ORA-11183: ASMLIB initialization error [driver/agent not installed] in oracle database in Linux server

 

ORA-11183: ASMLIB initialization error [driver/agent not installed]

After reinstalling grid infrastructure and oracle software  or applying patch (PSU) in linux server. 

You may face below error (and in alert log ORA-11183 error) when you will try to startup the oracle database.

Only three command give you the solution.  

Solution is below.

SQL> host rman target /

Recovery Manager: Release 19.23.0.0.0 - Production on Wed Jan 11 11:05:21 2025

Copyright (c) 1982, 2025, Oracle and/or its affiliates.  All rights reserved.

connected to target database (not started)

RMAN> startup     

Oracle instance started
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of startup command at 01/11/2025 11:05:41
ORA-03113: end-of-file on communication channel
Process ID: 16205
Session ID: 199 Serial number: 44057

RMAN> shutdown immediate

using target database control file instead of recovery catalog
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-00569: =============== ERROR MESSAGE STACK FOLLOWS ===============
RMAN-00571: ===========================================================
RMAN-03002: failure of shutdown command at 01/16/2025 01:23:44
RMAN-12001: could not open channel default
RMAN-01008: could not create channel context
RMAN-01005: error opening cursor
RMAN-01002: ORACLE error: ORA-03114: not connected to ORACLE

RMAN> exit

Alert log content:

**************************

Errors in file /applications/oracle/d19.3.0/oracle_base/diag/rdbms/pocdb/POCDB02/trace/POCDB02_rbal_602138.trc:
ORA-15183: ASMLIB initialization error [driver/agent not installed]
2025-01-11T09:03:10.764438+01:00
WARNING: FAILED to load library: /opt/oracle/extapi/64/asm/orcl/1/libasm.so
2025-01-11T09:03:10.978131+01:00
NOTE: ASMB (index:0) (602142) connected to ASM instance +ASM2, osid: 602152 (Flex mode; client id 0xea3b5ea7aa6dc66d)
NOTE: initiating MARK startup
Starting background process MARK

NOTE: ASMB registering with ASM instance as Standard client 0xffffffffffffffff (reg:4060941312) (new connection)
Wed Jan 11 11:05:37 2025
Errors in file /userdata/app/oracle/diag/rdbms/icmsdb1/ICMSDB/trace/ICMSDB_rbal_16178.trc:
ORA-11183: ASMLIB initialization error [driver/agent not installed]
Wed Jan 11 11:05:37 2025
WARNING: FAILED to load library: /opt/oracle/extapi/64/asm/orcl/1/libasm.so
Wed Jan 11 11:05:37 2025
starting up 1 shared server(s) ...
Wed Jan 11 11:05:37 2025
NOTE: ASMB connected to ASM instance +ASM osid: 16186 (Flex mode; client id 0xffffffffffffffff)
NOTE: initiating MARK startup
Starting background process MARK
Wed Jan 11 11:05:37 2025
MARK started with pid=27, OS id=16192
Wed Jan 11 11:05:37 2025
NOTE: MARK has subscribed
ORACLE_BASE from environment = /userdata/app/oracle
Wed Jan 11 11:05:39 2025
alter database mount
Wed Jan 11 11:05:40 2025
NOTE: ASMB mounting group 1 (DATA)
Wed Jan 11 11:05:40 2025
WARNING: cellinit.ora is missing. RBAL is terminating the instance.
RBAL (ospid: 16178): terminating the instance due to error 27625
Wed Jan 11 11:05:41 2025
System state dump requested by (instance=1, osid=16178 (RBAL)), summary=[abnormal instance termination].
System State dumped to trace file /userdata/app/oracle/diag/rdbms/icmsdb1/ICMSDB/trace/ICMSDB_diag_16112_20250111101541.trc
Wed Jan 11 11:05:41 2025
Dumping diagnostic data in directory=[cdmp_20250111101541], requested by (instance=1, osid=16178 (RBAL)), summary=[abnormal instance termination].
Wed Jan 11 11:05:41 2025
Instance terminated by RBAL, pid = 16178

Cause:

This is an Ownership issue.

After reinstalling grid and oracle software, or applying Patch, it changed the group (ASMADMIN) to (OINSTALL) for ORACLE user and   

$ORACLE_HOME/bin folder. 

So now you have to change the group back again to ASMADMIN and give appropriate permission also.

Before :- 
With root user :-

[oracle@rac01]$ su - root
Password:
[root@rac01 ~]#
[root@rac01 ~]#
[root@rac01 ~]# cd $ORACLE_HOME/bin
[root@rac01 bin]#  ls -lrt oracle
-rwsr-s--x 1 oracle oinstall 462314040 Jan 10 10:45 oracle

After :- Change the ownership and permission 

[root@rac01 bin]# chgrp asmadmin oracle
[root@rac01 bin]#
[root@rac01 bin]# chmod 6751 oracle
[root@rac01 bin]#
[root@rac01 bin]#

[root@rac01 bin]# ls -lrt oracle
-rwxr-x--x 1 oracle asmadmin 462314040 Jan 10 10:45 oracle

After that Database will be startup ..

SQL>
SQL>
SQL>
SQL> host rman target /

Recovery Manager: Release 19.23.0.0.0 - Production on Thu Jan 16 01:24:01 2025

Copyright (c) 1982, 2025, Oracle and/or its affiliates.  All rights reserved.

connected to target database (not started)

RMAN> startup mount ;

Oracle instance started
database mounted

Total System Global Area    4101417920 bytes

Fixed Size                     2932096 bytes
Variable Size               2197811936 bytes
Database Buffers            1895825408 bytes
Redo Buffers                  13844480 bytes

RMAN>