3 Installing Oracle Database

3.1.1 Performing Multiple Oracle Database Installations in Noninteractive Mode

If you need to perform multiple installations of Oracle Database, you may want to use noninteractive mode. In noninteractive mode, at each node, you run Oracle Universal Installer from the command line using a response file. The response file is a text file containing the settings you normally enter in the Oracle Universal Installer GUI dialog boxes.

3.2.1 Selecting the Database Character Set

Oracle Database uses the database character set for:

• Data stored in SQL character datatypes (CHAR, VARCHAR2, CLOB, and LONG).

• Identifiers such as table names, column names, and PL/SQL variables.

• Stored SQL and PL/SQL source code, including text literals embedded in this code.

Once a database is created, changing its character set is usually very expensive in terms of time and resources. Such operation may require converting all character data by exporting the whole database and importing it back. Therefore, it is important that you carefully select the database character set already at installation time.

Oracle recommends Unicode AL32UTF8 as the database character set. Unicode is the universal character set that supports most of the currently spoken languages of the world. It also supports many historical scripts (alphabets). Unicode is the native encoding of many technologies, including Java, XML, XHTML, ECMAScript, and LDAP. Unicode is ideally suited for databases supporting the Internet and the global economy.

As AL32UTF8 is a multibyte character set, database operations on character data may be slightly slower when compared to single-byte database character sets, such as WE8MSWIN1252. Storage space requirements for text in most languages that use characters outside of the ASCII repertoire are higher in AL32UTF8 compared to legacy character sets supporting the language. Note that the increase in storage space concerns only character data and only data that is not in English. The universality and flexibility of Unicode usually outweighs these additional costs.

Legacy character sets should be considered when compatibility, storage requirements, or performance of text processing is critical and the database will ever support only a single group of languages.  The database character set to be selected in such case is the character set of most clients connecting to this database.

The default character set suggested or used by Oracle Universal Installer and Database Configuration Assistant in this release is based on the language configuration of the operating system.

For most languages, the default character set is one of the Microsoft Windows character sets, for example WE8MSWIN1252, even though the database is not installed on Windows. This results from the assumption that most clients connecting to the database run under the Microsoft Windows operating system. As the database should be able to store all characters coming from the clients and Microsoft Windows character sets have richer character repertoire than the corresponding ISO 8859 character sets, the Microsoft Windows character sets are usually the better choice. For example, the EE8MSWIN1250 character set supports the Euro currency symbol and various smart quote characters, while the corresponding EE8ISO8859P2 character set does not support them. In any case, Oracle converts the data between the database character set and the client character sets, which are declared by the NLS_LANG settings.

The list of database character sets that is presented to you for selection by Oracle Universal Installer contains only the recommended character sets. Even though Oracle Database supports many more character sets, they are either deprecated or they are binary subsets of another recommended character set. For example, WE8DEC is a deprecated character set and US7ASCII and WE8ISO8859P1 are both binary subsets of WE8MSWIN1252.

If, for compatibility reasons, you need to create a database in one of the non-recommended character sets, choose the Custom installation type or choose the Advanced database configuration option. Database Configuration Assistant in the interactive mode will give you the opportunity to select any of the database character sets supported on Linux.

3.3.1 Downloading Oracle Software from the Oracle Technology Network Web Site

This section describes how to download the installation archive files and extract them on to the hard disk. It contains the following topics:

• Downloading the Installation Archive Files

• Extracting the Installation Files

3.3.2 Copying the Software to the Hard Disk

Before installing Oracle Database, you might want to copy the software to the hard disk. This enables the installation process to run a bit faster. Before copying the DVD content to the hard disk, you must mount the disk. The following sections describe to mount disk and copy its content to the hard disk.

3.5.1 Running Oracle Universal Installer

This section describes the Basic Installation as a default setting. For any type of installation process, start Oracle Universal Installer and install the software, as follows:

1. Log on as a member of the Administrators group to the computer on which you want to install Oracle components.

2. If you are installing the software from DVD, mount the disk if it is not already mounted.

   If the disk does not mount automatically, refer to "Mounting Disks" section for platform-specific information about mounting it.

   Some platforms automatically mount the disk when you insert the DVD into the drive.

3. To start Oracle Universal Installer, complete one of the following steps depending on the location of the installation files:

   Note:

   Start Oracle Universal Installer from the terminal session where you logged in as the oracle user and set the user's environment.

