1 Oracle Database Installation Checklist

The following checklists provide a list of required preinstallation steps:

Use these checklists to coordinate tasks to help ensure that all system and storage preparation, and configuration tasks are completed before starting an Oracle Database or an Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server installation.

1.1 Hardware Checklist for Oracle Database Installation

Review the following hardware checklist for all installations:

Table 1-1 Server Hardware Checklist for Oracle Database

Check Task

Confirm Server Make and Architecture

Confirm that server make, model, core architecture, and host bus adaptors (HBA) are supported to run with Oracle Database and Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server.

Check Runlevel, Display and Network Setup

  • Server should be started in runlevel 3 or runlevel 5.

  • Server display cards provide at least 1024 x 768 display resolution.

  • Server is connected to the network, contains a display monitor and DVD drive.

Allocate Local Disk Space for Oracle Software

  • Based on the Oracle Database edition you intend to install, server meets the disk space requirements listed in Table 4-1.

  • At least 6.9 GB of disk space for an Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server installation.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

  • At least 1 GB RAM for Oracle Database installations. See Table 4-3.

  • At least 4 GB of RAM for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server including installations where you plan to install Oracle Database. See Table 6-1.

Temporary Disk Space Allocation

At least 1 GB allocated to /tmp.

Check Storage Hardware

Either Storage Area Network (SAN) or Network-Attached Storage (NAS). See Appendix C, "Using NAS Devices".

1.2 Operating System Checklist for Oracle Database Installation on Linux

Review the following software checklist for all installations:

Table 1-2 Operating System Checklist for Oracle Database on Linux

Check Task

Operating System

Oracle Preinstallation RPM for Oracle Linux

On Oracle Linux systems, see Chapter 3, "Automatically Configuring Oracle Linux with Oracle Preinstallation RPM" to configure your operating system for Oracle Database and Oracle Grid Infrastructure installations.

Kernel Parameters

Check "Configuring Kernel Parameters for Linux" to review the minimum kernel parameter requirements for installation. If your parameter settings do not meet the minimum requirements for installation, then Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) generates a fixup script that can change these settings to the minimum required levels for installation.

1.3 Oracle User Environment Configuration Checklist for Oracle Database Installation

Review the following user environment checklist for all installations:

Table 1-3 User Environment Configuration for Oracle Database

Check Task

Create Groups and Users

Review "Creating Required Operating System Groups and Users" for information about the groups and users you need to create for the kind of deployment you want to do. Installation owners have resource limits settings and other requirements described in "Checking Resource Limits for Oracle Software Installation Users".

Group and user names must use only ASCII characters.

Review Oracle Inventory (oraInventory) and OINSTALL Group Requirements

The Oracle Inventory directory is the central inventory of Oracle software installed on your system. Users who have the Oracle Inventory group as their primary group are granted the OINSTALL privilege to read and write to the central inventory.

  • If you have an existing installation, then OUI detects the existing oraInventory directory from the oraInst.loc file, and uses this location.

  • If you are installing Oracle software for the first time, and your system does not have an oraInventory directory, then the installer creates an Oracle inventory that is one directory level up from the Oracle base for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure install, and designates the installation owner's primary group as the Oracle Inventory group. Ensure that this group is available as a primary group for all planned Oracle software installation owners.

Unset Oracle Software Environment Variables

If you have had an existing installation on your system, and you are using the same user account to install this installation, then unset the ORACLE_HOME, ORACLE_BASE, ORACLE_SID, TNS_ADMIN environment variables and any other environment variable set for the Oracle installation user that is connected with Oracle software homes.

Configure the Oracle Software Owner Environment

Configure the environment of the oracle or grid user by performing the following tasks:

  • Set the default file mode creation mask (umask) to 022 in the shell startup file.

  • Set the DISPLAY environment variable.

See, "Configuring Oracle Software Owner Environment".

1.4 Server Environment Configuration Checklist for Oracle Database Installation

Review the following environment checklist for all installations:

Table 1-4 Environment Configuration for Oracle Database

Check Task

Create Mount Point Paths for the Software Binaries

Oracle recommends that you follow the guidelines for an Optimal Flexible Architecture configuration, as described in Appendix F, "Optimal Flexible Architecture".

Check Shared Memory File System Mount

Review "Checking Shared Memory File System Mount on Linux" to ensure that the /dev/shm mount area is of type tmpfs and is mounted with the appropriate options.

Oracle Users and Home Paths Must Use ASCII Characters Only

Ensure Oracle home paths and other Oracle directory names use ASCII characters only. Also ensure Oracle installation owner user names are ASCII characters only, because installation owner names are used for some default Oracle softwarse paths.

Enable Remote Display Configuration

If you are installing the software from an X Window System workstation or X terminal, then log in as root and enable remote display. See, "Logging In to the System as root".

1.5 Storage and Recovery Checklist for Oracle Database Installation

Review the following storage configuration task checklist for all installations:

Table 1-5 Storage Configuration Checks for Oracle Database

Check Task

Decide the Database Storage Option

During the database installation, you must specify one of the following storage options for database files:

  • File System

    Oracle Database Configuration Assistant (Oracle DBCA) creates the database files in a directory on a file system mounted on the computer. Oracle recommends that the file system be separate from the file systems used by the operating system or the Oracle software. The file system can be any of the following:

    - A file system on a disk that is physically attached to the system

    - A file system on a logical volume manager (LVM) volume or a RAID device

    - A network file system (NFS) mounted from a certified network-attached storage (NAS) device.

