Install Oracle 8.1.7

by Vinod Kurup
OpenACS docs are written by the named authors, and may be edited by OpenACS documentation staff.

Skip this page if you're not interested in Oracle.

Note

OpenACS 5.0.0a1 does not yet work with Oracle 9i

This document assumes that you'll be installing Oracle on the same box as AOLServer. For more details on a remote Oracle installation, see Daryl Biberdorf's document.

Acquire Oracle 8.1.7 Enterprise Edition

You can obtain the software through a variety of methods (You'll need to become a member of technet.oracle.com, which is free):

  1. Order a CD from the Oracle Store. The cost is currently $39.95 for a 30-day evaluation copy with delivery estimated between 3-4 business days.

  2. Download the software from the Oracle Downloads page.

    • Oracle 8.1.7 now comes with a Java RunTime Environment built-in to the distribution, so you no longer have to download and install it separately.

    • See these instructions to download the 8.1.7.4 patchset. Note that you can't back out of an Oracle patchset once it's installed. You have to reinstall the whole thing from scratch.

    • After the download is complete, untar the file to a convenient location. To do this, you will need to login and cd to the directory where the archive is.

      $ cd /directory/where/oracle/is
      $ tar xvf oracle81701.tar
  3. It used to be possible to get a free CD by mail, but I can no longer find the link for that option.

Things to Keep in Mind

Throughout these instructions, we will refer to a number of configurable settings and advise certain defaults. With the exception of passwords, we advise you to follow these defaults unless you know what you are doing. Subsequent documents will expect that you used the defaults, so a change made here will necessitate further changes later. For a guide to the defaults, please see Section , “Defaults”.

For additional resources/documentation, please see this thread and Andrew Piskorski's mini-guide..

Pre-Installation Tasks

Though Oracle 8.1.7 has an automated installer, we still need to perform several manual, administrative tasks before we can launch it. You must perform all of these steps as the root user. We recommend entering the X window system as a normal user and then doing a su -. This command gives you full root access.

  • Login as a non-root user and start X by typing startx

    joeuser:~$ startx

  • Open a terminal window type and login as root

    joeuser:~$ su -
    Password: ***********
    root:~#

  • Create and setup the oracle group and oracle account

    We need to create a user oracle, which is used to install the product, as well as starting and stopping the database.

    root:~# groupadd dba
    root:~# groupadd oinstall
    root:~# groupadd oracle
    root:~# useradd -g dba -G oinstall,oracle -m oracle
    root:~# passwd oracle

    You will be prompted for the New Password and Confirmation of that password.

  • Setup the installation location for Oracle. While Oracle can reside in a variety of places in the file system, OpenACS has adopted /ora8 as the base directory.

    Note: the Oracle install needs about 1 GB free on /ora8 to install successfully.

    root:~# mkdir /ora8
    root:/ora8# cd /ora8
    root:/ora8# mkdir -p m01 m02 m03/oradata/ora8
    root:/ora8# chown -R oracle.dba /ora8
    root:/ora8# exit
  • Set up the oracle user's environment

    • Log in as the user oracle by typing the following:

      joeuser:~$ su - oracle
      Password: ********
    • Use a text editor to edit the .bash_profile file in the oracle account home directory.

      oracle:~$ emacs .bash_profile

      You may get this error trying to start emacs:

      Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
      Xlib: Client is not authorized to connect to Server
      emacs: Cannot connect to X server :0.
      Check the DISPLAY environment variable or use `-d'.
      Also use the `xhost' program to verify that it is set to permit
      connections from your machine.

      If so, open a new terminal window and do the following:

      joeuser:~$ xhost +localhost

      Now, back in the oracle terminal:

      oracle:~$ export DISPLAY=localhost:0.0
      oracle:~$ emacs .bash_profile

      Try this procedure anytime you get an Xlib connection refused error.

