Yes

Oracle maintains multiple control files for a reason.
Part of the initial instance setup should have created
multiple files on different file systems.

If you create the instance "by hand", using the create
statements within sqlplus, then it was up to you to construct
a suitable ini file for generating multiples, or generating
a single, shutting down the datatbase, copying the original
to multiple locations, mondifyig the ini to point to multiples,
and starting up.

Control files are a picture in time of database "state". How
many data files, what the data file to tablespace mapping is,
what the SCN (think transaction number) is the current one,
when the last time a data file was flushed, etc.

There is simply no point copying from another box.

Oracle is not something you screw around with, without doing
some serious reading first.

Also, a note on ini files. Oracle can be told to maintain a
binary version which is will then maintain for you everytime
you alter the environment of a running database.

DON'T DO IT!!!

They are impossible to figure out.

Use the vanilla ascii one, and maintain it yourself.

I've been using softlinks to Oracle home for years.

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 23 Feb 4 2001 u01 -> /xy/bfd/oracle_base/u01
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 23 Feb 4 2001 u02 -> /xy/bfd/oracle_base/u02
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 23 Feb 4 2001 u03 -> /xy/bfd/oracle_base/u03
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 23 Feb 4 2001 u04 -> /xy/bfd/oracle_base/u04
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 23 Feb 4 2001 u05 -> /xy/bfd/oracle_base/u05
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 24 Oct 31 2001 u06 -> /xy/bfd2/oracle_base/u06
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 24 Oct 31 2001 u07 -> /xy/bfd2/oracle_base/u07
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 24 Oct 31 2001 u08 -> /xy/bfd2/oracle_base/u08
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 21 Mar 24 2004 u09 -> /xy/H/oracle_base/u09
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 21 Mar 24 2004 u10 -> /xy/I/oracle_base/u10

