Re: Migrating DB Unix->Windows NT

Rick Denoire wrote:
>
> Hello
>
> I have a working DB (Oracle 8.1.7, Solaris 7) and am trying to use the
> init.ora file, the edited "alter database backup controlfile to
> trace"-file as a new db creation script, and the full dump to
> reinstall a new DB on Windows NT from scratch.
>
> My problem is that I only have experience on the Unix side. Using NT I
> only can start an "Assistant" which uses its own parameter file. If I
> do the following under Windows (command line):
>
> -snip-
> oradim -new -sid mydb -pfile /here/it/is/initmydb.ora
> set ORACLE_SID=mydb
> sqlplus /nolog
> conn / as sysdba
> "connected to an idle instance"
> startup nomount pfile=/here/it/is/initmydb.ora
> [error]
> -snip-
>
> then whatever I try, I get an "Oracle not found/not running" message,
> or complains about "memory realm already exist" or "memory realm not
> found".
>
> But I do can connect to the example DB created by the "Assistant"
> (which is worthless to me), so Oracle is running. I tried restarting
> the Services, renaming the init.ora file so it uses my init-file
> instead of that from the example DB, and other things, but no success.
>
> So how can I setup a DB from scratch using existing init file (edited
> to reflect the new instance name and pathes), an existing CREATE
> DATABASE script, in order to import a dump into it? All of this using
> Windows?
>
> Heck, I wouldn't have thought Windows' Oracle was so difficult to
> manage.
>
> TIA
> Rick
>

Did you create your target instance? If not, how do you expect to start it using oradim, even with your init file and the trace file from 'alter database ...'? You need to create at a minimum all the data files, because when you recreate your control file using the trace file, the data files had best be there, or the instance will not start.

Here is my suggestion.

1. Create your NT instance.
2. Create some named DB links in your Solaris instance to point to your NT instance's tables.
3. Pump all the data into NT via PL/SQL code.

I have done a similar thing and moved a lot of data (~500 GB) in < 6 hours.

-- 
Ron Reidy
Oracle DBA