Norm! > You get the prize along with @martinberx on Twitter! It was indeed an > extra slash in oratab. And now that you know the problem, of course the issue is easy to find (via duckduckgo.com): http://www.thebonsai.net/2009/05/05/a-unix-pathname-is-a-unix-pathnameor-not-oracle-fooled-me-again/ Have a restful weekend! Rich -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l