1
Preinstallation

This chapter describes the preinstallation procedures for Oracle eMail Server. Topics covered include:

• Installation Overview

• Installation Requirements

• Preinstallation Tasks

Installation Overview

Oracle eMail Server is a highly scalable messaging framework that integrates messages from multiple sources into a single inbox. Prior to installation, you should plan your implementation strategy and be familiar with Oracle eMail Server system components, concepts, and terminology.

See Also: Oracle eMail Server Concepts Guide on the Oracle Technology Network website at http://otn.oracle.com/products/ias

The installation process is composed of the following steps:

1. Plan an implementation strategy, considering the following factors:
   • Anticipated usage of the e-mail system (total number of users, anticipated number of concurrent users at peak load, how much e-mail you expect to transmit and receive each day, and how much e-mail you expect to store)

   • Domain requirements (acme.com as opposed to us.acme.com and uk.acme.com, for instance)

   • E-mail clients you plan to use

   • Security concerns

   • Network topology and bandwidth

   • Performance and availability requirements

2. Complete the necessary preinstallation tasks including backing up your existing system, configuring the Windows NT environment, and preparing related processes and products for the installation.

3. Use the Oracle Universal Installer on the Oracle software CD to install Oracle eMail Server and related software products.

4. Perform the postinstallation steps.

5. Verify the configuration by starting processes and checking process logs.

Installation Requirements

The following system and software requirements are required to install Oracle eMail Server.

• Hardware Requirements

• Software Requirements

• Memory Requirements

• Disk Space Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Oracle eMail Server requires the following hardware for Windows NT installation:

• Compaq, HP, or 100% compatible PC based on a Pentium processor

• Windows NT compatible network interface card (NIC)

• Connected CD-ROM drive functioning as a logical drive

Software Requirements

Oracle eMail Server requires the following software components and associated versions:

Software Requirements	Version	State During Oracle eMail Server Installation
Windows NT service pack 4 server or workstation	4.0	Installed and running
Network Listener	8.1.7	Installed and running
Oracle Net8	8.1.7	Installed
Oracle8i Database Server	8.1.7	Installed and running
PL/SQL V2	8.1.7	Installed
SQL*Plus	8.1.7	Installed
Sendmail	3.0	Installed
MKS Toolkit	6.1	Installed

Memory Requirements

The minimum RAM requirements for Oracle eMail Server, administration tool, and the protocol server depend upon the number of machines on which these products are installed.

Oracle eMail Server Components	Minimum RAM Requirements
Oracle eMail Server	128 MB
Administration Tool	64 MB
IMAP4 and POP3 Protocol Server	20 MB

Disk Space Requirements

The following disk space is required for Oracle eMail Server:

Oracle eMail Server Components	Minimum Disk Space Requirements
Oracle eMail Server	500 MB
Administration Tool	100 MB
IMAP4 and POP3 Protocol Server	65 MB

Preinstallation Tasks

The following tasks must be performed prior to installing Oracle eMail Server:

• Task 1: Shutting Down and Backing Up Existing Database and Log Files

• Task 2: Configuring the Oracle8i Database Server

• Task 3: Verifying that the NLS_LANG Parameter is Configured Correctly

• Task 4: Starting the Processes Necessary for Installation

• Task 5: Configuring Net8 and Check the LISTENER.ORA and TNSNAMES.ORA Files

• Task 6: Configuring the INIT.ORA, LISTENER.ORA, and TNSNAMES.ORA Files

• Task 7: Including oratnsapi8.dll in the System Path

• Task 8: Configuring Oracle Internet File System and Oracle eMail Server to Run on the Same Machine (Optional)

Task 1: Shutting Down and Backing Up Existing Database and Log Files

Perform a full backup of your existing Oracle8i Database Server before you perform any new installation or upgrade. A full backup ensures that you can recover from errors encountered during an installation or upgrade processes.

The backup should be performed with the database shut down cleanly. If you use shutdown immediate or shutdown abort to force users off the system, be sure to restart the database in restricted mode, and then shut it down with normal mode. See the Oracle8i Administrator's Guide or Oracle8i Backup and Recovery Overview for more information.

Note: See the Oracle8i Installation Guide for Windows NT for more information on planning and configuring your server.

