B Installing and Configuring Oracle Real Application Clusters Using Response Files

This appendix describes the steps required to install and configure an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) database using scripts to perform noninteractive installations.

Note:

The scripts generated by DBCA are for reference purposes only. Oracle strongly recommends that you use DBCA to create a database.

See Also:

Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for Windows and UNIX for detailed information about generating installation scripts

This appendix contains the following topics:

• Using DBCA to generate Installation Scripts for Oracle RAC

• Using DBCA Noninteractive (Silent) Configuration for Oracle RAC

• How Response Files Work

• Creating the inst_loc Registry Entry

• Preparing a Response File

• Running the Installer Using a Response File

• Running Net Configuration Assistant Using a Response File

• Running Configuration Assistants Using Response Files

• Postinstallation Configuration Using a Response File

B.1 Using DBCA to generate Installation Scripts for Oracle RAC

To generate scripts to create an Oracle RAC database, create a database using the generated scripts, and prepare the database for use, complete the following steps:

1. Start Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) and select your preferred options to build the Oracle RAC database.

   On the Creation Options page of your DBCA session, deselect Create Database and select Generate Database Creation Scripts before you click Finish.

   You can accept the default destination directory for the scripts, or browse for a different location. In either case, you should note the path name for use in the next step.

   See Also:

   Chapter 3, "Creating Oracle Real Application Clusters Databases with Database Configuration Assistant" for additional information about running a DBCA session

2. Navigate to the directory where DBCA created the scripts, and review the SQL scripts to ensure that they contain the statements to build a database with the characteristics you require. If they do not, then Oracle recommends that you rerun DBCA to create scripts with the desired configuration rather than editing the scripts yourself.

3. On each cluster node you identified during your DBCA session, run the script sid.bat, where sid is the SID prefix that you entered on the DBCA Database Name page.

4. Set the initialization parameter, cluster_database, to the value TRUE in your SPFILE by issuing an ALTER SYSTEM command, or by uncommenting it in your PFILE for each instance.

5. Configure Oracle Net Services to support your new database and instances as described in Chapter 7, "Understanding the Oracle Real Application Clusters Installed Configuration".

6. Set the remote_listener parameter to the SCAN (using the EZ connect syntax scanname:scanport) in your SPFILE by issuing an ALTER SYSTEM command, or by removing the comment indicator for this parameter in your PFILE for each instance.

7. Run SRVCTL to configure and start database and instance applications as described in Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment Guide.

   See Also:

   Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for Windows and UNIX for additional information about creating and using scripts to install Oracle software with OUI

B.2 Using DBCA Noninteractive (Silent) Configuration for Oracle RAC

You can perform a noninteractive, or "silent" configuration of Oracle RAC using DBCA. To perform a silent configuration, you must have completed an Oracle Clusterware installation

The following command syntax creates an Oracle RAC database on an existing Oracle ASM disk group, where the cluster nodes are node1 and node2, and where the disk group name is +ASMgrp1, and password is a place holder for a password, which can be all the same password, or different passwords each time:

%ORACLE_HOME%\bin\dbca -silent -createDatabase -templateName General_Purpose.dbc
-gdbName %DBNAME% -sid %SID% -sysPassword password -systemPassword password
-sysmanPassword password -dbsnmpPassword password -emConfiguration LOCAL
-storageType ASM -diskGroupName +ASMgrp1 -datafileJarLocation %ORACLE_HOME%\
assistants\dbca\templates -nodeinfo node1,node2 =characterset WE8MSWIN1252
-obfuscatedPasswords false -sampleSchema false -asmSysPassword password

B.3 How Response Files Work

When you start the installer, you can use a response file to automate the installation and configuration of Oracle software, either fully or partially. The installer uses the values contained in the response file to provide answers to some or all installation prompts.

Typically, the 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 the installer from a command prompt using either of the following modes:

• Silent mode

  If you include responses for all of the prompts in the response file and specify the -silent option when starting the installer, then it runs in silent mode. During a silent mode installation, the installer does not display any screens. Instead, it displays progress information in the terminal that you used to start it.

