This chapter describes how to install software on the Exalytics Machine. The installation scripts provide a semi-automated way of creating a single-node Oracle Exalytics system by installing Oracle Business Intelligence 11.1.1.7.0 and Oracle TimesTen and configuring the two software components to communicate with each other.
Note:
For information on installing Oracle Business Intelligence 11.1.1.6.x see, Installation and Administration Guide for Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine, Exalytics X2-4 Release 1 (1.0).
This chapter includes the following sections:
Section 3.1, "Before You Install Software on the Exalytics Machine"
Section 3.2, "Verifying Configuration of the Exalytics Machine"
Section 3.4, "Troubleshooting the Installation and Configuration Processes"
Before you install software on the Exalytics Machine, review the following sections:
As you prepare to install software on the Exalytics Machine, do the following:
Review the Oracle Business Intelligence chapter in the Oracle Fusion Middleware Release Notes, to ensure that you understand the differences between Oracle Business Intelligence and its documented functionality, and any other issues that apply to the current release.
Review the latest Oracle Exalytics Release Notes for any late-breaking information.
Review the Oracle TimesTen In-Memory Database Release Notes to ensure that you understand the differences between Oracle TimesTen and its documented functionality, and any other issues that apply to the current release.
Review Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine Owner's Guide to ensure that you have properly configured and commissioned the Exalytics Machine in your data center.
Review Chapter 1, "Installation Overview" to ensure that you understand the options and architecture related to installing software on the Exalytics Machine.
The following prerequisites must be met before installing Oracle Business Intelligence on the Exalytics Machine:
The Oracle Exalytics Release 1 Patchset 3 version of the Oracle Exalytics Base Image in running on the Exalytics Machine.
The Exalytics Machine has been racked and mounted in a data center.
The Exalytics Machine is configured with the base operating system at the factory.
If you need assistance, then Oracle provides Advanced Customer Services for installing software on the Exalytics Machine.
Network configuration is complete and the computer is accessible from the network.
A supported database is available (but not on Oracle Exalytics) and accessible from the Exalytics Machine to host the schemas that are required by the software installation and that you create as part of the installation process. Ensure that the database is running during the installation and that the database is not hardened for security purposes. Installing Oracle Business Intelligence against a hardened database is not supported.
For information about hardened databases, see Oracle Database Vault Administrator's Guide.
You have access to the internet from a computer (not necessarily the Exalytics Machine) to download required packages.
Before you install software on the Exalytics Machine, you must run configuration scripts to verify the software and network configurations of the Exalytics Machine.
This section consists of the following topics:
You run the exalytics_CheckSWProfile script to verify the current supported Exalytics software and storage configurations.
To verify Exalytics software and storage configurations:
Log on to the Exalytics Machine.
Navigate to the /opt/exalytics/bin directory.
Enter the following command:
./exalytics_CheckSWProfile
Verify that the output displayed is similar to the following:
[SUCCESS].......Has supported operating system [SUCCESS]........Has supported processor [SUCCESS]........Kernel is at the supported version [SUCCESS]........Has supported kernel architecture [SUCCESS]........Software is at the supported profile
You run the exalytics_imageinfo script to verify the current Exalytics image and version details.
To verify the Exalytics image information:
Log on the Exalytics Machine as a root user.
Navigate to the /opt/exalytics/bin directory.
Enter the following command:
./exalytics_imageinfo
Verify that the output displayed is similar to the following:
Image version : 1.0.0.5.0 Creation timestamp : DAY-DD-MM-YYYY HR:MIN:SEC -0800 Kernel version : 2.6.32-100.23.1.el5 RPM versions: kernel-2.6.32-100.23.1.el5 exalytics-container-bm-1.0.0.5-xx exalytics-scripts-1.0.0.5-xx exalytics-flash-1.0.0.5-xx
Installing software on the Exalytics Machine involves a combination of manual steps and automated scripts. The manual steps are to install WebLogic and Oracle BI EE while the installation script provides an automated way of installing Oracle TimesTen In-Memory Database and configuring communication with Oracle BI EE (a Software-Only Installation).
