2 Oracle Database Companion CD Requirements

2.2.1 Logging In to the System as root

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

• If you are installing the software from an X Window System workstation or X terminal, then:

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

  2. If you are not installing the software on the local system, then enter the following command to enable the remote host to display X applications on the local X server:

     $ xhost fully_qualified_remote_host_name
     
     

  3. If you are not installing the software on the local system, then use the ssh, rlogin, or telnet command to connect to the system on which you want to install the software:

     $ telnet remote_host
     
     

  4. If you are not logged in as the root user, then enter the following command to switch user to root:

     $ su - root
     
     

• If you are installing the software from a PC or other system with X server software installed, then:

  Note:

  If required, refer to your X server documentation for more information about completing this procedure. Depending on the X server software that you are using, you may need to complete the tasks in a different order.

  1. Start the X server software.

  2. Configure the security settings of the X server software to permit remote hosts to display X applications on the local system.

  3. Connect to the remote system on which you want to install the software and start a terminal session on that system, for example, an X terminal (xterm).

  4. If you are not logged in as the root user on the remote system, then enter the following command to switch user to root:

     $ su - root
     

2.2.2 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:

• Oracle Inventory group (typically, oinstall)

  You must create the Oracle Inventory group the first time you install Oracle software on the system. The usual name chosen for this group is oinstall. This group owns the Oracle inventory, which is a catalog of all Oracle software installed on the system.

  Note:

  If Oracle software is already installed on the system, then the existing Oracle Inventory group must be the primary group of the operating system user that you use to install new Oracle software.

• Oracle software owner user (typically, oracle)

  You must create the Oracle software owner user the first time you install Oracle software on the system. This user owns all of the software installed during a given installation. This user must have the Oracle Inventory group as its primary group.

  Note:

  In Oracle documentation, the Oracle software owner user is referred to as the oracle 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 different installations.

The following sections describe how to create the Oracle Inventory group and the Oracle software owner user:

• Oracle Inventory Group

• Oracle Software Owner User

more /etc/oraInst.loc

inventory_loc=/u01/app/oracle/oraInventory
inst_group=oinstall

# /usr/sbin/groupadd oinstall

# id oracle

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

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

2.2.3 Required Software Directories

This section describes the following directories, which you must identify or create for the Oracle software:

• Oracle base directory

• Oracle Inventory directory

• Oracle home directory

Oracle Base Directory

The Oracle base directory acts as 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 UNIX-based 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/oracle_sw_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 can choose another mount point directory. For example, /oracle or /opt/oracle.

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

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. For example, the following Oracle base directories can exist on the same system at the same time:

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

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.

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:

• Identify 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/oracle/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/10.2.0/db_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 can 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.

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 are configuring 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.

Creating an Oracle Base Directory

To identify an appropriate file system:

1. Use the df -k command to determine the free disk space on each mounted file system.

2. From the display, identify a file system that has sufficient 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/oracle_sw_owner
   # chown -R oracle:oinstall /mount_point/app/oracle_sw_owner
   # chmod -R 775 /mount_point/app/oracle_sw_owner
   
   

   If the mount point you identified is /u01 and oracle is the user name of the Oracle software owner, then the recommended Oracle base directory path is as follows:

   /u01/app/oracle
   
   

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

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. The first time you install Oracle software on a system, Oracle Universal Installer prompts you to specify the path to this directory. Oracle recommends that you choose the following path:

oracle_base/oraInventory

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

Oracle Home Directory

The Oracle home directory is the directory in which 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/10.2.0/companion_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.

2.2.4 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:

• Set the default file mode creation mask (umask) to 022 in the shell startup file.

• Set the DISPLAY environment variable.

To set the oracle user's environment, follow these steps:

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

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

   $ xhost fully_qualified_remote_host_name
   
   

3. If you are not already logged in to the system on which 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 (bash) shell:

     $ vi .bash_profile
     
     

   • Bourne shell (sh), or Korn shell (ksh):

     $ vi .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 are 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 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux:

      $ . ./.bash_profile
      
      

    • Bourne, Bash, 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 you want to use to display Oracle Universal Installer (your workstation or PC).