• Response file mode

  If you include responses for some or all of the prompts in the response file and omit the -silent option, then the installer runs in response file mode. During a response file mode installation, the installer displays all the screens, screens for which you specify information in the response file, and also screens for which you did not specify the required information in the response file.

You define the settings for a silent or response file installation by entering values for the variables listed in the response file. For example, to specify the Oracle home name, supply the appropriate value for the ORACLE_HOME variable:

ORACLE_HOME="OraDBHome1"

Another way of specifying the response file variable settings is to pass them as command line arguments when you run the installer. For example:

-silent "ORACLE_HOME=OraDBHome1" ...

This method is particularly useful if you do not want to embed sensitive information, such as passwords, in the response file. For example:

-silent "s_dlgRBOPassword=binks342" ...

Enclose the variable and its value in quotes.

See Also:

Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for Windows and UNIX for more information about response files

B.3.1 Deciding to Use Silent Mode or Response File Mode

The following table provides use cases for running the installer in silent mode or response file mode.

Mode	Uses
Silent	Use silent mode for the following installations: Complete an unattended installation, which you schedule using operating system utilities. Complete several similar installations on multiple systems without user interaction. The installer displays progress information on the terminal that you used to start it, but it does not display any of the installer screens.
Response file	Use response file mode if you want to complete similar Oracle software installations on more than one system, providing default answers to some, but not all of the installer prompts. If you specified the values required for a particular installer window, then the window is displayed with the provided values; you can still change the values displayed in the window. If you do not specify information required for a particular installer screen in the response file, then the installer displays that screen with only the default values displayed.

B.3.2 General Procedure for Using Response Files

The following are the general steps to install and configure Oracle products using the installer in silent or response file mode:

Note:

You must complete all required preinstallation tasks on a system before running the installer in silent or response file mode.

• Create the Registry value inst_loc for the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Oracle key if it does not already exist

• Prepare a response file.

• Run the installer in silent or response file mode.

• If you completed a software-only installation, then run Net Configuration Assistant and Database Configuration Assistant in silent or response file mode.

• These steps are described in the following sections.

B.4 Creating the inst_loc Registry Entry

If you plan to install Oracle products using the installer in silent or suppressed mode on a node which has not had Oracle software installed on it previously, then you must manually create the inst_loc Registry entry. This paramter specifies the location of the Oracle Inventory directory, which is where the installer creates the central inventory of Oracle products installed on the system.

Note:

If Oracle software has been installed previously on the system, then the inst_loc Registry entry should already exist. If the Registry entry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Oracle\inst_loc already exists, then you do not need to create this entry.

To create the inst_loc Registry entry, follow these steps:

1. Log in as a user that is a member of the local Administrators group.

2. Create a backup of the Windows registry.

3. Invoke the registry editor, for example, by clicking Start then typing regedit from the Run.. menu .

4. Navigate to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Oracle.

5. Add the value inst_loc as a string vaule and populate it with the location of the Oracle Inventory directory, for example:

   Name: inst_loc
   Type: REG_SZ
   Data: C:\Program Files\Oracle\Inventory
   

   See Also:

   Microsoft Support Article ID: 310516: "How to add, modify, or delete registry subkeys and values by using a registration entries (.reg) file"

B.5 Preparing a Response File

This section describes the following methods to prepare a response file for use during silent mode or response file mode installations:

• Editing a Response File Template

• Recording a Response File

B.5.1 Editing a Response File Template

Oracle provides response file templates for each product and installation type, and for each configuration tool. For Oracle Database, the response files are located in the database\response directory on the installation media or in the Oracle_home\inventory\response directory after the software has been installed.

Table B-1 lists the response files provided with this software:

Table B-1 Response Files for Oracle Database

Response File	Description
db_install.rsp	Silent installation of Oracle Database 11g
dbca.rsp	Silent creation and configuration of an Oracle database using Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA)
netca.rsp	Silent configuration of Oracle Net using Oracle Net Configuration Assistant (NetCA)

Caution:

When you modify a response file template and save a file for use, the response file may contain plain text passwords. Oracle strongly recommends that database administrators or other administrators delete or secure response files when they are not in use.

