C Installing and Configuring Oracle Database Using Response Files

C.1.1 Reasons for Using Silent Mode or Response File Mode

Table C-1describes several reasons why you might want to run Oracle Universal Installer in silent mode or response file mode.

C.1.2 General Procedure for Using Response Files

You follow these general steps to install Oracle Database using response files:

1. If you plan to use Oracle Automatic Storage Management and configure new disks, then you must perform the following steps:

   1. Create partitions for DAS or SAN disks.

   2. Manually configure the disks using the asmtoolg or asmtool utility.

   See Also:

   • "Step 2: Creating DAS or SAN Disk Partitions for an Oracle Automatic Storage Management Instance"

   • "Step 3: Manually Configuring Disks for Oracle Automatic Storage Management"

2. Customize or create a response file for the installation settings that you need.

   You can create the response file by using one of the following methods:

   • Modify one of the sample response files that is provided with the installation.

   • Run Oracle Universal Installer at a command prompt and save the inputs by selecting the Save Response File option.

   "Preparing a Response File" explains how to customize or create the response file.

3. Run Oracle Universal Installer from a command prompt, specifying the response file, using either silent or response file mode.

   Note:

   Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and later versions require Administrator privileges at the command prompt.

   "Running Oracle Universal Installer Using the Response File" explains how to run Oracle Universal Installer with a response file.

C.2.1 Editing a Response File Template

This method is most useful for the Enterprise Edition or Standard Edition installation types.

Oracle provides response file templates for each product and installation type, and for each configuration tool. These files are located in the database\response directory on the Oracle Database installation media.

Table C-2 lists the available sample response files:

To copy and modify a response file:

1. Copy the appropriate response files from the database\response directory on the Oracle Database media to your hard drive.

2. Modify the response files with a text file editor.

   See Also:

   Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for Windows and UNIX for detailed information about creating response files. In an installed Oracle Database, select Start, then All Programs, then Oracle - HOME_NAME, then Oracle Installation Products, then Universal Installer Concepts Guide. It appears in HTML format.

3. Run the response file by following the instructions in the "Running Oracle Universal Installer Using the Response File" section.

C.2.2 Saving a Response File

You can use the Oracle Universal Installer in interactive mode to save a response file, which you can edit and then use to complete silent mode or response file mode installations.

Starting with Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2), you can save all the installation steps into a response file during installation by clicking Save Response File on the Summary page. You can use the generated response file for a silent installation later.

When you save the response file, you can either complete the installation, or you can exit from Oracle Universal Installer on the Summary page, before it starts to copy the software to the system.

To save a response file:

1. Ensure that the computer on which you are creating the response file has met the requirements described in Chapter 2.

   When you run Oracle Universal Installer to save a response file, it checks the system to verify that it meets the requirements to install the software. For this reason, Oracle recommends that you complete all of the required preinstallation tasks and save the response file while completing an installation.

2. At the command prompt, use the cd command to change to the directory that contains the Oracle Universal Installer setup.exe executable.

   Note:

   Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and later versions require Administrator privileges at the command prompt.

   On the installation DVD, setup.exe is located in the database directory. Alternatively, navigate to the directory where you downloaded or copied the installation files.

3. Run setup.exe.

4. After Oracle Universal Installer starts, enter the installation settings, to save the response file.

5. When the installer displays the Summary screen, perform the following:

   1. Click Save Response File and specify a file name and location for the response file. Then, click Save to save the values to the file.

   2. Click Finish to continue with the installation.

      Click Cancel if you do not want to continue with the installation. The installation stops, but the saved response file is retained.

6. Before you use the saved response file on another system, edit the file and make any required changes.

   Use the instructions in the file as a guide when editing it.

C.5.1 Silent Mode of Database Configuration Assistant

Use the -silent flag in combination with the -responseFile flag to set the mode to silent. In the silent mode, Database Configuration Assistant uses values that you specify, in the response file or as command-line options, to create a database. No window or user interface is displayed in the silent mode.

C.5.2 Progress Only Mode of Database Configuration Assistant

Use the -progressOnly flag in combination with the -responseFile flag, to set the mode to progress only. As it configures and starts the database, Database Configuration Assistant displays a window that contains status messages and a progress bar. This window is similar to the window that is displayed when you choose to create a preconfigured database during an Enterprise Edition or Standard Edition installation.

In this mode, Database Configuration Assistant uses values that you specify, in the response file or as command line options, to create a database.

