Installing Oracle8i Release 3 (8.1.7)

This article describes how to install Oracle8i on a local Linux (Intel) machine.

Note: Oracle8i Release 3 (8.1.7) is not supported for use on Red Hat Linux 7.1. See the WebSphere Application Server Supported Hardware, Software, and APIs Web site at www.ibm.com/software/webservers/appserv/doc/latest/prereq.html for more information.

These instructions assume the following:

  • You have enough memory and disk space for your installation. See the Oracle product documentation on the Oracle Web site at docs.oracle.com/database_mp_8i.html for the requirements.
  • You do not already have a previous version of Oracle installed on the machine. If a previous version of Oracle is installed, you can need to migrate databases, depending on the version installed. In this case, do not follow these instructions. Instead, refer to the Oracle product documentation.
  • Your Oracle database server will be located on the same machine as WebSphere Application Server. This configuration and the use of the default settings documented in these instructions are appropriate only for development and small production system environments. For larger environments where it is preferable to configure the Oracle server on a remote machine, you must install and configure a Oracle client on the same machine on which you install WebSphere Application Server and verify the remote database connectivity. See the IBM Redbook, WebSphere V3.5 Handbook, on the IBM Redbooks Web site at www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/SG246161.html for more information about implementing this configuration.

Note: Install Oracle8i before installing WebSphere Application Server.

Perform the following steps to install Oracle:

  1. Ensure that you are logged into the machine with superuser (root) privileges.
  2. Ensure that you have set the following kernel, shared memory, and semaphore parameters correctly:
    • SHMMAX
    • SHMMIN
    • SHMMNI
    • SHMSEG
    • SEMMNI
    • SEMMSL
    • SEMMNS
    • SEMOPM
    • SEMVMX

    For more information about setting these parameters, refer to the Oracle8i Installation Guide.

  3. Ensure that the DISPLAY and TERM environment variables are set correctly for your environment.
  4. Create a file system or directory to contain the Oracle software. Ensure that the location you choose has enough free disk space. This directory or file system represents the value for the ORACLE_BASE environment variable and the home directory of the user named oracle.
  5. If you plan to use Oracle in a production environment, it is recommended that you create a file system on a separate partition to store the database files. Refer to the Oracle8i Installation Guide and your Linux documentation for information about creating and mounting a file system.
  6. Create the operating system group required by Oracle named dba by using the groupadd command, as follows:
    # groupadd dba
  7. Create the operating system user required by Oracle named oracle by using the useradd command, as follows:
    # useradd -d oracle_base_directory -g dba -s /bin/bash oracle

    In this command, oracle_base_directory represents the full pathname of the file system or directory you created to contain the Oracle software. It is also the home directory of the user named oracle.

  8. Add the user named oracle to the group named dba by editing the /etc/group file.
  9. Edit the .bash_profile file located in the home directory of the user named oracle to include the following information:
    #-----------------------------------
    # Oracle environment setup
    #-----------------------------------
    ORACLE_BASE=oracle_base_directory
    export ORACLE_BASE
    ORACLE_SID=ORA817
    export ORACLE_SID
    ORACLE_HOME=$ORACLE_BASE/$ORACLE_SID
    export ORACLE_HOME
    PATH=$PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/bin
    export PATH
    LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/lib
    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH
    ORA_CLIENT_LIB=shared
    export ORA_CLIENT_LIB
    echo 'The Oracle 8.1.7 environment is set'

    In the example file above, oracle_base_directory represents the full pathname of the file system or directory you created to contain the Oracle software and the home directory of the user named oracle.

  10. Ensure that the /tmp directory has at least 200 MB of free disk space.
  11. Ensure that the Oracle base directory or file system you created has the correct permissions. Navigate to that directory and modify the permissions by using the chmod command, as follows:
    # chmod 777 .
  12. Insert the Oracle8i software CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive.
  13. If necessary, use the mkdir command to create a mount point for the CD-ROM. The following command creates a mount point at the directory /cdrom; you can mount the CD-ROM at any location on the machine's local file system.
    # mkdir /cdrom

    The commands in these steps assume the CD-ROM is mounted at /cdrom. If you mount the CD-ROM at a different location, use that location when issuing commands.

