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Oracle® Database Client Installation Guide
11g Release 2 (11.2) for Linux

Part Number E10841-02
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2 Preinstallation Tasks

This chapter describes the tasks that you must complete before you start Oracle Universal Installer. It includes information about the following tasks:

Note:

This guide contains information required to install Oracle Database Client 11g Release 2 (11.2) on various platforms of Linux. Ensure that you review information related to the platform on which you intend to install Oracle Database Client.

2.1 Logging In to the System as root

Before you install the Oracle software, you must complete several tasks as the root user. To log in as the root user, complete one of the following procedures:

Note:

Unless you intend to complete a silent-mode installation, you must install the software from an X Window System workstation, an X terminal, or a PC or other system with X server software installed.

For more information about silent-mode installations, refer to Appendix A.

2.2 Checking the Hardware Requirements

The system must meet the following minimum hardware requirements for Oracle Database Client 11g Release 2:

2.2.1 Memory Requirements

The following are the memory requirements for Oracle Database Client 11g Release 2 (11.2):

  • At least 256 MB of RAM.

    To determine the RAM size, enter the following command:

    # grep MemTotal /proc/meminfo
    

    If the size of the RAM is less than the required size, then you must install more memory before you continue with the installation.

  • The following table describes the relationship between installed RAM and the configured swap space requirement:

    Note:

    On Linux, the HugePages feature allocates non-swappable memory for large page tables using memory-mapped files. If you enable HugePages, then you should deduct the memory allocated to HugePages from the available RAM before calculating swap space.
    RAM Swap Space
    Between 0 MB and 256 MB 3 times the size of RAM
    Between 256 MB and 512 MB 2 times the size of RAM
    Between 512 MB and 2 GB 1.5 times the size of RAM
    Between 2 GB and 16 GB Equal to the size of RAM
    More than 16 GB 16 GB

To determine the size of the configured swap space, enter the following command:

# grep SwapTotal /proc/meminfo

If necessary, refer to the operating system documentation for information about how to configure additional swap space.

To determine the available RAM and swap space, enter the following command:

# free

Note:

Oracle recommends that you take multiple values for the available RAM and swap space before finalizing on a value. This is because the available RAM and swap space keep changing depending on the user interactions with the computer.

2.2.2 System Architecture

To determine whether the system architecture can run the software, enter the following command:

# uname -m

Note:

This command displays the processor type. Verify that the processor architecture matches the Oracle software release that you want to install. If you do not see the expected output, then you cannot install the software on this system.

2.2.3 Disk Space Requirements

The following are the disk space requirements for Oracle Database Client 11g Release 2 (11.2) on Linux:

  • The minimum disk space requirement for a client install in the /tmp directory is 400 MB.

    To determine the amount of disk space available in the /tmp directory, enter the following command:

    # df -k /tmp
    

    If there is less than 400 MB of free disk space available in the /tmp directory, then complete one of the following steps:

    • Delete unnecessary files from the /tmp directory to meet the disk space requirement.

    • Set the TMP and TMPDIR environment variables when setting the oracle user's environment.

      See Also:

      "Configuring the oracle User's Environment for more information about setting TMP and TMPDIR
    • Extend the file system that contains the /tmp directory. If necessary, contact the system administrator for information about extending file systems.

  • Between 146 MB and 1.38 GB of disk space for the Oracle software, depending on the installation type:

    Installation Type Requirement for Software Files
    Instant Client 146 MB
    Administrator 1.38 GB
    Runtime 1.1 GB
    Custom (maximum) 1.38 GB

    To determine the amount of free disk space available, enter the following command:

    # df -k
    

2.2.4 Display Requirements

The minimum display requirement for Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2) is a resolution of 1024 x 768 or higher.

2.2.5 Recommended Hardware Requirement for SQL Developer

The following are the recommended CPU, Memory and Display requirements for SQL Developer.

Resource Recommended
Memory 1 GB RAM (recommended), 256 MB RAM (min)
Display 65536 colors, set to at least 1024 X 768 resolution

2.3 Checking the Software Requirements

Depending on the products that you intend to install, verify that the following softwares are installed on the system.

