2
Pre-Installation

After you have verified that your system meets the requirements described in Chapter 1, "System Requirements", use this chapter to help you prepare your system for installing Oracle8i,

• UNIX System Configuration

• Setup Tasks to Perform as the root User

• Setup Tasks to Perform as the oracle User

• Setup Tasks for Oracle Products

• Understanding Net8 Configuration

• Identifying Your Database Environment

UNIX System Configuration

Table 2-1 summarizes the requirements for installing Oracle8i on your Solaris system. If your system fails to satisfy any listed requirement, perform the tasks listed as necessary to configure your system to meet these requirements.

Table 2-1 UNIX System Configuration Summary

System Factor	Requirement for Oracle8i
UNIX Kernel Parameters: Shared Memory	SHMMAX 4294967295 This setting does not affect how much shared memory is needed or used by Oracle8i or the operating system. It is used only to indicate the maximum allowable size. This setting also does not impact operating system kernel resources. SHMMIN 1 SHMMNI 100 SHMSEG 10
Semaphores	SEMMNI 100 SEMMSL Set to 10 plus the largest PROCESSES parameter of any Oracle database on the system. The PROCESSES parameter can be found in each initsid.ora file, located in the $ORACLE_HOME/dbs directory. The default value of PROCESSES for the preconfigured database created by Oracle Database Configuration Assistant is 50. SEMMNS Set to the sum of the PROCESSES parameter for each Oracle database, adding the largest one twice, then add an additional 10 for each database. See "Configure the UNIX Kernel for Oracle8i" for an example of this formula. SEMOPM 100 SEMVMX 32767
Note: If any of the kernel parameters above are less than your current values, continue to use the current value. These are the requirements for Oracle8i only. If you have other programs which use shared memory and semaphores, you will need to adjust the values accordingly. Take into account that a system reboot is necessary for kernel changes to take effect when planning for current and future database requirements.
Mount Points (Storage Devices)	Oracle Universal Installer requires only two mount points: one for the software, and one for the database files. An Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA)-compliant database requires at least four mount points, all at the same level of the directory structure. One is for the software, three are for database files. See the Oracle8i Administrator's Reference for information on implementing OFA on UNIX.
UNIX Groups for Oracle Roles	A UNIX group is required for the OSDBA role. This book assumes that the group is named dba. The OSOPER role may belong to the same group as the OSDBA or to a different group.
Special UNIX Group to own the Oracle Universal Installer oraInventory	All users installing Oracle products in any ORACLE_HOME must have oinstall set as their primary UNIX group. The Installer's inventory is shared by all ORACLE_HOMEs on a system and is group writable. Install Oracle products with oinstall set as the current group.
UNIX Accounts	A UNIX account that is dedicated solely to installing and upgrading Oracle products. The account must have the oinstall group as its primary group and the OSDBA group as a secondary group. This book assumes the account is called oracle.
Permissions for File Creation	Set umask to 022 for the oracle account.
ORACLE_BASE	Recommended as part of an OFA-compliant installation. See "ORACLE_BASE" for further information.

Setup Tasks to Perform as the root User

Log in as the root user and perform the following tasks to set up your environment for Oracle8i:

Configure the UNIX Kernel for Oracle8i

Create Mount Points

Create UNIX Groups for Database Administrators

Create a UNIX Group for the Oracle Universal Installer Inventory

Create a UNIX Account to Own Oracle Software

Note: In addition to these setup tasks, you will need root privileges near the start of the installation if the file /var/opt/oracle/oraInst.loc does not exist. You will also need root privileges near the end of the installation to run the root.sh script.

Configure the UNIX Kernel for Oracle8i

Configure the UNIX kernel Interprocess Communication (IPC) parameters to accommodate the Shared Global Area (SGA) structure of Oracle8i. You will not be able to start up the database if the system does not have adequate shared memory to accommodate the SGA.

1. Use the ipcs command to obtain a list of the system's current shared memory and semaphore segments, and their identification number and owner.

   Because the shared memory in Solaris is dynamically loaded, when you run ipcs you may receive a message that the shared memory facility is not in the system. The shared memory driver is loaded after the Oracle8i instance is started. You can check the /etc/system file to verify that the system has been configured with enough shared memory.