  14. Mount the CD-ROM drive by entering the following command:
    # mount -t isso9660 /dev/cdrom /cdrom
    Note: Some window managers automatically mount a CD-ROM for you. Consult your operating system documentation for more information.
  15. Authenticate as the user named oracle by using the su command, as follows:
    # su - oracle
  16. Ensure that the DISPLAY and TERM environment variables are still set correctly.
  17. Navigate to the /cdrom directory.
  18. Start the Oracle Universal Installer by executing the runInstaller script, as follows:
    $ ./runInstaller

    The Welcome dialog box opens. Click Next. The File Locations dialog box opens.

  19. On the File Locations dialog, verify the values in the Source and Destination path fields. The value of the Source path field must be /cdrom/stage/products.jar, and the value of the Destination path field must be /oracle_base_directory/ORA817 (the same as the value of the ORACLE_HOME environment variable). Click Next. If this is the first Oracle installation on the machine, the Inventory Location dialog box opens.
  20. The Inventory Location dialog prompts you to specify the base directory for installation files. Accept the default value, /oracle_base_directory/ORA817/oraInventory, or specify a different base directory. Click Next. The UNIX Group Name dialog box opens.
  21. Type the group name dba in the UNIX Group Name field, and then click Next.

    Note: You can be prompted to execute the /oracle_base_directory/ORA817/orainstRoot.sh script at this time. Open another terminal, log in as root, and execute the script. After the script has completed, return to the Oracle Universal Installer and click Retry to continue the installation process.

    The Available Products dialog box opens.

  22. On the Available Products dialog, select the Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.1.7.0.0 option, and then click Next. The Installation Types dialog box opens.
  23. On the Installation Types dialog, ensure that the Typical option is selected, and then click Next. The Database Identification dialog box opens.
  24. On the Database Identification dialog, type a global database name in the Global Database Name field (for example, ORA817.machine_name) and verify that the value in the SID field is the same as the value you entered for the ORACLE_SID environment variable in the .bash_profile file. ClickNext. The Database File Location dialog box opens.
  25. On the Database File Location dialog, specify the installation location for the Oracle database files in the Directory for Database Files field, and then click Next. The Choose JDK Home Directory dialog box opens.
  26. On the Choose JDK Home Directory dialog, accept the default value for the installation location of the JDK, and then click Next. The Summary dialog box opens.
  27. Verify the information on the Summary dialog. After you determine that it is correct, click Install. The Install dialog box opens and shows the status of the Oracle installation as it progresses.
  28. During the installation and linking process, the Setup Privileges dialog can be displayed. It prompts you to execute the /oracle_base_directory/ORA817/root.sh configuration script to set file permissions for Oracle products. To do so, open another terminal, log in as root, and execute the script. When the script has completed, return to the Oracle Universal Installer to finish the installation process.
  29. When the installation and linking processes are completed, the Configuration Tools dialog box opens. The Net8 Configuration Assistant Welcome dialog box opens.
  30. Select the Perform Typical Configuration option and click Next. When the Net8 configuration process is complete, the status of the Net8 Configuration Assistant entry on the Configuration Tools dialog changes from in progress... to succeeded.
  31. The Oracle Database Configuration Assistant is started and the Database Creation Progress dialog box opens. It shows the progress of the instance and database creation and initialization process. When the database configuration process is complete, the status of the Oracle Database Configuration Assistant entry on the Configuration Tools dialog changes from in progress... to succeeded.
  32. The Oracle HTTP Server is started. When the server has been started successfully, the status of the Starting Web server in non-SSL mode on port 7777 entry on the Configuration Tools dialog changes from in progress... to succeeded. The End of Installation dialog box opens.
  33. Click Exit to close the Oracle Universal Installer. Click Yes to confirm the action.
  34. Unmount the CD-ROM before removing it from the CD-ROM drive by using the umount command, as follows:
    # umount /cdrom
  35. Proceed to the article Configuring Oracle8i Release 3 (8.1.7).