Creating Auxiliary Instance with RMAN DUPLICATE Without Target or Catalog

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I am trying to duplicate an Oracle database based on backups to test if they can be used in case of complete system failure. Hence, I want to do this without a connection to the source database. I'm not using a Recovery Catalog.

I've read through all of the manual, but am stuck at step 7 of "Preparing to duplicate a database" on the fourth point:

  1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the auxiliary instance as a user with SYSDBA or SYSBACKUP privileges.

The auxiliary server I am duplicating to is a clean empty installation with no database set up yet, as the manual mentions at Step 3:

Install an Oracle Database that is the same release as the source database. Do not create a database; install the software only.

Now, when running

sqlplus "/ as sysdba"

I get 

ORA-12560: TNS:protocol adapter error

Not entirely unexpected, as at no point have I set up a listener or Oracle service. So… what did I mis? Did I misunderstand the part about not creating a database? Is "a database" not the same as "an instance"? Did I overlook a part of the manual? And, what should I still install/create in order to have an "aux instance" i can start in nomount?

EDIT: This is in a Windows-server environment

Best Answer

That is the typical error message you get on Windows without properly setting up the environment.

While the steps in the manual may work flawlessly on Linux/UNIX, on Windows you need extra steps. On Windows, you need to create a service with oradim, start it (if it was not started), and after that you can use sqlplus / as sysdba.

The bare minimum is:

set ORACLE_HOME=...
set PATH=%ORACLE_HOME%\bin;%PATH%
set ORACLE_SID=test

oradim -new -sid test

This should automatically start the service, but if it did not:

sc start Oracleservicetest

And after the above, you can login to the idle instance with:

sqlplus / as sysdba
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