Subject: CHANGING DBNAME OR ORACLE_SID

Last Revision Date: 06 December 1994

Author:MAROBERT
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Modifying a database to run under a new ORACLE_SID

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1. Shutdown instance
2. Backup all control, redo and data files.
3. Go thru the .profile, .cshrc, .login, oratab, tnsnames.ora(for net
v2),
and redefine the environment variable ORACLE_SID to a new value.
ie search thru disks and do a grep ORACLE_SID *
4. cd $ORACLE_HOME/dbs and rename the following files:
o init<sid>.ora (or use pfile to point to the init file.)
o control file(s) This is optional if you don't rename any of the
controlfiles, and the control_files parameter is
used. control_files would be set in the initSID.ora
file or in a file it references with the ifile
parameter. Make sure control_files doesn't point to
any old file names, if you renamed them.
o crdb<sid>.sql & crdb2<sid>.sql This is optional. These
are
only used at database creation.
5. cd $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin and rename the file:
o startup<sid>.sql This is optional.
(On some platforms, this file may be in $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/install.)
Make sure the contents of this file do not reference old initSID.ora
files that have been renamed. This file simplifies the process to
"startup exclusive" your database.
6. To rename the database files bulletin: 98863.723
7. Change the ORACLE_SID environment variable to the new value.
8. start up database and verify it works. Once you have done this,
shutdown
the database and take a final backup of all control, redo and data
files.
9. When the instance is started, the control file gets updated with the
current ORACLE_SID.
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Changing the dbname for a database

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1. sqldba
2. connect internal
3. alter database backup controlfile to trace;
This will write in a trace file, the CREATE CONTROLFILE command
that
would recreate the controlfile as it currently exists.
4. Exit and go to the directory where your trace files are located.
They are usually in the $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/log directory.
If user_dump_dest is set in the initSID.ora, then go to the
directory
 listed in the user_dump_dest variable.
The trace file will have the form "ora_NNNN.trc with NNNN being a
number.
5. Get the CREATE CONTROLFILE command from the trace file and put it
in a
new file called something like ccf.sql.
6. Edit the ccf.sql file and modify the CREATE CONTROLFILE command.
Just change the word "REUSE" to "SET",and "NORESETLOGS" to
"RESETLOGS",
and modify the dbname.
Old line:
CREATE CONTROLFILE REUSE DATABASE "olddbname" NORESETLOGS ...
New line:
CREATE CONTROLFILE set DATABASE "newdbname" RESETLOGS ...
Then save the ccf.sql file.
7. Rename the old control files for backup purposes and so they are
not in
the way of creating the new ones.
8. Edit initSID.ora so that db_name="newdbname".
9. sqldba
10. connect internal
11. startup nomount
12. @ccf
13. alter database open;
14. Make sure the database is working. Shutdown and backup the
database.

References
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ORACLE7 SERVER, SQL Language Reference Manual