12. If you determined that the /tmp directory has less than the required free disk space, then identify a file system with the required amount of free space and set the TEMP and TMPDIR environment variables to specify a temporary directory on this file system. To do this:

    1. Use the df -k command to identify a suitable file system with sufficient free space.

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

       $ su - root
       # mkdir /mount_point/tmp
       # chmod a+wr /mount_point/tmp
       # exit
       

    3. Enter commands similar to the following to set the TEMP and TMPDIR environment variables:

       • Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:

         $ TEMP=/mount_point/tmp
         $ TMPDIR=/mount_point/tmp
         $ export TEMP TMPDIR
         
         

       • C shell:

         % setenv TEMP /mount_point/tmp
         % setenv TMPDIR /mount_point/tmp
         
         

13. Enter the following command 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
      
      

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.

2.3.1 Oracle HTTP Server Requirements

You must install Oracle HTTP Server in a new Oracle home. You can install Oracle HTTP Server more than once on the same system, as long as each installation uses a separate Oracle home directory.

Before you install Oracle HTTP Server in a new Oracle home, ensure that your system meets the following requirements:

• Oracle Database Requirement

• Hardware Requirements

• Software Requirements

make-3.79.1-17
control-center-2.2.0.1-13
gcc-3.2.3-47
gcc-c++-3.2.3-47
gdb-6.1post-1.20040607.52
glibc-2.3.2-95.30
glibc-common-2.3.2-95.30
glibc-devel-2.3.2-95.30
glibc-devel-2.3.2-95.20 (32 bit)
compat-db-4.0.14-5.1
compat-gcc-7.3-2.96.128
compat-gcc-c++-7.3-2.96.128
compat-libstdc++-7.3-2.96.128
compat-libstdc++-devel-7.3-2.96.128
gnome-libs-1.4.1.2.90-34.2 (32 bit)
libstdc++-3.2.3-47
libstdc++-devel-3.2.3-47
openmotif-2.2.3-3.RHEL3
sysstat-5.0.5-5.rhel3
setarch-1.3-1
libaio-0.3.96-3
libaio-devel-0.3.96-3

binutils-2.15.92.0.2-10.EL4
compat-db-4.1.25-9
control-center-2.8.0-12
gcc-3.4.3-9.EL4
gcc-c++-3.4.3-9.EL4
glibc-2.3.4-2
glibc-common-2.3.4-2
gnome-libs-1.4.1.2.90-44.1
libstdc++-3.4.3-9.EL4
libstdc++-devel-3.4.3-9.EL4
make-3.80-5
pdksh-5.2.14-30
sysstat-5.0.5-1
xscreensaver-4.18-5.rhel4.2

gcc-3.3.3
gcc-c++-3.3.3
glibc-2.3.3
libaio-0.3.102-1.2ia64
libaio-devel-0.3.102-1.2ia64
make-3.80

2.3.2 Oracle HTML DB Requirements

The requirements for Oracle HTML DB are as follows:

• Oracle Database Requirement

• Disk Space Requirements

• Oracle HTTP Server Requirement

• Oracle XML DB Requirement

• Oracle Text Requirement

• Browser Requirements

# df -k /httpserver_oracle_home_path

$ORACLE_HOME/ctx/admin/defaults

2.4.1 Oracle Database Requirement

Before you install products from the Oracle Database 10g Products installation type, you must ensure that your system has access to an Oracle Database 10g release 2 (10.2) Oracle home. If required, you must first install or upgrade to this release of Oracle Database.

Identify the Oracle home directory used by the Oracle Database installation. To do this, you can check the contents of the oratab file by using the following command:

# more /etc/oratab

2.4.2 Disk Space Requirements

Verify that the file system that contains the Oracle home directory has at least 1194 MB of free disk space.