2. Set the kernel parameters corresponding to the:
   • maximum size of a shared memory segment (SHMMAX)

   • minimum size of shared memory segment (SHMMIN)

   • maximum number of shared memory identifiers in the system (SHMMNI)

   • maximum number of shared memory segments a user process can
     attach (SHMSEG)

   • maximum number of semaphore identifiers in the system (SEMMNI)

   • maximum number of semaphores in a set (SEMMSL)

   • maximum number of semaphores in the system (SEMMNS)

   • maximum number of operations per semop call (SEMOPM)

   • semaphore maximum value (SEMVMX)

   The total allowable shared memory is determined by the formula:

   SHMMAX * SHMSEG
   

   Table 2-1 shows the required settings, which should be acceptable for most installations.

   Set to the sum of the PROCESSES parameter for each Oracle database, adding the largest one twice, then add an additional 10 for each database. For example, consider a system that has three Oracle instances with the PROCESSES parameter in their initsid.ora files set to the following values:

   ORACLE_SID=A, PROCESSES=100
   ORACLE_SID=B, PROCESSES=100
   ORACLE_SID=C, PROCESSES=200
   
   

   The value of SEMMNS is calculated as follows:

   SEMMNS = [(A=100) + (B=100)] + [(C=200) * 2] + [(# of instances=3) * 10] = 630

   Setting parameters too high for the operating system can prevent the machine from booting up. Refer to Sun Microsystems Sun SPARC Solaris system administration documentation for parameter limits.

   The following lines are examples of additions to the /etc/system file to configure the UNIX kernel with the minimum recommended values:

   set shmsys:shminfo_shmmax=4294967295
   set shmsys:shminfo_shmmin=1
   set shmsys:shminfo_shmmni=100
   set shmsys:shminfo_shmseg=10
   set semsys:seminfo_semmni=100
   set semsys:seminfo_semmsl=100
   set semsys:seminfo_semmns=200
   set semsys:seminfo_semopm=100
   set semsys:seminfo_semvmx=32767
   
   

3. Reboot the system if you have modified the kernel, shared memory, or semaphore parameters.

Create Mount Points

Oracle8i requires at least two mount points: one for the software and at least one for the database files. It requires at least four mount points when creating an OFA-compliant installation: one for the software and at least three for database files.

All software and database mount point names used for Oracle8i should match the pattern /pm, where p is a string constant and m is a fixed-length key to distinguish between mount points. Table 2-2, "Sample Mount Point Naming Scheme", shows a sample naming scheme.

Table 2-2 Sample Mount Point Naming Scheme

Software Mount Point	Database Mount Points
/u01	/u02
	/u03
	/u04

Create UNIX Groups for Database Administrators

During installation, two Oracle roles are created: SYSDBA and SYSOPER. Database administrators are granted these roles by virtue of their membership in corresponding UNIX groups. Oracle8i documentation refers to these UNIX groups as the OSDBA and OSOPER groups. Create the group(s) for these roles before you log in as the oracle user and start the Oracle Universal Installer. You may assign the roles to two separate UNIX groups, or to a single group.

Use the admintool or groupadd utility to create a group named dba or another name of your choosing. If you plan to assign the SYSOPER role to a separate group, create that group also.

The Oracle Universal Installer gives both Oracle SYSDBA and SYSOPER privileges to members of the UNIX group dba by default. If you perform a Custom installation of Oracle8i, or if the oracle user is not a member of a group called dba, Oracle Universal Installer will prompt you to enter the group(s) you have created for these roles.

Create a UNIX Group for the Oracle Universal Installer Inventory

Use the admintool or groupadd utility to create a group named oinstall. The oinstall group will own the Oracle Universal Installer's oraInventory directory. The oracle user account that runs the installation must have the oinstall group as its primary group.

Create a UNIX Account to Own Oracle Software

The oracle account is the UNIX user account that owns the Oracle8i software after installation. Run Oracle Universal Installer with this user account.

Use the admintool or useradd utility to create an oracle account with the following properties:

Table 2-3 Properties of the oracle Account

Login Name	Any name, but this document refers to it as the oracle account.
Primary GID	The oinstall group.
Secondary GID	The dba group.
Home Directory	Choose a home directory consistent with other user home directories. The home directory of the oracle account does not have to be the same as the ORACLE_HOME directory.
Login Shell	The default shell can be /usr/bin/sh, /usr/bin/csh, or /usr/bin/ksh, but the examples in this document assume the Bourne shell (/usr/bin/sh).

