How to resolve ORA-011033: ORACLE initialization or shutdown in progress

Question

When trying to connect to an ORACLE user via TOAD (Quest Software) or any other means (Oracle Enterprise Manager) I get this error:

ORA-011033: ORACLE initialization or shutdown in progress

Answer 1

After some googling, I found the advice to do the following, and it worked:

SQL> startup mount

ORACLE Instance started

SQL> recover database 

Media recovery complete

SQL> alter database open;

Database altered

Answer 2

Here is my solution to this issue:

SQL> Startup mount
ORA-01081: cannot start already-running ORACLE - shut it down first
SQL> shutdown abort
ORACLE instance shut down.
SQL>
SQL> startup mount
ORACLE instance started.

Total System Global Area 1904054272 bytes
Fixed Size                  2404024 bytes
Variable Size             570425672 bytes
Database Buffers         1325400064 bytes
Redo Buffers                5824512 bytes
Database mounted.
SQL> Show parameter control_files

NAME                                 TYPE        VALUE
------------------------------------ ----------- ------------------------------
control_files                        string      C:\APP\USER\ORADATA\ORACLEDB\C
                                                 ONTROL01.CTL, C:\APP\USER\FAST
                                                 _RECOVERY_AREA\ORACLEDB\CONTRO
                                                 L02.CTL
SQL> select a.member,a.group#,b.status from v$logfile a ,v$log b where a.group#=
b.group# and b.status='CURRENT'
  2
SQL> select a.member,a.group#,b.status from v$logfile a ,v$log b where a.group#=
b.group# and b.status='CURRENT';

MEMBER
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    GROUP# STATUS
---------- ----------------
C:\APP\USER\ORADATA\ORACLEDB\REDO03.LOG
         3 CURRENT


SQL> shutdown abort
ORACLE instance shut down.
SQL> startup mount
ORACLE instance started.

Total System Global Area 1904054272 bytes
Fixed Size                  2404024 bytes
Variable Size             570425672 bytes
Database Buffers         1325400064 bytes
Redo Buffers                5824512 bytes
Database mounted.
SQL> recover database using backup controlfile until cancel;
ORA-00279: change 4234808 generated at 01/21/2014 18:31:05 needed for thread 1
ORA-00289: suggestion :
C:\APP\USER\FAST_RECOVERY_AREA\ORACLEDB\ARCHIVELOG\2014_01_22\O1_MF_1_108_%U_.AR

C
ORA-00280: change 4234808 for thread 1 is in sequence #108


Specify log: {<RET>=suggested | filename | AUTO | CANCEL}
C:\APP\USER\ORADATA\ORACLEDB\REDO03.LOG
Log applied.
Media recovery complete.
SQL> alter database open resetlogs;

Database altered.

And it worked:

Answer 3

I had a similar problem when I had installed the 12c database as per Oracle's tutorial . The instruction instructs reader to create a PLUGGABLE DATABASE (pdb).

The problem

sqlplus hr/hr@pdborcl would result in ORACLE initialization or shutdown in progress.

The solution

• 1. Login as SYSDBA to the dabase :

     sqlplus SYS/Oracle_1@pdborcl AS SYSDBA
     

• 2. Alter database:

     alter pluggable database pdborcl open read write;
     

• 3. Login again:

     sqlplus hr/hr@pdborcl
     

That worked for me

Some documentation here