Extra lines in controlfile to trace

The database command 'alter database backup controlfile to trace;' is a commonly used command for DBAs to make a backup of the database controlfile. This tracefile can be used in cloning or other activities to create a new controlfile as part of a fully automated process. Some users, however, have seen an issue with 'alter database backup controlfile to trace;' in an 11g (11.1.0.7 specifically) instance which can cause issues with any such automation.

ISSUE
'alter database backup controlfile to trace;' puts additional header lines in seemingly random locations in the trace file. An example of the line: *** 2010-03-06 14:24:42.720

SOLUTION
The reason for this issue is unknown. However, there is a pretty simple workaround. Rather than issuing only 'alter database backup controlfile to trace;', issue 'alter database backup controlfile to trace as ;' instead. This removes the header information and the issue has not been seen using the more exact syntax.

TIP
If you have any fully automated processes, such as cloning, make sure you fully test them out multiple times before rolling any changes, especially major ones such as database upgrades, to your production instance.