Note: Use the oracle account only for installing and maintaining Oracle software. Never use it for purposes unrelated to the Oracle8i Server. Do not use root as the oracle account.

Sites with multiple ORACLE_HOMEs on one system may install Oracle software with the same oracle account, or separate ones. Each oracle account must have oinstall as its primary group.

Setup Tasks to Perform as the oracle User

Log in to the oracle account and perform the following tasks as necessary:

Set Permissions for File Creation

Set Environment Variables

Update the Environment for Current Session

Set Permissions for File Creation

Set umask to 022 for the oracle account to ensure group and other have read and execute permissions, but not write permission, on files installed.

1. Enter the umask command to check the current setting.

2. If the umask command does not return 22, set it in the.profile or.login file of the oracle account and execute the following command:

   $ umask 022
   

Set Environment Variables

Before starting the Oracle Universal Installer, set the DISPLAY and PATH environment variables and any of the other variables as appropriate. Table 2-4, "Environment Variable Summary", provides a brief summary of the variables listed in this section. Refer to each variable's entry in this section for instructions on setting the variable correctly.

Note: If an Oracle Server already exists on your system, its settings may have a bearing on the settings that you choose for the new environment.

Table 2-4 Environment Variable Summary

Variable	Description and Example Setting	Required?
DISPLAY	The the name, server number, and screen number of the system where the Oracle Universal Installer will display.	Yes
PATH	Shell's search path for executables.	Yes
ORACLE_BASE	Directory at the top of the Oracle software and administrative file structure.	No
ORACLE_HOME	Directory containing Oracle software for a given release.	No
NLS_LANG	Character set to use when installing.	No
ORA_NLS33	Location of National Language Support character set data.	No
ORACLE_SID	The Oracle server instance identifier to use during installation.	No
ORACLE_DOC	Directory where documentation will be installed.	No

DISPLAY

On the system where you will run Oracle Universal Installer, set DISPLAY to the system name or IP address, X server, and screen used by your workstation. Do not use the hostname or IP address of the system where the software is being installed unless you are performing the installation from that system's X-windows console. Use the machine name or IP of your own workstation if you are installing from a remote system. If you are not sure what the X server and screen should be set to, use 0 (zero) for both.

If you get an Xlib error similar to "Failed to connect to server" or "Connection refused by server" or "Can't open display" when starting the Installer, run the Bourne/Korn shell or C shell commands below on your X workstation:

For the Bourne or Korn shells:

On the server where the Oracle database will be installed, enter the following:

$ DISPLAY=workstation_name:0.0
$ export DISPLAY

In the session on your workstation:

$ xhost +server_name

For the C shell:

On the server where the Oracle database will be installed, enter the following:

$ setenv DISPLAY workstation_name:0.0

In the session on your workstation:

$ xhost +server_name

If you are using a PC X server, refer to your PC X server documentation for instructions on how to configure the PC X server to allow remote X clients to connect.

Check that the DISPLAY variable is correctly set as detailed above.

PATH

Set the shell's search path to include the following:

• $ORACLE_HOME/bin, /usr/bin, /etc, /usr/ccs/bin, /usr/openwin/bin

• the local bin directory, /usr/local/bin, if it exists

  Note: If you require /usr/ucb in your search path, make sure it comes after /usr/ccs/bin in the PATH setting.

ORACLE_BASE

ORACLE_BASE specifies the directory at the top of the Oracle software and administrative file structure. The OFA-recommended value is
software_mount_point/app/oracle. For example: /u01/app/oracle. If you are not using an OFA-compliant system, you do not have to set
ORACLE_BASE, but it is highly recommended that you do set it.

ORACLE_HOME

ORACLE_HOME specifies the directory containing the Oracle software for a given release. The Optimal Flexible Architecture recommended value is:
$ORACLE_BASE/product/release.
For example:
/u01/app/oracle/product/8.1.6.

Ensure that the value of ORACLE_HOME points to a directory that does not already contain any Oracle software prior to Oracle8i Release 1 (8.1.5).