   • If the installation files are on DVD, enter commands similar to the following, where directory_path is the path of the database directory on the DVD:

     $ /directory_path/runInstaller
     
     

   • If the installation files are on the hard disk, change directory to the database directory and enter the following command:

     $ ./runInstaller
     
     

   If Oracle Universal Installer is not displayed, refer to "X Window Display Errors" for information about troubleshooting.

4. In the Welcome screen, the Basic Installation is selected by default. If you want to perform an advanced installation, then select Advanced Installation, and then answer the prompts as needed.

   See Also:

   "Oracle Database Installation Methods" for more information on the Basic and Advanced installation methods

   The subsequent screens that appear, which are listed in the following table, depend on the installation method you have chosen. The order in which the screens appear depends on the options you select.

5. Use the following guidelines to complete the installation:

   • Do not install Oracle Database 11g release 1 (11.1) software into an existing Oracle home.

   • Follow the instructions displayed on the Oracle Universal Installer screens. If you need additional information, click Help.

     See Also:

     "Reviewing Accounts and Passwords" for details on password guidelines.

   • Do not modify the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) except by using a patch provided by Oracle Support Services. Oracle Universal Installer automatically installs the Oracle-supplied version of the JRE. This version is required to run Oracle Universal Installer and several Oracle assistants.

   • If errors are displayed while installing the software, refer to Appendix G for information about troubleshooting.

   • If you chose an installation type that runs Oracle Database Configuration Assistant and Oracle Net Configuration Assistant in interactive mode, you must provide detailed information about configuring the database and network.

     If you need assistance when using the Oracle Database Configuration Assistant or Oracle Net Configuration Assistant in interactive mode, click Help on any screen.

     Note:

     If you chose a default installation, Oracle Database Configuration Assistant and Oracle Net Configuration Assistant do not run interactively.

6. When the configuration of tools finish, click Exit, then click Yes to exit from Oracle Universal Installer.

7. When Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control opens in a Web browser, enter the user name and password you created during the installation.

   You can log in as SYS, SYSTEM, or SYSMAN. If you log in as SYS, then you must connect as SYSDBA. Enter the password you specified for the account during the installation.

8. When Oracle Universal Installer prompts you to run a script with root privileges, enter a command similar to the following in a terminal where you are logged in as the root user, then click Continue or OK:

   # /script_path/script_name
   
   

9. See Chapter 4 for information about tasks that you must complete after you have installed Oracle Database.

The following table lists the various screens displayed and the recommended actions required when you select the Advanced Installation option.

database_name.domain

sales.us.mycompany.com

oracle_home/install/portlist.ini

3.6.1 Step 1: Reviewing Automatic Storage Management Installation Considerations

Apply these guidelines when you install Automatic Storage Management:

• Before installing Automatic Storage Management, it is recommended that you install the optional add-on Automatic Storage Management support library. ASMLib. ASMLib is an application program interface (API) of Oracle that is aimed at simplifying the interface between the operating system and the database which exploits the capabilities and strengths of storage arrays provided by different vendors.

  ASMLib provides an alternative interface for the Automatic Storage Management-enabled kernel to discover and access block devices. It provides storage and operating system vendors the opportunity to supply extended storage-related features. These features provide benefits such as improved performance and greater data integrity.

  See Also:

  For more information about ASMLib, visit the Automatic Storage Management page on the Oracle Technology Network Web site at (http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/asm)

  The ASMLib files can be downloaded from:

  http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/linux/asmlib

• You must complete the steps in "Preparing Disk Groups for an Automatic Storage Management Installation" to prepare a disk partition to use for the Automatic Storage Management disk groups.

• Oracle recommends that you install Automatic Storage Management in its own Oracle home, regardless of whether you plan to only have one or multiple database instances. Installing Automatic Storage Management in its own Oracle home helps ensure higher availability and manageability.

  With separate Oracle homes, you can upgrade Automatic Storage Management and databases independently, and you can remove database software without impacting the Automatic Storage Management instance. Ensure that the Automatic Storage Management version is the same or later than the Oracle Database version.

  If an Automatic Storage Management installation does not already exist and you select the Oracle Universal Installer option to install and configure Automatic Storage Management only, then Oracle Universal Installer installs Automatic Storage Management in its own Oracle home.

• Each computer that has one or more Oracle Database instances that will use Automatic Storage Management must have one Automatic Storage Management instance. For example, if a computer has two Oracle Database instances that use Automatic Storage Management, you need only one Automatic Storage Management instance for that computer, to manage the two database instances that use Automatic Storage Management.