Note:

Oracle Universal Installer performs checks on the system to verify that it meets the listed requirements. To ensure that these checks pass, verify the requirements before you start Oracle Universal Installer.

2.3.1 Operating System Requirements

The following or later versions of the operating system are required for Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2):

  • On Linux x86:

    • Asianux 2 Update 7

    • Asianux 3

    • Oracle Enterprise Linux 4 Update 7

    • Oracle Enterprise Linux 5 Update 2

    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 7

    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Update 2

    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP2

    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11

  • On Linux x86-64

    • Asianux 2

    • Asianux 3

    • Oracle Enterprise Linux 4 Update 7

    • Oracle Enterprise Linux 5 Update 2

    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 3

    • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Update 2

    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP2

    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11

Starting with Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2), the Security Enhanced Linux (SE Linux) feature is supported for Oracle Enterprise Linux 4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, Oracle Enterprise Linux 5, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.

Note:

Only the distributions and versions listed in the earlier list are supported. Do not install the software on other versions of Linux.

Oracle Universal Installer performs checks to verify that the system meets the listed requirements. To ensure that these checks pass, verify the requirements before you start Oracle Universal Installer.

To determine the version of Linux installed, enter the following command:

# cat /proc/version

Alternatively, on some distributions of Linux, you can also enter the following command:

# lsb_release -id

Note:

For Asianux Server, Oracle Enterprise Linux, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, system requirements are identical by kernel version. Specifically:

Asianux 2, Oracle Enterprise Linux 4, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 requirements are the same.

Asianux Server 3, Oracle Enterprise Linux 5, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 requirements are the same.

2.3.2 Kernel Requirements

The following are the Kernel requirements for Oracle Database Client 11g Release 2.

  • For Asianux 2, Oracle Enterprise Linux 4, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4:

    2.6.9 or later

  • For Asianux 3, Oracle Enterprise Linux 5, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5:

    2.6.18 or later

  • For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10:

    2.6.16.21 or later

  • For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11:

    2.6.27.19 or later

To determine whether the required kernel is installed, enter the following command:

# uname -r

The following is a sample output displayed by running this command on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 system:

2.6.9-34.0.1.0.11.ELsmp

In this example, the output shows the kernel version (2.6.9) and errata level (34.0.1.0.11) on the system.

If the kernel version does not meet the requirement specified earlier in this section, then contact the operating system vendor for information about obtaining and installing kernel updates.

2.3.3 Package Requirements

The following are the list of packages requirements for Oracle Database Client 11g Release 2 (11.2).

Note:

  • Oracle recommends that you install your Linux operating system with the default software packages (RPMs), unless you specifically intend to perform a minimal installation, and follow the directions for performing such an installation to ensure that you have all required packages for Oracle software.

  • Oracle recommends that you do not customize RPMs during a default operating system installation. A default installation includes most required packages, and will help you to limit manual checks of package dependencies.

  • If you did not perform a default Linux installation, you intend to use LDAP, and you want to use the scripts odisrvreg, oidca, or schemasync, then install the Korn shell RPM for the Linux distribution.

  • You must install the packages (or later versions) listed in the following table. Also, ensure that the list of RPMs and all of the prerequisites for these RPMs are installed.

For Linux x86:

Item Requirement
Packages for Asianux 2, Oracle Enterprise Linux 4, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 The following packages (or later versions) must be installed:
binutils-2.15.92.0.2
compat-libstdc++-33.2.3
elfutils-libelf-0.97
elfutils-libelf-devel-0.97
gcc-3.4.6
gcc-c++-3.4.6
glibc-2.3.4-2.41
glibc-common-2.3.4
glibc-devel-2.3.4
libaio-devel-0.3.105
libaio-0.3.105
libgcc-3.4.6
libstdc++-3.4.6
libstdc++-devel-3.4.6
make-3.80
pdksh-5.2.14
sysstat-5.0.5
unixODBC-2.2.11
unixODBC-devel-2.2.11
Packages for Asianux 3, Oracle Enterprise Linux 5, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 The following packages (or later versions) must be installed:
binutils-2.17.50.0.6
compat-libstdc++-33-3.2.3
elfutils-libelf-0.125
elfutils-libelf-devel-0.125
elfutils-libelf-devel-static-0.125
gcc-4.1.2
gcc-c++-4.1.2
glibc-2.5-24
glibc-common-2.5
glibc-devel-2.5
ksh-20060214
libaio-0.3.106
libaio-devel-0.3.106 
libgcc-4.1.2
libgomp-4.1.2
libstdc++-4.1.2 
libstdc++-devel-4.1.2
make-3.81
sysstat-7.0.2
unixODBC-2.2.11
unixODBC-devel-2.2.11
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 The following packages (or later versions) must be installed:
binutils-2.16.91.0.5
compat-libstdc++-5.0.7
gcc-4.1.2
gcc-c++-4.1.2
glibc-2.5-24
glibc-devel-2.4
libaio-0.3.104
libaio-devel-0.3.104
libelf-0.8.5
libgcc-4.1.2
libstdc++-4.1.2
libstdc++-devel-4.1.2
make-3.80
sysstat-8.0.4
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 The following packages (or later versions) must be installed:
binutils-2.19
gcc-4.3
gcc-c++-4.3
glibc-2.9
glibc-devel-2.9
libstdc++33-3.3.3
libstdc++43-4.3.3_20081022
libstdc++43-devel-4.3.3_20081022
libaio-0.3.104
libaio-devel-0.3.104
libgcc43-4.3.3_20081022
libstdc++-devel-4.3
make-3.81
sysstat-8.1.5

For Linux x86-64:

Item Requirement
Packages for Asianux 2, Oracle Enterprise Linux 4, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 The following packages (or later versions) must be installed:
binutils-2.15.92.0.2
compat-libstdc++-33-3.2.3
compat-libstdc++-33-3.2.3 (32 bit)
elfutils-libelf-0.97
elfutils-libelf-devel-0.97
expat-1.95.7
gcc-3.4.6
gcc-c++-3.4.6
glibc-2.3.4-2.41
glibc-2.3.4-2.41 (32 bit)
glibc-common-2.3.4
glibc-devel-2.3.4
libaio-0.3.105
libaio-0.3.105 (32 bit)
libaio-devel-0.3.105
libaio-devel-0.3.105 (32 bit)
libgcc-3.4.6
libgcc-3.4.6 (32-bit)
libstdc++-3.4.6
libstdc++-3.4.6 (32 bit)
libstdc++-devel 3.4.6
make-3.80
sysstat-5.0.5
unixODBC-2.2.11
unixODBC-2.2.11 (32 bit)
unixODBC-devel-2.2.11
unixODBC-devel-2.2.11 (32 bit)
Packages for Asianux 3, Oracle Enterprise Linux 5, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 The following packages (or later versions) must be installed:
binutils-2.17.50.0.6
compat-libstdc++-33-3.2.3
compat-libstdc++-33-3.2.3 (32 bit)
elfutils-libelf-0.125
elfutils-libelf-devel-0.125
gcc-4.1.2
gcc-c++-4.1.2
glibc-2.5-24
glibc-2.5-24 (32 bit)
glibc-common-2.5
glibc-devel-2.5
glibc-devel-2.5 (32 bit)
libaio-0.3.106
libaio-0.3.106 (32 bit)
libaio-devel-0.3.106
libaio-devel-0.3.106 (32 bit)
libgcc-4.1.2
libgcc-4.1.2 (32 bit)
libstdc++-4.1.2
libstdc++-4.1.2 (32 bit)
libstdc++-devel 4.1.2
make-3.81
sysstat-7.0.2
unixODBC-2.2.11
unixODBC-2.2.11 (32 bit)
unixODBC-devel-2.2.11
unixODBC-devel-2.2.11 (32 bit)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 The following packages (or later versions) must be installed:
binutils-2.16.91.0.5
compat-libstdc++-5.0.7
gcc-4.1.0
gcc-c++-4.1.2
glibc-2.5-24
glibc-devel-2.4
glibc-devel-32bit-2.4
libaio-0.3.104
libaio-32bit-0.3.104
libaio-devel-0.3.104
libaio-devel-32bit-0.3.104
libelf-0.8.5
libgcc-4.1.2
libstdc++-4.1.2
libstdc++-devel-4.1.2
make-3.80
sysstat-8.0.4
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 The following packages (or later versions) must be installed:
binutils-2.19
gcc-4.3
gcc-c++-4.3
glibc-2.9
glibc-32bit-2.9
glibc-devel-2.9
glibc-devel-32bit-2.9
libaio-0.3.104
libaio-32bit-0.3.104
libaio-devel-0.3.104
libaio-devel-32bit-0.3.104
libstdc++33-3.3.3
libstdc++33-32bit-3.3.3
libstdc++43-4.3.3_20081022
libstdc++43-32bit-4.3.3_20081022
libstdc++43-devel-4.3.3_20081022
libstdc++43-devel-32bit-4.3.3_20081022
libgcc43-4.3.3_20081022
libstdc++-devel-4.3
make-3.81
sysstat-8.1.5