  • Oracle Automatic Storage Management

    Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) is installed as part of an Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation. If you plan to use Oracle ASM, then you must install Oracle Grid Infrastructure before you install and create the database.

See "Database Storage Options".

Decide If You Want to Enable Recovery

If you decide to enable recovery during the database installation, then select one of the following options:

  • File System: Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) provides you with an option to configure the fast recovery area location.

  • Oracle Automatic Storage Management: This option allows you only to use the same disk group for both Oracle Database files and recovery files..

See "Identifying Storage Requirements for Oracle Automatic Storage Management" and "Creating a Fast Recovery Area Disk Group".

1.6 OUI Checklist for Single Instance Oracle Database Installation

Review the following task checklist before you start Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) for single instance Oracle Database installations:

Table 1-6 Oracle Database Checks Before Starting OUI

Check Task

Verify if Oracle Grid Infrastructure Exists

If you want to use Oracle ASM or Oracle Restart, then you must install Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server before you install and create the database. Otherwise, you must manually register the database with Oracle Restart.

Check Running Oracle Processes, and Shut Down if Necessary

  • On a standalone database not using Oracle ASM: You do not need to shut down the database while you install Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

  • On a standalone database using Oracle ASM: Stop the existing Oracle ASM instances. The Oracle ASM instances are restarted during installation.

See "Stopping Existing Oracle Processes".

Ensure cron Jobs Do Not Run During Installation

If the installer is running when daily cron jobs start, then you may encounter unexplained installation problems if your cron job is performing cleanup, and temporary files are deleted before the installation is finished. Oracle recommends that you complete installation before daily cron jobs are run, or disable daily cron jobs that perform cleanup until after the installation is completed.

Decide if You Want to Install Other Languages

During installation, you are asked if you want translation of user interface text into languages other than the default, which is English. If the language set for the operating system is not supported by the installer, then by default the installer runs in the English language.

See Oracle Database Globalization Support Guide for detailed information about character sets and language configuration.

Decide Your Management Option

By default, Oracle Database 12c is managed by Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Express.

However, if you have an existing Oracle Management Agent, and decide to use Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control to centrally manage your database, then obtain the following information to enter during the database installation:

  • OMS host

  • OMS port

  • EM admin username

  • EM admin password

See Also:

Determine Root Script Execution Plan

See, "Determining Root Script Execution Plan" to determine how you plan to run root scripts during an Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

Consider Memory Allocation and Automatic Memory Management

You can enable automatic memory management either during, or after the database installation. Enabling automatic memory management after installation involves a shutdown and restart of the database.

With automatic memory management, the Oracle Database instances automatically manage and tune memory for you. With automatic memory management, you choose a memory target, and the instance automatically distributes memory between the system global area (SGA) and the instance program global area (instance PGA). As memory requirements change, the instance dynamically redistributes memory between the SGA and instance PGA.

See Also: Oracle Database Administrator's Guide

Disable Transparent HugePages

Oracle recommends that you disable Transparent HugePages and use standard HugePages for enhanced performance.

See, "Disabling Transparent HugePages".

1.7 Planning Checklist for Oracle Database Installation

Review the following general tasks checklist for all installations:

Table 1-7 Recommended Planning Checks for Oracle Database

Check Task

Read the Release Notes

Read Oracle Database Release Notes for Linux before you begin the installation. The release notes are available with the platform-specific documentation.

Review the Licensing Information

Although the installation media in the media pack contain many Oracle components, you are permitted to use only those components for which you have purchased licenses.

Oracle Support Services does not provide support for components for which licenses have not been purchased.

Read Oracle Database Licensing Information.

Obtain Your My Oracle Support Information

You will need your My Oracle Support username and password to perform various installation related tasks such as configuring security updates, downloading software updates, and reviewing certification.

The My Oracle Support website is available at:

https://support.oracle.com/

Review Oracle Support Certification Matrix

New platforms and operating system software versions might be certified after this guide is published, review the certification matrix on the My Oracle Support website for the most up-to-date list of certified hardware platforms and operating system versions:

https://support.oracle.com/

You must register online before using My Oracle Support. After logging in, from the menu options, select the Certifications tab. On the Certifications page, use the Certification Search options to search by Product, Release, and Platform. You can also search using the Certification Quick Link options such as Product Delivery, and Lifetime Support.

Run CVU and Download and Install the ORAchk Health Check Tool

Run CVU before installation to check your system for its compliance with minimum installation requirements, and download and install the ORAchk utility to perform proactive heath checks for the Oracle software stack.

See, "Downloading and Installing the ORAchk Health Check Tool".

Review the Oracle Universal Installer Installation Tutorial

Review the following step-by-step installation tutorial to understand OUI installation options:

https://apexapps.oracle.com/pls/apex/f?p=44785:24:0::NO:24:P24_CONTENT_ID,P24_PREV_PAGE:6281,1

Note: you can also run OUI up to the Summary screen, and either save a response file for review, or cancel the installation and run it at another time.