5 Requirements

Before installing Oracle Application Server 10g Forms and Reports Services, you must ensure that your computer meets the requirements described in this chapter.

This chapter contains the following sections:

Section 5.1, "System Requirements"
Section 5.2, "Operating System Patches"
Section 5.3, "Operating System Packages"
Section 5.4, "Operating System User"
Section 5.5, "Environment Variables"

5.1 System Requirements

Table 5–1 lists the system requirements for running Oracle Application Server 10g Forms and Reports Services. The OUI checks many of the requirements at the start of the installation process and warns you if any of them is not met. To save time, you can manually check only the remaining requirements. Refer to Table 5–1 to see which requirements are not checked by the installer.

Table 5-1 System Requirements

Item	Requirement	Checked by Installer
Operating system	Solaris 8 Solaris 9 See Section 5.2, "Operating System Patches" for a list of required patches.	Yes
IP	The computer’s IP address must be static. Oracle Application Server 10g Forms and Reports Services does not support computers using Solaris DHCP. DHCP is supported on Linux and Microsoft Windows.	No
Processor Type	The processor must have a SPARC v9 architecture. This is because Oracle Application Server 10g (9.0.4) uses the Sun Java 1.4.1 HotSpot Server VM, which no longer supports SPARC v8 and older processors.	No
Processor Speed	300 MHz or greater (450 MHz recommended). Oracle recommends a multiple CPU computer. To determine the processor speed, run the `psrinfo` command with the `-v` option: prompt> /usr/sbin/psrinfo -v Status of processor 0 as of: 02/10/03 13:21:20 Processor has been on-line since 02/04/03 15:45:07. The sparc processor operates at 450 MHz, and has a sparc floating point processor.	Yes
Memory	512 MB To determine the amount of memory, use the `prtconf` command: prompt> /usr/sbin/prtconf \| grep Memory Note: These values assume you are running only one Oracle Application Server 10g Forms and Reports Services instance per computer.	Yes
Disk space	1 GB To determine the amount of free disk space, use the `df` command: prompt> df -k dir Replace `dir` with `/opt/oracle`	No
Space in /tmp directory	256 MB To determine the amount of free space in the `/tmp` directory, use the `df` command: prompt> df -k /tmp If the `/tmp` directory does not have enough free space, you can specify a different directory by setting the TMP environment variable.	Yes
Swap space	640 MB of available swap space To determine the amount of available swap space, use the `swap` command: prompt> /usr/sbin/swap -s If you do not have enough swap space, perform the following tasks: Log in as the root user, and create an empty swap file: prompt> su Password: root_user_password # mkfilesizemswap_file_name Append an "`m`" to the size to specify the size in megabytes (example: `600m`). The minimum size of this file must be greater than the difference between the currently available swap space and required swap space. For example, if you have 100 MB of free swap space, then this swap file must be at least 540 MB. Add the file to the swap space using the following command: # /usr/sbin/swap -aswap_file_name Verify the new swap space size: prompt> /usr/sbin/swap -s	Yes
Monitor	256 color display To determine your monitor’s display capabilities, run the `xwininfo` command. Before running the command, ensure that the DISPLAY environment variable is set. prompt> /usr/openwin/bin/xwininfo Look for the "Depth" line. You need a depth of at least 8 (bits per pixel).	Yes
Supported browsers	The following browsers are supported: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5, 6.0 and higher Netscape 4.78, 4.79, 7 and higher Mozilla 1.3.1 and higher However, Oracle Enterprise Manager is optimized for the following browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5, 6.0 and higher Netscape 7 and higher Mozilla 1.3.1 and higher For the most current list of supported browsers, check the OracleMetaLink site (`http://metalink.oracle.com`).	No

5.1.1 Tips for Reducing Memory Usage

If you need to reduce memory consumption:

After installation, if you want to stop services that are not used to reduce the memory usage, you can stop them from the Oracle Enterprise Manager. For details, see the Oracle Application Server 10g Administrator's Guide.
For Oracle Report Services, the JVM heap size can be controlled by specifying small value through the environment variable REPORTS_JVM_OPTIONS. For details, see Oracle Application Server Reports Services Publishing Reports to the Web.

