This appendix describes how to install and configure Oracle products using response files. It includes information about the following topics:
You can automate the installation and configuration of Oracle software, either fully or partially, by specifying a response file when you start Oracle Universal Installer. Oracle Universal Installer uses the values contained in the response file to provide answers to some or all of Oracle Universal Installer prompts:
Typically, Oracle Universal Installer runs in interactive mode, which means that it prompts you to provide information in graphical user interface (GUI) screens. When you use response files to provide this information, you run Oracle Universal Installer at a command prompt using either of the following modes:
If you include responses for all of the prompts in the response file and specify the -silent
option when starting Oracle Universal Installer, then Oracle Universal Installer runs in silent mode. During a silent-mode installation, Oracle Universal Installer does not display any screens. Instead, it displays progress information in the terminal that you used to start it.
Noninteractive (or suppressed) mode
If you include responses for some or all of the prompts in the response file and omit the -silent
option, then Oracle Universal Installer runs in suppressed mode. During a suppressed-mode installation, Oracle Universal Installer displays only the screens for which you did not specify all required information. You can also use variables in the response file or command-line options to suppress other installer screens, such as the Welcome screen or Summary screen, that do not prompt for information.
You define the settings for a silent or noninteractive installation by entering values for the variables listed in the response file. For instance, to specify the Oracle home name, you would supply the appropriate value for the ORACLE_HOME_NAME
variable, as in the following example:
ORACLE_HOME_NAME="OraDBHome1"
Another way of specifying the response file's variable settings is to pass them as command line arguments when you run Oracle Universal Installer. For example:
$ /directory_path/runInstaller -silent "ORACLE_HOME_NAME=OraDBHome1" ...
In this command, directory_path
is the path of the database
directory on the DVD or the path of the Disk1
directory on the hard drive.
This method is particularly useful if you do not want to embed sensitive information, such as passwords, in the response file. For example:
$ /directory_path/runInstaller -silent "s_dlgRBOPassword=binks342" ...
Ensure that you enclose the variable and its setting in quotes.
See Also:
Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for more information about response file formats.The following table describes several reasons why you might want to run Oracle Universal Installer in silent mode or suppressed mode.
Before you create a database that uses Automatic Storage Management, you must run the root.sh
script. For this reason, you cannot create a database using Automatic Storage Management as the storage option for database files during a silent-mode installation. Instead, you can complete a software-only installation using silent-mode, and then run the Oracle Net Configuration Assistant (NetCA) and Database Configuration Assistant configuration assistants in silent mode after you have completed the software-only installation and you have run the root.sh
script.
Note:
This limitation applies only to databases that use Automatic Storage Management as the storage option for database files. You can create a database that uses the file system or raw devices storage option during a silent-mode installation.The following are the general steps to install and configure Oracle products using Oracle Universal Installer in silent or suppressed mode:
Note:
You must complete all required preinstallation tasks on a system before running Oracle Universal Installer in silent or suppressed mode.Create the oraInst.loc
file.
Prepare a response file.
Run Oracle Universal Installer in silent or suppressed mode.
If you completed a software-only installation, then run NetCA and Database Configuration Assistant in silent or noninteractive mode if required.
These steps are described in the following sections.
If you plan to install Oracle products using Oracle Universal Installer in silent or suppressed mode, you must manually create the oraInst.loc
file if it does not already exist. This file specifies the location of the Oracle Inventory directory where Oracle Universal Installer creates the inventory of Oracle products installed on the system.
Note:
If Oracle software has been installed previously on the system, theoraInst.loc
file might already exist. If the file does exist, you do not need to create a file.To create the oraInst.loc
file, follow these steps:
Change directory as follows:
# cd /etc
Use a text editor to create the oraInst.loc
file, containing the following lines:
inventory_loc=ORACLE_BASE/oraInventory
inst_group=
In this example, ORACLE_BASE
is the path of the Oracle base directory, for example, /01/app/oracle
.
Enter the following commands to set the appropriate owner, group, and permissions on the oraInst.loc
file:
# chown oracle:oinstall oraInst.loc # chmod 664 oraInst.loc
This section describes the following methods to prepare a response file for use during silent-mode or suppressed-mode installations:
This method is most useful for the Enterprise Edition or Standard Edition installation types.
Oracle provides response file templates for each product and installation type, and for each configuration tool. These files are located in the database
/response
directory on the installation media.
Note:
If you copied the software to a hard disk, the response files are located in theDisk1/response
directory.Table A-1 lists the response files provided with Oracle Database.
