The NID utility greatly simplifies this. You can change either the database name, the database id, or both. It works the same on both UNIX or Windows. Check Metalink Note #224226.1. I've had to use this several times to finish off RMAN duplicates on UNIX and once on Windows when I had to change a database name as part of an application upgrade. It's pretty slick. From the doc: Change Only the DBNAME ====================== 1. Backup the database 2. SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE of the database 3. STARTUP MOUNT 4. Open one session and run NID with sysdba privileges % nid TARGET=SYS/password@test_db DBNAME=test_db2 SETNAME=Y - the value of DBNAME is the new dbname of the database - SETNAME must be set to Y. The default is N and causes the DBID to be changed also. 5. shutdown IMMEDIATE of the database 6. Set the DB_NAME initialization parameter in the initialization parameter file to the new database name 7. Create a new password file 8. Startup of the database(without resetlogs) On Mon, May 19, 2008 at 2:57 PM, <genegurevich@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Hello : > > > I need to rename an existing database (10.2.3). In the past (about 10 years > ago and oracle 7) I was able to take the create controlfile command > (via alter database rebuild controlfile to trace), replace the filesystem > name and the database name with a new instance name, rename > all the filesystems accordingly, execute the create controlfile command and > be done. > > As I said I have not done it in about 10 years. Can this still be done like > that? Am I missing anything? > > thank you > > Gene Gurevich > > > -- > //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l > > >