    • Add the following lines (substituting your Oracle version number as needed) to .bash_profile:

      export ORACLE_BASE=/ora8/m01/app/oracle
      export ORACLE_HOME=$ORACLE_BASE/product/8.1.7
      export PATH=$PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/bin
      export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/lib:/lib:/usr/lib
      export ORACLE_SID=ora8
      export ORACLE_TERM=vt100
      export ORA_NLS33=$ORACLE_HOME/ocommon/nls/admin/data
      
      umask 022

      Save the file by typing CTRL-X CTRL-S and then exit by typing CTRL-X CTRL-C. Alternatively, use the menus.

    Make sure that you do not add any lines like the following

    # NLS_LANG=american
    # export NLS_LANG

    These lines will change the Oracle date settings and will break OpenACS since OpenACS depends on the ANSI date format, YYYY-MM-DD dates.

  • Log out as oracle

    oracle:~$ exit
  • Log back in as oracle and double check that your environment variables are as intended. The env command lists all of the variables that are set in your environment, and grep shows you just the lines you want (those with ORA in it).

    joeuser:~$ su - oracle
    oracle:~$ env | grep ORA

    If it worked, you should see:

    ORACLE_SID=ora8
    ORACLE_BASE=/ora8/m01/app/oracle
    ORACLE_TERM=vt100
    ORACLE_HOME=/ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7
    ORA_NLS33=/ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/ocommon/nls/admin/data

    If not, try adding the files to ~/.bashrc instead of .bash_profile. Then logout and log back in again. Also, be certain you are doing su - oracle and not just su oracle. The - means that .bashrc and .bash_profile will be evaluated.

    Make sure that /bin, /usr/bin, and /usr/local/bin are in your path by typing:

    oracle:~$ echo $PATH
    /bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin/X11:/usr/X11R6/bin:/home/oracle/bin:/ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/bin

    If they are not, then add them to the .bash_profile by changing the PATH statement above to PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin:$ORACLE_HOME/bin

Installing Oracle 8.1.7 Server

  • Log in as oracle and start X if not already running. Start a new terminal:

    joeuser:~$ xhost +localhost
    joeuser:~$ su - oracle
    Password: **********
    oracle:~$ export DISPLAY=localhost:0.0
  • Find the runInstaller script

    • If you are installing Oracle from a CD-ROM, it is located in the install/linux path from the cd-rom mount point

      oracle:~$ su - root
      root:~# mount -t iso9660 /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
      root:~# exit
      oracle:~$ cd /mnt/cdrom
    • If you are installing from the tarball, the install script is located in the Oracle8iR2 directory that was created when you expanded the archive.

      oracle:~$ cd /where/oracle/Disk1

    Check to make sure the file is there.

    oracle:/where/oracle/Disk1$ ls
    doc  index.htm  install  runInstaller  stage  starterdb

    If you don't see runInstaller, you are in the wrong directory.

  • Run the installer

    oracle:/where/oracle/Disk1$ ./runInstaller

    A window will open that welcomes you to the 'Oracle Universal Installer' (OUI). Click on "Next"

    Note

    Some people have had trouble with this step on RedHat 7.3 and 8.0. If so, try the following steps before calling ./runInstaller:

    1. Execute the following command: /usr/i386-glibc21-linux/bin/i386-glibc21-linux-env.sh

    2. Type export LD_ASSUME_KERNEL=2.2.5

  • The "File Locations" screen in the OUI:

    • "Source" path should have been prefilled with "(wherever you mounted the CDROM)/stage/products.jar"

    • "destination" path says "/ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7"

      If the destination is not correct it is because your environment variables are not set properly. Make sure you logged on as oracle using su - oracle. If so, edit the ~/.bash_profile as you did in Section , “Pre-Installation Tasks”

    • Click "Next" (a pop up window will display Loading Product information).

  • The "Unix Group Name" screen in the OUI:

    • Debian users need to link /bin/awk to /usr/bin/awk before running the script below

      joueser:~$ su -
      root:~# ln -s /usr/bin/awk /bin/awk
    • The Unix Group name needs to be set to 'oinstall' ( we made this Unix group earlier ).