NLS_LANG

Set NLS_LANG if you will create a database that uses a character set other than US7ASCII (the default). If you will install Oracle Internet Directory, set
NLS_LANG to AMERICAN_AMERICA.UTF8. A complete list of valid character sets is available in the Oracle8i National Language Support Guide.

ORA_NLS33

Set ORA_NLS33 if you will create a database with a storage character set other than US7ASCII. Set ORA_NLS33 to $ORACLE_HOME/ocommon/nls/admin/data before starting the Installer or creating the database. For more information, see the Oracle8i National Language Support Guide.

ORACLE_SID

If you plan on creating a database during installation, you have the option of setting ORACLE_SID to the value of the Oracle server instance identifier (referred to in this installation guide as the sid). If you choose to create a database during installation, the Installer will prompt you to confirm this value. See "ORACLE_SID" for more information.

ORACLE_DOC

ORACLE_DOC specifies the directory where online documentation will be installed. See "Accessing Installed Documentation" to determine where documentation is installed if you do not set ORACLE_DOC.

Update the Environment for Current Session

With a text editor, add the settings for the environment variables listed in "Set Environment Variables" to the.profile or.login file of the oracle account. Once you have finished editing these initialization files, you can quickly update the environment in the current shell session before beginning installation by using the appropriate shell command.

For the Bourne or Korn shell:

$ . ./.profile

For the C shell:

% source .login

Setup Tasks for Oracle Products

Before beginning your installation, complete the following tasks for products that you will install:

• Oracle Options

• Tools and Precompilers

• Networking and System Management Products

Oracle Options

Pre-Installation Steps for Oracle Parallel Server

These steps should be completed in conjunction with steps listed in the Oracle8i Parallel Server Setup and Configuration Guide.

Complete the following steps before installing the Parallel Server:

1. Create raw devices.

   All files associated with an Oracle Parallel Server database must reside on raw volumes so they can be accessed by all nodes in the cluster. Control and data files are shared by all instances. Each instance has its own log files, but all instances must have access to all log files during recovery.

   See Also: Oracle8i Administrator's Reference for information on creating raw devices.

   Note: The following two steps only apply if you are performing a Typical installation of Oracle8i. These steps are not required for the Custom Installation type. See "Using Oracle Universal Installer" for more information.

2. On the node from which you will run Oracle Universal Installer, create an ASCII file with entries for each database object and the corresponding raw device file name. This file will be used Oracle Database Configuration Assistant to configure the database for Oracle Parallel Server.

   See Also: Oracle8i Parallel Server Setup and Configuration Guide for information and examples on creating the ASCII mapping file.

3. Set the environment variable DBCA_RAW_CONFIG to point to the ASCII mapping file. When Oracle Database Configuration Assistant creates the database, it looks for the environment variable, reads in the ASCII file, and uses the file names indicated when building the tablespaces.

Steps to Perform as the root User

1. Make sure you have a UNIX group defined in the /etc/group file on all nodes of the cluster that will serve as the OSDBA group. The OSDBA group name and number (and OSOPER group if you plan to designate one during installation) must be identical for all nodes of a UNIX cluster accessing a single database. The default UNIX group name for the OSDBA and OSOPER groups is dba.

2. Create a UNIX account on each node of the cluster so that:
   • the account has the oinstall group as the primary group.

   • the account has the dba group as the secondary group.

   • the account is used only to install and update Oracle software.

   • the account has write permissions on remote directories.

3. Create a mount point directory on each node to serve as the top of your Oracle software directory structure so that:
   • the name of the mount point on each node is identical to that on the initial node.

   • the oracle account has read, write, and execute privileges.

     See Also: Recommended naming conventions for Oracle mount points are discussed in "Create Mount Points".

4. Apply the Sun Cluster software patch that is provided on the Oracle8i CD-ROM. To install the patch, follow the directions in the opspatch directory on your CD-ROM. This patch provides the Cluster Membership Monitor (CMM) and is required before you attempt to install Oracle Parallel Server.

5. After applying the CMM patch on each node, restart the cluster management software.

   For the first node, run the following commands:

   # cd /opt/SUNWcluster/bin 
   # scadmin startcluster cluster_name
   
   

   Then run these commands on each of the other nodes in the cluster:

   # cd /opt/SUNWcluster/bin
   # scadmin startnode cluster_name
   
   

   For information about cluster management software and the scadmin command, see your Solaris Enterprise 2.1 documentation.

