5 Uninstalling Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure

This section describes how to uninstall or reinstall Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure. Always use the instructions in this topic to remove the software to verify it uninstalls properly. If you try to remove the software manually, you may experience problems when you try to reinstall the software again at a later time.

This section includes the following topics:

• Product Uninstallation Roadmap
  The Oracle Fusion Middleware uninstaller removes software from the Oracle home directory that it starts from.
• Reinstalling the Software
  You can reinstall your software into the same Oracle home as a previous installation only if you have uninstalled the software by following the deinstallation instructions, including manually removing the Oracle home directory.

Product Uninstallation Roadmap

The Oracle Fusion Middleware uninstaller removes software from the Oracle home directory that it starts from.

The following table summarizes the procedure and provides links to supporting documentation.

Table 5-1 Roadmap for Uninstalling Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure

Task	Description	Documentation
Stop Oracle Fusion Middleware.	Oracle recommends that you stop all servers and processes in your domain before you run the uninstaller.	See Stopping Oracle Fusion Middleware.
Remove your database schemas.	Run Repository Creation Utility to remove your database schemas.	See Removing Your Database Schemas.
Remove the software.	Run the product uninstaller to remove Oracle Fusion Middleware Infrastructure.	See Uninstalling the Software.
Remove the Oracle home directory.	The uninstaller does not remove all files and folders from the Oracle home directory. After the uninstaller finishes, you must manually remove the Oracle home to complete your product removal.	See Removing the Oracle Home Directory Manually.
Remove the program shortcuts on Windows operating systems.	The uninstaller does not remove the program shortcuts on your Windows operating system.	See Removing Program Shortcuts on Windows Operating Systems.
Remove your domain and application data.	The uninstaller does not remove data contained in your Domain home nor Application home directories, even if they are located inside the Oracle home. If necessary, you must remove these directories manually.	See Removing Your Domain and Application Data.

• Stopping Oracle Fusion Middleware
  Before you run the uninstaller, Oracle recommends that you stop all servers and processes associated with the Oracle home that you are going to remove.
• Removing Your Database Schemas
  Before removing the Oracle home, Oracle recommends that you run Repository Creation Utility to remove database schemas associated with a domain.
• Uninstalling the Software
  You can use the uninstaller or perform a silent install.
• Removing the Oracle Home Directory Manually
  After the uninstaller finishes, you must manually remove your Oracle home directory and any existing sub-directories that the uninstaller did not remove.
• Removing Program Shortcuts on Windows Operating Systems
  On Windows operating systems, you must also manually remove the program short cuts; the uninstaller does not remove them for you.
• Removing Your Domain and Application Data
  If you will no longer use domain and application files, you can remove them.

Stopping Oracle Fusion Middleware

Before you run the uninstaller, Oracle recommends that you stop all servers and processes associated with the Oracle home that you are going to remove.

For more about how to stop servers and processes, see Stopping an Oracle Fusion Middleware Environment in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering Oracle Fusion Middleware.

Removing Your Database Schemas

Before removing the Oracle home, Oracle recommends that you run Repository Creation Utility to remove database schemas associated with a domain.

Each domain has its own set of schemas that a custom prefix uniquely identifies (see Understanding Custom Prefixes in Oracle Fusion Middleware Creating Schemas with the Repository Creation Utility). This set of schemas cannot be shared with any other domain (see Planning Your Schema Creation in Oracle Fusion Middleware Creating Schemas with the Repository Creation Utility).

If there are multiple sets of schemas on your database, be sure to identify the schema prefix associated with the domain you are removing.

For schema removal steps, see Dropping Schemas in Oracle Fusion Middleware Creating Schemas with the Repository Creation Utility.

Uninstalling the Software

You can use the uninstaller or perform a silent install.

To perform a silent (command-line) uninstallation, see Running the Oracle Universal Installer for Silent Uninstallation in Oracle Fusion Middleware Installing Software with the Oracle Universal Installer.

• Starting the Uninstallation Program
  The method you use to start the uninstallation program depends on your operating system: Windows or UNIX.
• Distribution to Uninstall
  The installer shows the Distribution to Uninstall screen only if it detects more than one distribution in the Oracle home that you start the program from.
• Navigating the Uninstallation Screens
  The uninstallation program shows a series of screens in the order that the following table describes.

Starting the Uninstallation Program

The method you use to start the uninstallation program depends on your operating system: Windows or UNIX.

On UNIX operating systems, go to the ORACLE_HOME/oui/bin directory and enter command ./deinstall.sh.

On Windows operating systems, use a file manager window to go to the ORACLE_HOME\oui\bin directory and double click on deinstall.cmd.

