6 Getting Started with Oracle Database

6.1 Checking the Installed Oracle Database Contents and Directory Location

You can use Oracle Universal Installer to check the contents and directory location of an Oracle Database installation using the following steps:

1. To start Oracle Universal Installer, run the following command:

   $ ORACLE_HOME/oui/bin/runInstaller
   

2. Click Installed Products to display the Inventory dialog box on the Welcome screen.

3. Select the Oracle Database product from the list to check the installed contents.

4. Click Details to find additional information about an installed product.

5. Click Close to close the Inventory dialog box.

6. Click Cancel to close Oracle Universal Installer, and then click Yes to confirm.

6.2 Logging In to Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control

If you configured Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control (Database Control) during the installation, you can use it to manage the database. You can also use Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control to manage the database. To display the Database Control:

1. First check the Database Control status using the following command:

   emctl status dbconsole
   

2. Use a Web browser to access the Database Control URL:

   https://host:port/em

   In this example:

   • host is the name of the computer on which you installed Oracle Database

   • port is the port number reserved for the Database Control during installation

   If you do not know the correct port number to use, look for the following line in the $ORACLE_HOME/install/portlist.ini file:

   Enterprise Manager Console HTTP Port (db_name) = 1158
   

   The installation reserves the first available port from the range 5500 to 5519. For example, if you installed Oracle Database on host mgmt42, and the Database Control uses port 1158, use the following URL:

   https://mgmt42:1158/em
   

   Oracle Enterprise Manager displays the Database Control login page.

3. Log in to the database using the user name SYSTEM and connect as SYSDBA. Oracle Enterprise Manager displays the Database Home page.

   Use the password that you specified for the SYSTEM account during the installation.

Understanding Database Control Login Privileges

When you log in to the Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control using the SYSMAN user account, you are logging in as the Oracle Enterprise Manager super user. The SYSMAN account is automatically granted the roles and privileges required to access all the management features provided by the Database Control.

You can also use the SYS and SYSTEM accounts to log in to the Database Control. In addition, you can grant login privileges to other database users, as follows:

1. Log in to the Database Control.

   See Also:

   The "Logging In to Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control" section for more information

2. Click Setup at the top of the Database Control home page.

3. Click Administrators in the left navigation bar.

4. Click Create to create an Enterprise Manager user.

5. In the Name field, enter the user name of an existing database user or click the flashlight icon and select a user from the window.

6. In the E-mail Address field, provide one or more email addresses.

7. In the Administrator Privilege list, select either View on all targets, Full on all targets, or Super Administrator.

8. You can also select the Grant SELECT_CATALOG_ROLE option.

9. Enter the password for this user, and then click Review.

10. On the properties page, click Finish.

Oracle Enterprise Manager assigns login privileges to the specified user and includes this user in the list of Enterprise Manager users on the Setup Administrators page.

6.3 Managing Oracle Automatic Storage Management

This section provides information about managing an Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) installation. It covers the following topics:

• Starting and Stopping Oracle Automatic Storage Management

• Oracle Automatic Storage Management Utilities

6.4 Accessing Oracle Database with SQL*Plus

To run the SQL and PL/SQL statements to access the Oracle Database, you can use SQL*Plus. This tool enables you to perform the same database management operations, and also to query, insert, update, or delete data directly in the database.

Use the following statement to start SQL*Plus and log in as the SYS user, connecting as SYSDBA:

$ $ORACLE_HOME/bin/sqlplus 
SQL> CONNECT SYS as SYSDBA
Enter password: SYS_password

For example, to log on as SYSTEM enter:

$ $ORACLE_HOME/bin/sqlplus 
SQL> CONNECT SYSTEM
Enter password: password

If you are logging on as SYS, you must connect as SYSDBA:

$ $ORACLE_HOME/bin/sqlplus 
SQL> CONNECT SYS as SYSDBA
Enter password: SYS_password

6.5 Accessing Oracle Database with SQL Developer

To run the SQL and PL/SQL statements to access Oracle Database, you can use SQL Developer. All SQL and PL/SQL statements are supported because they are passed directly from the SQL Worksheet to the Oracle Database.

Set Up the JDK Path for SQL Developer

Set the following environmental variables to ensure that the correct JDK is picked up:

• $ORACLE_HOME

• $JAVA_HOME=$ORACLE_HOME/jdk

• $PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin/:$PATH

To start SQL Developer on which the Java SDK release 1.5 is installed, use the following commands:

• Change to $ORACLE_HOME/sqldeveloper.

