Using SQL*plus produces ORA-01034 and ORA-27101 errors

Well, great. No day without another stupid problem. This is one I am totally sure to have solved at least three times before, but never saved the solution in my memory. I was trying to use SQL*plus with my local Oracle Express Database 10.2.0.1.0 and I have another machine yet, that uses the same combination. So I knew I had to set ORACLE_HOME to the directory from which I can reach sqlplus by typing bin/sqlplus, I had to set ORACLE_SID to the standard XE and set the path to $ORACLE_HOME/bin:$PATH. What I did not remember were to things I found out by try and error, and this friendly document:

http://www.dba-oracle.com/sf_ora_27101_shared_memory_realm_does_not_exist.htm

1. ORACLE_HOME must not have a trailing slash!!!

2. ORACLE is case-sensitive, at least it was this time , so it must not be xe in my case, but has to be XE.

That was it. I hate it. Bad world, bad oracle, bad me, bad all, bad, bad, bad…

~ by runtimeexception on December 3, 2008.