Alert log show ORA-00472: PMON process terminated with error while shutdown database (Doc ID 1556679.1)

Last updated on JANUARY 07, 2025

Applies to:

Symptoms

On : 9.2.0.8 version, RDBMS

When attempting to shutdown the database using shutdown immediate,the following error occurs.

SQL> Database closed.
Database dismounted.
ORA-472: PMON  process terminated with error
SQL> Disconnected from Oracle9i Enterprise Edition Release 9.2.0.8.0 - 64bit 
Production
With the Partitioning option
JServer Release 9.2.0.8.0 - Production

If A cold backup is being performed RMAN could show the following errors:
 
shutdown immediate;
database closed
database dismounted
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of shutdown command at 05/16/2013 21:31:49
ORA-00472: PMON process terminated with error

There is nothing abnormal/error found in the alert log file , it shows that the database is shutting down normally. 

Fri May 17 03:06:38 2013
Shutting down instance: further logons disabled
Shutting down instance (immediate)
........
Fri May 17 03:06:45 2013
Completed: ALTER DATABASE CLOSE NORMAL
Fri May 17 03:06:45 2013
ALTER DATABASE DISMOUNT
Completed: ALTER DATABASE DISMOUNT
ARCH: Archiving is disabled
Shutting down archive processes
Archiving is disabled
Archive process shutdown avoided: 0 active
Fri May 17 03:07:02 2013
License high water mark = 3
Instance terminated by USER, pid = 11207416<<< this confirms that shutdown completed successfully 

To investigate this issue further please truss PMON process as following:

1) Before next shutdown, turn on a truss for pmon, open another shell the execute:-

--$ ps -ef | grep pmon
--$ truss -aefo <output_file> -p <pmon pid> &

2) from the first sqlplus session now , issue:-

SQL> shutdown immediate 

3) upload the <output_file> and the pmon generated trace

The truss output may look something like this:

Changes

Cause

My Oracle Support provides customers with access to over a million knowledge articles and a vibrant support community of peers and Oracle experts.