7 Uninstalling Oracle WebLogic Server and Coherence

This section describes how to uninstall and reinstall Oracle WebLogic Server and Coherence. Oracle recommends that you always use the instructions in this section to remove the software. If you try to remove the software manually, you may encounter problems when you try to reinstall the software again at a later time. Following the procedures in this section ensures that the software is properly removed.

This section includes the following topics:

About Product Uninstallation

The deinstaller removes the software from the Oracle home directory that you start it in.

The deinstaller removes only components that the installation program installed; the deinstaller does not remove:

  • All files and directories in the Oracle home.

  • The JDK or any user-created data, such as WebLogic domains or custom application data.

The following table summarizes the procedure and has links to supporting documents.

Table 7-1 Roadmap for Uninstalling Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure

Task Description and Documentation Documentation

Stop Oracle Fusion Middeware.

Oracle recommends that you stop all servers and processes in your domain before you run the deinstaller

See Stopping Oracle Fusion Middleware.

Remove the software.

Run the product deinstaller to remove Oracle WebLogic Server and Coherence.

See Uninstall the Software.

Remove the Oracle home directory.

The deinstaller does not remove all files and folders from the Oracle home directory. After the deinstaller finishes, you must manually remove the Oracle home to complete your product removal.

See Removing Oracle Home Directory Manually.

Remove program shortcuts (Windows operating systems)

The deinstaller does not remove the program shortcuts on your Windows operating system.

See Removing Program Shortcuts on Windows Operating Systems

Remove your domain and application data.

The deinstaller does not remove data contained in your Domain home or Application home directories, even if they are located inside the Oracle home. You must remove these directories manually.

See Removing Your Domain and Application Data.

Stopping Oracle Fusion Middleware

Before you run the deinstaller, Oracle recommends that you stop all servers and processes associated with the Oracle home you are going to remove.

See Starting and Stopping Servers in Administering Server Startup and Shutdown for Oracle WebLogic Server.

Uninstall the Software

Follow steps in this section to start the product deinstaller and remove the software.

To run a silent (command-line) uninstallation, see Running the Oracle Universal Installer for Silent Deinstallation in Installing Software with the Oracle Universal Installer.

Start the Uninstallation Program

How you uninstall a program depends on your operating system: Windows or UNIX.

On UNIX operating systems, go to the ORACLE_HOME/oui/bin directory and enter the command ./deinstall.sh

On Windows operating systems, choose one of the following options to start uninstallation:

  • From the command line, go to the ORACLE_HOME\oui\bin and enter deinstall.cmd.

  • From the Start menu, select All Programs, select Oracle, select OracleHome, then select Uninstall Oracle Middleware.

  • Use a file manager window to go to the ORACLE_HOME\oui\bin directory and double click on deinstall.cmd

Navigating through Uninstallation Screens

The uninstallation program shows a series of screens, in the order that the following table lists.

If you need additional help with the uninstallation screen, click Help.

Table 7-2 Uninstallation Screens and Descriptions

Screen Description

Welcome

Introduces you to the product deinstaller.

Deinstallation Summary

Shows the Oracle home directory and its contents to deinstall. Verify that this is the correct directory.

Click Deinstall to begin removing the software.

Deinstallation Progress

Shows the deinstallation progress.

Deinstallation Complete

Opens when the deinstallation is complete. Review this screen then click Finish to dismiss the deinstaller.

Removing Oracle Home Directory Manually

After deinstalling the software, you must manually remove your Oracle home directory and any existing subdirectories that the deinstaller did not remove.

For example, if your Oracle home directory is /home/Oracle/products/Oracle_Home on a UNIX operating system:

cd /home/Oracle/products
rm -rf Oracle_Home

On a Windows operating system, if your Oracle home directory was C:\Oracle\Products\Oracle_Home, use a file manager window and navigate to the C:\Oracle\Products directory, then right-click on the Oracle_Home folder and select Delete.

Removing Program Shortcuts on Windows Operating Systems

On Windows operating systems, you must manually remove the program shortcuts; the deinstaller does not remove them for you.

Go to the C:\Program Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Oracle\Oracle Home\Product directory. If you only have one product installed in your Oracle home, you can remove the Oracle Home directory. If you have multiple products installed in your Oracle home, you must remove all products before removing the Oracle Home.

Removing Your Domain and Application Data

After deinstalling the software, you must remove the domain and application data if you don’t plan to use it or if you don’t plan to reconfigure a domain for a new WebLogic Server installation..

To remove your domain and application data:

  1. Manually remove your Domain home directory.

    For example, if your Domain home directory was /home/Oracle/config/domains/infra_domain on a UNIX operating system:

    cd /home/Oracle/config/domains
    rm -rf infra_domain
    

    On a Windows operating system, if your Domain home directory was C:\Oracle\Config\domains\infra_domain, use a file manager window and navigate to the C:\Oracle\Config\domains directory, then right-click on the infra_domain folder and select Delete.

  2. Manually remove your Application home directory.

    For example, if your Application home directory was /home/Oracle/config/applications/infra_domain on a UNIX operating system:

    cd /home/Oracle/config/applications
    rm -rf infra_domain
    

    On a Windows operating system, if your Application home directory was C:\Oracle\Config\applications\infra_domain, use a file manager window and navigate to the C:\Oracle\Config\applications directory, then right-click on the infra_domain folder and select Delete.

  3. Backup the domain_registry.xml file in your Oracle home, then edit the file and remove the line associated with the domain you are removing. For example, to remove the infra_domain, find the following line and remove it:
    <domain location=/home/Oracle/config/domains/infra_domain/>
    

    Save and exit the file when you are finished.

Reinstalling Your Software

You can reinstall your software into the same Oracle home as a previous installation only if you uninstalled the software by following uninstallation instructions, including manually removing the Oracle home directory.

When you reinstall, you can then specify the same Oracle home as your previous installation.

Consider the following cases where the Oracle home is not empty:

Scenario: Installing in an Existing Oracle Home that Contains the Same Feature Sets

The installer warns you that the Oracle home you specified during installation already contains the software you're trying to install now.

Your options:

  • Select a different installation type. In this case, only feature sets that do not already exist in the Oracle home directory get installed.

  • Select a different Oracle home directory.

Scenario: Installing in an Existing, Non-Empty Oracle Home

You chose to create your Domain home or Application home somewhere inside your existing Oracle home. The uninstallation process does not remove this data, so if you try to reinstall into the same Oracle home, the installer does not allow it.

Your options:

  • Uninstall your software from the Oracle home then remove the Oracle home directory. You can then reinstall and reuse the same Oracle home location, using the instructions in Uninstalling Oracle WebLogic Server and Coherence. You must re-create any domain or application data that was in the Oracle home.

  • Select a different Oracle home directory.