To check that the Oracle home directory has enough space, enter the following command:

# df -k oracle_home_path

2.4.3 Oracle Workflow Server Requirements

Requirements for Oracle Workflow Server are as follows:

• A Web browser that supports frames, JavaScript, Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.3.1, and AWT, such as Netscape Communicator version 4.76 or a later 4.7x version, or Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.0x or 5.5x

• An unzip utility to extract the Workflow HTML Help from the wfdoc.zip file.

• Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.4, to run the Oracle Workflow Java Function Activity Agent and the Workflow XML Loader.

• An outbound SMTP mail server and an inbound IMAP mail server, if you want to send and receive e-mail notifications using an Oracle Workflow notification mailer.

During the installation, you must specify the following information about the Oracle Database installation:

• Host name

• Port

• Service name

• User name and password of the Oracle Workflow Server (typically, owf_mgr)

2.5.1 Oracle Workflow Server Requirements

Before you install Oracle Workflow middle-tier components, you must verify that Oracle Workflow Server is installed in an Oracle Database 10g Oracle home. You can use Oracle Universal Installer to check the contents of an Oracle home. Alternatively, open the /etc/oratab file to see details of the Oracle homes created for the Oracle Database installation on the system.

If Oracle Workflow Server is not installed, then follow the instructions in this guide for installing Oracle Database 10g Products. After you install Oracle Workflow, you need to configure it by using Oracle Workflow Configuration Assistant.

2.5.2 Oracle HTTP Server Requirements

Oracle Workflow middle-tier components need access to Oracle HTTP Server in order to run. You can install Oracle Workflow middle-tier components with Oracle HTTP Server in a new Oracle home directory. Alternatively, you can install this product in an existing Oracle HTTP Server Oracle home that contains Oracle HTTP Server with mod_plsql. Oracle home directories for the following products meet this requirement:

• Oracle HTTP Server 10g

• Oracle Identity Management 10g (part of Oracle Application Server 10g)

2.5.3 Disk Space Requirements

The disk space requirements for the Oracle Database 10g Companion Products are shown in the following table.

2.6.1 Installing on DHCP Computers

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) assigns dynamic IP addresses on a network. Dynamic addressing enables a computer to have a different IP address each time it connects to the network. In some cases, the IP address can change while the computer is still connected. You can have a combination of static and dynamic IP addressing in a DHCP system.

In a DHCP setup, the software tracks IP addresses, which simplifies network administration. This lets you add a new computer to the network without having to manually assign that computer a unique IP address.

2.6.2 Installing on Multihomed Computers

You can install Companion CD products on a multihomed computer. A multihomed computer is associated with multiple IP addresses. This is typically achieved by having multiple network cards on the computer. Each IP address is associated with a host name. In addition, you can set up aliases for the host name. By default, Oracle Universal Installer uses the ORACLE_HOSTNAME environment variable setting to find the host name. If ORACLE_HOSTNAME is not set and you are installing on a computer that has multiple network cards, then Oracle Universal Installer determines the host name by using the first entry in the /etc/hosts file.

Clients must be able to access the computer either by using this host name or by using aliases for this host name. To verify this, ping the host name from the client computers using the short name (host name only) and the full name (host name and domain name). Both tests must be successful.

Setting the ORACLE_HOSTNAME Environment Variable

Use the following procedure to set the ORACLE_HOSTNAME environment variable.

If, for example, the fully qualified host name is somehost.us.acme.com, then enter one of the following commands:

Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:

$ ORACLE_HOSTNAME=somehost.us.acme.com
$ export ORACLE_HOSTNAME

C shell:

% setenv ORACLE_HOSTNAME somehost.us.acme.com

2.6.3 Installing on Computers with Multiple Aliases

A computer with multiple aliases is registered with the naming service under a single IP but with multiple aliases. The naming service resolves any of those aliases to the same computer. Before installing Oracle Database on such a computer, set the ORACLE_HOSTNAME environment variable to the computer whose host name you want to use.