File Path and Directory Changes in Read-Only Oracle Homes

Examples of hierarchical file mappings in a read-only Oracle home as compared to a read/write Oracle home.

Prior to Oracle Database 21c, the default ORACLE_HOME layout combined ORACLE_HOME, ORACLE_BASE_HOME and ORACLE_BASE_CONFIG into a single location. Starting with Oracle Database 21c, the only available configuration is a read-only ORACLE_HOME where ORACLE_BASE_HOME and ORACLE_BASE_CONFIG are located separately from ORACLE_HOME.

This example shows an Optimal Flexible Architecture-compliant Oracle Database installation, for the user oracle, with the ORACLE_HOME, ORACLE_BASE, ORACLE_BASE_HOME, and ORACLE_BASE_CONFIG logical locations. The database files are under oraclebase\oradata.

This example also shows the changes in the Oracle Database software defined paths of configuration files, log files, and other directories in a read-only Oracle home when compared to a read/write Oracle home.

Table 4-1 read/write and Read-Only Oracle Home File Path Examples

Directory	Read/Write Oracle Home File Path (before 21c)	Read-Only Oracle Home File Path (21c onwards)
ORACLE_HOME	C:\app\oracle\product\19.0.0\dbhome_1	C:\app\oracle\product\21.0.0\dbhome_1
ORACLE_BASE	C:\app\oracle\	C:\app\oracle\
ORACLE_BASE_HOME	ORACLE_HOME (or) C:\app\oracle\product\19.0.0\dbhome_1	ORACLE_BASE\homes\HOME_NAME. (or) C:\app\oracle\homes\OraDB21Home1
ORACLE_BASE_CONFIG	ORACLE_HOME (or) C:\app\oracle\product\19.0.0\dbhome_1	ORACLE_BASE (or) C:\app\oracle\
network	ORACLE_HOME\network\admin (or) C:\app\oracle\product\19.0.0\dbhome_1\network\admin	ORACLE_BASE_HOME\network\admin (or) C:\app\oracle\homes\OraDB21Home1\network\admin
database	ORACLE_HOME\database (or) C:\app\oracle\product\19.0.0\dbhome_1\database	ORACLE_BASE_CONFIG\database (or) C:\app\oracle\database
hs	ORACLE_HOME\hs\admin (or) C:\app\oracle\product\19.0.0\dbhome_1\hs\admin	ORACLE_BASE_HOME\hs\admin (or) C:\app\oracle\homes\OraDB21Home1\hs\admin
mgw	ORACLE_HOME\mgw\admin (or) C:\app\oracle\product\19.0.0\dbhome_1\mgw\admin	ORACLE_BASE_HOME\mgw\admin (or) C:\app\oracle\homes\OraDB21Home1\mgw\admin
drdaas	ORACLE_HOME\drdaas\admin (or) C:\app\oracle\product\19.0.0\dbhome_1\drdaas\admin	ORACLE_BASE_HOME\drdaas\admin (or) C:\app\oracle\homes\OraDB21Home1\drdaas\admin

• To print the ORACLE_BASE_HOME path, run:

  C:\> set ORACLE_HOME=C:\app\oracle\product\21.0.0\dbhome_1
  C:\> cd %ORACLE_HOME%\bin
  orabasehome

• To print the ORACLE_BASE_CONFIG path, run:

  C:\> set ORACLE_HOME=C:\app\oracle\product\21.0.0\dbhome_1
  C:\> cd %ORACLE_HOME%\bin
  orabaseconfig