5.2 Operating System Patches

Table 5–2 lists the Solaris operating system patches that you must install before installing Oracle Application Server 10g Forms and Reports Services. You can download the patches from:

http://sunsolve.sun.com

Note:

Although the patches listed in Table 5–2 are current at the time of publication, Sun Microsystems, Inc. often updates the list of required patches for J2SE. Click the "Readme" link on the following URL for the most current list of patches: http://sunsolve.sun.com/pub-cgi/show.pl?target=patches/J2SE

Table 5-2 Required Patches for Solaris Operating Systems

Operating System	Patches Required
Solaris 8	108652-66 or higher: X11 6.4.1: Xsun patch 108921-16 or higher: CDE 1.4: dtwm patch 108940-54 or higher: Motif 1.2.7 and 2.1.1: Runtime library patch 112003-03 or higher: Unable to load fontset in 64-bit Solaris 8 iso-1 or iso-15 108773-18 or higher: IIIM and X input and output method patch 111310-01 or higher: /usr/lib/libdhcpagent.so.1 patch 109147-24 or higher: Linker patch 111308-03 or higher: /usr/lib/libmtmalloc.so.1 patch 112438-01 or higher: /kernel/drv/random patch 111111-03 or higher: /usr/bin/nawk patch 112396-02 or higher: /usr/bin/fgrep patch 110386-03 or higher: RBAC feature patch 111023-02 or higher: /kernel/fs/mntfs and /kernel/fs/sparcv9/mntfs patch 108987-13 or higher: Patch for patchadd and patchrm 108528-22 or higher: Kernel update patch 108989-02 or higher: /usr/kernel/sys/acctctl and /usr/kernel/sys/exacctsys patch 108993-22 or higher: LDAP2 client, libc, libthread and libnsl libraries patch 112138-01 or higher: usr/bin/domainname patch
Solaris 9	No patches required.

Operating System

Patches Required

Solaris 8

108652-66 or higher: X11 6.4.1: Xsun patch
108921-16 or higher: CDE 1.4: dtwm patch
108940-54 or higher: Motif 1.2.7 and 2.1.1: Runtime library patch
112003-03 or higher: Unable to load fontset in 64-bit Solaris 8 iso-1 or iso-15
108773-18 or higher: IIIM and X input and output method patch
111310-01 or higher: /usr/lib/libdhcpagent.so.1 patch
109147-24 or higher: Linker patch
111308-03 or higher: /usr/lib/libmtmalloc.so.1 patch
112438-01 or higher: /kernel/drv/random patch
111111-03 or higher: /usr/bin/nawk patch
112396-02 or higher: /usr/bin/fgrep patch
110386-03 or higher: RBAC feature patch
111023-02 or higher: /kernel/fs/mntfs and /kernel/fs/sparcv9/mntfs patch
108987-13 or higher: Patch for patchadd and patchrm
108528-22 or higher: Kernel update patch
108989-02 or higher: /usr/kernel/sys/acctctl and /usr/kernel/sys/exacctsys patch
108993-22 or higher: LDAP2 client, libc, libthread and libnsl libraries patch
112138-01 or higher: usr/bin/domainname patch

Solaris 9

No patches required.

How to Get a List of Operating System Patches Installed on Your Computer

Follow the procedure below to determine which patches are installed on your computer.

Run the showrev command with the -a option. The following command saves the output to a file called patchList.
```
prompt> showrev -a > patchList
```
Open the file in a text editor, such as vi or emacs, and search for patch numbers.

How the Installer Checks for Operating System Patches

The installer searches for the required patch versions on your computer. If it does not find an exact match, it displays a warning message in the shell where you started the installer:

prompt> runInstaller
...
Pre-Requisite checks for patches have failed. Do you wish to continue y/n n

The installer gives you a choice to exit or continue.

Type n to exit the installer if you do not have all the patches. You can then download and install the patches.

Type y to continue only if you have patches that are of a later version (for example, you have patch 108652-67 instead of 108652-66).

5.3 Operating System Packages

Check that your computer contains the following operating system packages. If the packages are not present, the installer cannot continue.

SUNWarc
SUNWbtool
SUNWhea
SUNWlibm
SUNWlibms
SUNWsprot
SUNWsprox
SUNWtoo
SUNWi1of (the character after the "i" is the number 1, not the letter "ell")
SUNWxwfnt
SUNWi1cs (the character after the "i" is the number 1, not the letter "ell")
SUNWi15cs (the character after the "i" is the number 1, not the letter "ell")

The last two packages (SUNWi1cs and SUNWi15cs) are required for the ISO8859-1 and ISO8859-15 codesets.