6. On the node from which you will run Oracle Universal Installer, set up user equivalence by adding entries for all nodes in the cluster, including the local node, to either the .rhosts file of the oracle account or the /etc/hosts.equiv file.

7. Exit the root account when you are done.

Steps to Perform as the oracle User

1. Verify that the Cluster Membership Monitor (CMM) is running:

   $ ps -ef | grep clustd
   
   
   

   If the CMM program clustd does not appear in the process listing, repeat step 5.

2. Check for user equivalence for the oracle account by performing a remote login (rlogin) to each node in the cluster. If you are prompted for a password, the oracle account has not been given the same attributes on all nodes. The Installer cannot use the rcp command to copy Oracle products to the remote directories without user equivalence.

   If you have not set up user equivalence, you must perform Step 6 in "Steps to Perform as the root User" above.

Tools and Precompilers

Complete the tasks for the following tools and precompilers before installing them.

Pre-Installation Steps for the Pro*COBOL Precompiler

1. Verify that the COBOL compiler executable is included in the PATH setting.

2. Verify that $COBLIB is included in the setting for LD_LIBRARY_PATH.

3. Set the COBDIR environment variable to the directory where the COBOL compiler is installed.

   See Also: To determine the settings for COBDIR and COBLIB environment variables see your product specific COBOL documentation

Pre-Installation Steps for the Pro*C/C++ Precompiler

Verify that the C compiler executable is included in the PATH setting. The SPARCworks C compiler executable is usually located in /opt/SUNWspro/bin.

Pre-Installation Steps for Pro*FORTRAN Precompiler

Verify that the FORTRAN compiler executable is included in the PATH setting.

Pre-Installation Steps for the SQL*Module Ada

Verify that the Ada executable is included in the PATH setting, and that the Sun Ada 2.1 compiler configuration file has been set up.

Pre-Installation Steps for Legato Storage Manager (LSM)

The LSM installation script modifies the following system files during installation:

• /etc/rpc

• /etc/syslog.conf

Make copies of the original versions of these files before you install Legato Storage Manager.

Removing an Existing Legato Storage Manager Installation

If you want to install LSM from the Oracle8i distribution, but it is already on your system, you must first remove the installed version.

1. Log in as the root user and shut down the LSM daemons:

   # nsr_shutdown
   
   

2. Use the pkgrm command to remove individual Legato Storage Manager packages, or all of the Legato Storage Manager packages at the same time.

   Caution: Some LSM software packages depend on each other. Remove packages only in the following order: ORCLman, ORCLserv, ORCLnode, ORCLclnt, ORCLdrvr. Do not remove any existing LSM index files in the /nsr directory.

   # pkgrm package_name
   
   

   where package_name is one of the following:

   ORCLman	NetWorker Man Pages
   ORCLserv	NetWorker Server
   ORCLnode	NetWorker Storage Node
   ORCLclnt	NetWorker Client
   ORCLdrvr	NetWorker Device Drivers

Networking and System Management Products

Configuring LDAP Services

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Version 3 is the Internet open standard for directory access protocol. Some products included with Oracle8i Release 2 (8.1.6) can be configured to use the LDAP V3 directory service provided by Oracle Internet Directory. This directory service is included for use by the Oracle8i database to centralize the storage of database user, Net8 network connector, and database listener parameters.

If you plan to configure Oracle products to use LDAP directory services, Oracle Internet Directory should be available prior to installing and configuring those products. Install Oracle Internet Directory if it is not already available to your system. For optimal directory performance, Oracle corporation recommends installing Oracle Internet Directory on a system separate from other Oracle software. See "Pre-Installation Steps for Oracle Internet Directory" and Chapter 3, "Installation". For information on LDAP and Oracle Internet Directory, refer to the Oracle Internet Directory Administrator's Guide.

Pre-Installation Steps for Oracle Internet Directory

These steps should be completed in addition to those steps listed in the Oracle Internet Directory Administrator's Guide.

1. Set the NLS_LANG environment variable to AMERICAN_AMERICA.UTF8. See "Set Environment Variables" for information on setting environment variables. See the Oracle8i National Language Support Guide for information about valid settings.