The steps in the process are:
Section 3.3.1, "Step 1: Creating the User, Group, and Password on the Operating System"
Section 3.3.2, "Step 2: Creating the Inventory for Oracle TimesTen"
Section 3.3.3, "Step 3: Setting Resource Limits for Oracle TimesTen"
Section 3.3.4, "Step 4: Creating and Mounting a /u01 Partition"
Section 3.3.5, "Step 5: Downloading Oracle Files into the Directory Structure"
Section 3.3.10, "Step 10: Creating a New Oracle BI Enterprise Edition Instance"
On the operating system, create a user with a name such as "oracle" and an appropriate password and a group with a name such as "oinstall". The following are sample commands for creating this user and group:
groupadd oinstall useradd -g oinstall oracle
The procedures throughout this section assume a user named "oracle" and a group named "oinstall".
Create the inventory for Oracle TimesTen after you log in as the root user by entering the following commands:
mkdir /etc/TimesTen chmod 770 /etc/TimesTen chgrp oinstall /etc/TimesTen touch /etc/TimesTen/instance_info chmod 770 /etc/TimesTen/instance_info chgrp oinstall /etc/TimesTen/instance_info
Ensure that the group who runs the script has write access to the /etc/TimesTen directory.
To set the resource limits for Oracle TimesTen:
Make the following changes to the /etc/security/limits.conf file:
* hard nofile 131072 * soft nofile 131072 * hard memlock unlimited * soft memlock unlimited * hard core unlimited * soft core unlimited
Make the following additions to the /etc/security/limits.conf file:
* hard nproc 131072 * soft nproc 131072
Make the following shared memory kernel settings in the /etc/sysctl.conf file:
kernel.shmmax = 1099511627776
Note:
The above kernel setting is for an Exalytics Machine with 1 TB of RAM. You can set it higher for Exalytics Machine with more RAM.
Add the following shared memory kernel settings in the /etc/sysctl.conf file:
kernel.shmmni = 4096
Add the following settings for semaphores in the /etc/sysctl.conf file:
kernel.sem = 2048 64000 256 64
Reboot the machine or run the following command as the root user:
/sbin/sysctl -p
If required, create and mount a /u01 partition on the machine.
Note:
Make the partition equal to the maximum space available on the disk partition.
To create and mount a /u01 partition:
After logging in as the root user, configure the /u01 directory on the hard disk using commands such as the following ones:
To create a partition, enter the following commands:
# parted /dev/sdb (parted) mklabel msdos (parted) mkpart Primary/extended? Primary File system type? [ext2]? ext3 Start? 0 End? 1797GB (parted) quit
To create a file system, enter the following command:
# mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdb1
Add the following line to the /etc/fstab file:
/dev/sdb1 /u01 ext3 defaults 1 2
To create and mount a /u01 directory, enter the following commands:
# mkdir /u01
# mount /dev/sdb1 /u01
Restart the computer.
Verify that the partition has been created by entering the following command:
df –lh
Note:
Check permissions for the "oracle" user. If you cannot write to the /u01 directory, then enter the following commands to change permissions:
chown oracle:oinstall /u01
chmod 775 /u01
Before installing the software you must download the required files into an organized directory structure. Please note that the directory structures detailed in Task 2 below and Section 3.3.6, "Step 6: Staging the Middleware Home" is not mandatory, but is just an example. You can choose any structure to organize the files.
Note:
You must reference the same chosen directory structure in the properties files when editing the install script.
To download files into the directory structure:
Log in as "oracle" user.
Download the following required software installers from the Media Pack and patches for Oracle Exalytics under Oracle Business Intelligence software for Linux X86-64 on Oracle Software Delivery Cloud at the following location:
Oracle BI Enterprise Edition Release 11g
Repository Creation Utility that corresponds with the appropriate Oracle BI EE Release
Oracle TimesTen Release 11g
Oracle WebLogic Server Release 10g
For information about downloading and applying the latest Oracle Exalytics patch, see Chapter 7, "Patching."
As the user who owns the installation of the Oracle Exalytics software, create a directory structure such as the following for staging the software installation programs, if the user name is "oracle" and the home directory is /home/oracle:
/home/oracle/EXALYTICS_RCU
Copy the rcuHome.zip file for the Repository Creation Utility (RCU) into this directory and unzip it.