To check if an operating system package is installed on your computer, run the pkginfo command with the name of the package. Do this for each package listed above. The syntax for running pkginfo is:

pkginfo package_name

For example:

prompt> pkginfo SUNWarc

If your computer is missing a package, contact your system administrator.

5.4 Operating System User

Create an operating system user to install and upgrade Oracle products. The operating system user running the installer must have write permission for these directories:

the Oracle home directory, which contains files for the product you are installing
the inventory directory, which is used by the installer for all Oracle products

If the computer contains other Oracle products, you might already have a user for this purpose. Look in the /var/opt/oracle/oraInst.loc file. This file lists the location of the inventory directory and the group who owns it. If the file does not exist, the computer does not have Oracle products installed on it.

If you do not already have a user for installing Oracle products, create a user with the following properties:

Table 5-3 Properties of the Operating System User Who Runs the installer

Item	Description
Login name	You can use any name for the user. This guide refers to the user as the `oracle` user.
Group identifier	The primary group of the `oracle` user must have write permission for the `oraInventory` directory. You can use any name for the group. This guide uses the name `oinstall`.
Home directory	The home directory for the `oracle` user can be consistent with the home directories of other users.
Login shell	The default login shell can be the C, Bourne, or Korn shell.

Note:

Use the oracle user only for installing and maintaining Oracle products. Never use it for purposes unrelated to the installer. Do not use root as the oracle user.

To create a local operating system user, use the Solaris Management Console:

Set the DISPLAY environment variable to point to the monitor where you want the Solaris Management Console window to appear. See Section 5.5.1, "DISPLAY Environment Variable" if you need help setting the environment variable.
Start up the Solaris Management Console:
```
prompt> /usr/sadm/bin/smc
```
In the left frame, expand This Computer, then expand System Configuration.
Click Users. This displays the Log In window.
In the Log In window, in User Name, enter root. In Password, enter the root password.
In the left frame, expand Users and select User Accounts.
Select Action > Add User > With Wizard.
In User Name, enter the name of the user (oracle). The Full Name and Description fields are optional. Click Next.
In User ID Number, accept the default value. Click Next.
Select User Must Use This Password At First Login, and enter a password for the user. Click Next.
In Primary Group, select the primary group for the user. This is the group you created earlier to own the inventory directory. Click Next.
In Path, enter a home directory for the user. Click Next.
Review the mail server information for the user and click Next.
Review the user information and click Finish to create the user.

To check which groups an operating system user belongs to, run the groups command with the name of the user. For example:

prompt> groups oracle

For more information about operating system users and groups, see your operating system documentation or contact your system administrator.

5.5 Environment Variables

The operating system user who will be installing Oracle Application Server 10g Forms and Reports Services needs to set (or unset) the following environment variables. Table 5–4 summarizes whether you set or unset an environment variable.

Table 5-4 Environment Variable Summary

Environment variable	Set or Unset
`ORACLE_HOME`	Unset
`PATH, CLASSPATH, and LD_LIBRARY_PATH`	Must not contain references to directories in any Oracle home directories.
`DISPLAY`	Set it to the monitor where you want to the installer window to appear.
`TMP`	Optional. If unset, defaults to `/tmp`.
`TNS_ADMIN`	Unset
`REPORTS_DEFAULT_DISPLAY`	Default set to YES. If it is set to NO, ensure that you specify the appropriate display.
`FORM90_PATH`	Specifies the path that Oracle Forms searches when looking for a form, menu, or library to run.

5.5.1 DISPLAY Environment Variable

Set the DISPLAY environment variable to point to the X server that will display the installer. The format of the DISPLAY environment variable is:

hostname:display_number.screen_number

Example (C shell):

% setenv DISPLAY test.acme.com:0.0

Example (Bourne or Korn shell):

$ DISPLAY=test.acme.com:0.0; export DISPLAY

You can test the display by running the xclock program:

$ /usr/openwin/bin/xclock &

Oracle Application Server 10g Forms and Reports Services requires a running X server during installation only. The frame buffer X server installed with your operating system requires that you remain logged in and have the frame buffer running during installation. If you do not wish to do this, then you must use a virtual frame buffer, such as X Virtual Frame Buffer (XVFB) or Virtual Network Computing (VNC).

Visit Oracle Technology Network (http://otn.oracle.com) for information about obtaining and installing XVFB or other virtual frame buffer solutions. Search OTN for "frame buffer".