Re: Help: Lost sys/system password

Joe Bayerii (--) wrote:
> One of my client lost his sys/system password. After I sudo to oracle user,
> re-generated password file with "Orapwd file =xxx password=test123",, I try
> to use "sqlplus /nolog", "connect sys as sysdba", oracle asked for my
> password, after I typed test123, it retured error "insufficient privilege".
>
> In most of my system, I do not even need to provide password to login as
> sys, as long as I sudo to oracle user.
>
> What should I do now? The passwordfile init parameter is set to
> "exclusive". what is wrong with this box?
>
> Your help is highly appreciated.
>
> The system is Oracle 9204 on RedHat Linux AS, (3.0)

Using sudo only set the user to 'oracle' for the duration of the command. Afterwards you returned to the calling user id, which is likely not in the dba group, thus the 'insufficient privilege' error. This should get you connected:

# su - oracle
$ sqlplus /nolog
<banner information here>

SQL> connect / as sysdba
Connected.
SQL> By trying to connect using the username (sys) instead of using O/S authentication as I've illustrated will require you to provide a possword. The error you received indicates two things:

1. the password for SYS is correct
2. the user account from Linux is NOT in the dba group, or the user has not used newgrp to set the current working group to 'dba'.

Use the proper O/S account and you'll get connected.

David Fitzjarrell Received on Tue Jul 26 2005 - 10:34:41 CDT