ORA-24408: could not generate unique server group name

Question

system:

Linux web 2.6.27.21-0.1-pae #1 SMP 2009-03-31 14:50:44 +0200 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux

PHP Version 5.3.8
Apache Version  Apache/2.2.21 (Linux/SUSE)
         


        

Answer 1

In my situation, the OracleDB server I was trying to connect to was a remote one, not a local one, so the above 127.0.0.1 localhost trick didn't work.

Previously, I had temporarily fixed a DNS problem by adding an entry for my Oracle DB server into my hosts file. This IP in my hosts file was still correct - it still pointed to the correct OracleDB server IP.

By removing the entry from my hosts file, the problem went away.

I have no idea why this is a problem for OracleDB, or why the error message is so obtuse, but I hope this helps someone else.

(This was using InstantClient v12.1.0.2 on MacOS v10.11.5)

Answer 2

This is a error with compatibility of the runtime oracle 11g and PHP Oci support. As the OP confirm, the downgrade of the client to 10g works. The solution was found here.

Answer 3

Adding this to /etc/hosts resolved the issue.

127.0.0.1 someHostName

To find your computer's host name, just type hostname in Terminal. Use a text editor such as vim to edit hosts.

~ hostname
someHostName
~ cd /etc
/etc sudo vim hosts

Answer 4

You actually do not need to go with 127.0.0.1 in /etc/hosts with something like

echo -e "127.0.0.1\t$HOSTNAME" >> /etc/hosts

which is against common sense (and formally against RFC 6761 only from February 2013

Answer 5

Kind of an old question, but I just stumbled on it after upgrading my Mac to Sierra. Until then I hadn't had the problem.

The trick is definitely to add your hostname to /etc/hosts, but you have to have the right hostname. That's easy on linux, it's in /etc/sysconfig/network. On Mac find it in System Preferences > Sharing. Under where it says Computer name will be something like computer-name.local. In /etc/hosts put

   127.0.0.1 computer-name.local

Replacing computer-name with your computer name of course :). It needs this regardless of whether the database is a remote one or a local one.

I had plenty of other aliases for 127.0.0.1 but not that one. As soon as I added that one my apps started working again.

Answer 6

I had exactly the same problem. I fixed my /etc/hosts and /etc/sysconfig/network file and RESTARTED THE NETWORK and it works fine now. Here are some quick and dirty instructions:

http://ahmadzainuddinzakaria.blogspot.com/2012/06/warning-ociconnect-functionoci-connect.html