Pretend to be Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES Release 3

Oracle 10g is only officially supported on a few versions of Redhat Linux and UnitedLinux. The installer checks /etc/redhat-release to see exactly what version of Redhat Linux you are running. To pretend that you are running Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES Release 3, run the following commands (as root):

> mv /etc/redhat-release /etc/redhat-release.old
> echo "Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES release 3 (Taroon Update 1)" > /etc/redhat-release

Configure the Kernel

Oracle 10g requires that you at least temporarily increase the values of a couple of kernel parameters. To temporarily increase these values, follow these instructions (as root):

> echo 65536 > /proc/sys/fs/file-max
> echo 2147483648 > /proc/sys/kernel/shmmax
> echo "250 32000 100 128" > /proc/sys/kernel/sem

Install Oracle

Now, log in as the oracle user.

Since Oracle 10.1.0 uses a graphical installer, you need to be running X Windows or point the DISPLAY environment variable to an X Windows session running somewhere.

I have had problems with the graphical installer on enlightenment and fluxbox window managers in the past, though they may work for you.

If you have a CD, mount it and cd to the mount point. If you have a cpio distribution, extract the file using:

> gunzip ship.db.cpio
> cpio -idmv < ship.db.cpio

Change directories to the Disk1 directory.
Type ./runInstaller
On the Welcome screen click Next
On the Specify Inventory directory and credentials screen, accept the defaults and click OK
A dialog will pop up and prompt you to run /u01/app/oracle/oraInventory/orainstRoot.sh as root.
Follow the instructions and click Continue
On the Specify File Locations screen, accept the defaults and click Next
On the Select Installation Type screen, accept the default selection Enterprise Edition and click Next
The installer will run a series of checks, if you configured the kernel properly before beginning the install, all should succeed.
On the Select Database Configuration screen, accept the default selections Create a starter database and General Purpose and click Next
On the Specify Database Configuration Options screen, accept the defaults and click Next
On the Specify Database Management Option screen, accept the defaults and click Next
On the Specify Database File Storage Option screen, accept the defaults and click Next
On the Specify Backup and Recovery Options screen, accept the defaults and click Next
On the Specify Database Schema Passwords screen, enter and confirm passwords for the SYS, SYSTEM, SYSMAN and DBSNMP users. Note that you cannot use the classic "manager" and "change_on_install" passwords. Then click Next
On the Summary screen, click Install
The Install screen will show the progress of the installation
When installation is finished, the Configuration Assistants screen will show the progress of the initial configuration processes.
A Database Configuration Assistant dialog should pop up, displaying the progress of the initial database configuration. This is likely to fail. If it does, execute these command in another terminal window:

> cd $ORACLE_HOME/bin
> mv oracle oracle.bin
> cat > oracle <<"EOF"
> #!/bin/bash
> export DISABLE_HUGETLBFS=1
> exec $ORACLE_HOME/bin/oracle.bin $@
> EOF
> chmod +x oracle

Then click Retry. During the Completing Database Creation phase, two dialogs may pop up with the following error: ORA-00988: missing or invalid password(s). These appear to be harmless. For each, just click OK.
When database creation is complete, a dialog will pop up with a summary. Click OK.

A dialog will pop up asking you to run root.sh. Just follow the directions on the dialog (they may take a while to complete) and click Ok
On the End Of Installation screen click Exit
A dialog will pop up asking: Do you really want to exit? Click Yes.
Post-Installation

Sometimes, for some reason, during an installation, the tnslistener does not get configured to listen for connections to the ora1 database. Take a look at /u01/app/oracle/product/10.1.0/network/admin/listener.ora and make sure that there is an entry like the following:

>     SID_LIST_LISTENER =
>       (SID_LIST =
>         (SID_DESC =
>           (SID_NAME = PLSExtProc)
>           (ORACLE_HOME = /u01/app/oracle/product/10.1.0)
>           (PROGRAM = extproc)
>         )
>         (SID_DESC =
>           (SID_NAME = ora1)
>           (ORACLE_HOME = /u01/app/oracle/product/10.1.0)
>         )
>       )

The second SID_DESC section may be missing from your listener.ora file. If it is, update your listener.ora file, adding the necessary section.

During the installation, several ancillary processes were started. You can shut some of them down by executing the following commands (as oracle):

> isqlplusctl stop
> emctl stop dbconsole
> emctl stop agent

and the following command as root:

> /etc/rc.d/init.d/init.cssd stop

At this point, only the database and tns listener should be running.

Unlike previous versions of oracle, Oracle 10g installs the init script /etc/rc.d/init.d/init.cssd. It is symlinked to the following locations:

> /etc/rc.d/rc5.d/S96init.cssd
> /etc/rc.d/rc5.d/K96init.cssd
> /etc/rc.d/rc3.d/S96init.cssd
> /etc/rc.d/rc3.d/K96init.cssd

If you don't want the cssd to start at boot time, you can disable it by removing the following files:

> /etc/rc.d/rc5.d/S96init.cssd
> /etc/rc.d/rc3.d/S96init.cssd