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Configuration Parameters and the Registry

The registry stores Oracle configuration parameters. This appendix describes only the configuration parameters that apply to Oracle8 Enterprise Edition.

Specific topics discussed are:

• About Configuration Parameters

• Registry Overview

• Registry Parameters

• Modifying a Registry Value

• Adding a Registry Parameter

About Configuration Parameters

Oracle8 Enterprise Edition uses configuration parameters to locate files and specify runtime parameters common to all Oracle products. When an Oracle program or application requires a translation for a particular configuration variable, Oracle8 Enterprise Edition consults the associated parameter. Oracle parameters are stored in the registry.

Registry Overview

Oracle8 Enterprise Edition stores its configuration information in a database (the registry) that is organized in a tree format. The tree format consists of keys in the registry and parameter values for the keys. Keys and parameter values can be viewed and modified in the Registry Editor.

Keys are folders that appear in the left pane of a Registry Editor window. A key contains subkeys or parameters.

WARNING: The Registry Editor allows you to view and modify registry keys and parameter values. Normally, you do not need to do so, and in fact, are liable to break your system if you make incorrect changes. Only advanced users should use the registry!

Parameters in the Registry Editor appear as a string that consists of three components:

• name of the parameter

• value class or type of entry

• value itself

For example, parameter ORACLE_SID can have the following entry in the registry:

ORACLE_SID:REG_EXPAND_SZ:ORCL

Value classes for Oracle8 Enterprise Edition parameters are:

• string value with a REG_SZ, REG_EXPAND_SZ (for an expandable string), or REG_MULTI_SZ (for multiple strings) prefix to identify a parameter value entry as a data string

• binary value with a REG_DWORD prefix to identify a value entry as a DWORD (hexadecimal data) entry

Registry Parameters

This section describes the following Oracle8 database registry parameters. Other products, such as Oracle Enterprise Manager and the Oracle8 Cartridges, have additional keys and parameters not described in this appendix.

• Parameters for Most Oracle Products

• Parameters Describing Each Oracle Home Directory on a Computer

• Parameters for Oracle8 Performance Monitor

• Parameters for Oracle Services

To modify the registry values described below, see "Modifying a Registry Value" in this appendix.

Parameters for Most Oracle Products

This section describes the following parameter types:

• Product and Installation Parameters

• Installation Parameters for Computers with One Oracle Home

Parameters for most Oracle products are contained within the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE subkey. The exact location of parameters within this key depends on the number of Oracle home directories created on your computer. For the first installation, two registry subkeys are created for storing product and installation parameters. For all additional installations, only one registry subkey is created for storing product and installation parameters.

The following table describes this process:

For...	Parameters are Created in Subkey...	This Subkey Contains...
The first Oracle home installation	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ ORACLE	Product and installation parameters. See "Product and Installation Parameters" for parameter descriptions.
	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ ORACLE\HOME0	Several parameters specific to Oracle Installer. See "Installation Parameters for Computers with One Oracle Home" for parameter descriptions.
The second Oracle home installation	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ ORACLE\HOME1	Product and installation parameters. See "Product and Installation Parameters" for parameter descriptions
The third Oracle home installation	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ ORACLE\HOME2	Product and installation parameters. See "Product and Installation Parameters" for parameter descriptions
All additional Oracle home installations	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ ORACLE \HOMEID where ID is incremented for each additional Oracle home installation.	Product and installation parameters. See "Product and Installation Parameters" for parameter descriptions

This figure shows the parameter subkeys created with two Oracle home directories on the same computer:

Product and Installation Parameters

This section lists the product and installation parameters for most Oracle products. See the table in the previous section "Parameters for Most Oracle Products" to identify the subkey under which these parameters appear.

