password file not found when creating a database

[pwoneill]

let me start off with the reason my create database statement fails: the password file isn't there. i get an ORA-01990 saying it can't find /app/oracle/product/8.1.6/dbs/orapw .

i know it's not there, and i think i know how to create one (use orapw, output to the file it's looking for or a different one and specify it in my environment).

however i just wanted to use OS authentication, i don't know why it's looking for an orapw file. i set my REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE environment variable to equal NONE (which is default anyway), which should just denote that i'm using OS authentication, but it's still yelling about the missing orapw file.

anyone have any guesses as to why? system is solaris, database is 8.1.6. only password related environment variable set is the REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE=NONE.

thanks for any ideas.

[apfaunts]

REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE=NONE is not an environmnet variable, it is an init.ora parameter that needs to be set!
Alla

[pwoneill]

haha i suppose that's what i get for skimming documentation for keywords.

thanks, i'll try it when i get to work tomorrow.

[pwoneill]

hrm now I have it set it both places and it's still yelling about the password file not being there. I know when I created a small test database using the same procedure on 8.0.5 I didn't come across this problem.

Anyone know how to make my create database statement not look for a password file? Or should I give up and just create one? :)

edit:
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I just gave up and created the password file, then things worked like a charm. my remote_login_passwordfile is still none so I assume it's still using os authentication. maybe the file just had to be there anyway.

[Edited by pwoneill on 11-15-2000 at 10:52 AM]

[apfaunts]

No, your previous assumption is correct and password file does not have to be there. Go to /etc directory and look for passwd and group files... passwd file contains the user database, with the fields giving the
username, real name, home directory, encrypted password, and other information about each user. Group file is just like passwd file but describes groups instead of users. May be there are some inconsistencies there. I would also look at differencies in network configuration between your previous install and current because if there are some networking parameters that require thsi authentication, oracle may look for passwrod file by default.