    • Click "Next"

    • A popup window appears instantly, requesting you to run a script as root:

    • Open a new terminal window, then type:

      joeuser:~$ su -
      root:~# cd /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7
      root:~# ./orainstRoot.sh  
      ; You should see:
      Creating Oracle Inventory pointer file (/etc/oraInst.loc)
      Changing groupname of /ora8/m01/app/oracle/oraInventory to oinstall.
      root:~# mkdir -p /usr/local/java
      root:~# exit
      joeuser:~$ exit
    • Click "Retry"

  • The "Available Products" screen in the OUI:

    • Select "Oracle 8i Enterprise Edition 8.1.7.1.0"

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Installation Types" screen

    • Select the "Custom" installation type.

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Available Product Components" screen

    • In addition to the defaults, make sure that "Oracle SQLJ 8.1.7.0," "Oracle Protocol Support 8.1.7.0.0," and "Linux Documentation 8.1.7.0.0" are also checked.

    • Click "Next"

    • A progress bar will appear for about 1 minute.

  • The "Component Locations" screen in the OUI

    • Click on the "Java Runtime Environment 1.1.8" It should have the path "/ora8/m01/app/oracle/jre/1.1.8"

    • Click "Next"

    • A progress bar will appear for about 1 minute.

  • The "Privileged Operation System Groups" screen in the OUI

    • Enter "dba" for "Database Administrator (OSDBA) Group"

    • Enter "dba" for the "Database Operator (OSOPER) Group"

    • Click "Next"

    • A progress bar will appear for about 1 minute.

  • The "Authentication Methods" screen

    • Click "Next"

  • The next screen is "Choose JDK home directory"

    • Keep the default path: /usr/local/java

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Create a Database" screen in the OUI

    • Select "No" as we will do this later, after some important configuration changes.

    • Click "Next"

  • The next screen is "Oracle Product Support"

    • TCP should be checked with "Status" listed as Required

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Summary" screen in the OUI

    • Check the "Space Requirements" section to verify you have enough disk space for the install.

    • Check that "(144 products)" is in the "New Installations" section title.

    • Click "Install"

    • A progress bar will appear for about 20 - 30 minutes. Now is a good time to take a break.

    • A "Setup Privileges" window will popup towards the end of the installation asking you to run a script as root

    • Run the script. Switch to the oracle user first to set the environment appropriately and then do su to get root privileges, while keeping the oracle user's enviroment.

      joeuser:~$ su - oracle
      Password: *********
      oracle:~$ su
      Password: *********
      root:~# /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/root.sh
      ; You should see the following.   
      
      Creating Oracle Inventory pointer file (/etc/oraInst.loc)
      Changing groupname of /ora8/m01/app/oracle/oraInventory to oinstall.
      # /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/root.sh
      Running Oracle8 root.sh script...
      The following environment variables are set as:
          ORACLE_OWNER= oracle
          ORACLE_HOME=  /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7
          ORACLE_SID=   ora8
      
      Enter the full pathname of the local bin directory: [/usr/local/bin]: 
      
      Press ENTER here to accept default of /usr/local/bin
            
      
      Creating /etc/oratab file...
      Entry will be added to the /etc/oratab file by
      Database Configuration Assistants when a database is created
      Finished running generic part of root.sh script.
      Now product-specific root actions will be performed.
      IMPORTANT NOTE: Please delete any log and trace files previously
                      created by the Oracle Enterprise Manager Intelligent
                      Agent. These files may be found in the directories
                      you use for storing other Net8 log and trace files.
                      If such files exist, the OEM IA may not restart.
    • Do not follow the instructions on deleting trace and log files, it is not necessary.

    root:~# exit
    joeuser:~$ exit
  • Go back to the pop-up window and click "OK"

  • The "Configuration Tools" screen in the OUI

    • This window displays the config tools that will automatically be launched.

  • The "Welcome" screen in the "net 8 Configuration Assistant"

    • Make sure the "Perform Typical installation" is not selected.

