passwords in LSNRCTL

Oracle's listener control (LSNRCTL) can take a password. The way you actually supply the password is very confusing, though.

c: > lsnrctl
LSNRCTL> stop
TNS-01169: The listener has not recognized the password

What do you mean, "Did not recognize the password?" You never asked for a password!

LSNRCTL> set password badguess
LSNRCTL > stop
TNS-01169: The listener has not recognized the password
LSNRCTL> set password goodguess
LSNRCTL > stop
The command completed successfully

In other words... 'set password' doesn't mean 'set password' the way normal human beings mean it - 'establish this as the password'. It means, 'this is what I think the password is, so transmit this whenever I do something that demands a password'.

Humph. There should be a category for "not exactly a bug, but nomenclature confusing enough that it may as well be".