Cloning Databases

Folks (Oracle 7.3.3.5 AIX 4.2 and small databases),

We have this procedure where we can clone databases from one set of datafiles to another. Basically what happens is that at night we shutdown our main database and copy the datafiles to a stage area. We than startup our main database. Now, we copy the files from the staging area to a new location (same machine). Next, a new instance is created and mounted as 'alter database nomount'.

The original database is up an running while this is executed:

CREATE CONTROLFILE
SET DATABASE "DB_CLONE" RESETLOGS NOARCHIVELOG     MAXLOGFILES 32
    MAXLOGMEMBERS 2
    MAXDATAFILES 50
    MAXINSTANCES 8
    MAXLOGHISTORY 800
LOGFILE
  GROUP 1 '/dev1/db_clone/log1.dbf' SIZE 1M,   GROUP 2 '/dev2/db_clone/log2.dbf' SIZE 1M DATAFILE
'/dev3/db_clone/systemdb_clone.dbf',
'/dev4/db_clone/temp1.dbf',
'/dev4/db_clone/data1.dbf',
'/dev4/db_clone/index1.dbf'

;
alter database open resetlogs;

When we try and do this with the original database up the following errors are generated:

ORA-01503: CREATE CONTROLFILE failed
ORA-01565: error in identifying file
'/saa15/pastrain/systemdb_clone.dbf'
ORA-09782: sfifi: another instance has the same database mounted.

The only way to get around this is to shutdown the original instance and then bring up the new cloned instance. After this, the original can be brought up.

If you've read this, thanks. Now the question. I think this is the key error:

09782, 00000, "sfifi: another instance has the same database mounted." // *Cause: In non-shared disk systems, database cannot be mounted shared.
// *Action: Shutdown the other oracle instance and try again. The name // of the other instance was dumped to the trace file.

Can anyway explain to me what is happening as Oracle tries to create a new instance in this case? Is there a way around this and still have the original up at the same time?

Thanks

mkb

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