/home/oracle/EXALYTICS_INSTALLERS/bi
Copy the Oracle BI EE installation ZIP files into this directory and unzip them using the following command. The -q parameter reduces the number of lines of output that are sent to the console.
unzip -q '*.zip'
The unzip process creates a subdirectory called bishiphome that contains subdirectories with names of Disk1 through Disk5.
/home/oracle/EXALYTICS_INSTALLERS/tt
Copy the TimesTen for Exalytics distribution file into this directory and do not unzip it. The file has an extension such as .zip or .tar.gz. The installation scripts work with a file of either extension.
/home/oracle/EXALYTICS_INSTALLERS/wls
Obtain the ZIP file for Oracle WebLogic Server on 64-bit Linux and extract the file with a name such as wls1036_linux64.bin into this directory. If the file is not executable, then use a command such as the following to allow it to be executed:
chmod +x wls1036_linux64.bin
/home/oracle/EXALYTICS_INSTALL_LOG
The installation scripts use this directory for storing the log files from the installation. You use these log files for troubleshooting, as described in Section 3.4, "Troubleshooting the Installation and Configuration Processes."
/home/oracle/EXALYTICS_INSTALL_TEMP
The installation scripts use this directory for storing temporary files.
Create a directory structure such as the following for staging the Middleware Home:
/u01/app/oracle/product/fmw
The installation scripts use this directory as the target directory for the Oracle BI EE installation, which is known as the Middleware Home. In this guide, this directory is referred to as EXALYTICS_MWHOME.
Follow the instructions in the "Create Database Schemas Using the Repository Creation Utility (RCU)" section in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence.
You must first create required Oracle Business Intelligence schemas in a database (note that the database must not be hardened). You use a tool called the Repository Creation Utility (RCU) to create these schemas with the appropriate permissions and data.
Before you begin using RCU, review the "Repository Creation Utility (RCU) Requirements" section in the Oracle Fusion Middleware System Requirements document:
http://docs.oracle.com/html/E18558_01/fusion_requirements.htm
This section contains important information about your system and component-specific database requirements that should be met before you run RCU.
Ensure that you record the following details, because you use them later in the installation process:
The database connection details in the following form:
host-name:port-number:service-name
The names and passwords of the schemas that you create, which have names such as prefix_BIPLATFORM and prefix_MDS.
If not already installed, install the WebLogic Server.
To install a WebLogic Server:
Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the WebLogic Server zip file (/home/oracle/EXALYTICS_INSTALLERS/wls.)
If the file is not executable, run the following command:
chmod +x wls1036_linux64.bin
On the Welcome screen, click Next.
The Choose Middleware Home Directory is displayed.
Select Create a new Middleware Home and create a new Middleware home in the /u01/app/oracle/product/fmw directory, and click Next.
The Register for Security Updates screen is displayed.
Specify whether you want to register for security updates, and click Next.
The Choose Install screen is displayed.
Select Typical, and click Next.
The Choose Product Installation Directories screen is displayed.
Specify the directories in which you want to install the products, and click Next.
The Installation Summary screen is displayed.
Click Next.
The Status screen is displayed.
When the installation is complete, click Next.
The Installation Complete screen is displayed.
If selected, deselect Run Quickstart, and then click Done.
For more information on installing Oracle WebLogic Server, including custom installations, see Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Guide for Oracle WebLogic Server.
The Software Only Install type enables you to install Oracle Business Intelligence software binary files in an Oracle home for later configuration.
To perform a Software Only Install:
Navigate to the /home/oracle/EXALYTICS_INSTALLERS/bi/bishiphome/Disk1 directory.
Start Oracle Business Intelligence 11g Installer by running the following command:
./runInstaller
The Specify Inventory directory screen is displayed.
If this is your first Oracle installation, perform the following actions:
On the Specify Inventory directory screen, specify the location of the inventory directory and the group whose members you want to grant access to the inventory, and click OK.
Navigate to the location chosen in the previous step (Step 3, first sub-step) and enter the following command as root user:
/createCentralInventory.sh
Click OK.
On the Welcome screen, click Next.
On the Software Updates screen, specify your My Oracle Support information and software update preferences, and click Next.