C.5.3 Running Database Configuration Assistant in Response File Mode

To create an Oracle Database Configuration Assistant response file:

1. Copy the dbca.rsp response file template from the response file directory to a directory on your system.

   The dbca.rsp response file is located in the database\response directory on the Oracle Database installation media.

2. Open the dbca.rsp response file in a text editor.

3. Edit the dbca.rsp file, following the instructions in the file.

   Oracle Database Configuration Assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the dbca.rsp response file.

To run Oracle Database Configuration Assistant using the response file you just created, run Oracle Database Configuration Assistant in silent or response file mode using the following syntax:

C:\ORACLE_HOME\bin> dbca {-progressOnly | -silent} -responseFile local_dir/dbca.rsp

where:

• -silent runs Oracle Database Configuration Assistant in silent mode

• -progressOnly runs Oracle Database Configuration Assistant in response file mode

• local_dir is the full path of the directory where you copied the dbca.rsp response file template.

For example:

C:\> ORACLE_HOME\bin> dbca -progressOnly -responseFile
C:\oracle_response_files\mydbca.rsp

As an alternative to creating a database using a response file, you can run dbca at the command line by specifying all the required information as command line options. Database Configuration Assistant writes progress messages to stdout. For information about the list of options supported, enter the following command:

C:\ORACLE_HOME\bin\dbca -help

C.6.1 About the Postinstallation Configuration File

When you run a silent or response file installation, you provide information about your servers in a response file that you otherwise provide manually during a graphical user interface installation. However, the response file does not contain passwords for user accounts that configuration assistants require after software installation is complete. The configuration assistants are started with a script called configToolAllCommands. You can run this script in response file mode by using a password response file. The script uses the passwords to run the configuration tools in succession to complete configuration.

If you keep the password file to use for clone installations, then Oracle strongly recommends that you store it in a secure location. In addition, if you must stop an installation to fix an error, you can run the configuration assistants using configToolAllCommands and a password response file.

The configToolAllCommands password response file consists of the following syntax options:

• internal_component_name is the name of the component that the configuration assistant configures

• variable_name is the name of the configuration file variable

• value is the desired value to use for configuration.

The command syntax is as follows:

internal_component_name|variable_name=value

For example:

oracle.assistants.asm|S_ASMPASSWORD=welcome

Oracle strongly recommends that you maintain security with a password response file:

• Permissions on the response file should be set to 600.

• The owner of the response file should be the installation owner user, with the group set to the central inventory (oraInventory) group.

C.6.2 Running Postinstallation Configuration Using a Response File

To run configuration assistants with the configToolAllCommands script:

1. Create a response file using the syntax filename.properties. For example:

   C:\> copy nul cfgrsp.properties
   

2. Open the file with a text editor, and cut and paste the password template, modifying as needed.

   Example C-1 Password response file for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server

   Oracle Grid Infrastructure requires passwords for Oracle Automatic Storage Management Configuration Assistant (ASMCA), and for Intelligent Platform Management Interface Configuration Assistant (IPMICA) if you have a BMC card and you want to enable this feature. Provide the following response file,

   oracle.assistants.asm|S_ASMPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.asm|S_ASMMONITORPASSWORD=password
   

   Example C-2 Password response file for Oracle Database

   Oracle Database configuration requires the SYS, SYSTEM, SYSMAN, and DBSNMP passwords for use with Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). The S_ASMSNMPPASSWORD password is necessary only if the database is using Oracle ASM for storage. Also, if you selected to configure Oracle Enterprise Manager, then you must provide the password for the Oracle software installation owner for the S_HOSTUSERPASSWORD password.

   oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSTEMPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSMANPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_DBSNMPPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_HOSTUSERPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_ASMSNMPPASSWORD=password
   

   If you do not want to enable Oracle Enterprise Manager or Oracle ASM, then leave those password fields blank

3. Secure the cfgrsp.properties file by changing permissions in Properties page. Right-click the file to open the Properties page. Select the Security tab, click the Edit button, select a group or user, then select Deny check box against Read permissions to remove read access for unwanted users.

4. Change directory to ORACLE_HOME\cfgtoollogs

5. Before running configToolAllCommands, rename it using the following command:

   copy configToolAllCommands configToolAllCommands.bat
   

6. Run the configuration script using the following syntax:

   configToolAllCommands.bat RESPONSE_FILE=\path\name.properties
   

   for example:

   C:\> configToolAllCommands.bat RESPONSE_FILE=C:\oracle\cfgrsp.properties