• When you install Automatic Storage Management, Oracle Database Configuration Assistant creates a separate server parameter file (SPFILE) and password file for the Automatic Storage Management instance.

3.6.2 Step 2: Creating the Automatic Storage Management Instance and Disk Groups

The following steps explain how to create an Automatic Storage Management instance and a disk group for storing Oracle Database files. You can create multiple disk groups for the Automatic Storage Management instance to manage, if you want. If you plan to use Automatic Storage Management for backup and recovery operations, then Oracle recommends that you create a separate disk group for this purpose.

To install an Automatic Storage Management instance and configure its disk groups:

1. If you are installing the software from disk, mount the first DVD if it is not already mounted.

   Some platforms automatically mount the disk when you insert the DVD into the drive.

   If the disk does not mount automatically, refer to the "Mounting Disks" section for platform-specific information about mounting it.

2. To start Oracle Universal Installer, complete one of the following steps depending on the location of the installation files:

   Note:

   Start Oracle Universal Installer from the terminal session where you logged in as the oracle user and set the user's environment (described in Chapter 2).

   • If the installation files are on DVD, enter commands similar to the following, where directory_path is the path of the database directory on the DVD:

     $ cd /tmp
     $ /directory_path/runInstaller
     
     

   • If the installation files are on the hard disk, change directory to the database directory and enter the following command:

     $ ./runInstaller
     
     

   If Oracle Universal Installer does not appear, refer to the "X Window Display Errors" section for information about troubleshooting.

3. The Select a Product to Install screen enables you to install any one of the following products:

   • Oracle Database 11g

   • Oracle Client

   • Oracle Clusterware

   See Also:

   "Running Oracle Universal Installer" for a detailed description of the screens used in this procedure

4. On the Select Installation Type screen, select either Enterprise Edition, Standard Edition, or Custom, and then click Next.

5. On the Install location screen, the Oracle base path appears by default. You can change the path based on your requirement. In the Software Location section, accept the default values or enter an Automatic Storage Management-specific name and directory location for the Automatic Storage Management instance and Click Next.

   For example, you could change name to OraDB11g+ASM and the directory location to the following:

   /u01/app/oracle/product/11.1.0/asm
   
   

6. On the Product-Specific Prerequisite Checks screen, check that the requirements have been met and then click Next.

7. On the Select Configuration Option screen, select Configure Automatic Storage Management (ASM) and then specify and confirm the Automatic Storage Management SYS password. Then, click Next.

8. On the Configure Automatic Storage Management screen, enter the following settings:

   Note:

   This screen lets you create the disk groups to use with the Automatic Storage Management instance. You must have an available partition in order to create disk groups.

   • Disk Group Name: Enter a name for the disk group.

   • Redundancy: Select one of the following choices to set the redundancy level for the disks within the disk group. If you do not specify a redundancy level, the disk group defaults to normal redundancy.

     • High: The contents of the disk group are three-way mirrored by default. To create a disk group with high redundancy, you must specify at least three failure groups (a minimum of three devices).

     • Normal: By default, the datafiles of the disk group are two-way mirrored and the control files are three-way mirrored. You can choose to create certain files that are three-way mirrored or not mirrored. To create a disk group with normal redundancy, you must specify at least two failure groups (a minimum of two devices) for two-way mirroring.

     • External: Automatic Storage Management does not mirror the contents of the disk group. Choose this redundancy level when 1) the disk group contains devices, such as RAID devices, that provide their own data protection; or 2) the use of the database does not require uninterrupted access to data, for example, in a development environment where you have a suitable backup strategy.

   • Add Disks: Enter /dev/raw as the disk recovery path. You can also click Disk Recovery Path and enter the required disk recovery path in the dialog box and click OK.

9. Click Next.

10. On the Install screen, check the installed contents, and then click Install.

11. To create another disk group for this instance, run Oracle Database Control Assistant from the $ORACLE_HOME/bin directory manually, and select the Configure Automatic Storage Management option.

At this stage, subsequent databases that you create are able to use Automatic Storage Management. If you have databases that were created before you installed Automatic Storage Management, then you now can migrate them to Automatic Storage Management by using the Enterprise Manager Migrate Database Wizard. This wizard is available in Enterprise Manager Grid Control or Database Control. Alternatively, you can use Oracle Database Recovery Manager (RMAN) to perform the migration.

3.6.3 Step 3: Installing Oracle Database to Use with Automatic Storage Management

After you have created the Automatic Storage Management instance and Automatic Storage Management disk groups, you are ready to create a database instance that can use Automatic Storage Management.