    • Click "Next"

    • The "Directory Service Access" screen in the "Net 8 Configuration Assistant"

    • Select "No"

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Listener Configuration, Listener Name" screen in the "Net 8 Configuration Assistant"

    • Accept the default listener name of "LISTENER"

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Listener Configuration, Select Protocols" screen in the "Net 8 Configuration Assistant"

    • The only choice in "Select protocols:" should be "TCP/IP"

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Listener Configuration TCP/IP Protocol" screen in the "Net 8 Configuration Assistant"

    • Default Port should be 1521 and selected.

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Listener Configuration, More Listeners" screen in the "Net 8 Configuration Assistant"

    • Select "No"

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Listener Configuration Done" screen in the "Net 8 Configuration Assistant"

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Naming Methods Configuration" screen in the "Net 8 Configuration Assistant"

    • Select "No"

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Done" screen in the "Net 8 Configuration Assistant"

    • Click "Finish"

  • The "End of Installation" screen in the OUI

    • Click "Exit"

    • Click "Yes" on the confirmation pop up window.

    • The Oracle Universal Installer window should have disappeared!

Congratulations, you have just installed Oracle 8.1.7 Server! However, you still need to create a database which can take about an hour of non-interactive time, so don't quit yet.

Creating the First Database

This step will take you through the steps of creating a customized database. Be warned that this process takes about an hour on a Pentium II with 128 MB of RAM.

Note

RedHat 7.3 and 8.0 users: Before running dbassist, do the following.

  1. Download the glibc patch from Oracle Technet into /tmp.

  2. cd $ORACLE_HOME

  3. tar xzf /tmp/glibc2.1.3-stubs.tgz

  4. ./setup_stubs

  • Make sure you are running X. Open up a terminal and su to oracle and then run the dbassist program.

    joeuser:~$ xhost +localhost
    joeuser:~$ su - oracle
    Password: *********
    oracle:~$ export DISPLAY=localhost:0.0
    oracle:~$ dbassist
  • The "Welcome" screen in the Oracle Database Configuration Agent (ODCA)

    • Select "Create a database"

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Select database type" screen in the ODCA

    • Select "Custom"

    • Click "Next"

  • The "Primary Database Type" window in ODCA

    • Select "Multipurpose"

    • Click "Next"

  • The "concurrent users" screen of the ODCA

    • Select "60" concurrent users.

    • Click "Next"

  • Select "Dedicated Server Mode", click "Next"

  • Accept all of the options, and click Next Oracle Visual Information Retrieval may be grayed out. If so, you can ignore it; just make sure that everything else is checked.

  • For "Global Database Name", enter "ora8"; for "SID", also enter "ora8" (it should do this automatically). Click "Change Character Set and select UTF8. Click "Next".

  • Accept the defaults for the next screen (control file location). Click "Next"

  • Go to the "temporary" and "rollback" tabs, and change the Size (upper-right text box) to 150MB. Click "Next"

  • Increase the redo log sizes to 10000K each. Click "Next"

  • Use the default checkpoint interval & timeout. Click "Next"

  • Increase "Processes" to 100; "Block Size" to 4096 (better for small Linux boxes; use 8192 for a big Solaris machine).

  • Accept the defaults for the Trace File Directory. Click "Next"

  • Finally, select "Save information to a shell script" and click "Finish" (We're going to examine the contents of this file before creating our database.)

  • Click the "Save" button. Oracle will automatically save it to the correct directory and with the correct file name. This will likely be /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/assistants/dbca/jlib/sqlora8.sh

  • It will alert you that the script has been saved successfully.

  • Now we need to customize the database configuration a bit. While still logged on as oracle, edit the database initialization script (run when the db loads). The scripts are kept in $ORACLE_HOME/dbs and the name of the script is usually initSID.ora where SID is the SID of your database. Assuming your $ORACLE_HOME matches our default of /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7, the following will open the file for editing.

    oracle:~$ emacs /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/dbs/initora8.ora
  • Add the following line to the end:

    nls_date_format = "YYYY-MM-DD"
  • Now find the open_cursors line in the file. If you're using emacs scroll up to the top of the buffer and do CTRL-S and type open_cursors to find the line. The default is 100. Change it to 500.

    open_cursors = 500
  • Save the file. In emacs, do CTRL-X CTRL-S to save followed by CTRL-X CTRL-C to exit or use the menu.