2. If Oracle8i Release 2 (8.1.6) is already installed on your system, make sure that:
   • Oracle8i Server is running

   • you can connect to the database as user "internal" without a password; for example:

     $ sqlplus internal
     
     

     If you cannot connect as internal without a password, refer to the Oracle8i Administrator's Guide for instructions on configuring the internal account to not require a password.

   • the Net8 listener serving connections to the database is running; use the following command:

     $ lsnrctl status [listener_name]
     
     

     The listener_name field is required if the listener has a name other than the default, listener.

If Oracle8i Release 2 (8.1.6) is not already installed on your system, then Oracle Universal Installer will install it with Oracle Internet Directory.

Pre-Installation Steps for Net8

If Net8 Server is already installed on your system, shut down all listeners before installing Net8. To determine if any listeners are running, enter:

$ lsnrctl status [listener_name]

The listener_name field is required if the listener has a name other than the default, listener.

Shut down a running listener with the following command:

$ lsnrctl stop listener_name

See "Understanding Net8 Configuration" to determine how to be install and configure Net8 on your system.

Pre-Installation Steps for Oracle Supported Protocols

Before installing any protocol, verify that the underlying network is functioning and configured properly.

TCP/IP

The TCP/IP protocol is installed automatically with all Oracle8i Server installations.

Verify that the network is functioning properly by transferring a test file using the ftp utility.

$ ftp remote_server_name
ftp> put test_filename
ftp> get test_filename 

Pre-Installation Steps for Oracle Enterprise Manager

If you plan to upgrade or migrate an existing Oracle Enterprise Manager repository to the current version, backup or export the repository so that it can be recovered in the event of a unexpected error.

If you want to create a new Enterprise Manager Repository without installing a new database, you must have access to an Oracle database, release 7.3 or later in which to create the Enterprise Manager repository.

For details on upgrading, migrating, or creating a repository, refer to the Oracle Enterprise Manager Configuration Guide.

Understanding Net8 Configuration

Net8 Configuration Assistant is a graphical user interface (GUI) tool that enables you to configure your Oracle client/server network environment. Net8 Configuration Assistant is automatically started from within Oracle Universal Installer for all installation types or manually started as a stand-alone tool.

Note: This chapter describes running Net8 Configuration Assistant from within Oracle Universal Installer. See the Net8 Administrator's Guide or "Net8 Configuration Assistant" for information on running Net8 Configuration Assistant in stand-alone mode.

Depending on the installation type selected, Net8 Configuration Assistant configures your network in one of two ways:

• automatically configures your network for standard database connection methods (user input is minimal)

• creates a customized network by prompting you for extensive input

Configuration consists of creating and modifying of network files located in the $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin directory.

Server Network Configuration

The type of network configuration created with the server installation types and the amount of user input required are described below. Review the selections below and identify the network configuration that best matches your requirements and network configuration expertise.

If You Select These Installation Types...	Then...
Oracle8i Enterprise Edition or Oracle8i Typical Minimal	Net8 Configuration Assistant creates a net service name to use in connecting to a database. Net8 Configuration Assistant then automatically creates your Net8 server environment by configuring the following files: listener.ora Configures and starts a listener named listener with protocol addresses for both the Oracle8i database using your operating system's preferred protocol (typically TCP/IP on port 1521) and for external procedures using the IPC protocol. Configures services information for external procedures. sqlnet.ora Configures the server's domain as the default domain (the domain in which your computer is located). This domain is automatically appended to any unqualified name. Configures the naming methods the server uses to resolve a name to a connect descriptor. tnsnames.ora Creates a net service name (EXTPROC_CONNECTION_DATA) in the tnsnames.ora file to use for external procedures. Oracle Database Configuration Assistant configures additional Net8 Server information in the following files after successful creation of the Oracle8i database. listener.ora Configures static service information for the Oracle8i database. Note: You cannot configure access to an LDAP directory service through the Typical or Minimal installation types. LDAP directory configuration is available through the Custom installation type.
Oracle8i Enterprise Edition or Oracle8i Custom (and then select Net8 Server and Net8 Client)	Net8 Configuration Assistant first prompts you to: Complete directory service access configuration, including entering a directory server type and location and verifying the administrative context from which the server can look up, create, and modify net service names. You are prompted for this information if you have never configured this ORACLE_HOME for directory service access. Create a listener(s) and select network protocols to use for database connections Select the naming methods to use to connect to databases (for example, selecting the local naming method enables the tnsnames.ora file to be used). Depending on your selection, you are prompted for additional information (for selecting the local naming method, you are prompted to enter a net service name, database SID, and networking protocol to use). Net8 Configuration Assistant then automatically creates your Net8 server environment by configuring the following files: listener.ora Configures a listener with a name and protocol address that you choose. A protocol address and static service information for external procedures is also configured. sqlnet.ora Configures the server's domain as the default domain (the domain in which your computer is located). This domain is automatically appended to any unqualified name. Configures the naming methods the server uses to resolve a name to a connect descriptor. tnsnames.ora Creates a net service name entry to use for external procedure connections. ldap.ora Configures directory service access by identifying the directory server type. It may also identify the location and the administrative context. Oracle Database Configuration Assistant automatically configures additional Net8 server information in the following file during creation of the Oracle8i database: listener.ora Configures static service information

