ORA-01081: cannot start already-running ORACLE - shut it down first

On one server/Linux machine you have many instance's/database up and running and in such cases you have to export the ORACLE_SID
and connect to sql prompt.

[oracle@devuser dbs]$ export ORACLE_SID=ebsofdp
[oracle@devuser dbs]$ sqlplus

SQL*Plus: Release 10.2.0.1.0 - Production on Sat Feb 23 14:08:45 2013

Copyright (c) 1982, 2005, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Enter user-name: /as sysdba
Connected to an idle instance.

SQL> startup
ORACLE instance started.

Total System Global Area 188743680 bytes
Fixed Size 1218412 bytes
Variable Size 67111060 bytes
Database Buffers 113246208 bytes
Redo Buffers 7168000 bytes
Database mounted.
Database opened.
SQL> select name,created from v$database;

NAME CREATED
--------- ---------
EBSOFDP 22-FEB-13

SQL>


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