  • At this point, you are ready to initiate database creation. We recommend shutting down X to free up some RAM unless you have 256 MB of RAM or more. You can do this quickly by doing a CRTL-ALT-BACKSPACE, but make sure you have saved any files you were editing. You should now be returned to a text shell prompt. If you get sent to a graphical login screen instead, switch to a virtual console by doing CRTL-ALT-F1. Then login as oracle.

  • Change to the directory where the database creation script is and run it:

    oracle:~$ cd /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/assistants/dbca/jlib
    oracle:/ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/assistants/dbca/jlib$ ./sqlora8.sh

    In some instances, Oracle will save the file to /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/assistants/dbca Try running the script there if your first attempt does not succeed.

  • Your database will now be built. It will take > 1 hour - no fooling. You will see lots of errors scroll by (like: "ORA-01432: public synonym to be dropped does not exist") Fear not, this is normal.

    Eventually, you'll be returned to your shell prompt. In the meantime, relax, you've earned it.

Acceptance Test

For this step, open up a terminal and su to oracle as usual. You should be running X and Netscape (or other web browser) for this phase.

  • You need to download the "Oracle Acceptance Test" file. It's available here and at http://philip.greenspun.com/wtr/oracle/acceptance-sql.txt. Save the file to /tmp

  • In the oracle shell, copy the file.

    oracle:~$ cp /tmp/acceptance-sql.txt /tmp/acceptance.sql
  • Once you've got the acceptance test file all set, stay in your term and type the following:

    oracle:~$ sqlplus system/manager

    SQL*Plus should startup. If you get an ORA-01034: Oracle not Available error, it is because your Oracle instance is not running. You can manually start it as the oracle user.

    oracle:~$ svrmgrl
    SVRMGR> connect internal
    SVRMGR> startup
  • Now that you're into SQL*Plus, change the default passwords for system, sys, and ctxsys to "alexisahunk" (or to something you'll remember):

    SQL> alter user system identified by alexisahunk;
    SQL> alter user sys identified by alexisahunk;
    SQL> alter user ctxsys identified by alexisahunk;
  • Verify that your date settings are correct.

    SQL> select sysdate from dual;

    If you don't see a date that fits the format YYYY-MM-DD, please read Section , “Troubleshooting Oracle Dates”.

  • At this point we are going to hammer your database with an intense acceptance test. This usually takes around 30 minutes.

    SQL> @ /tmp/acceptance.sql
    
    ; A bunch of lines will scroll by.  You'll know if the test worked if
    ; you see this at the end:
    
    SYSDATE
    ----------
    2000-06-10
    
    SQL>

    Many people encounter an error regarding maximum key length:

    ERROR at line 1:
    ORA-01450: maximum key length (758) exceeded

    This error occurs if your database block size is wrong and is usually suffered by people trying to load OpenACS into a pre-existing database. Unfortunately, the only solution is to create a new database with a block size of at least 4096. For instructions on how to do this, see Section , “Creating the First Database” above. You can set the parameter using the dbassist program or by setting the DB_BLOCK_SIZE parameter in your database's creation script.

    If there were no errors, then consider yourself fortunate. Your Oracle installation is working.

Automating Startup & Shutdown

You will want to automate the database startup and shutdown process. It's probably best to have Oracle spring to life when you boot up your machine.

  • Oracle includes a script called dbstart that can be used to automatically start the database. Unfortunately, the script shipped in the Linux distribution does not work out of the box. The fix is simple. Follow these directions to apply it. First, save dbstart to /tmp. Then, as oracle, do the following:

    oracle:~$ cp /tmp/dbstart.txt /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/bin/dbstart 
    oracle:~$ chmod 755 /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/bin/dbstart
  • While you're logged in as oracle, you should configure the oratab file to load your database at start. Edit the file /etc/oratab:

    • You will see this line.

      ora8:/ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7:N

      By the way, if you changed the service name or have multiple databases, the format of this file is:

      service_name:$ORACLE_HOME:Y || N (for autoload)

    • Change the last letter from "N" to "Y". This tells Oracle that you want the database to start when the machine boots. It should look like this.

      ora8:/ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7:Y
    • Save the file & quit the terminal.