To copy and modify a response file:

1. Copy the response file from the response file directory to a directory on your system:

   If you have copied the software to a hard drive, then you can edit the file in the response directory if you prefer.

2. Open the response file in a text editor:

   Remember that you can specify sensitive information, such as passwords, at the command line rather than within the response file. The section "How Response Files Work" explains this method.

   See Also:

   Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for Windows and UNIX for detailed information on creating response files

3. Follow the instructions in the file to edit it.

   Note:

   The installer or configuration assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.

4. Secure the response file.

   Note:

   A fully specified response file for an Oracle Database installation contains the passwords for database administrative accounts and for a user who is a member of the ORA_DBA group and the Administrators group (required for automated backups). Ensure that only the Oracle software owner user can view or modify response files or consider deleting the modified response file after the installation succeeds.

B.5.2 Recording a Response File

You can use the installer in interactive mode to record a response file, which you can edit and then use to complete silent mode or response file mode installations. This method is useful for customized or software-only installations.

Starting with Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2), you can save all the installation steps into a response file during installation by clicking Save Response File on the Summary page. You can use the generated response file for a silent installation later.

When you record the response file, you can either complete the installation, or you can exit from the installer on the Summary page, before it starts to copy the software to the server.

Note:

Oracle Universal Installer does not record passwords in the response file.

To record a response file:

1. Complete preinstallation tasks as for a normal installation.

   When you run the 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.

2. Log in as a user that is a member of the local Administrators group and start the installer.

3. On each installation screen, specify the required information.

4. When the installer displays the Summary screen, perform the following:

   1. Click Save Response File. In the pop-up window, specify a file name and location for the response file, then click Save to write the settings you have entered to the response file.

   2. Click Finish to continue with the installation.

      Click Cancel if you do not want to continue with the installation. The installation will stop, but the recorded response file is retained.

5. Before you use the saved 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.

B.6 Running the Installer Using a Response File

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, setup.exe, provides several options. For help information on the full set of these options, run the setup.exe command with the -help option, for example:

X:\> directory_path\setup.exe -help

In this command, directory_path is the path of the database directory on the installation media or the path of the staging directory on the hard drive.

The help information appears in your session window after some time.

To run the installer using a response file:

1. Complete the preinstallation tasks as for a normal installation

2. Log in as a user with Administrator privileges.

3. To start the installer in silent or response file mode, enter a command similar to the following:

   X:\> directory_path\setup.exe  [-silent] [-noconfig] \
    -responseFile responsefilename
   

   Note:

   Do not specify a relative path to the response file. If you specify a relative path, then the installer fails.

   In this example:

   • directory_path is the path of the database directory on the installation media or the path of staging directory on the hard drive.

   • -silent indicates that you want to run the 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.

If you use record mode during a response file mode installation, then the installer records the variable values that were specified in the original source response file into the new response file.

B.7 Running Net Configuration Assistant Using a Response File

You can run Net Configuration Assistant 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 Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode, you must copy and edit a response file template. Oracle provides a response file template named netca.rsp in the response directory in the Oracle_home\inventory\response directory after installation or in the database\response directory on the installation media.

To run Net Configuration Assistant using a response file:

1. Copy the netca.rsp response file template from the response file directory to a directory on your system:

   If you have copied the software to a hard drive, you can edit the file in the response directory if you prefer.

2. Open the response file in a text editor:

3. Follow the instructions in the file to edit it.

   Note:

   Net Configuration Assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.

4. Log in as a user that is a member of the local Administrators group.

5. Enter a command similar to the following to run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode:

   C:\> Oracle_home\bin\netca -silent -responsefile X:\local_dir\netca.rsp
   

   In this command:

   • The /silent option indicates that you want to run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode.

   • X:\local_dir is the full path of the directory where you copied the netca.rsp response file template where X is the drive on which the file is located and local_dir is the folder path on that drive.

B.8 Running Configuration Assistants Using Response Files

You can run configuration assistants in response file or silent mode to configure and start Oracle software after it is installed on the system. To run configuration assistants in response file or silent mode, you must copy and edit a response file template.

