Can NOT start second database

From: Kevin Haas <kahaas_at_carolina.rr.com>
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2000 00:43:49 GMT
Message-ID: <3A172260.C3FED288@carolina.rr.com>

Hello fellow Oracle professionals!

I can not start two (2) separate databases (instances) on my box. While trying to start the second database the command always fails with "Unable to start "SON." I know this is memory issue, because I was not able to start the first database back when I only had 128 MB RAM. Now I have 256 MB.

I am running Oracle 8.1.5 on a Solaris Intel v8 with P350, 256 MB RAM, 340 MB swap. My /etc/system parameters are attached below. The SGA for both databases are minimal--less than 12MB when started individually. What's the deal?? The box is dedicated to Oracle only.

UNIX Top reports the following for memory settings: BEFORE (zero instances) real: 184MB free 304MB swap free FIRST (one instance) real: 135MB free 144 swap free

Looking at the numbers, the first instance is grabbing 49MB ram and 160MB swap space=209MB. What's the deal? The SGA is only 12 MB. I had no idea a single instance grabs 209MB. What the heck is it doing with all of that memory? Is there anyway to calculate how an instance grabs memory?

In "top" it appears that each database background process (DBWRn, LGWRn, CKPTn, etc) is reserving 32MB RAM. ????

Woah, just noticed that my shmmax=64MB. Could that be a problem?

Maybe I need to expand my swap space???

Begin /etc/system -- Oracle section

set shmsys:shminfo_shmmax=64000000
set shmsys:shminfo_shmmin=1
set shmsys:shminfo_shmmni=100
set shmsys:shminfo_shmseg=10
set semsys:seminfo_semmni=100
set semsys:seminfo_semmsl=100
set semsys:seminfo_semmns=450
set semsys:seminfo_semopm=100
set semsys:seminfo_semvmx=32767

End /etc/system Received on Sat Nov 18 2000 - 18:43:49 CST