Parameter	Description	Default Value Entry
A2OWIZ80	Specifies the location of Oracle Migration Assistant for Microsoft Access files.	ORACLE_HOME\A20WIZ80
API	Specifies the location of files for Oracle Installer.	ORACLE_HOME\DBS
COMPANY_NAME	Specifies the name of the company entered during the installation process.	company name entered during installation
CORE40	Specifies the location of the database message files.	ORACLE_HOME\CORE40
EXECUTE_SQL	Specifies the executable to spawn SQL*Plus for the Oracle Installer.	PLUS40
ID	Specifies the HOMEID of the Oracle home directory. The first Oracle home is always specified as zero.	0
MSHELP	Specifies the location from where Windows help is invoked.	ORACLE_HOME\MSHELP
MSHELP_TOOLS	Specifies the location of the Windows help files.	ORACLE_HOME\MSHELP
NET80	Specifies the location of the Net8 directory.	ORACLE_HOME\NET80
NLS_LANG	Specifies the supported language, territory, and character set. This parameter specifies the language in which the messages are displayed, the territory and its conventions for calculating week and day numbers, and the character set displayed. The default value causes all messages to be displayed in American English.	AMERICAN_AMERICA. WE8ISO885981
NLSRTL32	Specifies the location of the Oracle7 NLS message files.	ORACLE_HOME\NLSRTL32
NLSRTL33	Specifies the location of the Oracle8 database NLS message files.	ORACLE_HOME\ORAINST\NLB
OI_NLS32	Specifies the value of ORA_NLS32 used by Oracle Installer during the installation process.	ORACLE_HOME\ORAINST\NLB
ORA_EXTPROC_ THREADED	Specifies to use multiple, lightweight threads instead of a single dedicated user process when using external procedures.	FALSE
ORA_NLS32	Specifies the location of the system boot file and NLS loadable data files used by the Oracle7 NLSRTL.	ORACLE_HOME\NLSRTL32 \DATA
ORA_NLS33	Specifies the location of the system boot file and NLS loadable data files used by Oracle8 Enterprise Edition NLSRTL.	ORACLE_HOME\NLSRTL33 \DATA
ORA_SID_ PWFILE	Specifies the name of the password file containing the password for the database instance designated by the system identifier (SID).	ORACLE_HOME\DATABASE\ PWDSID.ORA
ORA_SID_ SHUTDOWN	When set to TRUE, shuts down the Oracle8 database identified by the SID value when OracleServiceSID is stopped. Note: This registry entry must be manually added.	Not applicable
ORA_SID_ SHUTDOWN_ TIMEOUT	Sets the maximum time to wait for the shutdown to complete before the service for a particular SID stops. Note: This registry entry must be manually added.	Not applicable
ORA_SHUTDOWN	When set to TRUE, enables the selected Oracle8 database to be shut down when OracleServiceSID is stopped.	FALSE
ORA_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT	Sets the maximum time to wait for the service to stop. You may set ORA_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT to any value greater than 30 seconds; values less than 30 are ignored. Note: This registry entry must be manually added.	Not applicable
ORACLE_GROUP_ NAME	Specifies the name of the group containing icons of the Oracle products installed. The parameter is added to your registry when you first install Oracle products, even if Oracle Installer does not create a program group for the Oracle products you have installed. (For example, if you have installed only Net8 software.)	Oracle for Windows NT
ORACLE_HOME	Specifies the Oracle home directory in which Oracle products are installed. This directory is the top directory in the Oracle directory hierarchy.	C:\ORANT
ORACLE_HOME_ NAME	Specifies the home name of the Oracle home directory in which Oracle products are installed.	DEFAULT_HOME
ORACLE_HOME_ SERVICE	Specifies the home name of the Oracle home directory. This value appears in Oracle service names. Since no home name is required for the first Oracle installation, this parameter is not available for the first Oracle home installation; only subsequent Oracle home installations (for example, HOME1, HOME2, etc.) use this parameter.	The name that you specify during installation.
ORACLE_SID	Specifies the name of the Oracle8 database instance on the host machine. The value of this parameter is the SID for the instance.	ORCL for the first Oracle product installation on a computer. For additional Oracle home installations, ORCL is incremented (for example, ORC1 for a second installation, ORC2 for a third installation, and so on)
OTRACE73	Specifies the location of the Oracle7 trace files.	ORACLE_HOME\OTRACE73
OTRACE80	Specifies the location of the Oracle8 Enterprise Edition trace files.	ORACLE_HOME\OTRACE80
OTT_DFLT	Specifies the executable used when OTT80.EXE is called.	OTT80
OTT80	Specifies the location of the Object Type Translator (OTT) files.	ORACLE_HOME\OTT80
OWAST	Specifies the location of the Oracle Web Publishing Assistant files.	ORACLE_HOME\OWAST
PLSQL23	Specifies the directory in which Oracle7 looks for PL/SQL message files.	ORACLE_HOME\PLSQL23
PLSQL80	Specifies the directory in which Oracle8 Enterprise Edition looks for PL/SQL message files.	ORACLE_HOME\PLSQL80
PLUS_DFLT	Specifies the executable used when SQLPLUS.EXE is called.	PLUS80
PLUS80	Specifies the location in which to find the files needed to run SQL*Plus.	ORACLE_HOME\PLUS40
PRO18	Specifies the location of Oracle7 Pro*C/C++ files.	ORACLE_HOME\PRO18
PRO80	Specifies the location of Oracle8 Enterprise Edition Pro*C/C++ files.	ORACLE_HOME\PRO80
RDBMS73	Specifies the directory Oracle7 Server and the Oracle7 Utilities use to locate messages, resource files, and SQL scripts.	ORACLE_HOME\RDBMS73
RDBMS80	Specifies the directory Oracle8 database and the Oracle8 Utilities use to locate messages, resource files, and SQL scripts.	ORACLE_HOME\RDBMS80
RDBMS80_ ARCHIVE	Specifies the location of the backup database files.	ORACLE_HOME\DATABASE \ARCHIVE
RDBMS80_ CONTROL	Specifies the location of the database control files.	ORACLE_HOME\DATABASE
SHARED_ORACLE_HOME	Specifies the Oracle home directory used by Oracle Installer.	ORACLE_HOME
SQLPATH	Specifies the location of the SQL scripts that SQL*Plus uses for searching SQL scripts.	ORACLE_HOME\DBS
SVRMGR	Specifies the location of Server Manager support files.	ORACLE_HOME\DBS