Note:

If you copied the software to a hard disk, then the response file template is located in the staging_directory\database\response directory.

This section contains the following topics:

• About the Database Configuration Assistant in Response File Mode

• Running Database Configuration Assistant in Response File or Silent Mode

B.8.1 About the Database Configuration Assistant in Response File Mode

In the response file 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 response file mode, you must use the -progressOnly flag to set the run mode to response file mode.

Oracle provides a response file template named dbca.rsp in the response directory on the installation media.

B.8.2 Running Database Configuration Assistant in Response File or Silent Mode

To run Database Configuration Assistant in response file or silent mode:

1. Copy the dbca.rsp response file template from the response file directory to a directory on your system.

   If you have copied the software to a hard drive, you can edit the file in the staging_dir\database\response directory if you prefer.

   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:

   C:\> Oracle_home\bin\dbca -help
   

2. Open the response file in a text editor.

3. Edit the file, following the instructions in the file.

   Note:

   Database Configuration Assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.

4. Log in as a user that is a member of the local Administrators group.

5. Open a command-line window. Change directories to the location of the Oracle home directory.

6. Use the following command syntax to run Database Configuration Assistant in silent or response file mode using a response file:

   C:\> Oracle_home\bin\dbca {-progressOnly | -silent} -responseFile \
   local_dir\dbca.rsp
   

   In this example:

   • The -silent option runs Database Configuration Assistant in silent mode.

   • The -progressOnly option runs Database Configuration Assistant in response file mode.

   • local_dir is the full path of the directory where the dbca.rsp response file is located.

B.9 Postinstallation Configuration Using a Response File

Use the following sections to create and run a response file configuration after installing Oracle software.

B.9.1 About the Postinstallation Configuration File

When you run a silent or response file installation, you provide information about your servers in a response file that you otherwise provide manually using a graphical user interface. However, the response file does not contain passwords for user accounts that configuration assistants require after software installation is complete. The configuration assistants are started with a script called configToolAllCommands. You can run this script in response file mode by creating and using a password response file. The script uses the passwords to run the configuration tools in succession to complete configuration.

If you keep the password file to use for clone installations, then Oracle strongly recommends that you store it in a secure location. In addition, if you have to stop an installation to fix an error, then you can run the configuration assistants using configToolAllCommands and a password response file.

The configToolAllCommands password response file consists of the following syntax options:

• internal_component_name is the name of the component that the configuration assistant configures

• variable_name is the name of the configuration file variable

• value is the desired value to use for configuration.

The command syntax is as follows:

internal_component_name|variable_name=value

For example:

oracle.assistants.asm|S_ASMPASSWORD=myPassWord

Oracle strongly recommends that you maintain security with a password response file.

B.9.2 Running Postinstallation Configuration Using a Response File

To run configuration assistants with the configToolAllCommands script:

1. Create a response file using the syntax filename.properties.

2. Open the file with a text editor, and cut and paste the password template, modifying as needed.

   Example B-1 Password response file for Oracle Real Application Clusters

   Oracle Database configuration requires the SYS, SYSTEM, SYSMAN, and DBSNMP passwords for use with Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). The S_ASMSNMPPASSWORD response is necessary only if the database is using Oracle ASM for storage. Also, if you selected to configure Oracle Enterprise Manager, then you must provide the password for the Oracle software installation owner for the S_HOSTUSERPASSWORD response.

   oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSTEMPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSMANPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_DBSNMPPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_HOSTUSERPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_ASMSNMPPASSWORD=password
   

   If you do not want to enable Oracle Enterprise Manager or Oracle ASM, then leave those password fields blank

3. If the file is stored on an NTFS volume, then modify the security permissions to secure the file.

4. Change directory to Oracle_home\cfgtoollogs.

5. Run the configuration script using the following syntax:

   configToolAllCommands RESPONSE_FILE=\path\name.properties

   for example:

   C:\..\cfgtoollogs> configToolAllCommands RESPONSE_FILE=C:\users\oracle\db\cfg
   _db.properties