Response File | Description |
---|---|
Enterprise Edition installation of Oracle Database 10g |
|
Standard Edition installation of Oracle Database 10g |
|
Custom installation of Oracle Database 10g |
|
Database Configuration Assistant |
|
Oracle Net Configuration Assistant |
To copy and modify a response file:
Copy the response file from the response file directory to a directory on your system:
$ cp /directory_path/response/response_file.rsp local_directory
In this example, directory_path
is the path to the database
directory on the installation media. If you have copied the software to a hard drive, then you can edit the file in the response
directory if you prefer.
Open the response file in a text editor:
$ vi /local_dir/response_file.rsp
In addition to editing settings specific to the Oracle Database installation, check that the FROM_LOCATION
path is correct and points to the products.xml
file in the stage
directory in the installation media. You may want to set this variable to point to an absolute path, for example:
FROM_LOCATION="/directory_path/stage/products.xml"
Remember that you can specify sensitive information, such as passwords, at the command line rather than within the response file. "How Response Files Work" explains this method.
See Also:
Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for detailed information on creating response files.Follow the instructions in the file to edit it.
Note:
Oracle Universal Installer or configuration assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file. Refer to the "Silent-Mode Response File Error Handling" section for more information about troubleshooting a failed silent-mode installation.Change the permissions on the file to 700:
$ chmod 700 /local_dir/response_file.rsp
Caution:
A fully specified response file for an Oracle Database installation contains the passwords for database administrative accounts and for a user that is a member of the OSDBA group (required for automated backups). Ensure that only the Oracle software owner user can view or modify response files or consider deleting them after the installation succeeds.You can use Oracle Universal Installer in interactive mode to record a response file, which you can edit and then use to complete silent-mode or suppressed-mode installations. This method is useful for custom or software-only installations.
When you record the response file, you can either complete the installation, or you can exit from Oracle Universal Installer on the Summary page, before it starts to copy the software to the system.
If you use record mode during a noninteractive mode installation, then Oracle Universal Installer records the variable values that were specified in the original source response file into the new response file.
Note:
You cannot use record mode to create a response file during an installation that uses the Basic installation method.To record a response file:
Complete the preinstallation tasks listed in Chapter 2.
When you run Oracle Universal Installer to record a response file, it checks the system to verify that it meets the requirements to install the software. For this reason, Oracle recommends that you complete all of the required preinstallation tasks and record the response file while completing an installation.
If you have not installed Oracle software on this system previously, create the oraInst.loc
file, as described in the previous section.
Ensure that the Oracle software owner user (typically oracle
) has permissions to create or write to the Oracle home path that you will specify when you run Oracle Universal Installer.
To record a response file, enter a command similar to the following to start Oracle Universal Installer:
Note:
Do not specify a relative path to the response file. If you specify a relative path, Oracle Universal Installer fails.$ /directory_path/runInstaller -record -destinationFile response_filename
In this command:
directory_path
is the path of the database
directory on the DVD or the path of the Disk1
directory on the hard drive
The -record
parameter specifies that you want to record the responses that you enter in a response file
response_filename
is the full path and file name of the response file that you want to record
On each Oracle Universal Installer screen, specify the required information.
When Oracle Universal Installer displays the Summary screen, perform one of the following actions:
Click Install to create the response file, then continue with the installation.
Click Cancel and then Yes to create the response file but exit from Oracle Universal Installer without installing the software.
The response file is saved in the location that you specified using the -destinationFile
option.
If you do not complete the installation, then delete the Oracle home directory that Oracle Universal Installer created using the path you specified on the Specify File Locations screen.
Before using the recorded response file on another system, edit the file and make any required changes.
Use the instructions in the file as a guide when editing it.
Now, you are ready to run Oracle Universal Installer at the command line, specifying the response file you created, to perform the installation. The Oracle Universal Installer executable, runInstaller
, provides several options. For help information on the full set of these options, run setup.exe
with the -help
option, for example:
$ directory_path/runInstaller -help
The help information appears in a window after some time.
To run Oracle Universal using a response file:
Complete the preinstallation tasks listed in Chapter 2.
Log in as the Oracle software owner user (typically oracle
).
If you are completing a suppressed-mode installation, set the DISPLAY
environment variable.
Note:
You do not have to set theDISPLAY
environment variable if you are completing a silent-mode installation.To start Oracle Universal Installer in silent or suppressed mode, enter a command similar to the following:
Note:
Do not specify a relative path to the response file. If you specify a relative path, Oracle Universal Installer fails.$ /directory_path/runInstaller [-silent] [-noconfig] -responseFile responsefilename
In this example:
directory_path
is the path of the database
directory on the DVD or the path of the Disk1
directory on the hard drive.
