ORA-01078: failure in processing system parameters LRM-00109: could not open parameter file - Fixed

Requirement - When starting up database following error occurs:

SQL> startup
ORA-01078: failure in processing system parameters
LRM-00109: could not open parameter file ‘/opt/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/dbs/inittest01.ora’

I have faced this problem, while setting up an new image of VMware. I am starting server and I got this error.
What does this mean –

Reason-
Database start using spfile (Default)
In Unix default path is $ORACLE_HOME/dbs
If spfile is not present it looks for pfile at same path. If pfile is also not present it will give above message.

Implementation -
If you have spfile then you can copy default values from spfile to pfile and create pfile. But what if you don’t have spfile
You have to create an pfile

How to create pfile –

When database starts it writes list of non default parameters in alert log files. We can use these values to create a pfile and start the database.

Find your Alert log file and open it, this is Database Management Software Oracle 11g
Here you will see entry like this:

processes = 150
sga_target = 512M
control_files = “/opt/oracle/test01/dbs/control01.ctl”
control_files = “/opt/oracle/test01/dbs/control02.ctl”
control_files = “/opt/oracle/test01/dbs/control03.ctl”
db_block_size = 8192
compatible = “10.2.0.1.0”
log_archive_dest_1 = “LOCATION=/opt/oracle/test01/archive”
log_archive_dest_state_1 = “ENABLE”
log_archive_format = “%t_%s_%r.dbf”
log_archive_max_processes= 10
log_checkpoint_interval = 9999
log_checkpoint_timeout = 0
db_file_multiblock_read_count= 16
db_recovery_file_dest = “/opt/oracle/test01/flash_recovery_area”
db_recovery_file_dest_size= 2G
undo_management = “AUTO”
undo_tablespace = “UNDOTBS1”
remote_login_passwordfile= “EXCLUSIVE”
db_domain = “agilis.com”
job_queue_processes = 32
core_dump_dest = “/opt/oracle/test01/diag/cdump”
audit_file_dest = “/opt/oracle/test01/adump”
open_links = 10
db_name = “test01”
open_cursors = 500
optimizer_index_cost_adj = 20
optimizer_index_caching = 90
pga_aggregate_target = 128M
diagnostic_dest = “/opt/oracle/test01/diag”

Create pfile using these values:
$ cd /opt/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/dbs/
vi inittest01.ora

Copy non default parameter values from alert log in this file and save it. This is your pfile,
Start the database using this pfile

Start the Database using Pfile:

[oracle@ dbs]$ export ORACLE_SID=test01
 [oracle@ dbs]$ sqlplus sys as sysdba
 SQL*Plus: Release 11.2.0.2.0 Production on Fri Jun 24 15:53:16 2011
 Copyright (c) 1982, 2010, Oracle. All rights reserved.
 Enter password:
 Connected to an idle instance.
 SQL> startup pfile=’$ORACLE_HOME/dbs/inittest01.ora’
ORACLE instance started.
 Total System Global Area 534462464 bytes
 Fixed Size 2228200 bytes
 Variable Size 163577880 bytes
 Database Buffers 360710144 bytes
 Redo Buffers 7946240 bytes
 Database mounted.
 Database opened.
 SQL>

Create spfile from pfile:

SQL> create spfile from pfile=’$ORACLE_HOME/dbs/inittest01.ora’;
File created.

Shutdown the database and restart it will use spfile (Default) and problem is solved.