$ echo $ORACLE_HOME
/u01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7

Post #210,909 by broomberg 6/10/05 11:51:54 PM Reply	Yes You did NOT need them. They are archived log files. They come into play if you restore a hot backup and then need to roll forward the transactions. The control file, on the other hand, you DID need. But you should have several of them in different locations, so if you lose one it is not big deal, just copy another over to that location.
Post #210,910 by boxley 6/10/05 11:56:03 PM Reply	nope only one :-) busy lad today, copy from another box doing the same job and cursing prior folk who did not keep a consistant naming convention across boxes or a consistant method of backing up control files. Will get the lab setup to my satisfaction this coming week. thanx, bill All tribal myths are true, for a given value of "true" Terry Pratchett [link\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/] Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 49 years. meep questions, help? [link\|mailto:pappas@catholic.org\|email pappas at catholic.org]
Post #210,937 by broomberg 6/11/05 11:27:19 AM Reply	You CANNOT use one from a different box Oracle maintains multiple control files for a reason. Part of the initial instance setup should have created multiple files on different file systems. If you create the instance "by hand", using the create statements within sqlplus, then it was up to you to construct a suitable ini file for generating multiples, or generating a single, shutting down the datatbase, copying the original to multiple locations, mondifyig the ini to point to multiples, and starting up. Control files are a picture in time of database "state". How many data files, what the data file to tablespace mapping is, what the SCN (think transaction number) is the current one, when the last time a data file was flushed, etc. There is simply no point copying from another box. Oracle is not something you screw around with, without doing some serious reading first. Also, a note on ini files. Oracle can be told to maintain a binary version which is will then maintain for you everytime you alter the environment of a running database. DON'T DO IT!!! They are impossible to figure out. Use the vanilla ascii one, and maintain it yourself.
Post #210,939 by boxley 6/11/05 1:12:41 PM Reply	rm -r oracle place tarfile of oracle that does the same job on a different machine with same hardware and disklayout on my now oracle free machine. Will report how it works out. thanx, bill All tribal myths are true, for a given value of "true" Terry Pratchett [link\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/] Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 49 years. meep questions, help? [link\|mailto:pappas@catholic.org\|email pappas at catholic.org]
Post #210,943 by broomberg 6/11/05 1:38:39 PM Reply	The tnsnames will be wrong This file defines your sqlnet connections. You can accidently setup a local connection to access a remote machine. You THINK you are working on your local box, only to find you are accessing the other one. Not fun after you've dropped a production table.
Post #210,947 by boxley 6/11/05 2:23:48 PM Reply	tnsnames on all boxes point to localhost its cool. Just my own lab not production thanx, bill All tribal myths are true, for a given value of "true" Terry Pratchett [link\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/] Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 49 years. meep questions, help? [link\|mailto:pappas@catholic.org\|email pappas at catholic.org]
Post #210,964 by broomberg 6/11/05 9:01:59 PM Reply	OK
Post #210,965 by broomberg 6/11/05 9:08:30 PM Reply	You might find this helpful [link\|http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/other-formats/html_single/Oracle-9i-RH8-and-RH9-HOWTO.html\|http://www.ibiblio.o...nd-RH9-HOWTO.html]
Post #210,970 by boxley 6/11/05 10:18:28 PM Reply	thanks! bookmarked All tribal myths are true, for a given value of "true" Terry Pratchett [link\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/] Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 49 years. meep questions, help? [link\|mailto:pappas@catholic.org\|email pappas at catholic.org]
Post #211,178 by boxley 6/14/05 10:30:21 AM Reply	backup and running 4hrs to figure out that oracle is fucking clueless about soft links. I mean if I link /export/home/oracle to /foo/oracle because I am too lazy to edit 5k path files and a user has $ORACLE_HOME=/foo/oracle I would reasonably expect sqlplus to connect me to the database. Nope gotta have $ORACLE_HOME=/export/home/oracle or it doesnt work.. grumble..... thanx. bill All tribal myths are true, for a given value of "true" Terry Pratchett [link\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/] Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 49 years. meep questions, help? [link\|mailto:pappas@catholic.org\|email pappas at catholic.org]
Post #211,248 by broomberg 6/14/05 7:03:18 PM Reply	Hmm I've been using softlinks to Oracle home for years. lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 23 Feb 4 2001 u01 -> /xy/bfd/oracle_base/u01 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 23 Feb 4 2001 u02 -> /xy/bfd/oracle_base/u02 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 23 Feb 4 2001 u03 -> /xy/bfd/oracle_base/u03 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 23 Feb 4 2001 u04 -> /xy/bfd/oracle_base/u04 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 23 Feb 4 2001 u05 -> /xy/bfd/oracle_base/u05 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 24 Oct 31 2001 u06 -> /xy/bfd2/oracle_base/u06 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 24 Oct 31 2001 u07 -> /xy/bfd2/oracle_base/u07 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 24 Oct 31 2001 u08 -> /xy/bfd2/oracle_base/u08 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 21 Mar 24 2004 u09 -> /xy/H/oracle_base/u09 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root other 21 Mar 24 2004 u10 -> /xy/I/oracle_base/u10 $ echo $ORACLE_HOME /u01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7
Post #211,251 by boxley 6/14/05 7:16:00 PM Reply	yabut does your user $ORACLE_HOME point at the same one that you use in the startupDB (startup script where you kick oracle awake and mount the database) mine was different startup script pointing to the link and user pointing at the real file. made them both the same and it worked. thanx, bill All tribal myths are true, for a given value of "true" Terry Pratchett [link\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/] Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 49 years. meep questions, help? [link\|mailto:pappas@catholic.org\|email pappas at catholic.org]
Post #211,256 by broomberg 6/14/05 7:43:57 PM Reply	Yup Startup sets this, as well as it being sourced in to login scripts. ORACLE_BASE=/u01/app/oracle ORACLE_HOME=${ORACLE_BASE}/product/8.1.7 So it was really a matter of them being different, not that it was over a symbolic link for you.
Post #211,259 by boxley 6/14/05 7:49:19 PM Reply	but if oracle user uses oracle_base=/export/home/oracle and user uses oracle_base-/foo/oracle and /foo/oracle is where /export/home/oracle really lives it should work. thanx, bill All tribal myths are true, for a given value of "true" Terry Pratchett [link\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/\|http://boxleys.blogspot.com/] Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 49 years. meep questions, help? [link\|mailto:pappas@catholic.org\|email pappas at catholic.org]
Post #211,262 by broomberg 6/14/05 8:12:56 PM Reply	Maybe Maybe not. Maybe it's checking for a different Oracle home and considering it an error.

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