Cannot start database

[budh]

Hi,

I have restarted our DB server and now I cannot seem to start one of the database's. When logging on via sqlplus I get the message: "Connected to an idle instance."

When running "Startup" I get:
ORA-01078: failure in processing system parameters
LRM-00109: could not open parameter file 'X:\ORACLE\PRODUCT\10.2.0\DB_1\DATABASE\INIT[SID].ORA'

We are using SPFILE and there is no INIT[SID].ORA file. Any idea on what is going on? How to fix?

Thanx

Environment: Oracle 10g R2 - Windows 2003

[budh]

hmmm.. found an init.ora file in X:\oracle\product\10.2.0\admin\[SID]\pfile\init.ora.315200821229

Copied the contents and created an init[SID].ora file in X:\oracle\product\10.2.0\db_1\database and now the db seems to start.

Can someone offer an explaination as to what happened here?

Also, am I now using init.ora instead of a spfile? How do I get it to use SPFILE?

Thanx

[budh]

managed to create and use the SPFILE.
Still confused as to what happened though...

[davey23uk]

there wasnt an spfile or a pfile in the directory when you were trying to start up the first time - simple as that

when you copied one it - it worked - simple as that again

[gtcol]

managed to create and use the SPFILE.
Still confused as to what happened though

Well, to make it even simplerrr to understand,
when you did 'STARTUP', it searched for spfile in its location and as the spfile was not present, it threw the error message.

SELECT name,value FROM v$parameter WHERE name LIKE '%spfile%'; for spfile location.

HTH,
gtcol

[budh]

Ok, so what happened to the original SPFILE from the default location? I mean the database has been running for the last 6 months. Why is it when I shutdown the server and try restart, it all of a sudden cannot find the SPFILE?

Why did I need to copy and recreate a new init[SID].ora file for the startup... and then re-create a SPFILE?

[davey23uk]

someone deleted the file - or it was never there.

Only you can tell

[budh]

hmmm.. ok.. thanx...

Thought is may have been a problem experienced by others as well. something Oracle related... no has access to this server except me and this server is bounced monthly when we do our monthly server patching.. Just weird..

Thanx though...