SAP Note 23233 - SAPDBA: Forgot password for expert mode

Symptom:

Customer forgot the password for the expert mode in SAPDBA.
As of Release 2.2D (2.1J), the expert password is required for accessing the following options in the main menu of SAPDBA; this protects them from unauthorized access:

j - Partial Restore/Recovery (< 3.0)
j - Check (and repair) database (>= 3.0)
k - Restore/Recovery

As of Release 3.0D, you can protect all options dynamically!

Solution
- Log on as user "root"
- Delete directory "$ORACLE_HOME/passwd"
(It would be sufficient to set the owner of this directory to
"ora" and then to delete (in the directory) the file
"$ORACLE_HOME/passwd/passwd.dba")
- Log off user "root"

Now when you attempt to switch on expert mode in SAPDBA, you will be prompted for an initial password.
After entry and confirmation, the directory "passwrd" and the file "passwd.dba" are automatically reset to owner "root."

Additional key words

expert, mode, password, sapdba