G Troubleshooting the Oracle Database Installation

This appendix contains the following information about troubleshooting:

G.1 Verifying Requirements

Before you try any of the troubleshooting steps in this appendix, do the following:

G.2 Encountering Installation Errors

If you encounter an error during installation:

G.3 Reviewing the Log of an Installation Session

During an installation, Oracle Universal Installer records all the actions that it performs in a log file. If you encounter problems during the installation, review the log file for information about possible causes of the problem. By default, the log files are located in the following directory:

SYSTEM_DRIVE:\Program Files\Oracle\Inventory\logs

Log filenames from interactive installations take the form:

installActionsdate_time.log

For example, if an interactive installation occurred at 9:00:56 a.m. on October 14, 2005, the log file would be named:

installActions2005-10-14_09-00-56AM.log

Note:

Do not delete or manually alter the Inventory directory or its contents. Doing so can prevent Oracle Universal Installer from locating products that you install on your system.

G.4 Silent or Noninteractive Installation Response File Error Handling

To determine whether a silent or noninteractive installation succeeds or fails, check the silentInstallActionsdate_time.log file, located in DRIVE_LETTER:\Program Files\Oracle\Inventory\logs.

If necessary, see the previous section for information about determining the location of the Inventory directory.

A silent or noninteractive installation fails if:

  • You do not specify a response file.

  • You specify an incorrect or incomplete response file.

    For example, a common problem is that while all the product-specific data is filled out correctly, the staging area location may be incorrect. If this is the case, check the FROM_LOCATION variable and make sure that it points to the products.xml file in the installation media. In the installation media, this products.xml is in database\stage.

  • Oracle Universal Installer encounters an error, such as insufficient disk space.

Oracle Universal Installer or a configuration assistant validates the response file at runtime. If the validation fails, the silent or noninteractive installation or configuration process ends. Oracle Universal Installer treats values for parameters that are of the wrong context, format, or type as if no value was specified in the file.

See Also:

"Reviewing the Log of an Installation Session" for information about interactive installation log files

G.5 Troubleshooting Configuration Assistants

To troubleshoot an installation error that occurs when a configuration assistant is running:

  • Review the installation log files listed in the "Reviewing the Log of an Installation Session" section.

  • Review the specific configuration assistant log file located in the ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\cfgtoollogs directory. Try to fix the issue that caused the error.

  • If you see the Fatal Error. Reinstall message, look for the cause of the problem by reviewing the log files. See "Fatal Errors" for more information.

G.5.1 Configuration Assistant Failures

Oracle configuration assistant failures are noted at the bottom of the installation window. The configuration assistant interface displays additional information, if available. The configuration assistant execution status is stored in the installActionsdate_time.log file.

The execution status codes are listed in the following table:

Status Result Code
Configuration assistant succeeded 0
Configuration assistant failed 1
Configuration assistant canceled -1

G.5.2 Fatal Errors

If you receive a fatal error while a configuration assistant is running:

  1. Remove the failed installation as described in the "Cleaning Up After a Failed Installation" section.

  2. Correct the cause of the fatal error.

  3. Reinstall the Oracle software.

G.6 Cleaning Up After a Failed Installation

If an installation fails, you must remove files that Oracle Universal Installer created during the attempted installation and remove the Oracle home directory. Follow the instructions in Chapter 6, "Removing Oracle Database Software" to run Oracle Universal Installer to deinstall Oracle Database, manually remove the Oracle directory, and remove Oracle from the Registry Editor keys. Afterward, reinstall the software.