How to restart Oracle dbca after a failed database creation with ASM

Introduction

This article provides you the details how to clean up the files created by dbca tool as part of a partially created Oracle database using Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM). Let us assume the ASM instance name is +ASM, the ASM diskgroup name is +DATA, the Oracle database name that failed to be created successfully as SALESDB with 12c R1 version.

This article also provides the steps to remove all references that still exist for the SALESDB database before a retry.

Solution

1) .  oraenv  (Note the space after the DOT symbol. Set +ASM environment)

2) echo  $ORACLE_SID  (Must show +ASM)

3) sqlplus /  as  sysasm

4) select  name from  v$asm_alias;

Let us find the control file alias name of the failed SALESDB database. It starts with Current. For example, it may be Current.257.912291913. Therefore the full path of the control file in ASM diskgroup is +DATA/SALESDB/CONTROLFILE/Current.257.912291913

5) exit

6) . oraenv (Note the space after the DOT symbol. Set SALESDB environment.)

7) echo  $ORACLE_SID  (Must show SALESDB.)

8) cd  $ORACLE_HOME/dbs

9) Remove any existing initSALESDB.ora or spfileSALESDB.ora that was created during the initial execution of dbca.

10) vi initSALESDB.ora  (Add the below initialization parameters.)

db_name=SALESDB

control_files=+DATA/SALESDB/CONTROLFILE/Current.257.912291913

compatible=12.1.0

11) sqlplus / as sysdba

12) startup mount force restrict;

13) exit

14) rman

15) connect /

16) drop database;

17) exit

18) Delete the initSALESDB.ora

19) Remove the SALESDB entry in /etc/oratab file.

20) cd $ORACLE_BASE/fast_recovery_area

21) rm -rf SALESDB (Delete any files created by dbca in the Fast Recovery Area.)

22) cd $ORACLE_BASE/admin

23) rm -rf SALESDB

24) cd $ORACLE_BASE/diag/rdbms

25) rm -rf salesdb (Delete the diagnostic files directory structure for SALESDB.)

26) cd $ORACLE_BASE/cfgtoollogs/dbca

27) rm -rf SALESDB

Conclusion

Once the above steps are completed, the +DATA diskgroup should not have any more ASM files for the SALESDB database. Also, all SALESDB references on the database server will be removed. Finally, start the dbca tool again and this time, hopefully, your SALESDB database creation will be successful.