N1 Provisioning Server 3.1, Blades Edition, Installation Guide

Installing the N1 Provisioning Server Database

The N1 Provisioning Server 3.1, Blades Edition software enables you to use either the Oracle 8i database, version 8.1.7, or the PostgreSQL database, version 7.4. During installation, you are given the choice to use either the Postgres or the Oracle database.

The PostgreSQL database is included on the installation DVD-ROM. If you choose to use PostgreSQL, skip this section. The PostgreSQL database is installed during N1 Provisioning Software installation.
If you choose to use Oracle, you must purchase and install the 32–bit version of the Oracle 8.1.7 database before you can install the N1 Provisioning Server software as described by this section.

You must obtain the Oracle software and a license for the software which covers at least the number of connections that you will use. The N1 Provisioning Server software requires a number of concurrent connections to the Oracle database instance running on the N1 Provisioning Server. However, the number of connections that any particular organization might require is generally difficult to determine. Consequently, you should obtain a CPU license from Oracle, either perpetual or on a yearly basis.

You need to install the 32-bit version of the Oracle 8i database. If you do not have this version, you can download Oracle 8i from the Oracle Web site. Before you start the Oracle installation, you need to create the following user and group names, which are required during the Oracle installation:

User name – oracle
Group name – dba

Install Oracle 8i according to the Oracle 8i installation instructions. Follow the steps for a typical installation. The N1 Provisioning Server installation process creates separate control plane and control center databases. You can remove the Oracle database after a successful Provisioning Server installation if you require more disk space.

Be sure to note the full path of the Oracle installation directory, ORACLE_HOME. The ORACLE_HOME environment variable is required for the N1 Provisioning Server software installation, and must be set on the control plane server.