${ALERT}" ]
then
  set -x
  desc="performing maintenance on the Oracle alerts logs."
  echo "\n${desc}\n" >> ${logfile}

  export dblist=$(grep -v "#" ${oratab} | awk -F: '{print $1}')
  echo "${dblist}" | while read db
  do
    while true
    do
      export sid=${db}
      alertlog="alert_${sid}.log"
      echo "\nprocessing ${alertlog}." >> ${logfile}
      orauser=${admin}/${sid}/.orauser_${sid}
      if test ! -r "${orauser}"
      then
        errmsg=${main}.${today}.msg
        echo "unable to read ${orauser}" > ${errmsg}
        send_message ${maillist} ${errmsg}
        echo "\nunable to read ${orauser}." >> ${logfile}
        break
      fi
      . ${admin}/${sid}/.orauser_${sid}
      echo "\nsql query for background_dump_desc from ${sid}." >> ${logfile}
      sqlcmd=${workdir}/${main}.alertlog.${today}.sql
      sqllog=${workdir}/${main}.alertlog.${today}.log
      rm -f ${sqlcmd} ${sqllog}
      echo "set termout off" > ${sqlcmd}
      echo "set pagesize 0" >> ${sqlcmd}
      echo "set linesize 1024" >> ${sqlcmd}
      echo "set trimspool on" >> ${sqlcmd}
      echo "set heading off" >> ${sqlcmd}
      echo "set feedback off" >> ${sqlcmd}
      echo "set verify off" >> ${sqlcmd}
      echo "whenever sqlerror warning" >> ${sqlcmd}
      echo "spool ${sqllog}" >> ${sqlcmd}
      echo "select value from v\$parameter" >> ${sqlcmd}
      echo "  where name = 'background_dump_dest';" >> ${sqlcmd}
      echo "exit" >> ${sqlcmd}
      systempwd=$(get_pwd ${node} ${sid} system)
      (sqlplus -S system/${systempwd} @${sqlcmd}) >> ${logfile}
      if [ "${status}" -ne 0 ]
      then
        errmsg=${main}.${today}.msg
        echo "error ${status} retriving background_dump_dest \c" >> ${logfile}
        echo "from ${sid}." > ${errmsg}
        send_message ${maillist} ${errmsg}
        echo "error ${status} retriving background_dump_dest \c" >> ${logfile}
        echo "from ${sid}." >> ${logfile}
        break
      fi
      bdump=$(cat ${sqllog})
      echo "\nsqlplus query successful. bdump = ${bdump}\n" >> ${logfile}
      rm -f ${sqlcmd} ${sqllog}
      timestamp=$(gettimestamp)
      archive="${alertlog}.${timestamp}"
      cp -fp ${bdump}/${alertlog} ${bdump}/${archive}
      echo "\narchiving ${alertlog} to TSM." >> ${logfile}
      archive_file ${bdump} ${archive} ${mca}
      status=$?
      if [ "${status}" -ne 0 ]
      then
        errmsg=${main}.${today}.msg
        echo "error ${status} archiving ${archive} to TSM." > ${errmsg}
        send_message ${maillist} ${errmsg}
        echo "error ${status} archiving ${archive} to TSM." >> ${logfile}
        echo "restoring ${alertlog} to original state." >> ${logfile}
        tmpfile=${workdir}/${main}.tmp
          
        cmd="cat ${bdump}/${archive} ${bdump}/${alertlog} > ${tmpfile}; "
        cmd="${cmd} mv -f ${tmpfile} ${bdump}/${alertlog}; "
        cmd="rm -f ${bdump}/${archive} ${tmpfile}"
        (${cmd})
        break
      fi
      rm -f ${bdump}/${archive}
      echo "\ntruncating file ${bdump}/${alertlog}" >> ${logfile}
      truncate_file ${bdump}/${alertlog}
      status=$?
      if [ "${status}" -ne 0 ]
      then
        errmsg=${main}.${today}.msg
        echo "error ${status} truncating ${bdump}\c" > ${errmsg}
        echo "/${alertlog}." >> ${errmsg}
        send_message ${maillist} ${errmsg}
        echo "error ${status} truncating ${bdump}/\c" >> ${logfile}
        echo "${alertlog}." >> ${logfile}
        continue
      fi
      echo "\nfile truncated successfully.\n" >> ${logfile}
      break
    done
  done
fi