6 Removing Oracle Software

Overview

To completely remove all Oracle databases, instances, and software from an Oracle home directory, you must:

• Identify all instances associated with the Oracle home.

• Remove database instances.

• Shut down processes.

• Remove the Oracle software.

Identifying All Instances

To identify all instances associated with the Oracle home to be removed, enter the following command:

$ more /etc/oratab

The output of this command contains entries similar to the following:

CUST:/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1:N

This entry shows that the CUST Oracle database instance are associated with the /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1 Oracle home directory.

Removing an Oracle Database

To completely remove Oracle Database software, you must remove any installed databases. To remove an Oracle database:

1. Log in as the oracle user:

   $ su - oracle
   

2. Run the oraenv or coraenv script to set the environment for the database to be removed, for example:

   • For Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:

     $ . /usr/local/bin/oraenv
     

   • For C shell:

     % source /usr/local/bin/coraenv
     

3. At the prompt, specify the SID for the database to be removed.

4. Start the Database Configuration Assistant:

   $ dbca
   

   The Welcome window appears.

5. Click Next.

   The Operations window appears.

6. Select Delete a Database, then click Next.

7. Select the database to be deleted, then click Finish.

8. In the window that appears, confirm that you want to delete the database.

9. When Database Configuration Assistant removes the database, you are prompted to choose whether you want to perform another operation. Click Yes to return to the Operations screen or click No to exit from Database Configuration Assistant. To remove another database, click Yes and repeat steps 6 through 8.

Removing Oracle Software

The following steps describe how to use Oracle Universal Installer to remove Oracle software from an Oracle home:

1. If necessary, log in as the oracle user:

   $ su - oracle
   

2. Set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable to specify the path of the Oracle home directory to be removed:

   • For Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:

     $ ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1 
     $ export ORACLE_HOME
     

   • For C shell:

     $ setenv ORACLE_HOME /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1
     

3. Remove any databases instances associated with this Oracle home.

   Refer to the preceding sections for information about how to complete these tasks.

4. Stop any processes running in this Oracle home:

   Process Name	Command
   Oracle Net listener	$ORACLE_HOME/bin/lsnrctl stop
   iSQL*Plus	$ORACLE_HOME/bin/isqlplusctl stop
   Ultra Search	$ORACLE_HOME/bin/searchctl stop

   
   

5. Start Oracle Universal Installer as follows:

   $ $ORACLE_HOME/oui/bin/runInstaller
   

6. In the Welcome window, click Deinstall Products.

   The Inventory screen appears, listing all of the Oracle homes on the system.

7. In the Inventory screen, select the Oracle home and the products to be removed, then click Remove.

   Note:

   If you choose to remove Oracle JVM, then Oracle Universal Installer removes all installed products that depend on Oracle JVM, including Oracle Database 10g.

   Oracle Universal Installer displays a confirmation window asking you to confirm that you want to deinstall the products and their dependent components.

8. Click Yes.

   Oracle Universal Installer displays a progress indicator as it removes the software.

9. Click Close on the Inventory screen.

10. When the products have been deleted, click Cancel to exit from Oracle Universal Installer, and then click Yes.