After changing the IFSSYS database password directly in Oracle (without going through the Installer), the IFSSYS account got locked out and ManagedServer1 then fails to start on restart — what's the correct sequence for changing this password safely?

Q: After changing the IFSSYS database password directly in Oracle (without going through the Installer), the IFSSYS account got locked out and ManagedServer1 then fails to start on restart — what's the correct sequence for changing this password safely?

Always stop every application server instance (via stop_all_servers.cmd in the instance's bin folder) before changing the IFSSYS password by any method — whether that's changing it directly in the database first, or using the Installer's 'Change system user passwords' option with 'Change oracle user password' checked. If servers are left running while the password changes, their existing pooled database connections keep retrying with the old password, which is exactly what triggers the account lockout and the subsequent ManagedServer startup failure. With all servers stopped first, running the Installer's password-change option (checking 'Change oracle user password') completes cleanly without triggering a lockout.

Answer

Always stop every application server instance (via stop_all_servers.cmd in the instance's bin folder) before changing the IFSSYS password by any method — whether that's changing it directly in the database first, or using the Installer's 'Change system user passwords' option with 'Change oracle user password' checked. If servers are left running while the password changes, their existing pooled database connections keep retrying with the old password, which is exactly what triggers the account lockout and the subsequent ManagedServer startup failure. With all servers stopped first, running the Installer's password-change option (checking 'Change oracle user password') completes cleanly without triggering a lockout.

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