Removing Oracle AI Database Software

About Oracle Deinstallation Options

The deinstall command, located in each Oracle home’s $ORACLE_HOME/deinstall directory, stops and removes supported Oracle software and its configuration, including Oracle AI Database, Grid Infrastructure, Oracle RAC, and Database Client; individual components cannot be removed independently. It can run interactively or use response files generated with -checkonly, must match the software release being removed, and requires complete configuration details for inactive or failed installations. Grid Infrastructure removal may require rootcrs.sh or roothas.sh, ACFS and ADVM preparation, and GNS DNS cleanup. Deinstallation can also delete Oracle base contents such as administrative, diagnostic, recovery, and data directories, including user data and files outside the Oracle base, so Oracle recommends OFA layouts and reserving Oracle paths exclusively for Oracle software.

Oracle deinstall Command

The deinstall command removes Oracle software and operating-system configuration for a specific Oracle home. Its options support silent execution (-silent), configuration discovery and response-file generation (-checkonly), custom response files and parameter overrides (-paramfile, -params), alternate response, temporary, and log directories (-o, -tmpdir, -logdir), multinode local-node deinstallation (-local), retaining local or remote Grid homes while deconfiguring them (-skipLocalHomeDeletion, -skipRemoteHomeDeletion), and command help (-help). Silent mode requires a functioning installation or a suitable response file.

Deinstallation Examples for Oracle AI Database

Run deinstall from the target Oracle home’s deinstall directory to begin removal without specifying the home path. Use -checkonly to inspect the installation and generate a response file, then provide that file with -paramfile for a subsequent deinstallation. The same process applies to Oracle Grid Infrastructure by running the command from its Grid home, with response files identifying the corresponding database or Grid installation.

Downgrading Oracle Restart

Downgrading Oracle Restart involves backing up the SPFILE, recording database and Oracle Restart resource configurations, downgrading the database when necessary, stopping databases and listeners, and deinstalling Oracle Restart while retaining existing ASM disk groups. A lower-version Grid home is then installed and registered, Oracle Restart is configured, ASM is restored using a temporary disk group and the existing disk group, and the temporary group is removed. Databases, listeners, and services are re-added with their recorded attributes, started, and verified; pluggable databases must be opened and the final resource status checked.

Removing an RPM-Based Oracle AI Database Installation

To remove an RPM-based Oracle AI Database installation, run yum -y remove oracle-ai-database-ee-26ai as root. The command automatically removes default components such as database ORCLCDB and listener LISTENER, but stops if additional databases or listeners are configured. In that case, use DBCA as the Oracle software owner to remove databases and NETCA to remove listeners, then rerun the yum removal command as root.

Deinstalling Previous Release Grid Home

To remove a previous-release Grid home after an upgrade, log in as root, adjust the home and parent-directory permissions and ownership so the Grid software owner can access them, then switch to the Grid Infrastructure owner and run the release-matching deinstall command. The procedure assumes the specified paths, owner, and inventory group are adapted to the local installation.

Changing the Oracle Restart Home Path

To change the Oracle Restart Grid home path, first shut down executables and applications using the old home or its shared libraries. Copy the Grid Infrastructure binaries to the new location as root, assign ownership to the Grid software owner, run gridSetup.sh in software-only mode to relink binaries and update the inventory without changing the Oracle base, and execute the new home’s root.sh. Finally, switch to the new home interactively using the patch and zero-downtime switching options or silently with -switchGridHome, optionally controlling ACFS driver updates.
Read More: Changing the Oracle Restart Home Path