ORA-27037: Unable to Obtain File Status - OS File Errors

ORA-27037: Unable to Obtain File Status

Error Overview

Error Text: ORA-27037: unable to obtain file status

ORA-27037 is raised when Oracle calls stat() on a file at the OS level and receives an error. The file may not exist, the user lacks permission to read its directory, or the underlying filesystem is unavailable. The error is typically accompanied by an OS-level error code (errno).

Common Causes

File Does Not Exist

File deleted manually outside Oracle’s knowledge
Path typo in command or parameter
File on unmounted filesystem
Backup catalog references file that was cleaned up

Permission Issues

Oracle OS user cannot stat the file
Directory permissions block traversal (no x permission)
SELinux blocking access
ACLs restricting Oracle user

Filesystem Problems

NFS mount point unavailable
ASM diskgroup dismounted
Filesystem in read-only mode after I/O error
ACFS mount missing

Hardware/Storage

Disk failure
SAN/storage path failure
Cable disconnection

Diagnostic Steps

Identify Affected File

-- The error usually accompanies file path in alert log
-- Look for ORA-27037 with filename
SELECT name FROM v$datafile;
SELECT name FROM v$controlfile;
SELECT member FROM v$logfile;
SELECT name FROM v$tempfile;

Check Alert Log

# Find associated OS error
ADR_BASE=$(adrci -script "show base" 2>/dev/null | head -1)
tail -200 $ADR_BASE/diag/rdbms/$ORACLE_SID/$ORACLE_SID/trace/alert_$ORACLE_SID.log \
    | grep -A5 "ORA-27037"

Typical output:

ORA-27037: unable to obtain file status
Linux-x86_64 Error: 2: No such file or directory
Additional information: 3

Verify File at OS Level

# Test file existence
ls -la /u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD/users01.dbf

# Check parent directory readability
ls -la /u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD/

# Test as Oracle user
sudo -u oracle stat /u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD/users01.dbf

# Check filesystem
df -h /u01
mount | grep u01

Common errno Mappings

errno	Meaning	Likely cause
2	ENOENT	File doesn’t exist
13	EACCES	Permission denied
5	EIO	I/O error
20	ENOTDIR	Path component not a directory
116	ESTALE	NFS stale handle

Resolution Steps

1. Restore Missing File from Backup

-- Take affected datafile offline
ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD/users01.dbf' OFFLINE;

-- Restore via RMAN
RMAN> RESTORE DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD/users01.dbf';
RMAN> RECOVER DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD/users01.dbf';

-- Bring online
ALTER DATABASE DATAFILE '/u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD/users01.dbf' ONLINE;

2. Fix Permissions

# Verify Oracle user ownership
chown oracle:oinstall /u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD/users01.dbf
chmod 640 /u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD/users01.dbf

# Fix directory traversal
chmod 750 /u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD

# Check parent path
namei -mo /u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD/users01.dbf

3. Remount Filesystem

# For NFS mount issues
umount /u01/oracle/data
mount -t nfs nfs-server:/export/oracle /u01/oracle/data

# Test
ls /u01/oracle/data

# For ASM
sqlplus / as sysasm
SQL> ALTER DISKGROUP data MOUNT;

4. Cleanup Stale Backup Catalog

RMAN TARGET /

-- Check for missing backup pieces
RMAN> CROSSCHECK BACKUP;
RMAN> CROSSCHECK ARCHIVELOG ALL;

-- Remove expired entries
RMAN> DELETE NOPROMPT EXPIRED BACKUP;
RMAN> DELETE NOPROMPT EXPIRED ARCHIVELOG ALL;

5. Recreate Missing Tempfile

-- Tempfiles can be recreated easily
ALTER TABLESPACE temp DROP TEMPFILE '/u01/oradata/PROD/temp01.dbf';

ALTER TABLESPACE temp ADD TEMPFILE '/u01/oradata/PROD/temp01.dbf'
SIZE 5G AUTOEXTEND ON NEXT 100M MAXSIZE 20G;