  • You need a script to automate startup and shutdown. Save oracle8i.txt in /tmp. Then login as root and install the script. (Debian users: substitute /etc/init.d for /etc/rc.d/init.d throughout this section)

    oracle:~$ su -
    root:~# cp /tmp/oracle8i.txt /etc/rc.d/init.d/oracle8i
    root:~# chown root.root /etc/rc.d/init.d/oracle8i
    root:~# chmod 755 /etc/rc.d/init.d/oracle8i
  • Test the script by typing the following commands and checking the output. (Debian Users: as root, do mkdir /var/lock/subsys first)

    root:~# /etc/rc.d/init.d/oracle8i stop
    Oracle 8i auto start/stop
    Shutting Oracle8i:
    Oracle Server Manager Release 3.1.7.0.0 - Production
    
    Copyright (c) 1997, 1999, Oracle Corporation.  All
    Rights Reserved.
    
    Oracle8i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.7.0.1 -
    Production
    With the Partitioning option
    JServer Release 8.1.7.0.1 - Production
    
    SVRMGR> Connected.
    SVRMGR> Database closed.
    Database dismounted.
    ORACLE instance shut down.
    SVRMGR>
    Server Manager complete.
    Database "ora8" shut down.
          
    root:~# /etc/rc.d/init.d/oracle8i start
    Oracle 8i auto start/stop
    Starting Oracle8i: 
    SQL*Plus: Release 8.1.7.0.0 - Production on Wed Mar 6 17:56:02 2002
    
    (c) Copyright 2000 Oracle Corporation.  All rights reserved.
    
    SQL> Connected to an idle instance.
    SQL> ORACLE instance started.
    
    Total System Global Area   84713632 bytes
    Fixed Size                    73888 bytes
    Variable Size              76079104 bytes
    Database Buffers            8388608 bytes
    Redo Buffers                 172032 bytes
    Database mounted.
    Database opened.
    SQL> Disconnected
    
    Database "ora8" warm started.
    
    Database "ora8" warm started.
  • If it worked, then run these commands to make the startup and shutdown automatic.

    • Red Hat users:

      root:~# cd /etc/rc.d/init.d/                      
      root:~# chkconfig --add oracle8i
      root:~# chkconfig --list oracle8i
      ; You should see:
      oracle8i        0:off   1:off   2:off   3:on    4:on    5:on    6:off
    • Debian users:

      root:~# update-rc.d oracle8i defaults
       Adding system startup for /etc/init.d/oracle8i ...
         /etc/rc0.d/K20oracle8i -> ../init.d/oracle8i
         /etc/rc1.d/K20oracle8i -> ../init.d/oracle8i
         /etc/rc6.d/K20oracle8i -> ../init.d/oracle8i
         /etc/rc2.d/S20oracle8i -> ../init.d/oracle8i
         /etc/rc3.d/S20oracle8i -> ../init.d/oracle8i
         /etc/rc4.d/S20oracle8i -> ../init.d/oracle8i
         /etc/rc5.d/S20oracle8i -> ../init.d/oracle8i
    • SuSE users:

      root:~# cd /etc/rc.d/init.d
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# ln -s /etc/rc.d/init.d/oracle8i K20oracle8i
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# ln -s /etc/rc.d/init.d/oracle8i S20oracle8i
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp K20oracle8i rc0.d
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp S20oracle8i rc0.d
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp K20oracle8i rc1.d
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp S20oracle8i rc1.d 
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp K20oracle8i rc6.d
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp S20oracle8i rc6.d
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp K20oracle8i rc2.d
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp S20oracle8i rc2.d
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp K20oracle8i rc3.d
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp S20oracle8i rc3.d 
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp K20oracle8i rc4.d  
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp S20oracle8i rc4.d  
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp K20oracle8i rc5.d
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp S20oracle8i rc5.d
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# rm K20oracle8i
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# rm S20oracle8i
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cd
      root:~# SuSEconfig
      Started the SuSE-Configuration Tool.
      Running in full featured mode.
      Reading /etc/rc.config and updating the system...
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.gdm...   
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.gnprint...
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.groff...   
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.java...    
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.kdm...   
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.pcmcia...
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.perl...
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.postfix...
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.sendmail...
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.susehilf...
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.susehilf.add...
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.susewm...
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.tetex...
      Executing /sbin/conf.d/SuSEconfig.ypclient...
      Processing index files of all manpages...
      Finished.
  • You also need some scripts to automate startup and shutdown of the Oracle8i listener. The listener is a name server that allows your Oracle programs to talk to local and remote databases using a standard naming convention. It is required for Intermedia Text and full site search.

    Download these three scripts into /tmp

    Now issue the following commands (still as root).

    root:~# su - oracle
    oracle:~$ cp /tmp/startlsnr.txt /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/bin/startlsnr
    oracle:~$ cp /tmp/stoplsnr.txt /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/bin/stoplsnr    
    oracle:~$ chmod 755 /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/bin/startlsnr
    oracle:~$ chmod 755 /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/bin/stoplsnr
    oracle:~$ exit
    root:~# cp /tmp/listener8i.txt /etc/rc.d/init.d/listener8i
    root:~# cd /etc/rc.d/init.d
    root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# chmod 755 listener8i

    Test the listener automation by running the following commands and checking the output.

    root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# ./listener8i stop
    Oracle 8i listener start/stop
    Shutting down Listener for 8i: 
    LSNRCTL for Linux: Version 8.1.7.0.0 - Production on 06-MAR-2002 18:28:49
    
    (c) Copyright 1998, Oracle Corporation.  All rights reserved.
    
    Connecting to (DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=localhost.localdomain)(PORT=1521)))
    The command completed successfully
    
        
    root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# ./listener8i start
    Oracle 8i listener start/stop
    Starting the Listener for 8i: 
    LSNRCTL for Linux: Version 8.1.7.0.0 - Production on 06-MAR-2002 18:28:52
    
    (c) Copyright 1998, Oracle Corporation.  All rights reserved.
    
    Starting /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/bin/tnslsnr: please wait...
    
    TNSLSNR for Linux: Version 8.1.7.0.0 - Production
    System parameter file is /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/network/admin/listener.ora
    Log messages written to /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/network/log/listener.log
    Listening on: (DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=localhost.localdomain)(PORT=1521)))
    Listening on: (DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=ipc)(KEY=EXTPROC)))
    
    Connecting to (DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=TCP)(HOST=localhost.localdomain)(PORT=1521)))
    STATUS of the LISTENER
    ------------------------
    Alias                     LISTENER
    Version                   TNSLSNR for Linux: Version 8.1.7.0.0 - Production
    Start Date                06-MAR-2002 18:28:53
    Uptime                    0 days 0 hr. 0 min. 0 sec
    Trace Level               off
    Security                  OFF
    SNMP                      OFF
    Listener Parameter File   /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/network/admin/listener.ora
    Listener Log File         /ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7/network/log/listener.log
    Services Summary...
      PLSExtProc        has 1 service handler(s)
      ora8      has 1 service handler(s)
    The command completed successfully

    This test will verify that the listener is operating normally. Login into the database using the listener naming convention.

    sqlplus username/password/@SID

    root:~# su - oracle
    oracle:~$ sqlplus system/alexisahunk@ora8
    
    SQL> select sysdate from dual;
    
    SYSDATE
    ----------
    2002-02-22
    
    SQL> exit
    oracle:~$ exit
    root:~#
    • RedHat users:

      Now run chkconfig on the listener8i script.

      root:~# cd /etc/rc.d/init.d/
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# chkconfig --add listener8i
      root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# chkconfig --list listener8i
      listener8i      0:off   1:off   2:off   3:on    4:on    5:on    6:off
    • Debian users:

      Now run update-rc.d on the listener8i script.

      root:~# update-rc.d listener8i defaults 21 19
       Adding system startup for /etc/init.d/listener8i ...
         /etc/rc0.d/K19listener8i -> ../init.d/listener8i
         /etc/rc1.d/K19listener8i -> ../init.d/listener8i
         /etc/rc6.d/K19listener8i -> ../init.d/listener8i
         /etc/rc2.d/S21listener8i -> ../init.d/listener8i
         /etc/rc3.d/S21listener8i -> ../init.d/listener8i
         /etc/rc4.d/S21listener8i -> ../init.d/listener8i
         /etc/rc5.d/S21listener8i -> ../init.d/listener8i
  • Test the automation

    As a final test, reboot your computer and make sure Oracle comes up. You can do this by typing

    root:~# /sbin/shutdown -r -t 0 now

    Log back in and ensure that Oracle started automatically.

    joeuser:~$ su - oracle
    oracle:~$ sqlplus system/alexisahunk@ora8
    
    SQL> exit

Congratulations, your installation of Oracle 8.1.7 is complete.

Troubleshooting Oracle Dates

Oracle has an internal representation for storing the data based on the number of seconds elapsed since some date. However, for the purposes of inputing dates into Oracle and getting them back out, Oracle needs to be told to use a specific date format. By default, it uses an Oracle-specific format which isn't copacetic. You want Oracle to use the ANSI-compliant date format which is of form 'YYYY-MM-DD'.

To fix this, you should include the following line in $ORACLE_HOME/dbs/initSID.ora or for the default case, $ORACLE_HOME/dbs/initora8.ora

nls_date_format = "YYYY-MM-DD"

You test whether this solved the problem by firing up sqlplus and typing:

SQL> select sysdate from dual;

You should see back a date like 2000-06-02. If some of the date is chopped off, i.e. like 2000-06-0, everything is still fine. The problem here is that sqlplus is simply truncating the output. You can fix this by typing:

SQL> column sysdate format a15
SQL> select sysdate from dual;

If the date does not conform to this format, double-check that you included the necessary line in the init scripts. If it still isn't working, make sure that you have restarted the database since adding the line:

joeuser:~$ svrmgrl
SVRMGR> connect internal
Connected.
SVRMGR> shutdown
Database closed.
Database dismounted.
ORACLE instance shut down.
SVRMGR> startup
ORACLE instance started.

If you're sure that you have restarted the database since adding the line, check your initialization scripts. Make sure that the following line is not included:

export nls_lang = american

Setting this environment variable will override the date setting. Either delete this line and login again or add the following entry to your login scripts after the nls_lang line:

export nls_date_format = 'YYYY-MM-DD'

Log back in again. If adding the nls_date_format line doesn't help, you can ask for advice in our OpenACS forum.

Useful Procedures

  • Dropping a tablespace

    • Run sqlplus as the dba:

      oracle:~$ sqlplus system/changeme
    • To drop a user and all of the tables and data owned by that user:

      SQL> drop user oracle_user_name cascade;
    • To drop the tablespace: This will delete everything in the tablespace overriding any referential integrity constraints. Run this command only if you want to clean out your database entirely.

      SQL> drop tablespace table_space_name including contents cascade constraints;

For more information on Oracle, please consult the documentation.

Defaults

We used the following defaults while installing Oracle.

VariableValueReason
ORACLE_HOME/ora8/m01/app/oracle/product/8.1.7This is the default Oracle installation directory.
ORACLE_SERVICEora8The service name is a domain-qualified identifier for your Oracle server.
ORACLE_SIDora8This is an identifier for your Oracle server.
ORACLE_OWNERoracleThe user who owns all of the oracle files.
ORACLE_GROUPdbaThe special oracle group. Users in the dba group are authorized to do a connect internal within svrmgrl to gain full system access to the Oracle system.
($Id: oracle.html,v 1.15 2003/10/28 22:07:35 joela Exp $)
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