Task 2: Configuring the Oracle8i Database Server

Oracle eMail Server requires reconfiguration of specific database parameters. Before starting the configuration, shut down the network listener and the database where Oracle eMail Server will be installed.

To shut down all Oracle instances including the network listener, use the following procedure:

1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Services. The Services window displays.

2. Select the following Oracle processes and click Stop:
   • OracleServiceSID

   • OracleHOME_NAMETNSListener

3. Edit the initSID.ora file located in the ORACLE_HOME\database directory to reflect the following minimum values for the listed parameters:

   Parameter	Minimum Settings
   job_queue_processes	10
   job_queue_interval	60
   DB_Files	80
   DB_Block_Buffers	550
   Shared_Pool_Size	35 MB
   Processes	200
   DML_Locks	200
   Log_Buffer	32768
   Open_Cursors	255
   Open_Links	4
   Global_Names	False
   Remote_Login_Passwordfile	Shared
   Compatible	8.1.7

   Note: Any missing parameters can be added by the user at any time. See Oracle8i Administrator's Guide for more information.

Task 3: Verifying that the NLS_LANG Parameter is Configured Correctly

Use the following steps to configure the NLS_LANG parameter to
AMERICAN_AMERICA.UTF8.

Note: If the NLS_LANG parameter defined in the Oracle 8.1.7 database is something other than AMERICAN_AMERICA.UTF8, eMail Server will still function. The language character sets supported by the mail system, however, will be limited to that set. Because using AMERICAN_AMERICA.UTF8 has a minimal affect on resource requirements, Oracle Corporation recommends using it when installing the database.

1. Choose Start > Run.

2. Select regedit from the dropdown menu or type regedit in the field.

3. Navigate through HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE.

4. Select the HOME_NAME folder.

5. Select the NLS_LANG parameter.

6. Right click and select Modify, or go to Edit > Modify.

7. Change the value to:

   AMERICAN_AMERICA.UTF8
   

Task 4: Starting the Processes Necessary for Installation

1. Start the database using the NT Services tool or from the command prompt.

   From the NT Services tool:

   Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Services. The Services window displays. Select the OracleHomeSID process and click Start.

   From the command prompt:

   Choose Start > Programs > Command Prompt. Enter the following:

   C:\>cd ORACLE_HOME\bin
   C:\>sqlplus
   enter user-name: system
   enter password: manager
   SQL> startup
   SQL> exit
   
   

2. Start the network listener using the NT Services tool or from the command prompt.

   From the NT Services tool:

   Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Services. The Services window displays. Select the OracleHOME_NAMETNSListener process and click Start.

   From the command prompt:

   Choose Start > Programs > Command Prompt. Enter the following:

   C:\>lsnrctl start
   

Task 5: Configuring Net8 and Check the LISTENER.ORA and TNSNAMES.ORA Files

Note: The following task is for installations of domain configuration nodes (DCNs) or member nodes only.

If you are installing a DCN or member node, configure Net8 to enable the new node to connect to the host server.

The following are methods for configuring Net8:

• Configuring Net8 with an Oracle Names Server

• Configuring Net8 with a TNSNAMES.ORA Configuration File

Configuring Net8 with an Oracle Names Server

Use an Oracle Names server to simplify the setup and administration of global client/server computing networks by maintaining a central directory of service names for all the services on the network.

See Also: The Oracle Names Server or Net8 documentation for more information

Configuring Net8 with a TNSNAMES.ORA Configuration File

If you are not using an Oracle Names Server, you must add entries to the tnsnames.ora configuration file.

1. Use a text editor to open the tnsnames.ora file in the
   ORACLE_HOME\network\admin directory.

   Note: If the tnsnames.ora file does not exist, see the Net8 documentation for information on how to create this file.

2. Add the following entry for each Oracle eMail Server node to which you want to connect:

   connect_string =
       (DESCRIPTION=
           (ADDRESS=( PROTOCOL= TCP)(HOST= host_server_name)(PORT= 1521))
           (CONNECT_DATA= (SID= sid)))
   
   

   Follow these guidelines when adding entries:

   • The tnsnames.ora file must contain an entry for each Oracle eMail Server node to which you want to connect.