On the Select Installation Type screen, select Software Only Install, and click Next.
On the Prerequisite Checks screen, after the prerequisite checks conclude with no errors, click Next.
On the Specify Installation Location screen, in the Oracle Middleware Home field, enter the path /u01/app/oracle/product/fmw for the Middleware home directory, and click Next.
On the Application Server screen, confirm that the application server installed is Oracle WebLogic Server, and click Next.
On the Security Updates screen, enter your My Oracle Support account information, and then click Next.
On the Summary screen, Click Install.
On the Installation Progress screen, monitor the progress of your installation. To stop the installation, click Cancel.
On the Installation Complete screen, click Finish to exit Oracle Business Intelligence 11g Installer.
For more information, see "Software Only Install" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence.
After completing the Software Only Install, you must create a new Oracle BI Enterprise Edition (Oracle BI EE) instance using the Configuration Assistant.
To create a new Oracle BI Enterprise Edition instance:
Navigate to the EXALYTICS_MWHOME/Oracle_BI1/bin directory.
Start the Oracle Business Intelligence Configuration Assistant by entering the following command:
./config.sh
On the Welcome screen, click Next.
On the Prerequisite Checks screen, after the prerequisite checks conclude with no errors, click Next.
On the Create, Scale Out, or Extend BI System screen, select Create New BI System, and then enter the following information:
The user name and password for the system administrator for the new Oracle Business Intelligence system
The domain name for the new Oracle Business Intelligence system
Click Next.
On the Specify Installation Location (Enterprise) screen, review the current Middleware home and other key locations for the new installation, and click Next.
On the Configure Components screen, all products (including Essbase) are selected by default. Deselect Real-Time Decisions, and then click Next.
Note:
When you configure Oracle BI EE, Oracle BI Publisher is configured automatically. Also, if you want to install Essbase, you must select it now as it's not possible to install Essbase later.
On the BIPLATFORM and MDS Schema screens, specify the details of the database schemas you previously created in Section 3.3.7, "Step 7: Creating the Database Schemas".
Click Next.
On the Configuration Ports screen, click Auto Port Configuration or Specify Ports Using Configuration File.
If you select the latter option, you must specify a configuration file that contains the custom port values for the Oracle Business Intelligence installation.
Note:
The Oracle Business Intelligence Configuration Assistant automatically assigns the Node Manager port (default is 9556), unless you specify the Oracle Business Intelligence ports manually using a configuration file such as staticports.ini.
Click Next.
On the Security Updates screen, enter your My Oracle Support account information, and then click Next.
On the Summary screen, click Configure to start the configuration process.
On the Configuration Progress screen, confirm the configuration completes successfully, and then click Next.
On the Complete screen, click Finish to exit the Oracle Business Intelligence Configuration Assistant.
For more information, see "Configuring Oracle Business Intelligence with the Configuration Assistant" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installation Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence.
Edit carefully the properties file that contains values that the installation scripts use. The file is named bim-setup.properties and is stored in the following directory:
/EXALYTICS_MWHOME/Oracle_BI1/bifoundation/exalytics/properties
Keep the following points in mind as you edit the file:
Ensure that you use proper spelling and capitalization in the lines of the file.
The file contains comments that provide details on how to edit the values to be appropriate for your system.
The following is the contents of the properties file:
######################################################### # BI Machine Properties ######################################################### ######################################################### [Generic properties to be used across all the Oracle Products] # [Generic properties to be used across all the Oracle Products] #bim.tt.installer.root=The directory location where the timesten installer zips are present #bim.tt.install.dir=The directory location where the timesten needs to be installed #bim.tt.daemon.port=The daemon port for timesten,if value is not provided default value of port is used as 53396. For multiple install of timesten this property is mandatory. The port number specified should be a number between 1024 and 65527. #bim.tt.server.port=The server port used to configure timesten,if value is not provided default value of port is used as 53397. For multiple install of timesten this property is mandatory. The port number specified should be a number between 1024 and 65527. #bim.tt.instance.name=The instance name for timesten,if value is not provided default value used is tt1122. For multiple install of timesten this property is mandatory. ######################################################### bim.tt.installer.root=/home/oracle/EXALYTICS_INSTALLERS/tt bim.tt.install.dir=/u01/TT1 bim.tt.daemon.port=53396 bim.tt.server.port=53397 bim.tt.instance.name=tt1122 ######################################################### [BI specific properties] #bim.bi.host=The host name where BI is installed. #bim.mw.home=This directory location BI Middleware home #bim.bi.admin.user=The admin username of BI #bim.bi.wls.admin.port=The port where AdminServer is running of BI ######################################################### bim.bi.host=<hostname> bim.mw.home=/u01/INSTANCE1 bim.bi.admin.user=biadmin bim.bi.wls.admin.port=7001
Before running the script, ensure that you verify the items in the following checklist:
TimesTen install file is present.