Installation Parameters for Computers with One Oracle Home

The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\HOME0 subkey only contains the following parameters for the first Oracle home directory on a computer. This information is largely duplicated in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE \ORACLE.

Parameter	Description	Default Value Entry
API	Specifies the location of files for Oracle Installer.	ORACLE_HOME\DBS
COMPANY_ NAME	Specifies the name of the company entered during the installation process.	company name entered during installation
ID	Specifies the HOMEID of the Oracle home. The first Oracle home is always specified as zero.	0
NLS_LANG	Specifies the language in which the messages are displayed, the territory and its conventions for calculating week and day numbers, and the character set displayed. The default value causes all messages to be displayed in American English.	AMERICAN_AMERICA. WE8ISO885981
ORACLE_GROUP_ NAME	Specifies the name of the group containing icons of the Oracle products installed. The parameter is added to your registry when you first install Oracle products, even if Oracle Installer does not create a program group for the Oracle products you have installed. (For example, if you have installed only Net8 software.)	Oracle for Windows NT
ORACLE_HOME	Specifies the Oracle home directory in which Oracle products are installed. This directory is the top directory in the Oracle directory hierarchy.	ORACLE_HOME
ORACLE_HOME_ NAME	Specifies the home name of the Oracle home directory in which Oracle products are installed.	DEFAULT_HOME
SHARED_ORACLE_HOME	Specifies the Oracle home directory used by Oracle Installer.	ORACLE_HOME\DATABASE

Parameters Describing Each Oracle Home Directory on a Computer

The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\ALL_HOMES subkey provides general information on each Oracle home directory on a computer. This subkey contains the following parameters:

• IDx subkey(s)

• the following parameters:

  Parameter	Description	Default Value Entry
  DEFAULT_HOME	Specifies the default Oracle home name (that is, the first Oracle home installed on your machine).	DEFAULT_HOME
  HOME_COUNTER	Specifies the number of installed Oracle homes.	1
  LAST_HOME	Displays the ID number of the most recently installed Oracle home. For example, if HOME1 was the most recently installed, the number 1 appears.	1

IDx

This subkey corresponds to the HOMEID of the same number (for example, HOME0 for the first installation, HOME1 for the second installation, etc). IDx contains the following parameters. The values that display are determined by what you select during installation in the Oracle Installation Settings dialog box.

Parameter	Description	Default Value Entry
NAME	Specifies the home name of the Oracle home for IDx. This is the value you specify when prompted for an Oracle home name.	DEFAULT_HOME for the first Oracle home
NLS_LANG	Specifies the supported language, territory, and character set for IDx.	AMERICAN_AMERICA. WE8ISO885981
PATH	Specifies the Oracle home directory for IDx.	ORACLE_HOME

Parameters for Oracle8 Performance Monitor

Depending on the number of Oracle home directories on your computer, Oracle8 Performance Monitor parameters appear in one of the following subkeys:

If You Have...	Then Parameters Appear in...
One Oracle home	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet \Services\Oracle80\Performance
Additional Oracle homes	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet \Services\OracleHOME_NAME80\Performance where HOME_NAME is the unique Oracle home name you specified during installation for each additional Oracle home.

Note: Modify only the Hostname, Password, and Username values to point to any database.