   • The tnsnames.ora file should be copied to each node that will be part of the network configuration.

   • The connect string for each entry must match the service name that you specified when the node was installed. You can also define additional entries that use other connect strings as aliases.

   The following is an example:

   host1,io1,host1.us.oracle.com,io1.us.oracle.com =
       (DESCRIPTION =
           (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL= TCP) (HOST=
                 iosun-test1.us.oracle.com)(PORT=1521))
           (CONNECT_DATA = (SID= io1)))
   

3. Verify the modified tnsnames.ora file:

   C:\>tnsping host 
   
   

4. Start the network listener:

   C:\>lsnrctl start
   
   

5. The listener.ora and tnsnames.ora files are automatically configured during the installation of an Oracle database. They are located in the
   ORACLE_HOME\network\admin directory.

   Verify that the listener.ora file contains entries for an IPC key EXTPROC and a SID PLSExtProc.

   (KEY=EXTPROC)
   (SID_NAME=PLSExtProc)
   
   

   Verify that the tnsnames.ora file contains an entry for
   EXTPROC_CONNECTION_DATA that uses the IPC key EXTPROC and SID PLSExtProc.

   See Also: Net8 Administrator's Guide for more information regarding the listener.ora and tnsnames.ora files

Task 6: Configuring the INIT.ORA, LISTENER.ORA, and TNSNAMES.ORA Files

1. In the init.ora file, add or enable the following entry:

   utl_file_dir = ORACLE_HOME\office\log
   

   Note: Set this file so that ORACLE_HOME is replaced by the absolute path to your ORACLE_HOME. For example: utl_file_dir = D:\oracle\ora81\office\log

For the following two steps, use the Net8 Assistant. To start the Net8 Assistant choose Start > Programs > Oracle - HOME_NAME > Network Administration > Net8 Assistant.

2. Verify that the listener.ora file contains entries for an IPC key EXTPROC and a SID plsextproc.

3. Verify that the tnsnames.ora file contains an entry for
   EXTPROC_CONNECTION_DATA that uses the IPC key EXTPROC and SID plsextproc.

Task 7: Including oratnsapi8.dll in the System Path

The library oratnsapi8.dll is a network dll and needs to be included in the system path. Usually, the file is located in the
ORACLE_HOME\network\tnsapi\bin directory.

Use the following steps to amend the system path:

1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel. Double click on System. The System Properties window displays.

2. Select the Environment tab. From the System Variables pane, select Path.

3. In the Value field at the bottom of the window add the absolute path to the oratnsapi8.dll library to the end of the string. Use a semicolon to separate the last entry from this additional entry. For example: ;D:\oracle\ora81\network\tnsapi\bin directory.

Task 8: Configuring Oracle Internet File System and Oracle eMail Server to Run on the Same Machine (Optional)

The Oracle Internet File System e-mail component and Oracle eMail Server both use Sendmail for mail transfer. Windows NT and Windows 2000 installations require purchasing Sendmail version 3.0 or 3.0.2, respectively, for both e-mail components.

To run Oracle Internet File System and eMail Server on the same machine, configure them using the following procedure:

1. Use the Oracle Internet File System postinstallation scripts to set up the Sendmail executable and generate the sendmail.cf file.

   Note: If you are using a standalone version of Oracle Internet File System, consult the Oracle Internet File System Installation Guide for further information. If you are using Oracle9i Application Server, then Oracle Internet File System is included. Refer to the Oracle9i Application Server installation documentation for further information.

2. Incorporate the changes required for eMail Server into the sendmail.cf file, using the procedure outlined in Chapter 3, "Postinstallation".

If you incorporate the eMail Server configuration changes into the sendmail.cf file and then run the scripts, the scripts will generate a new sendmail.cf file.

If the IMAP servers provided by Oracle Internet File System and eMail Server are to be run on the same machine, configure them to listen on different ports. Use the Oracle Internet File System configuration utility and the eMail Server Administration tool to specify the port for the component.

For example, configure eMail Server to listen on the default port 143 and configure the Oracle Internet File System IMAP server to listen on some other port, as required by the installation.

The clients accessing the IMAP servers must have accounts mapped to these specific ports. To access both servers at the same time, use clients that allow you to set the IMAP servers on two different eMail Server installations.