Installing Oracle 8i Release 2 (8.1.6)

Perform the following steps to install Oracle 8i from the product CD:

  1. Ensure that you are logged into the machine with superuser (root) privileges.
  2. Ensure that you have set the following UNIX kernel, shared memory, and semaphore parameters properly:

    For more information on the proper values for these parameters, refer to the Oracle8i Installation Guide.

  3. Ensure that you have the DISPLAY and TERM environment variables set correctly for your environment.
  4. Create a file system, logical volume, or directory to hold the Oracle software. Ensure that the location you choose has 1200 MB of free disk space.
  5. If you plan to use Oracle in a production environment, it is recommended that you create a file system on a separate partition to store the database files. Refer to the Oracle8i Installation Guide and your Solaris system documentation for more information on creating and mounting a file system.
  6. Use operating system utilities to create the group dba by entering the following command:
    # groupadd dba
  7. Use operating system utilities to create the user oracle. Use the location you created in Step 4 as the user's home directory.
    # useradd -d <home_directory> -g dba -s /bin/ksh oracle
  8. Edit the /etc/group file to add the user oracle to the group dba.
  9. Create a .profile file in the home directory for the user oracle. Ensure that the file contains the information below. Your Oracle SID may differ.
    #-----------------------------------
    # Oracle environment setup
    #-----------------------------------
    #
    ORACLE_BASE=<oracle_home_directory>
    export ORACLE_BASE
    ORACLE_SID=ORA816
    export ORACLE_SID
    ORACLE_HOME=$ORACLE_BASE/$ORACLE_SID
    export ORACLE_HOME
    PATH=$PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/bin
    export PATH
    LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/lib
    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH
    ORA_CLIENT_LIB=shared
    export ORA_CLIENT_LIB
    echo 'The Oracle 8.1.6 environment is set'

    In the example file above, the variable <oracle_home_directory> specifies the home directory for the oracle user.

  10. Ensure that the /tmp directory has at least 200 MB of free disk space. If necessary, set the TMP and TMPDIR environment variables to specify another location with sufficient disk space.
  11. Ensure that the Oracle directory structure you created has the correct permissions. If necessary, change to the directory you plan to use for Oracle installation and enter the following chmod command: # chmod 775 .
  12. Log in as user oracle, as follows: # su - oracle
  13. Ensure that your DISPLAY and TERM environment variables are still set properly.
  14. Insert the Oracle 8i Release 2 (8.1.6) CD and, if necessary, mount the CD-ROM drive. On most Solaris systems, the Volume Management daemon (vold) mounts the CD automatically and immediately, as well as each time the machine is restarted. If the vold process is not running on this machine, see your Solaris documentation for instructions on how to mount the CD-ROM drive.

    The steps below assume that the CD-ROM is mounted at /cdrom.

  15. Enter the following commands to begin the Oracle installation process: % cd /cdrom/oracle8i % ./runInstaller

    The Oracle Universal Installer opens, displaying the Welcome screen.

  16. Click Next. The File Locations screen is displayed.
  17. Verify the values in the Source and Destination fields. The value of the Source field must be /cdrom/oracle8i/stage/products.jar, and the value of the Destination field must be the same as the value you set for the ORACLE_HOME environment variable.
  18. Click Next. The UNIX Group Name screen is displayed.
  19. Enter dba in the UNIX Group Name field, and then click Next.

    Note: If the /var/opt/oracle directory does not exist or cannot be written to by the user oracle, you are prompted to run the /tmp/OraInstRoot.sh script at this point in the installation process. Switch to another terminal, log in as root, and execute the script. After the script has been executed, return to the Oracle Universal Installer to continue the installation process.

  20. On the Available Products screen, verify that the Oracle8i Enterprise Edition 8.1.6.0.0 option is selected, and then click Next.
  21. On the Installation Types screen, choose the Typical option, and then click Next.
  22. On the Database Identification screen, enter a global database name in the Global Database Name field (for example, ORA816.<machine_name>), and verify that the value in the SID field is the same as the value you set for the ORACLE_SID environment variable. Then, click Next.
  23. On the Database File Location screen, specify the installation location for the Oracle database files in the Directory for Database Files field, and then click Next. The Summary screen displays, summarizing all of the installation choices you have made so far.
  24. Verify the information on the Summary screen. When you have determined that it is correct, click Install. The Install screen displays; it tracks the status of the Oracle installation.

    Note: At this point in the installation, you are prompted to run the root.sh configuration script to set necessary file permissions for Oracle products. Switch to another terminal, log in as root, and execute the script. After the script runs, return to the Oracle Universal Installer to finish the installation process.

    After the installation and linking processes finish, the Configuration Tools screen displays. The Net8 Configuration Assistant and Oracle Database Configuration Assistant are automatically configured, along with an Oracle database.

  25. After the configuration process is complete, click Next. The End of Install screen displays.
  26. Exit from the Oracle Universal Installer.

To test your installation, see "Configuring Oracle 8i Release 2 (8.1.6) for use with WebSphere Application Server."