ORA-01124: cannot recover data file 1 - file is in use or recovery

Question

I am trying to recover standby database, but it is giving the below error.
ORA-00283: recovery session canceled due to errors
ORA-01124: cannot recover data file 1 - file is in use or recovery, recovery is already stated
ORA-01110: data file 1: 'I:\ORACLE\QAS\SAPDATA1\SYSTEM_1\SYSTEM.DATA1'
when i checked in the alert log the recovery is not started. and later i hae given "alter database recover cancel' and the command end up with the below line
"media recovery not started".
it seems that the recovery has stuck in between.
please advise me how to kill the recovery session that's stuck. because i dont want to bounce the standby database.
thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Without dataguard and MRP, you are running a scripted standby.
In a scripted standby, a RECOVER DATABASE session would have an UNTIL clause (most likely UNTIL SEQUENCE). At the end of the recovery to that point (SEQUENCE#), it exits and shuts down the database.
Also, the scripting is such that when one RECOVER session is active, another session is not allowed to start. It may loop in wait state or exit and retry at the next scheduled interval.
Apparently your standby scripting is not robust enough to prevent another RECOVER session from starting off even as the first is active (and/or it doesn't have a proper UNTIL clause and stop, exit, shutdown actions)
What you have is a custom implementation of a standby database. Without complete details of the script, the "locking" between sessions (to prevent a second RECOVER from starting when one is already running) etc .... we really cannot do much to help you.
Your scripts should be maintaing status information . It should be possible for you to discover the "other" sqlplus session that has issued a RECOVER DATABASE but not yet exited (e.g. ... how about a simple "ps -ef |grep sql" and "ps -ef | grep ora" combination ??)
Hemant K Chitale
Edited by: Hemant K Chitale on May 29, 2013 5:47 PM