Client Network Configuration

The type of network configurations created with the client installation types and the amount of user input required are described below. Review the selections below and identify the network configuration that best matches your network requirements and configuration expertise:

If You Select These Installation Types...	Then...
Oracle8i Client Administrator Programmer Application User	Net8 Configuration Assistant first prompts you to select one of the following methods by which to configure access to your Oracle8i database: Directory Naming Enables you to directory service to make client connections to Oracle8i databases using information registered with the directory service when the databases were created. Local Naming Specify a net service name to enable client connections to Oracle8i databases using information in Net8 configuration files on the local system. Depending on what you select, you are prompted to provide additional information. Net8 Configuration Assistant then automatically creates your Net8 client environment by configuring the following files: ldap.ora Configures directory service access by identifying the directory server type (if directory naming was selected). It may also identify the location and the administrative context. tnsnames.ora Specifies a net service name (if local naming was selected) sqlnet.ora Configures the client's domain as the default domain (the domain in which your computer is located). This domain is automatically appended to any unqualified net service name given in the connect string. An unqualified net service name does not contain a network domain. Configures the naming methods the client uses to resolve a name to a connect descriptor.
Oracle8i Client Custom (and then select Net8 Client)	Net8 Configuration Assistant first prompts you to: Complete directory service access configuration, including entering a directory server type and location and verifying the administrative context from which the server can look up, create, and modify net service names. You are prompted for this information if you have never configured this ORACLE_HOME for directory service access. Select the naming methods to use to connect to databases (for example, selecting the local naming method enables the tnsnames.ora file to be used). Depending on your selection, you are prompted for additional information (for selecting the local naming method, you are prompted to enter a net service name, database SID, and networking protocol to use). Net8 Configuration Assistant then automatically creates your Net8 client environment by configuring the following files: sqlnet.ora Configures the client to request operating system authenticated connections (OPS$). Configures the clients domain as the default domain (the domain in which your computer is located). This domain is automatically appended to any unqualified name. Configures the naming methods the server uses to resolve a name to a connect descriptor. tnsnames.ora If local naming was selected above, specifies a net service name. ldap.ora If directory naming was selected above, configures directory service access by identifying the directory server type. It may also identify the location and the administrative context.

Identifying Your Database Environment

Oracle Universal Installer enables you to create an Oracle8i database that operates in one of the following environments. To identify the environment appropriate for your Oracle8i database, refer to Table 2-5, "Oracle8i Database Environment Descriptions":

Table 2-5 Oracle8i Database Environment Descriptions

Environment	Description
Online Transaction Processing (OLTP)	Many concurrent users performing numerous transactions requiring rapid access to data. Availability, speed, concurrence, and recoverability are key issues. Transactions consist of reading (SELECT statements), writing (INSERT and UPDATE statements), and deleting (DELETE statements) data in database tables.
Warehousing	Users perform numerous, complex queries that process large volumes of data. Response time, accuracy, and availability are key issues. These queries (typically read-only) range from a simple fetch of a few records to numerous complex queries that sort thousands of records from many different tables. Warehousing environments are also known as Decision Support System (DSS) environments
Multipurpose	Both types of applications can access this database.

