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PRCA-1057 — ASM Password File Not Found by CRS

HenriqueBy Updated:5 Mins Read

This post is also available in: Português (Portuguese (Brazil))

When running srvctl config asm to check ASM configuration, the following error appears:

$ srvctl config asm
ASM home: <CRS home>
PRCA-1057 : Failed to retrieve the password file location used by ASM asm
PRCR-1097 : Resource attribute not found: PWFILE

ASM is running, disk groups are mounted, but the CRS lost the reference to the ASM password file and spfile. This can impact future operations like patching, Grid reconfiguration, or node addition.

In this article, I’ll explain why this error occurs, how to locate the files in ASM, and how to fix it — from the safest approach to the most aggressive.

💡 In practice: I encountered this error after a Grid Home migration. The ASM resource in CRS was recreated but the PWFILE and SPFILE attributes weren’t populated. The simplest fix is an srvctl modify asm pointing to the correct paths.

Why the PRCA-1057 Error Occurs

The Clusterware (CRS) manages ASM as a resource (ora.asm). This resource has attributes that indicate where the ASM password file and spfile are located:

AttributeWhat it stores
PWFILEPath to the ASM password file in the disk group
SPFILEPath to the ASM spfile in the disk group

When these attributes are empty or corrupted, CRS can’t retrieve the location and reports PRCA-1057 / PRCR-1097.

Common scenarios

  • Grid Home migration (out-of-place patching) where the ASM resource was recreated without the attributes
  • Oracle Restart reconfiguration (roothas.sh -deconfig / -config)
  • OCR/OLR restore that lost the attributes
  • Grid Infrastructure upgrade where resource metadata wasn’t preserved
  • Accidental removal of the ASM resource with srvctl remove asm

Diagnosis

1. Check the current ASM resource state

srvctl config asm

If the output shows PRCA-1057 and the Password file and Spfile fields are empty, the problem is confirmed.

2. Verify ASM is running

srvctl status asm

ASM may be working perfectly — the issue is only the CRS registration.

3. Locate the password file in ASM

asmcmd -p

ASMCMD [+] > ls -l
ASMCMD [+] > cd +DATA
ASMCMD [+DATA] > ls -l
ASMCMD [+DATA] > cd ASM/PASSWORD/
ASMCMD [+DATA/ASM/PASSWORD] > ls -l

Expected output:

Type      Redund  Striped  Time         Sys  Name
PASSWORD  UNPROT  COARSE   FEB 18 2022  Y    pwdasm.256.1096994109

Full path: +DATA/ASM/PASSWORD/pwdasm.256.1096994109

4. Locate the spfile in ASM

ASMCMD [+DATA] > cd ASM/ASMPARAMETERFILE/
ASMCMD [+DATA/ASM/ASMPARAMETERFILE] > ls -l

Expected output:

Type              Redund  Striped  Time         Sys  Name
ASMPARAMETERFILE  UNPROT  COARSE   FEB 18 2022  Y    REGISTRY.253.1096994109

Full path: +DATA/ASM/ASMPARAMETERFILE/REGISTRY.253.1096994109

5. Quick alternative via SQL

sqlplus / as sysasm

-- Password file
SELECT name FROM v$passwordfile_info;

-- Spfile
SHOW PARAMETER spfile;

Solution 1: srvctl modify asm (Recommended)

The safest approach — only updates the attributes without restarting anything.

srvctl modify asm \
  -spfile +DATA/ASM/ASMPARAMETERFILE/REGISTRY.253.1096994109 \
  -pwfile +DATA/ASM/PASSWORD/pwdasm.256.1096994109

Validate

srvctl config asm

Expected result:

ASM home: /u01/app/19.25.0.0/grid
Password file: +DATA/ASM/PASSWORD/pwdasm.256.1096994109
Spfile: +DATA/ASM/ASMPARAMETERFILE/REGISTRY.253.1096994109
ASM listener: LISTENER

Fields populated, error resolved.

Solution 2: Remove and recreate ASM resource (When modify doesn’t work)

If srvctl modify asm fails, the alternative is to remove and recreate the resource.

⚠ Warning: Aggressive procedure. Requires stopping all CRS resources. Plan before executing in production.

crsctl stop resource -all
crsctl stat res -t

srvctl remove asm -force

srvctl add asm -listener LISTENER

crsctl start resource -all

srvctl modify asm \
  -spfile +DATA/ASM/ASMPARAMETERFILE/REGISTRY.253.1096994109 \
  -pwfile +DATA/ASM/PASSWORD/pwdasm.256.1096994109

srvctl config asm
srvctl status asm

Understanding ASM Files

FileTypical locationPurpose
Password file (orapwasm)+DATA/ASM/PASSWORD/Remote SYSDBA/SYSASM authentication
Spfile (REGISTRY)+DATA/ASM/ASMPARAMETERFILE/ASM initialization parameters
OCR / Voting DiskManaged by CRSCluster Registry

These files live inside the disk group — not on the filesystem. Use asmcmd or SQL on the ASM instance to locate them.

Quick Checklist

srvctl config asm

srvctl status asm

asmcmd ls -l +DATA/ASM/PASSWORD/

asmcmd ls -l +DATA/ASM/ASMPARAMETERFILE/

srvctl modify asm -spfile <path> -pwfile <path>

srvctl config asm

Conclusion

The PRCA-1057 error indicates CRS lost the reference to the ASM password file — usually after Grid Home migration, reconfiguration, or upgrade. ASM keeps running, but the CRS registration is incomplete.

The diagnosis follows this order:

  1. Confirm with srvctl config asm
  2. Locate pwfile and spfile with asmcmd or SQL
  3. Fix with srvctl modify asm (first option)
  4. If that fails — remove and recreate with srvctl remove/add asm
  5. Validate that attributes are populated

Solution 1 resolves most cases with zero impact. Reserve Solution 2 for scenarios with a corrupted resource.

References:

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