6. Recreate Missing Controlfile (Multiplexed)

-- If one of multiple controlfiles missing
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;

-- Copy good controlfile to missing location
host cp /u01/oradata/PROD/control01.ctl /u02/oradata/PROD/control02.ctl

STARTUP;

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: RMAN Backup Cleanup

ORA-27037: unable to obtain file status
Linux-x86_64 Error: 2: No such file or directory
Additional information: 3
RMAN-08120: warning: archived log not deleted, not yet applied by standby

Fix: Run CROSSCHECK ARCHIVELOG ALL; DELETE EXPIRED ARCHIVELOG ALL;

Scenario 2: Datafile Path Wrong After Restore

SQL> ALTER DATABASE OPEN;
ORA-01157: cannot identify/lock data file 5
ORA-27037: unable to obtain file status

Fix: Use ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE to point to correct path.

Scenario 3: NFS Disconnect

SELECT * FROM v$datafile;
ORA-27037: unable to obtain file status
Linux-x86_64 Error: 116: Stale file handle

Fix: Remount NFS share; consider dedicated/local storage for datafiles.

Sample Output

SQL> RECOVER DATABASE UNTIL CANCEL;
ORA-00279: change 12345 generated at 05/08/2026 14:30:00 needed
ORA-00289: suggestion : /u01/arch/PROD/1_42_1234567890.dbf
ORA-00280: change 12345 for thread 1 is in sequence #42

Specify log: {<RET>=suggested | filename | AUTO | CANCEL}
/u01/arch/PROD/1_42_1234567890.dbf
ORA-00308: cannot open archived log '/u01/arch/PROD/1_42_1234567890.dbf'
ORA-27037: unable to obtain file status
Linux-x86_64 Error: 2: No such file or directory
Additional information: 3

[oracle@host]$ ls -la /u01/arch/PROD/
total 4096
-rw-r----- 1 oracle oinstall 50000000 May  8 14:25 1_41_1234567890.dbf
# Sequence 42 missing — restore from backup or apply tape archive

Prevention Strategies

Filesystem Monitoring

#!/bin/bash
# Verify Oracle file paths exist
DIRS="/u01/app/oracle/oradata/PROD /u01/arch/PROD /u02/fra/PROD"

for dir in $DIRS; do
    if ! sudo -u oracle test -d "$dir"; then
        echo "ALERT: $dir not accessible to oracle user"
    fi
done

Backup Catalog Hygiene

# Run weekly
RMAN> CROSSCHECK BACKUP;
RMAN> CROSSCHECK ARCHIVELOG ALL;
RMAN> CROSSCHECK COPY;
RMAN> DELETE NOPROMPT EXPIRED BACKUP;
RMAN> DELETE NOPROMPT EXPIRED ARCHIVELOG ALL;
RMAN> DELETE NOPROMPT EXPIRED COPY;

Use ASM or Standardized Paths

Avoid manual file management on local filesystems
Use ASM for automatic file management
If using filesystem, enforce structured paths (oradata/$ORACLE_SID/$type)

Avoid OS-Level File Manipulation

Never mv, cp, or rm Oracle-managed files outside Oracle
Use ALTER DATABASE RENAME FILE for moves
Use RMAN BACKUP AS COPY for migrations

ORA-01110: Data file [N]: ‘filename’
ORA-01157: Cannot identify/lock data file
ORA-01565: Error in identifying file
ORA-19625: Error identifying file
ORA-27038: Created file already exists
ORA-27041: Unable to open file

Troubleshooting Checklist

Identify file path from error/alert log
Decode OS errno (2=missing, 13=permission, etc.)
Verify file exists at OS level
Check Oracle user can stat the file
Test parent directory readability
Verify filesystem mounted and healthy
Restore from backup if file genuinely lost
Run RMAN CROSSCHECK if error involves backup catalog