You carefully edited the properties file for the script and ensured that it contains no errors.
To run the script:
Log in to the Exalytics Machine as the user that you created in Section 3.3.1, "Step 1: Creating the User, Group, and Password on the Operating System."
Change to the directory that contains the Oracle Exalytics software, such as the following one:
/EXALYTICS_MWHOME/Oracle_BI1/bifoundation/exalytics
Start a shell session (such as csh), ensure that the GROUP environment variable is set, then run the main installation script, which is named bim-setup.sh, using a command such as the following one:
./bim-setup.sh /EXALYTICS_MWHOME/Oracle_BI1/bifoundation/exalytics/properties/bim-setup.properties
You can store the properties file in any directory when you update it as specified in Section 3.3.11, "Step 11: Editing the Properties File" and specify the full path name when you run the installation script.
The installer script for Oracle Exalytics performs the following tasks:
Prompts you to enter the Oracle BI Administration password when it runs.
Enables the HardwareAcceleration MBean attribute.
If you must modify the attribute, then you can update it as described in Section 3.4.4, "Manually Setting the HardwareAcceleration MBean Attribute."
Installs Oracle TimesTen.
Makes configuration changes in the opmn.xml file to point to the Oracle TimesTen libraries.
Configures the sys.odbc.ini file for Oracle TimesTen and the odbc.ini file for Oracle Business Intelligence with DSN details for Oracle TimesTen.
To verify that the installation is successful, you open a web browser and attempt to display the following URLs. If you can display and interact with the pages at the following URLs, then the installation succeeded.
Oracle BI Enterprise Edition:
http://server-name:9704/analytics
Oracle WebLogic Server Console:
http://server-name:7001/console
Fusion Middleware Control:
http://server-name:7001/em
This section provides the following information on troubleshooting:
Section 3.4.3, "Reinstalling Software on the Exalytics Machine"
Section 3.4.4, "Manually Setting the HardwareAcceleration MBean Attribute"
Section 3.4.5, "Configuring Exalytics Operating System to Change Capacity On Demand"
If you have any issues installing software on the Exalytics Machine, check the following items:
Ensure that the database in which you ran the Repository Creation Utility to create the schemas is running.
Check the networking configuration of the machine including the /etc/hosts file.
Check the contents of the bim-setup.properties file to ensure that all entries are accurate with no misspellings.
If the installation scripts fail, then perform the following steps:
Deinstall the Oracle TimesTen software.
Verify the contents of the bim-setup.properties file, as described in Section 3.3.11, "Step 11: Editing the Properties File."
Restart the installation process.
After installing the software, you can check the log files for Oracle WebLogic Server, Oracle Business Intelligence, and Oracle TimesTen in the MW_HOME/Oracle_BI1/bifoundation/exalytics/logs directories. The files have names such as tt_install.log for Oracle TimesTen.
You might want to reinstall the software. The installer does not allow reinstallation of Oracle Business Intelligence in a directory that contains another Oracle Business Intelligence installation on an Exalytics Machine.
To reinstall Oracle Business Intelligence in the same directory as before:
Deinstall the software as described in Chapter 5, "Deinstalling Software on the Exalytics Machine."
Reboot the computer to ensure that if any processes are running, they are stopped.
If you used the Repository Creation Utility to create the BISHIPHOME and MDS schemas, then either drop the schemas or use a new prefix to create schemas.
To uninstall Oracle TimesTen, enter the following command:
/u01/app/oracle/product/fmw/../TimesTen/tt1122/bin/setup.sh -uininstall
Delete the /etc/TimesTen/* files.