• Run $ ./sqldeveloper.sh.

• Right-click Connections. In the dialog box, enter a connection name, username, password, and for the host string, the name of the database to which you want to connect, and click Connect.

After you are connected, you can view, create, modify, and delete the database objects using the Connection Navigator or issue any SQL or PL/SQL statement using a SQL Worksheet. From the Tools menu, select SQL Worksheet.

SQL*Plus statements have to be interpreted by the SQL Worksheet before being passed to the database. The SQL Worksheet currently supports many SQL*Plus statements. SQL*Plus statements which are not supported by the SQL Worksheet are ignored and are not sent to Oracle Database.

6.6 Reviewing Accounts and Passwords

All databases created by the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) include the SYS, SYSTEM, SYSMAN, and DBSNMP database accounts. In addition, Oracle Database provides several other administrative accounts. Before using these accounts, you must unlock them and reset their passwords. Table 6-1 describes these accounts and lists their user names and default passwords.

6.7 Unlocking and Resetting User Passwords

Passwords for all Oracle system administration accounts except SYS, SYSTEM, SYSMAN, and DBSMP are revoked after installation. Before you use a locked account, you must unlock it and reset its password. If you created a preconfigured database during the installation, but you did not unlock a required account, you must unlock it, using one of the following methods:

• Using Database Control to Unlock Accounts and Reset Passwords

• Using SQL*Plus to Unlock Accounts and Reset Passwords

• Unlocking and Changing Passwords

6.8 Identifying Databases

The Oracle Database 11g software identifies a database by its global database name. A global database name consists of the database name and database domain. Usually, the database domain equals the network domain, but it need not be. The global database name uniquely distinguishes a database from any other database in the same network. You specify the global database name when you create a database during the installation, or using the Database Configuration Assistant.

The database name input field is used to set the DB_NAME, DB_UNIQUE_NAME, and DB_DOMAIN Oracle initialization parameter values.

For example:

sales_world.example.com

In this example:

• sales_world is the name of the database. The database name (DB_UNIQUE_NAME) portion is a string of no more than 30 characters that can contain alphanumeric characters, underscore (_), dollar sign ($), and pound sign (#) but must begin with an alphabetic character. No other special characters are permitted in a database name.

• sales_wo is the DB_NAME. The DB_NAME initialization parameter specifies a database identifier of up to eight characters.

• example.com is the database domain in which the database is located. In this example, the database domain equals the network domain. Together, the database name and the database domain make the global database name unique. The domain portion is a string of no more than 128 characters that can contain alphanumeric characters, underscore (_), and pound sign (#). The DB_DOMAIN initialization parameter specifies the database domain name.

However, the DB_NAME parameter need not necessarily be the first eight characters of DB_UNIQUE_NAME.

The DB_UNIQUE_NAME parameter and the DB_DOMAIN name parameter combine to create the global database name value assigned to the SERVICE_NAMES parameter in the initialization parameter file.

The system identifier (SID) identifies a specific database instance. The SID uniquely distinguishes the instance from any other instance on the same computer. Each database instance requires a unique SID and database name. In most cases, the SID equals the database name portion of the global database name.

6.9 Locating the Server Parameter File

By default, the preconfigured database uses a server parameter file named spfilesid.ora, which is stored in the $ORACLE_HOME/dbs directory. However, if you choose Oracle ASM for the database, Database Configuration Assistant typically uses the same storage mechanism for the server parameter file.

If the server parameter file is not located in the $ORACLE_HOME/dbs directory, the database uses the SPFILE parameter in an initialization parameter file to locate it. The default initialization parameter file is $ORACLE_HOME/dbs/initsid.ora.

You can use the Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control to view the location of the server parameter file and list all of the initialization parameters, as follows:

1. Log in to the Database Control.

   See Also:

   "Logging In to Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control" for more information

2. Click Server.

3. In the Database Configuration section of the Server page, click Initialization Parameters.

   Oracle Enterprise Manager displays a table listing the current value of each initialization parameter.

4. Select the SPFile tab.

   Oracle Enterprise Manager displays a table listing the value of each initialization parameter specified in the server parameter file. The location of the server parameter file is displayed on top of the page.

6.10 Reviewing Tablespaces and Data Files, Redo Log Files, and Control Files

The following sections contain information about tablespaces and data files, redo log files, and control files:

• Identifying Tablespaces and Data Files

• Locating Redo Log Files

• Locating Control Files