6
Non-Interactive Installation

This chapter guides you through the non-interactive installation of Oracle9i Application Server. The topics include:

Introduction

You can perform a non-interactive installation of Oracle9i Application Server by supplying the Oracle Universal Installer with a response file. The installer uses the variables and values contained in this text file to provide answers to some or all of the installer user prompts. If you include responses for all of the installer prompts in the response file, then you can run a "silent" installation that displays no graphical output.

Requirements

For a complete list of requirements, refer to Chapter 1, "Requirements".

In addition, install the following operating system patches:

MDAC (Microsoft Data Access Components) 2.50.4403.12. This patch is available at http://www.microsoft.com.
Patch 40comupd.exe. This patch is available on Oracle9i Application Server Disk 1 at Install\Win32\40comupd.exe

Setting a Response File

There are multiple Oracle Universal Installer response files depending on your installation type. These files are included on the Oracle9i Application Server, Release 1.0.2.1.0 CD-ROM. You will need to edit the response file to suit your installation option. The following sections describe configuring the response files for your installation type:

Minimal and Standard Editions

To use a response file, copy the response file from the Oracle9i Application Server CD-ROM to a drive mounted on your system. For example:

prompt> copy cdrom_drive\Silent\install_type\response_file local_directory

Edit the response file you want to use with any text editor to include information specific to your system. Each file contains instructions for properly configuring the response file.

Table 6-1 lists the response files included on the Oracle9i Application Server CD-ROM.

Table 6-1 Response Files

Oracle9i Application Server installation option	File Name
Minimal Edition	`oracle.ias.silent.toplevel.Minimal.rsp`
Standard Edition	`oracle.ias.silent.toplevel.Standard.rsp`

Enterprise Edition

If you are installing Oracle9i Application Server, Enterprise Edition, then the silent installation process requires additional steps. Since Enterprise Edition contains 8.0.6 RSF based components in addition to Oracle8i products, these additional steps are required to ensure that Oracle9i Application Server is installed properly.

Following are the additional steps required to install Oracle9i Application Server, Enterprise Edition:

Create the 8.1.7 Oracle home directory on your hard drive.
Make a directory named Orainst in the Oracle home directory.
Copy the contents of the \Silent\Enterprise directory on Oracle9i Application Server Disk 1 to the Orainst directory created in Step 2.

Populate all .ini, .rsp, and .reg files in the Orainst directory with the appropriate values. Use the following values for the Oracle home parameters:

Parameter(s) Value

%ORACLE_HOME% %817_ORACLE_HOME% %ORA_817_HOME%

The directory you are installing the main Oracle9i Application Server components. For example:
E:\Oracle\iSuites

%Default_Home_Name%

The directory you are installing the 8.0.6 RSF based components. For example:
E:\Oracle\806

Parameter(s)	Value
%ORACLE_HOME% %817_ORACLE_HOME% %ORA_817_HOME%	The directory you are installing the main Oracle9i Application Server components. For example: E:\Oracle\iSuites
%Default_Home_Name%	The directory you are installing the 8.0.6 RSF based components. For example: E:\Oracle\806

Note:
In default.reg, you only need to change the following line:
"DEFAULT_HOME"="%Default_Home_Name%"

For example,
"DEFAULT_HOME"="E:\Oracle\iSuites"

Run silent.bat from the Orainst directory to begin the silent installation process.

Specifying a Response File

To make the installer use the response file at install time, follow the same steps to launch the installer, but specify the location of the response file that you wish to use as a parameter when starting the installer. To make a configuration assistant use a response file, invoke it at the command line using the same parameters.

prompt> Setup.exe [-silent] -responseFile absolute_path_and_filename

To perform a completely silent installation or configuration session, use the -silent parameter.

Note:
Be sure to run setup.exe that is located in cdrom_drive\install\win32 or after Oracle9i Application Server is installed, you can run setup.exe in %ORACLE_HOME%\Orainst.

To run Oracle Enterprise Manger Configuration Assistant in non-interactive mode, you must use both the -silent and -responseFile parameters.

The success or failure of the installation is logged in the installActions.log and silentInstall.log file. The log files are created in the \Program Files\Oracle\Inventory\Logs directory during installation.

Note:
The installer or configuration assistant will fail if you attempt a non-interactive session without appropriately configuring a response file.

Error Handling

Values for variables that are of the wrong context, format, or type are treated as if no value were specified. Variables which are outside any section are ignored.

A non-interactive installation fails if no response file is specified, or if you attempt a silent installation with an incorrect or incomplete response file. If you attempt a silent installation and the installer encounters an error, such as insufficient disk space, then the installation fails. The results of your non-interactive installation is recorded in the installation session log file in \Program Files\Oracle\Inventory\Logs.

Validation of Values from Response File

The installer or configuration assistant performs calculation and validation of the response file at runtime. Failure of the validation process ends the installation or configuration.

6 Non-Interactive Installation