Return to this chapter and follow the installation instructions again.
The HardwareAcceleration MBean attribute specifies whether you are using the Exalytics Machine, as described in the following procedure. This MBean attribute is turned on automatically when you run the script to install Oracle Business Intelligence on the Exalytics Machine. The MBean attribute sets the ORACLEHARDWAREACCELERATION parameter in the NQSConfig.ini file and the OracleHardwareAcceleration element in the instanceconfig.ini file.
To specify the use of the Exalytics Machine using the System MBean Browser:
In Fusion Middleware Control, in the Navigator window, expand the WebLogic Domain folder and the bifoundation_domain node.
Right-click the AdminServer node and select System MBean Browser.
Expand Application Defined MBeans, then expand oracle.biee.admin, then expand Domain: bifoundation_domain.
Lock the domain, as follows:
Expand BIDomain and select the BIDomain MBean where group=Service.
Display the Operations tab.
Click the lock link.
Display the Attributes tab for the same MBean.
Ensure that the HardwareAcceleration attribute is set to true.
After applying your changes, release the lock on the domain by displaying the Operations tab and clicking one of the commit operations.
Restart Oracle Business Intelligence.
Each Oracle Exalytics Machine is configured with four CPUs, each CPU containing ten active processor cores, for a total of forty active processor cores. Of these, 20% are reserved for on-demand use when additional computing processing is needed. For example, you use thirty two cores most of the time and enable the other eight cores only when needed, such as to run reports and queries at quarter end. You can then continue using 80% of the active processors until the next quarter end.
Note:
When you change the number of active cores, you do not have to restart the Exalytics Machine.
You use the exalytics_resourceControl.sh utility to configure the Oracle Exalytics operating system to change capacity on demand. Table 3-1 shows the parameters for the exalytics_resourceControl.sh utility -capacity_on_demand command.
Table 3-1 Parameters for the exalytics_resourceControl.sh utility -capacity_on_demand command
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
|
Display |
Displays number of cores currently in use. |
|
Disable |
Disables cores that are reserved for additional on-demand processing. |
|
Enable |
Enables cores that are reserved for additional on-demand processing. |
|
Update |
Enables any number of cores. Can only be used in force mode. |
If you do not specify any parameters, the utility displays all capacity on demand arguments. For example, if you navigate to the /opt/exalytics/bin directory, and enter the following command:
./exalytics_resourceControl.sh
The following output is displayed:
Usage: ./exalytics_resourceControl.sh [-show | -capacity_on_demand args] -show: Displays the number of logical cores active -capacity_on_demand [display|disable|enable|update -cores <noOfCoresPerSocket>] [-force] display: displays the number of cores in use. disable: disables the cores reserved for additional on-demand capacity. enable: enables the cores reserved for additional on-demand capacity. update -cores <numCoresPerSocket> -force: can be used in force mode, to enable any number (min 2) of cores on a socket.
To configure Exalytics operating system to change capacity on demand:
Log on the Exalytics Machine as a root user.
Navigate to the folder /opt/exalytics/bin directory.
View the existing configuration, by entering the following command:
./exalytics_resourceControl.sh -capacity_on_demand display
The following output is displayed:
[CAPSHOW] Number of cores active per socket: All of 10
Disable core processors, by entering the following command:
./exalytics_resourceControl.sh -capacity_on_demand disable
Two core processors per CPU are disabled.
The following output is displayed:
[CAPSHOW] Number of cores active per socket: 8 of 10
Enable core processors, by entering the following command:
./exalytics_resourceControl.sh -capacity_on_demand enable
Two core processors per CPU are enabled.
The following output is displayed:
[CAPSHOW] Number of cores active per socket: All of 10
Enable a given number (6) of core processors, by entering the following command:
./exalytics_resourceControl.sh -capacity_on_demand update -cores 6 -force
Six core processors per CPU are enabled.
The following output is displayed:
[CAPSHOW] Number of cores active per socket: 6 of 10
Note:
After running the utility, you can check the log and trace files in the /var/log/oracleexa/systemconfig.log file and /var/log/oracleexa/resctl directory respectively.
For additional information, see the following: