can't create new database

From: James Dickson <James.Dickson_at_mail.esrin.esa.it>
Date: 1996/11/07
Message-ID: <32822246.1CEF_at_mail.esrin.esa.it>#1/1


To: comp.databases.oracle, comp.unix.questions newsgroups

I have a unix box SunOS 5.4 Generic_101945-32 sun4d sparc with installed product 7.2.2 and 4 running instances. I've been trying all week to create a fifth instance and Oracle is having none of it. The error is:

SQLDBA> connect internal
Connected.
SQLDBA> startup nomount
pfile=/gigante_home1/3rdsw/oradba/product/7.2.2/dbs/initPROCOS_0.ora ORA-07279: spcre: semget error, unable to get first semaphore set. SVR4 Error: 28: No space left on device
Additional information: 1
SQLDBA> exit
SQL*DBA complete.
> oerr ora 07279

07279, 00000, "spcre: semget error, unable to get first semaphore set." // *Cause: An error occurred when trying to get first semaphore set.
// *Action: Check errno. Verify that system is configured to have semaphores.
// Verify that enough semaphores are available. Additional information
// indicates how many semaphores were requested.

The four running instances have one semaphore each. I can shutdown and startup those instances with no trouble; when they go down they give up the semaphore and when they come back up they grab a semaphore. The new instance doesn't seem to be able to get a semaphore. There are plenty free. Even if I take the other instances down (freeing those 4 semaphores and shared memory) the new instance is unable to get any.

There is plenty of space left on the disk and I have unlimited quota on the disk. I can touch files in the directory where the control files will be created.

I have compared the parameter file with that of a running instance and there is no difference (apart from db_name and control_files of course, I mean nothing wrong with it).

Has anybody seen this before or can suggest what could be causing it? It's driving me crazy.

Thanks,
 James Received on Thu Nov 07 1996 - 00:00:00 CET

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