To create a database instance to use with Automatic Storage Management:

1. Start Oracle Universal Installer.

2. The Select a Product to Install screen enables you to install any one of the following products:

   • Oracle Database 11g

   • Oracle Client

   • Oracle Clusterware

3. On the Select Installation Type screen, select one of the installation types, and then click Next.

4. On the Install location screen, the Oracle base path appears by default. You can change the path based on your requirement. In the Software Location section, accept the default values or select a different Oracle home from the home used for Automatic Storage Management.

5. If you selected the Custom installation type, then select from the products to install.

6. On the Product-Specific Prerequisite Checks screen, check that the requirements have been met and then click Next.

7. On the Select Configuration Option screen, select Create a Database.

8. On the Select Database Configuration screen, select from the database types displayed and click Next.

9. On the Specify Database Configuration Options screen, enter the following settings and then click Next.

   • Specify the Global Database Name using the following syntax:

     database_name.domain
     
     

     where:

     • database_name with no more than 30 characters (alphanumeric, underscore (_), dollar ($), and pound (#)).

     • domain name with no more than 128 characters (alphanumeric, underscore (_), and pound (#)), inclusive of all periods.

   • Specify the SID with less than 64 characters (alphanumeric, dollar ($), and pound (#)).

10. On the Specify Database Config Details screen, enter the following configuration details, then click Next:

    • Memory

    • Character Sets

    • Security

    • Sample Schema

    See Also:

    "Running Oracle Universal Installer" for further information about these fields.

11. On the Select Database Management Option screen, select either Use Grid Control for Database Management if you have Oracle Enterprise Manager installed, or if you do not have Enterprise Manager, select Use Database Control for Database Management. Optionally, select Enable Email Notifications and then enter the outgoing SMTP server and e-mail address. Then, click Next.

    After you complete the installation, you can use either of these utilities to manage the Automatic Storage Management instance.

12. On the Specify Database Storage Option screen, select Automatic Storage Management (ASM) and click Next.

13. On the Specify Backup and Recovery Options screen, perform the following actions:

    • Enable Automated Backups: Select this option, and then select Automatic Storage Management.

    • Backup Job Credentials: Enter the user name and password of the person responsible for managing backups.

14. Click Next.

15. On the Select Automatic Storage Management Disk Group screen, select the Automatic Storage Management disk group that you created in "Step 2: Creating the Automatic Storage Management Instance and Disk Groups" for recovery and backups.

    If the Automatic Storage Management disks that you select do not provide enough space, then the Configure Storage Management screen is displayed so that you can select additional disks as needed. As you select the disks, the adjusted sizes are displayed in the Required Storage Space region. Ideally, the Additional Space Needed value should be a negative number.

16. Click Next.

17. On the Specify Database Schema Passwords screen, enter and confirm passwords for the privileged database accounts, then click Next.

18. On the Oracle Configuration Manager screen, enter the Customer Identification Number, Metalink User Name, Country code, and Click Next. The new screen prompts you to accept the license agreement. Click Accept license Agreement to accept the agreement. However, if you decline this agreement, then Oracle Configuration Manager is installed but not configured.

19. On the Summary screen, check that the contents to be installed are correct, and then click Install.

3.6.4 Step 4: Testing the Automatic Storage Management Installation

To test the Automatic Storage Management installation, try logging in by using the asmcmd command-line utility, which lets you manage Automatic Storage Management disk group files and directories. To do this:

1. Open a shell window, and temporarily set the ORACLE_SID and ORACLE_HOME environment variables to specify the appropriate values for the Automatic Storage Management instance that you want to use.

   For example, if the Automatic Storage Management SID, which is named +ASM and is located in the asm subdirectory of the ORACLE_BASE directory, then enter the following commands to create the required settings:

   • Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:

     $ ORACLE_SID=+ASM
     $ export ORACLE_SID
     $ ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/11.1.0/asm
     $ export ORACLE_HOME
     
     

   • C shell:

     % setenv ORACLE_SID +ASM
     % setenv ORACLE_HOME /u01/app/oracle/product/11.1.0/asm
     
     

2. By using SQL*Plus, connect to the Automatic Storage Management instance as the SYS user with SYSASM privilege and start the instance if necessary:

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

3. Enter the following command to view the existing disk groups, their redundancy level, and the amount of free disk space in each one:

   SQL> SELECT NAME,TYPE,TOTAL_MB,FREE_MB FROM V$ASM_DISKGROUP;