Your database environment selection affects the values for the following database settings:

• DB_BLOCK_BUFFERS initialization file parameter

• DB_BLOCK_SIZE initialization file parameter

• PROCESSES initialization file parameter

• SHARED_POOL_SIZE initialization file parameter

• Rollback tablespace information

Selecting a Database Creation Method

Oracle Database Configuration Assistant is a graphical user interface (GUI) tool that enables you to create an Oracle8i database for an OLTP, Warehousing, or Multipurpose environment. Oracle Database Configuration Assistant will be automatically started from within Oracle Universal Installer when you choose to create an Oracle8i database during installation. It can also be manually run as a stand-alone tool.

Note: This chapter describes running Oracle Database Configuration Assistant from within Oracle Universal Installer. See "Oracle Database Configuration Assistant" for information on running Oracle Database Configuration Assistant in stand-alone mode.

Each installation type of Oracle8i Enterprise Edition enables you to create an Oracle8i database. The types of databases (OLTP, Warehousing, and Multipurpose) created with the Typical, Minimal, and Custom installation types and the amount of user input required are described below. Review these selections and identify the database that best matches your database requirements and your database creation expertise.

If You Perform These Steps...

Then...

Select the Typical installation type.

Oracle Database Configuration Assistant automatically starts at the end of installation and creates a pre-configured, ready-to-use multipurpose starter database with: Default initialization parameters. Automatic installation and configuration of Oracle options and interMedia1. Advanced replication capabilities. Database configuration of dedicated server mode2. Archiving mode of NOARCHIVELOG. No user input is required other than the global database name and SID you are prompted to enter.

1 Oracle Database Configuration Assistant configures options that were installed through Oracle Universal Installer. 2 See Chapter 5 of Oracle8i Administrator's Guide for descriptions of dedicated server mode and multi-threaded server mode (also known as shared server mode).

If You Perform These Steps...

Then...

Select the Minimal installation type. Select "Yes" when prompted to create a starter database. Note: If you select "No", all server products except a database are installed. You can create your database later by manually running Oracle Database Configuration Assistant or with a SQL script. See the Oracle8i System Administrator's Guide for instructions. Note: A database is also installed through the Oracle Internet Directory installation type of Oracle8i Management Infrastructure. This database is only used for storing Oracle Internet Directory information.

Oracle Database Configuration Assistant automatically starts at the end of installation and creates the same Oracle8i database that you receive with Typical, with the following exceptions: No installation and configuration of Oracle options and interMedia products is available. Database configuration of dedicated server mode.

If You Perform These Steps...

Then...

Select the Custom installation type. Select Oracle Server and additional products in the Available Products window. Select "Yes" when prompted to create a starter database. Oracle Database Configuration Assistant prompts you to select either the Typical or Custom database creation methods.

If You Select the Custom database creation method... Oracle Database Configuration Assistant guides you in the creation of a database fully customized to match the environment (OLTP, Warehousing, or Multipurpose) and database configuration mode (dedicated server or multi-threaded server) you select. Options and interMedia components (if installed) and advanced replication (if selected) are also automatically configured. Select this option only if you are experienced with advanced database creation procedures, such as customizing: Data, control, and redo log file settings. Tablespace and extent sizes. Database memory parameters. Archiving modes, formats, and destinations. Trace file destinations. Character set values. If You Select the Typical database creation method... You have two choices. Oracle Database Configuration Assistant's role in database creation depends on your selection: Copy existing files from CD Oracle Database Configuration Assistant creates the same Oracle8i database as described under Typical on the previous page. Options and interMedia (if installed) are also automatically configured. No user input is required other than the global database name and SID you are prompted to enter.1 Create new database files Oracle Database Configuration Assistant prompts you to answer several questions, including selecting a database environment (OLTP, Warehousing, or Multipurpose) and specifying the number of concurrent connections. Oracle Database Configuration Assistant then dynamically creates a database. Options and interMedia (if installed) and advanced replication (if selected) are also automatically configured.2

1 If you selected Oracle JServer for installation, the database is created in multi-threaded server mode for IIOP clients. 2 If you select OLTP as your database environment and enter 20 or more for the number of concurrent database connections, your database is created in multi-threaded server mode. Otherwise, the server mode is dedicated.