can't start db 1

[kdunbar]

I just installed Oracle 8.1.7 on Solaris 5.9. Installation was successful. Following a restart of the Sun Blade I cannot get Oracle to start again. I'm a newbie to Oracle, so not sure where to look for logs etc.

My steps to start the db are this:
su - oraclekb
dbstart

I get nothing from this command. It immediately returns me to a prompt. I can however successfully start a listener.

Any direction to resolve my problem would be great.

 

[SantaMufasa]

K,

Let's do some detective work to find out how much of an Oracle installation you have. Here are some questions whose answers will help us determine status:

1) When you installed Oracle, did you specify the creation of a database? If so, what did you name it (if you know)?

2) What are the results of this Unix command:
ps -ef | grep pmon

3) If you cd /var/opt/oracle, what are the last couple of lines when you "cat oratab"?

4) Issue the command "svrmgrl" (old version of Oracle ServerManager Line mode). At the prompt, enter:
"connect / as sysdba<enter>", then issue the command:
"startup".

5) Copy and paste here in a reply your findings from the above commands.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA @ 19:27 (14Jun04) UTC (aka "GMT" and "Zulu"), 12:27 (14Jun04) Mountain Time)

 

[kdunbar]

1) I created a database by the name of DUNBAR. If I start the dbastudio, the name appears on the tree.

2) $ ps -ef | grep pmon
oraclekb 1909 1903 0 13:57:08 pts/6 0:00 grep pmon

3) #
orcl:/export/oracle/product/8.1.7:N
$

4) $ svrmgrl

Oracle Server Manager Release 3.1.7.0.0 - Production

Copyright (c) 1997, 1999, Oracle Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.7.0.0 - Production
With the Partitioning option
JServer Release 8.1.7.0.0 - Production

SVRMGR> connect / as sysdba
Connected.
SVRMGR> startup
ORACLE instance started.
Total System Global Area 236896416 bytes
Fixed Size 73888 bytes
Variable Size 79355904 bytes
Database Buffers 157286400 bytes
Redo Buffers 180224 bytes
Database mounted.
Database opened.
SVRMGR>

Apparently it's now started?

 

[dbtoo2001]

3) If you cd /var/opt/oracle, what are the last couple of lines when you "cat oratab"?
3) #
orcl:/export/oracle/product/8.1.7:N
-- The N says don't start this automatically, change it to Y.

Also, does oraclekb user use korn shell?

 

[dbtoo2001]

Just noticed,
orcl:/export/oracle/product/8.1.7:N Is for a database called orcl, not your 'DUNBAR'. How did you create dunbar? What does ps -ef | grep pmon give now?
You have to export the oracle SID for DUNBAR, then repeat what Santa told you with svrmgrl. Add Dunbar into oratab too.

 

[kdunbar]

Great! I'll change that value to Y right now.
I should be running borne shell as oraclekb. I'll double check that, but I believe I set it up that way when I created the user.

 

[kdunbar]

I'm in the process of adding Dunbar to the oratab.
The process search currently gives me:

$ ps -ef | grep pmon
oraclekb 1953 1903 1 14:29:38 pts/6 0:00 grep pmon
oraclekb 1919 1 0 13:59:24 ? 0:00 ora_pmon_orcl
$

 

[SantaMufasa]

K,

Good detective work. Following up on the correct observations/suggestions from dbtoo2001:

1) The oratab file is aware of an Oracle instance named "orcl". It is not aware of and instance named DUNBAR. You can use "vi" or other favourite editor to specify the DUNBAR instance. The oratab format:
<SID-name>:<Oracle Home>:<Startup on reboot Y/N>

2) Yes, the reaction to the "startup" command confirms that whatever instance you were connecting to was down, and you started it up.

3) In "svrmgrl", issue the command:

SELECT * FROM V$INSTANCE;

This will confirm important information about the instance including whether you are connected to "ORCL" or "DUNBAR".

4) In the first place, to anticipate which instance you will be connecting to when you issue the "svrmgrl" command, issue the Unix command: "echo $ORACLE_SID" whatever the results, that is the name of the instance Oracle connects you to when running "svrmgrl".

5) To change instances (i.e., "ORCL" to "DUNBAR"), issue the command ". oraenv". You can then enter any instance name that appears in your oratab file. The results of running oraenv are: $ORACLE_SID and $ORACLE_HOME contain the respective values from the oratab file that match your response to oratab's prompt "ORACLE_SID = [<current SID>] ? "

Let us know if this offers some order to you new life as an Oracle administrator.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA @ 20:43 (14Jun04) UTC (aka "GMT" and "Zulu"), 13:43 (14Jun04) Mountain Time)

 

[kdunbar]

A great deal of order, thank you.
I develop portals and am just moving to a content management system from Fatwire (Content Server) which is forcing me from MySQL to Oracle. (at least for one client)
Thus, my venture into the world of Oracle and the various tools. Any suggestions on a good book for the "occational" user? I have to set this stuff up, but then Fatwire - Content Server handles all the table creation, indexing, queries, etc.

Thanks guys.