Distribution to Uninstall

The installer shows the Distribution to Uninstall screen only if it detects more than one distribution in the Oracle home that you start the program from.

Select the distribution you want to uninstall from the drop-down list, then click Uninstall.

Beneath the drop-down list are the contents of the selected distribution, so you can verify that you are choosing to remove the correct distribution.

Navigating the Uninstallation Screens

The uninstallation program shows a series of screens in the order that the following table describes.

If you need additional help with any uninstallation screen, click the screen name.

Table 5-2 Uninstall Screens and Descriptions

Screen	Description
Welcome	Introduces you to the product uninstaller.
Uninstallation Summary	Shows the Oracle home directory and its contents that will be uninstalled. Verify that this is the correct directory. Click Deinstall to begin removing the software.
Uninstallation Progress	Shows the progress of the uninstallation.
Uninstallation Complete	Opens when the uninstallation is complete. Review the information on this screen then click Finish to dismiss the uninstaller.

Removing the Oracle Home Directory Manually

After the uninstaller finishes, you must manually remove your Oracle home directory and any existing sub-directories that the uninstaller did not remove.

For example, if your Oracle home directory was /home/Oracle/Products/Oracle_Home on a UNIX operating system:

cd /home/Oracle/Products
rm -rf Oracle_Home

On a Windows operating system, if your Oracle home directory was C:\Oracle\Products\Oracle_Home, use a file manager window and navigate to the C:\Oracle\Products directory, then right-click on the Oracle_Home folder and select Delete.

Removing Program Shortcuts on Windows Operating Systems

On Windows operating systems, you must also manually remove the program short cuts; the uninstaller does not remove them for you.

Go to the C:\Program Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Oracle\Oracle Home\Product directory. If you only have one product installed in your Oracle home, you can remove the Oracle Home directory. If you have multiple products installed in your Oracle home, you must remove all products before removing the Oracle Home.

Removing Your Domain and Application Data

If you will no longer use domain and application files, you can remove them.

To remove your domain and application data:

1. Manually remove your Domain home directory.

   For example, if your Domain home directory was /home/Oracle/config/domains/infra_domain on a UNIX operating system:

   cd /home/Oracle/config/domains
   rm -rf infra_domain
   

   On a Windows operating system, if your Domain home directory was C:\Oracle\Config\domains\infra_domain, use a file manager window and navigate to the C:\Oracle\Config\domains directory, then right-click on the infra_domain folder and select Delete.

2. Manually remove your Application home directory.

   For example, if your Application home directory was /home/Oracle/config/applications/infra_domain on a UNIX operating system:

   cd /home/Oracle/config/applications
   rm -rf infra_domain
   

   On a Windows operating system, if your Application home directory was C:\Oracle\Config\applications\infra_domain, use a file manager window and navigate to the C:\Oracle\Config\applications directory, then right-click on the infra_domain folder and select Delete.

3. Backup the domain_registry.xml file in your Oracle home, then edit the file and remove the line associated with the domain you are removing. For example, to remove the infra_domain, find the following line and remove it:

   <domain location="/home/Oracle/config/domains/infra_domain"/>
   

   Save and exit the file when you are finished.

Reinstalling the Software

You can reinstall your software into the same Oracle home as a previous installation only if you have uninstalled the software by following the deinstallation instructions, including manually removing the Oracle home directory.

When you reinstall, you can then specify the same Oracle home as your previous installation.

Consider the following cases where the Oracle home is not empty:

• Scenario: Installing in an Existing Oracle Home that Contains the Same Feature Sets
  The installer warns you that the Oracle home you specified during the installation already contains the same software you are trying to install.
• Scenario: Installing in an Existing, Non-Empty Oracle Home
  Suppose that you have chosen to create your Domain home or Application home somewhere inside your existing Oracle home.

Scenario: Installing in an Existing Oracle Home that Contains the Same Feature Sets

The installer warns you that the Oracle home you specified during the installation already contains the same software you are trying to install.

Your options:

• Select a different installation type. In this case, only feature sets that don't already exist in the Oracle home directory get installed.

• Select a different Oracle home directory.

Scenario: Installing in an Existing, Non-Empty Oracle Home

Suppose that you have chosen to create your Domain home or Application home somewhere inside your existing Oracle home.

The deinstallation process doesn’t remove this data, so if you attempt to reinstall into the same Oracle home, the installer does not allow it.

Your options:

• Deinstall your software from the Oracle home as this topic describes, and then remove the Oracle home directory. After this is complete, you can reinstall and reuse the same Oracle home location, using the instructions in Installing the Infrastructure Software. You will need to re-create any domain or application data that was in the Oracle home.

• Select a different Oracle home directory.