For Oracle8 Performance Monitor to display information for Oracle8 performance objects, it must log onto the database. Modify the following parameters if the default information is not applicable or you want to access another database:

Parameter	Description	Default Value Entry
Password	Displays the password for the user name to access the database.	Manager
Username	Displays the user name to access the database.	SYSTEM
Hostname	Displays a Net8 connect string that allows you to edit the SID (two entries labeled SID in this example):1 DESCRIPTION= (ADDRESS_LIST= (ADDRESS= (PROTOCOL=BEQ) (PROGRAM=oracle80) (ARGV0=oracle80SID) (ARGS='(DESCRIPTION=(LOCAL=YES)(ADDRESS= (PROTOCOL=beq)))') ) ) (CONNECT_DATA=(SID=SID)) )	Not applicable

1 The 2:, 2:orcl, and 2:sid connect strings for local connections to Oracle8 Enterprise Edition are not supported. Instead, the new default connect string for a local connection uses the Bequeath Protocol Adapter.

The following parameters are needed by the Oracle8 Performance Monitor as entry points:

Parameter	Description	Default Value Entry
Close	Specifies the close entry point for the DLL.	CloseOracle8PerformanceData
Collect	Specifies the collect entry point for the DLL.	CollectOracle8PerformanceData
Open	Specifies the open entry point for the DLL.	OpenOracle8PerformanceData
Library	Specifies the name of the Oracle8 Performance Monitor DLL.	OPERF80.DLL

The following parameters specify the Oracle8 Performance Monitor log file and object configuration files:

Parameter	Description	Default Value Entry
LOGFILE	Specifies the name of the Oracle8 Performance Monitor log file. This log file reports any errors, such as Oracle8 objects not displaying or database access problems.	ORACLE_HOME\DBS \OPERF80.LOG
PERF__FILE_ NAME	Specifies the location of PERF80.ORA. PERF80.ORA contains all the performance objects displayed by the Oracle8 Performance Monitor.	ORACLE_HOME\DBS\PERF80.ORA

Parameters for Oracle Services

The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services subkey contains subkeys that correspond to each Oracle service.

Each service subkey contains the following parameters:

Parameter	Description	Default Value Entry
DisplayName	Specifies the service name of the instances whose SID is SID.	Name of the service. For example, OracleServiceORCL, where ORCL is the SID.
ImagePath	Specifies the fully-qualified path name of the executable invoked by the service and any command-line arguments passed into the executable at runtime.	Path to the executable file of the product. For example, ORACLE_HOME\BIN \ORACLE80.EXE, if OracleNames80 is selected.
ObjectName	Specifies the logon user account and machine to which the service should log on.	LocalSystem

Modifying a Registry Value

CAUTION: Do not edit your registry unless it is absolutely necessary. If there is an error in your registry, your Oracle8 Enterprise Edition may become nonfunctional. In fact, the registry itself can become unstable.

To edit the Oracle-related settings:

1. Start the registry in either of two ways:
   • From the command prompt, enter:

     C:\> REGEDT32
     

   • Choose Start > Run, enter REGEDT32 in the Open field, and click OK.

   The Registry Editor window appears:

   

1. Navigate to the values you want to view or modify by double-clicking keys.

   The left-hand side of the window shows the hierarchy of registry keys, and the right-hand side of the window shows various values associated with a key.

2. Double-click the parameter to edit.

   An editor dialog box appears:

   

3. Make any necessary edits.

4. Click OK.

5. Choose Exit from the registry menu.

Adding a Registry Parameter

To add a parameter to the registry:

1. Start the registry in either of two ways:
   • From the MS-DOS command prompt, enter:

     C:\> REGEDT32
     

   • Choose Start > Run, enter REGEDT32 in the Open field, and click OK.

   The Registry Editor window appears.

1. Navigate to the key where you want to add the new value.

2. Choose the Add Value option in the Edit menu.

   The Add Value dialog box appears:

   

3. In the Value Name field, enter the name that you want to assign to the currently selected key.

4. In the Data Type box, select the value class that you want to assign to the added value:
   • REG_SZ, REG_EXPAND_SZ (for an expandable string), or REG_MULTI_SZ (for multiple strings) for a data string
   • binary value with a REG_DWORD prefix to identify a value entry as a DWORD (hexadecimal data) entry

5. Click OK.

   An editor dialog box appropriate for the data type appears:

   

6. Enter the value itself for the parameter.

   The Registry Editor adds the parameter.

7. Choose Exit from the Registry menu.

   The registry exits.

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