To determine whether the required packages are installed, enter commands similar to the following:

# rpm -q package_name

If a package is not installed, then install it from the Linux distribution media or download the required package version from the Linux vendor's Web site.

2.3.4 Compiler Requirements

The following are the compiler requirements for Pro*C/C++ , Oracle Call Interface, Oracle C++ Call Interface, and Oracle XML Developer's Kit (XDK) with Oracle Database 11g Release 2:

Intel C++ Compiler 10.1 or later and the version of GNU C and C++ compilers listed under "Package Requirements" are supported with these products.

Note:

Intel Compiler v10.1 can be used only with gcc 3.4.5 or gcc 4.0 or gcc 4.1 standard template libraries to build Oracle C++ Call Interface (OCCI) applications.

Oracle XML Developer's Kit is supported with the same compilers as OCCI.

2.3.5 Additional Software Requirements

Depending on the components you want to use, you must ensure that the following software are installed:

2.3.5.1 Oracle ODBC Drivers

If you intend to use ODBC, then you should install the most recent ODBC Driver Manager for Linux. You can download and install the Driver Manager from the following URL:

http://www.unixodbc.org

Linux RPMs are available on the site.

  • On Linux x86

    To use ODBC, you must also install the following additional 32-bit ODBC RPMs, depending on your operating system:

    • On Asianux 2, Oracle Enterprise Linux 4, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4:

      unixODBC-2.2.11 (32 bit) or later
      unixODBC-devel-2.2.11 (32 bit) or later
      
    • On Asianux 3, Oracle Enterprise Linux 5, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5:

      unixODBC-2.2.11 (32 bit) or later
      unixODBC-devel-2.2.11 (32 bit) or later
      
    • On SUSE 10:

      unixODBC-32bit-2.2.11 (32 bit) or later
      unixODBC-devel-32bit-2.2.11 (32 bit) or later
      
  • On Linux x86-64

    To use ODBC, you must also install the following additional ODBC RPMs, depending on your operating system.

    • On Asianux 2, Oracle Enterprise Linux 4, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4:

      unixODBC-2.2.11 (32 bit) or later
      unixODBC-devel-2.2.11 (64 bit) or later
      unixODBC-2.2.11 (64 bit) or later
      
    • On Asianux 3, Oracle Enterprise Linux 5, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5:

      unixODBC-2.2.11 (32 bit) or later
      unixODBC-devel-2.2.11 (64 bit) or later
      unixODBC-2.2.11 (64 bit) or later
      
    • On SUSE 10:

      unixODBC-32bit-2.2.11 (32 bit) or later
      unixODBC-2.2.11 (64 bit) or later
      unixODBC-devel-2.2.11 (64 bit) or later
      

2.3.5.2 Oracle JDBC/OCI Drivers

You can use Sun JDK 1.5.0-06 with the JNDI extension JDK versions with the Oracle Java Database Connectivity and Oracle Call Interface drivers. However, these are not mandatory for the installation.

2.3.5.3 Browser Requirements

Web browsers must support Java Script, and the HTML 4.0 and CSS 1.0 standards. The following Web browsers are supported for Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control:

  • Netscape Navigator 8.1

  • Netscape Navigator 9.0

  • Mozilla version 1.7

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 SP2

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 SP1

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0

  • Firefox 2.0

  • Firefox 3.0.7

  • Safari 3.0.4

  • Safari 3.1

  • Safari 3.2

2.3.6 Instant Client Light Requirements

In addition to the requirements described in the preceding section, if you plan to use Instant Client Light, then the applications must use the following languages and character sets:

  • Language: Any language that is supported by Oracle

  • Territory: Any territory that is supported by Oracle

  • Character sets:

    • Single byte

      • US7ASCII

      • WE8DEC

      • WE8MSWIN1252

      • WE8ISO8859P1

    • Unicode

      • UTF8

      • AL16UTF16

      • AL32UTF8

      Instant Client Light can connect to databases having one of the following database character sets:

      • US7ASCII

      • WE8DEC

      • WE8MSWIN1252

      • WE8ISO8859P1

      • WE8EBCDIC37C

      • WE8EBCDIC1047

      • UTF8

      • AL32UTF8

The language, territory, and character sets are determined by the NLS_LANG environment variable.

2.4 Creating Required Operating System Group and User

Depending on whether this is the first time Oracle software is being installed on this system and on the products that you are installing, you may need to create the following operating system group and user:

A single Oracle Inventory group is required for all installations of Oracle software on the system. After the first installation of Oracle software, you must use the same Oracle Inventory group for all subsequent Oracle software installations on that system. However, you can choose to create different Oracle software owner users for separate installations.

Note:

The following sections describe how to create local users and groups. As an alternative to creating local users and groups, you could create the appropriate users and groups in a directory service, for example, Network Information Services (NIS). For information about using directory services, contact the system administrator or refer to the operating system documentation.

The following sections describe how to create the required operating system users and groups:

2.4.1 Creating the Oracle Inventory Group

You must create the Oracle Inventory group if it does not already exist. The following sections describe how to determine the Oracle Inventory group name, if it exists, and how to create it if necessary:

Determining Whether the Oracle Inventory Group Exists

When you install Oracle software on the system for the first time, Oracle Universal Installer creates the oraInst.loc file. This file identifies the name of the Oracle Inventory group (typically, oinstall), and the path of the Oracle Inventory directory. An oraInst.loc file has contents similar to the following:

inventory_loc=central_inventory_location
inst_group=group

In the preceding example, central_inventory_location is the location of the Oracle Central Inventory, and group is the name of the group that has permissions to write to the central inventory.

If you have an existing Oracle Inventory, then ensure that you use the same Oracle Inventory for all Oracle software installations, and ensure that all Oracle software users you intend to use for installation have permissions to write to this directory.

To determine whether the Oracle Inventory group exists, enter the following command:

# more /etc/oraInst.loc

If the oraInst.loc file exists, then the output from this command is similar to the following:

inventory_loc=/u01/app/oraInventory
inst_group=oinstall

In the previous output example:

  • The inventory_loc parameter shows the location of the Oracle Inventory

  • The inst_group parameter shows the name of the Oracle Inventory group (in this example, oinstall).

Creating the Oracle Inventory Group

If the oraInst.loc file does not exist, then enter the following command to create the Oracle Inventory group:

# /usr/sbin/groupadd oinstall

2.4.2 Creating the Oracle Software Owner User

You must create an Oracle software owner user in the following circumstances:

  • If an Oracle software owner user does not exist, for example, if this is the first installation of Oracle software on the system

  • If an Oracle software owner user exists, but you want to use a different operating system user

2.4.2.1 Determining Whether an Oracle Software Owner User Exists

To determine whether an Oracle software owner user named oracle exists, enter the following command:

# id oracle

If the oracle user exists, then the output from this command is similar to the following:

uid=440(oracle) gid=200(oinstall) groups=201(dba),202(oper)

If the user exists, then determine whether you want to use the existing user or create another oracle user. If you want to use the existing user, then ensure that the user's primary group is the Oracle Inventory group. Refer to one of the following sections for more information:

Note:

If necessary, contact the system administrator before using or modifying an existing user.

2.4.2.2 Creating an Oracle Software Owner User

If the Oracle software owner user does not exist or if you require a new Oracle software owner user, then create it as follows. In the following procedure, use the user name oracle unless a user with that name already exists.

  1. To create the oracle user, enter a command similar to the following:

    # /usr/sbin/useradd -g oinstall[ -G dba]oracle
    

    In this command:

    • The -g option specifies the primary group, which must be the Oracle Inventory group, for example, oinstall

    • The -G option specifies optional secondary groups, the OSOPER group. For example, dba.

  2. Set the password of the oracle user:

    # passwd oracle
    

Refer to the "Identifying Required Software Directories" section to continue.

2.4.2.3 Modifying an Oracle Software Owner User

If the oracle user exists, but its primary group is not oinstall, then enter a command similar to the following to modify it:

# /usr/sbin/usermod -g oinstall -G dba oracle

Specify the primary group using the -g option and any required secondary group using the -G option.

2.5 Identifying Required Software Directories

You must identify or create the following directories for the Oracle software:

Note:

Ensure that the paths you select for Oracle software, such as Oracle home paths and the Oracle base path, use only ASCII characters. Because installation owner names are used by default for some path, this ASCII character restriction applies to user names, file names, and directory names.

2.5.1 Oracle Base Directory

The Oracle base directory is a top-level directory for Oracle software installations. It is analogous to the C:\Oracle directory used for Oracle software installations on Microsoft Windows systems. On Linux systems, the Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) guidelines recommend that you use a path similar to the following for the Oracle base directory:

/mount_point/app/software_owner

In this example:

  • mount_point is the mount point directory for the file system that will contain the Oracle software.

    The examples in this guide use /u01 for the mount point directory. However, you could choose another mount point directory, such as /oracle or /opt/oracle.

  • software_owner is the operating system user name of the software owner installing the Oracle software, for example oracle.

You must specify the ORACLE_BASE folder that contains all Oracle products.

Note:

If you have an existing Oracle base, then you can select it from the Use existing drop down box. By default, the drop down box contains the existing value for Oracle base selected. Refer to "Installing the Oracle Database Client Software" for further information.

If you do not have an Oracle base, then you can create a new one by editing the text in the list box.

You can use the same Oracle base directory for more than one installation or you can create separate Oracle base directories for different installations. If different operating system users install Oracle software on the same system, then each user must create a separate Oracle base directory. The following example Oracle base directories could all exist on the same system:

/u01/app/oracle
/u01/app/orauser
/opt/oracle/app/oracle

The following sections describe how to identify existing Oracle base directories that may be suitable for the installation and how to create an Oracle base directory if necessary.

Regardless of whether you create an Oracle base directory or decide to use an existing one, you must set the ORACLE_BASE environment variable to specify the full path to this directory.

2.5.2 Oracle Inventory Directory

The Oracle Inventory directory (oraInventory) stores an inventory of all software installed on the system. It is required by, and shared by, all Oracle software installations on a single system. If you have an existing Oracle Inventory path, then Oracle Universal Installer continues to use that Oracle Inventory.

The first time you install Oracle software on a system, Oracle Universal Installer checks to see if you have created an OFA-compliant path in the format u[01-09]/app, such as /u01/app, and that the user running the installation has permissions to write to that path. If this is true, then Oracle Universal Installer creates the Oracle Inventory directory in the path /u[01-09]/app/oraInventory. For example:

/u01/app/oraInventory

If you have set the environment variable $ORACLE_BASE for the oracle user, then Oracle Universal Installer creates the Oracle Inventory directory in the path $ORACLE_BASE/../oraInventory. For example, if $ORACLE_BASE is set to /opt/oracle/11, then the Oracle Inventory directory is created in the path /opt/oracle/oraInventory.

If you have created neither an OFA-compliant path nor set $ORACLE_BASE, then the Oracle Inventory directory is placed in the home directory of the user that is performing the installation. For example:

/home/oracle/oraInventory

Oracle Universal Installer creates the directory that you specify and sets the correct owner, group, and permissions for it. You do not need to create it.

Note:

  • All Oracle software installations rely on this directory. Ensure that you back it up regularly.

  • Do not delete this directory unless you have completely removed all Oracle software from the system.

  • By default, the Oracle Inventory directory is not installed under the Oracle Base directory. This is because all Oracle software installations share a common Oracle Inventory, so there is only one Oracle Inventory for all users. Whereas, there is a separate Oracle Base for each user.

2.5.3 Oracle Home Directory

The Oracle home directory is the directory where you choose to install the software for a particular Oracle product. You must install different Oracle products, or different releases of the same Oracle product, in separate Oracle home directories. When you run Oracle Universal Installer, it prompts you to specify the path to this directory, as well as a name that identifies it. The directory that you specify must be a subdirectory of the Oracle base directory. Oracle recommends that you specify a path similar to the following for the Oracle home directory:

$ORACLE_BASE/product/11.2.0/client_1

Oracle Universal Installer creates the directory path that you specify under the Oracle base directory. It also sets the correct owner, group, and permissions on it. You do not need to create this directory.

Caution:

During installation, you must not specify an existing directory that has predefined permissions applied to it as the Oracle home directory. If you do, then you may experience installation failure due to file and group ownership permission errors.

2.6 Identifying or Creating an Oracle Base Directory

Before starting the installation, you must either identify an existing Oracle base directory or if required, create one. This section contains information about the following:

Note:

You can choose to create an Oracle base directory, even if other Oracle base directories exist on the system.

2.6.1 Identifying an Existing Oracle Base Directory

Existing Oracle base directories may not have paths that comply with OFA guidelines. However, if you identify an existing Oracle Inventory directory or existing Oracle home directories, then you can usually identify the Oracle base directories, as follows:

  • Identifying an existing Oracle Inventory directory

    Enter the following command to view the contents of the oraInst.loc file:

    # more /etc/oraInst.loc
    

    If the oraInst.loc file exists, then the output from this command is similar to the following:

    inventory_loc=/u01/app/oraInventory
    inst_group=oinstall
    

    The inventory_loc parameter identifies the Oracle Inventory directory (oraInventory). The parent directory of the oraInventory directory is typically an Oracle base directory. In the previous example, /u01/app/oracle is an Oracle base directory.

  • Identifying existing Oracle home directories

    Enter the following command to view the contents of the oratab file:

    # more /etc/oratab
    

    If the oratab file exists, then it contains lines similar to the following:

    *:/u03/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1:N
    *:/opt/orauser/infra_904:N
    *:/oracle/9.2.0:N
    

    The directory paths specified on each line identify Oracle home directories. Directory paths that end with the user name of the Oracle software owner that you want to use are valid choices for an Oracle base directory. If you intend to use the oracle user to install the software, then you could choose one of the following directories from the previous example:

    /u03/app/oracle
    /oracle
    

    Note:

    If possible, choose a directory path similar to the first (/u03/app/oracle). This path complies with the OFA guidelines.
  • Identifying existing Oracle base directories

    After you have located the Oracle home directory you can issue the following command to confirm the location of Oracle base:

    cat inventory/ContentsXML/oraclehomeproperties.xml
    

To continue:

  • If an Oracle base directory exists and you want to use it, then refer to the "Configuring the oracle User's Environment" section.

    When you configure the oracle user's environment later in this chapter, set the ORACLE_BASE environment variable to specify the directory you chose.

  • If an Oracle base directory does not exist on the system or if you want to create an Oracle base directory, then refer to the following section.

2.6.2 Creating an Oracle Base Directory

Before you create an Oracle base directory, you must identify an appropriate file system with disk space.

To identify an appropriate file system:

  1. To determine the free disk space on each mounted file system use the following command:

    # df -k 
    
  2. From the display, identify a file system that has appropriate free space.

  3. Note the name of the mount point directory for the file system that you identified.

To create the Oracle base directory and specify the correct owner, group, and permissions for it:

  1. Enter commands similar to the following to create the recommended subdirectories in the mount point directory that you identified and set the appropriate owner, group, and permissions on them:

    # mkdir -p /mount_point/app
    # chown -R oracle:oinstall /mount_point/app
    # chmod -R 775 /mount_point/app/
    

    For example:

    # mkdir -p /u01/app
    # chown -R oracle:oinstall /u01/app
    # chmod -R 775 /u01/app/
    
  2. When you configure the oracle user's environment later in this chapter, set the ORACLE_BASE environment variable to specify the Oracle base directory that you have created.

2.7 Configuring the oracle User's Environment

You run Oracle Universal Installer from the oracle account. However, before you start Oracle Universal Installer you must configure the environment of the oracle user. To configure the environment, you must:

Note:

Ensure that the PATH variable contains $ORACLE_HOME/bin before /usr/X11R6/bin.

To set the oracle user's environment:

  1. Start a new terminal session, for example, an X terminal (xterm).

  2. Enter the following command to ensure that X Window applications can display on this system:

    $ xhost fully_qualified_remote_host_name
    

    For example:

    $ xhost somehost.us.example.com
    
  3. If you are not already logged in to the system where you want to install the software, then log in to that system as the oracle user.

  4. If you are not logged in as the oracle user, then switch user to oracle:

    $ su - oracle
    
  5. To determine the default shell for the oracle user, enter the following command:

    $ echo $SHELL
    
  6. Open the oracle user's shell startup file in any text editor:

    • Bash shell (bash) on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server:

      $ vi .profile
      
    • Bourne shell (sh), Bash shell on Red Hat (bash), or Korn shell (ksh):

      $ vi .bash_profile
      
    • C shell (csh or tcsh):

      % vi .login
      
  7. Enter or edit the following line, specifying a value of 022 for the default file mode creation mask:

    umask 022
    
  8. If the ORACLE_SID, ORACLE_HOME, or ORACLE_BASE environment variable is set in the file, then remove the appropriate lines from the file.

  9. Save the file, and exit from the editor.

  10. To run the shell startup script, enter one of the following commands:

    • Bash shell:

      $ . ./.bash_profile
      
    • Bourne or Korn shell:

      $ . ./.profile
      
    • C shell:

      % source ./.login
      
  11. If you are not installing the software on the local system, then enter a command similar to the following to direct X applications to display on the local system:

    • Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:

      $ DISPLAY=local_host:0.0 ; export DISPLAY
      
    • C shell:

      % setenv DISPLAY local_host:0.0
      

    In this example, local_host is the host name or IP address of the system that you want to use to display Oracle Universal Installer (your workstation or PC).

  12. If you determined that the /tmp directory has less than 400 MB of free disk space, then identify a file system with at least 400 MB of free space and set the TMP and TMPDIR environment variables to specify a temporary directory on this file system:

    1. To determine the free disk space on each mounted file system, use the following command:

      # df -k 
      
    2. If necessary, enter commands similar to the following to create a temporary directory on the file system that you identified, and set the appropriate permissions on the directory:

      $ sudo mkdir /mount_point/tmp
      $ sudo chmod a+wr /mount_point/tmp
      # exit
      
    3. Enter commands similar to the following to set the TMP and TMPDIR environment variables:

      • Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:

        $ TMP=/mount_point/tmp
        $ TMPDIR=/mount_point/tmp
        $ export TMP TMPDIR
        
      • C shell:

        % setenv TMP /mount_point/tmp
        % setenv TMPDIR /mount_point/tmp
        
  13. Enter the following commands to ensure that the ORACLE_HOME and TNS_ADMIN environment variables are not set:

    • Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:

      $ unset ORACLE_HOME
      $ unset TNS_ADMIN
      
    • C shell:

      % unsetenv ORACLE_HOME
      % unsetenv TNS_ADMIN
      

    Note:

    If the ORACLE_HOME environment variable is set, then Oracle Universal Installer uses the value that it specifies as the default path for the Oracle home directory. However, if you set the ORACLE_BASE environment variable, then Oracle recommends that you unset the ORACLE_HOME environment variable and choose the default path suggested by Oracle Universal Installer.
  14. To verify that the environment has been set correctly, enter the following commands:

    $ umask
    $ env | more
    

    Verify that the umask command displays a value of 22, 022, or 0022 and the environment variables that you set in this section have the correct values.