1. Installation Guide
  2. Installing Oracle Database
  3. Preinstallation Considerations for Installing Oracle Database

Preinstallation Considerations for Installing Oracle Database

The Oracle Database software is available on the installation media or you can download it from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) website.

In most cases, Oracle Universal Installer provides a graphical user interface (GUI) to install the software. However, you can also use Oracle Universal Installer without the GUI by supplying a response file with silent or response file mode.

Note:

Windows requires Administrator privileges at the command prompt.

Related Topics

Installation Consideration on Windows

On Windows, open command prompts with the Administrator privileges.

Performing Multiple Oracle Database Installations

To perform multiple installations of Oracle Database, use either of the following methods to install Oracle Database:

  • Response files: At each node, you run Oracle Universal Installer from the command line using silent or response file mode and you supply a response file to provide information Oracle Universal Installer needs. The response file is a text file containing the settings you normally enter in the Oracle Universal Installer GUI dialog boxes.

  • Cloning the Oracle home of an existing Oracle Database installation: With this method, install one instance of Oracle Database, and then clone its Oracle home for each additional installation.

Related Topics

Installing on Systems That Already Have Oracle Components

Perform the following steps when other components exist on your computer:

  1. Log on as a member of the Administrators group for the computer on which you want to install Oracle components.

    If you are installing on a Primary Domain Controller (PDC) or a Backup Domain Controller (BDC), log on as a member of the Domain Administrators group.

  2. Delete the ORACLE_HOME environment variable if it exists. See the Microsoft online help for more information about deleting environment variables.

    Note:

    The ORACLE_HOME environment variable is automatically set in the registry. Manually setting this variable prevents installation.

  3. Back up any databases you must upgrade.

See Also:

Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide

Installing with Minimum Memory Requirements

Installations of Oracle Database on computers with RAM and virtual memory lesser than the minimum required have the following limitations:

  • Computers cannot run Oracle Database Upgrade Assistant, Oracle Database Configuration Assistant, or Oracle Net Services Configuration Assistant during an Oracle Universal Installer installation session.

  • Depending on how many applications run on the computer, you must further increase the paging file size or reduce the size of the System Global Area (SGA) if you run out of virtual memory. If temporary files and the paging file are both stored on the same physical drive, the space requirements for one can limit the size of the other. If your system has limited free space, first install the Oracle Database software. After the installation is finished, create a database with Oracle Database Configuration Assistant.

Note:

Do not install the database on computer systems that barely meet the minimum memory and virtual memory requirements of 1 GB.

You can install only the database software by selecting the Install Database Software only option provided on the Select Installation Option screen.

After installation, run the appropriate configuration assistant for your needs:

  • To create a new database, run Oracle Database Configuration Assistant. From the Start menu, select All Programs, then Oracle - HOMENAME, then Configuration and Migration Tools, then Database Configuration Assistant.

  • To upgrade an existing database, run Oracle Database Upgrade Assistant. From the Start menu, select All Programs, then Oracle - HOMENAME, then Configuration and Migration Tools, then Database Upgrade Assistant.