-silent
indicates that you want to run Oracle Universal Installer in silent mode.
-noconfig
suppresses running the configuration assistants during installation, and a software-only installation is performed instead.
responsefilename
is the full path and file name of the installation response file that you configured.
Note:
For more information about other options for therunInstaller
command, enter the following command:
$ /directory_path/runInstaller -help
When the installation completes, log in as the root
user and run the root.sh
script:
$ su
# /oracle_home_path/root.sh
You can run NetCA in silent mode to configure and start an Oracle Net listener on the system, configure naming methods, and configure Oracle Net service names. To run NetCA in silent mode, you must copy and edit a response file template. Oracle provides a response file template named netca.resp
in the response
directory in the database
/response
directory on the DVD.
Note:
If you copied the software to a hard disk, the response file template is located in theDisk1/response
directory.To run NetCA using a response file:
Copy the netca.rsp
response file template from the response file directory to a directory on your system:
$ cp /directory_path/response/netca.rsp local_directory
In this example, directory_path
is the path of the database
directory on the DVD. If you have copied the software to a hard drive, you can edit the file in the response
directory if you prefer.
Open the response file in a text editor:
$ vi /local_dir/netca.rsp
Follow the instructions in the file to edit it.
Note:
NetCA fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.Log in as the Oracle software owner user, and set the ORACLE_HOME
environment variable to specify the correct Oracle home directory.
Enter a command similar to the following to run NetCA in silent mode:
$ $ORACLE_HOME/bin/netca /silent /responsefile /local_dir/netca.rsp
In this command:
The /silent
option indicates that you want to run NetCA in silent mode.
local_dir
is the full path of the directory where you copied the netca.rsp
response file template.
You can run Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive or silent mode to configure and start an Oracle Database on your system. To run Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive or silent mode, you must copy and edit a response file template. Oracle provides a response file template named dbca.resp
in the database
/response
directory on the DVD.
Note:
If you copied the software to a hard disk, the response file template is located in theDisk1/response
directory.This section contains the following topics:
Using Database Configuration Assistant in Noninteractive Mode
Running Database Configuration Assistant in Noninteractive or Silent Mode
In noninteractive mode, Database Configuration Assistant uses values that you specify, in the response file or as command line options, to create a database. As it configures and starts the database, it displays a window that contains status messages and a progress bar. The window that it displays is the same window that is displayed when you choose to create a preconfigured database during an Enterprise Edition or Standard Edition installation.
To run Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive mode, you must use a graphical display.
In silent mode, Database Configuration Assistant uses values that you specify, in the response file or as command line options, to create a database. Database Configuration Assistant does not display any screens or information while it creates the database.
To run Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive or silent mode:
Note:
As an alternative to editing the response file template, you can also create a database by specifying all required information as command line options when you run Database Configuration Assistant. For information about the list of options supported, enter the following command:$ $ORACLE_HOME/bin/dbca -help
Copy the dbca.rsp
response file template from the response file directory to a directory on your system:
$ cp /directory_path/response/dbca.rsp local_directory
In this example, directory_path
is the path of the database
directory on the DVD. If you have copied the software to a hard drive, you can edit the file in the response
directory if you prefer.
Open the response file in a text editor:
$ vi /local_dir/dbca.rsp
Edit the file, following the instructions in the file.
Note:
Database Configuration Assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.Log in as the Oracle software owner user, and set the ORACLE_HOME
environment variable to specify the correct Oracle home directory.
Enter a command similar to the following to run Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive or silent mode with a response file:
$ $ORACLE_HOME/bin/dbca {-progressOnly | -silent} [-cloneTemplate] \ [-datafileDestination /datafilepath] -responseFile /local_dir/dbca.rsp
In this example:
The -silent
option indicates that you want to run Database Configuration Assistant in silent mode.
The -progressOnly
option indicates that you want to run Database Configuration Assistant in noninteractive mode.
The -cloneTemplate
option is required if you want to create one of the following preconfigured databases:
General Purpose
Transaction Processing
Data Warehouse
-datafileDestination
specifies the parent directory where you want to create the database files. If you do not specify this option, the parent directory for database files is the $ORACLE_BASE/oradata
directory if the ORACLE_BASE environment variable is set, or the $ORACLE_HOME/oradata
directory if ORACLE_BASE is not set.
local_dir
is the full path of the directory where you copied the dbca.rsp
response file template.