Files - Expert Oracle Database Architecture - page 116

SQL*Plus: Release 12.1.0.1.0 Production on Tue Sep 3 14:16:22 2013

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ERROR:
ORA-01017: invalid username/password; logon denied

OS authentication won't work over the network for SYSDBA , even if the very unsafe (for security reasons)
parameter REMOTE_OS_AUTHENT is set to true. So, OS authentication won't work and, as discussed earlier, if you're
trying to start up an instance to mount and open a database, then by definition there's no database yet in which to
look up authentication details. It is the proverbial chicken and egg problem.
Enter the password file. The password file stores a list of usernames and passwords that are allowed to remotely
authenticate as SYSDBA over the network. Oracle must use this file to authenticate them, not the normal list of
passwords stored in the database.
So, let's correct our situation. First, verify that the REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE parameter is set to the default of
EXCLUSIVE , meaning only one database uses a given password file:

EODA@ORA12CR1> show parameter remote_login_passwordfile

NAME TYPE VALUE
------------------------------------ ----------- ----------
remote_login_passwordfile string EXCLUSIVE

■ Other valid values for this parameter are NONE , meaning there is no password file (there are no remote SYSDBA
connections), and SHARED (more than one database can use the same password file).

Note

The next step is to use the command-line tool (on UNIX/Linux and Windows) named orapwd to create and
populate the initial password file:

[ora12cr1@dellpe ~]$ orapwd
Usage: orapwd file=<fname> entries=<users> force=<y/n> asm=<y/n>
dbuniquename=<dbname> format=<legacy/12> sysbackup=<y/n> sysdg=<y/n>
syskm=<y/n> delete=<y/n> input_file=<input-fname>

Usage: orapwd describe file=<fname>

where
...
There must be no spaces around the equal-to (=) character.

The command we'll use when logged into the operating system account that owns the Oracle software is

[ora12cr1@dellpe dbs]$ orapwd file=orapw$ORACLE_SID password=bar entries=20

This creates a password file named orapwora12cr1 in my case (my ORACLE_SID is ora12cr1 ). That's the naming
convention for this file on most UNIX/Linux platforms (see your installation/OS admin guide for details on the
naming of this file on your platform), and it resides in the $ORACLE_HOME/dbs directory. On Windows, this file is named
PW%ORACLE_SID%.ora and it's located in the %ORACLE_HOME%\database directory. You should navigate to the correct
directory prior to running the command to create that file, or move that file into the correct directory afterward.