A Installing and Configuring Oracle Database Using Response Files

A.1.1 Reasons for Using Silent Mode or Response File Mode

The following table describes several reasons why you might want to run Oracle Universal Installer in silent mode or response file mode.

A.1.2 Creating a Database Using Oracle Automatic Storage Management as the Storage Option for Database Files

Before you create a database that uses Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM), you must run the root.sh script. For this reason, you cannot create a database using Oracle ASM as the storage option for database files during a silent-mode installation. Instead, you can complete a software-only installation using silent mode, and then run Oracle Net Configuration Assistant and Database Configuration Assistant in silent mode after you complete the software-only installation and run the root.sh script.

A.1.3 General Procedure for Using Response Files

The following are the general steps to install and configure Oracle products using Oracle Universal Installer in silent or response file mode:

1. Create the oraInst.loc file.

2. Prepare a response file.

3. Run Oracle Universal Installer in silent or response file mode.

4. If you completed a software-only installation, then run Net Configuration Assistant and Database Configuration Assistant in silent or response file mode, if required.

These steps are described in the following sections.

A.3.1 Editing a Response File Template

This method is most useful for the Enterprise Edition or Standard Edition installation types.

Oracle provides response file templates for each product and installation type, and for each configuration tool. These files are located in the database/response directory on the installation media.

Table A-1 lists the response files provided with Oracle Database.

To copy and modify a response file:

1. Copy the response file from the response file directory to a directory on your system:

   $ cp /directory_path/response/response_file.rsp local_directory
   

   In this example, directory_path is the path to the database directory on the installation media. If you copy the software to a hard drive, then edit the file in the response directory.

2. Open the response file in a text editor:

   $ vi /local_dir/response_file.rsp
   

   Remember that you can specify sensitive information, such as passwords, at the command line rather than within the response file. "How Response Files Work" explains this method.

   See Also:

   Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for Windows and UNIX for detailed information about creating response files

3. Follow the instructions in the file to edit it.

   Note:

   Oracle Universal Installer or configuration assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file. See the "Silent-Mode Response File Error Handling" section for more information about troubleshooting a failed response file mode installation.

4. Change the permissions on the file to 700:

   $ chmod 700 /local_dir/response_file.rsp
   

   Note:

   A fully specified response file for an Oracle Database installation contains the passwords for database administrative accounts and for a user who is a member of the OSDBA group (required for automated backups). Ensure that only the Oracle software owner user can view or modify response files or consider deleting them after the installation succeeds.

A.3.2 Saving a Response File

You can use Oracle Universal Installer in interactive mode to save a response file, which you can edit and then use to complete silent mode or response file mode installations. This method is useful for custom or software-only installations.

Starting with Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2), you can save all the installation steps into a response file during installation. You can click the Save Response File button on the Summary page to do this. Later, this file can be used for a silent installation.

When you save the response file, you can either complete the installation, or you can exit from Oracle Universal Installer on the Summary page, before it starts to copy the software to the system.

If you save a response file during a silent installation, then Oracle Universal Installer saves the variable values that were specified in the original source response file into the new response file.

To save a response file:

1. Complete the preinstallation tasks listed in Chapter 2.

   When you run Oracle Universal Installer to save a response file, it checks the system to verify that it meets the requirements to install the software. For this reason, Oracle recommends that you complete all of the required preinstallation tasks and save the response file while completing an installation.

2. If you have not installed Oracle software on this system previously, create the oraInst.loc file as described in "Creating the oraInst.loc File".

3. Ensure that the Oracle software owner user has permissions to create or write to the Oracle home path that you will specify when you run Oracle Universal Installer.

4. On each Oracle Universal Installer screen, provide the required information.

   See Also:

   "Running Oracle Universal Installer" for information about the installation process

5. When Oracle Universal Installer displays the Summary screen, perform the following:

   1. Click Save Response File and provide a file name and location for the response file. Then, click Save to save the values to the file.

   2. Click Finish to continue with the installation.

      Click Cancel if you do not want to continue with the installation. The installation stops, but the saved response file is retained.

6. Before you use the saved response file on another system, edit the file and make any required changes.

   Use the instructions in the file as a guide when editing it.

A.6.1 Using Database Configuration Assistant in Response File Mode

Use the -progressOnly flag to set the mode to response file. In the response file mode, Database Configuration Assistant uses values that you specify, in the response file or as command line options, to create a database. As it configures and starts the database, it displays a window that contains status messages and a progress bar. The window that it displays is the same window that is displayed when you choose to create a preconfigured database during an Enterprise Edition or Standard Edition installation.

To run Database Configuration Assistant in response file mode, you must use a graphical display and set the DISPLAY environment variable.

A.6.2 Using Database Configuration Assistant in Silent Mode

Use -silent flag to set the mode to silent. In the silent mode, Database Configuration Assistant uses values that you specify, in the response file or as command-line options, to create a database.

A.6.3 Running Database Configuration Assistant in Response File or Silent Mode

To run Database Configuration Assistant in response file or silent mode:

$ $ORACLE_HOME/bin/dbca -help

1. Copy the dbca.rsp response file template from the response file directory to a directory on your system:

   $ cp /directory_path/response/dbca.rsp local_directory
   

   In this example, directory_path is the path of the database directory on the DVD. If you copy the software to a hard drive, you can edit the file in the response directory if you prefer.

2. Open the response file in a text editor:

   $ vi /local_dir/dbca.rsp
   

3. Edit the file, following the instructions in the file.

   Note:

   Database Configuration Assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.

4. Log in as the Oracle software owner user, and set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable to specify the correct Oracle home directory.

5. If you intend running Database Configuration Assistant in response file mode, set the DISPLAY environment variable.

6. Enter a command similar to the following to run Database Configuration Assistant in response file or silent mode with a response file:

   $ORACLE_HOME/bin/dbca {-progressOnly | -silent} -responseFile \
   /local_dir/dbca.rsp 
   

   In this example:

   • The -silent option runs Database Configuration Assistant in silent mode.

   • The -progressOnly option runs Database Configuration Assistant in response file mode.

   • local_dir is the full path of the directory where you copied the dbca.rsp response file template.

A.7.1 About the Postinstallation Configuration File

When you run a silent or response file installation, you provide information about your servers in a response file that you would otherwise provide manually during a graphical user interface installation. However, the response file does not contain passwords for user accounts that configuration assistants require after the software installation is complete. The configuration assistants are started with a script called configToolAllCommands. You can run this script in response file mode by using a password response file. The script uses the passwords to run the configuration tools in succession to complete the configuration.

If you keep the password file to use for clone installations, then Oracle recommends that you store it in a secure location. In addition, if you must stop an installation to fix an error, you can run the configuration assistants using configToolAllCommands and a password response file.

The configToolAllCommands password response file consists of the following syntax options:

• internal_component_name is the name of the component that the configuration assistant configures

• variable_name is the name of the configuration file variable

• value is the desired value to use for the configuration

The command syntax is as follows:

internal_component_name|variable_name=value

For example:

oracle.assistants.asm|S_ASMPASSWORD=welcome

Oracle recommends that you maintain security with a password response file:

• Set the permissions on the response file to 600.

• The response file owner must be the installation owner user, with the group set to the central inventory (oraInventory) group.

A.7.2 Running Postinstallation Configuration Using a Response File

To run configuration assistants with the configToolAllCommands script:

1. Create a response file using the syntax filename.properties. For example:

   $ touch cfgrsp.properties
   

2. Open the file with a text editor, and cut and paste the password template, modifying it as needed.

   Example A-1 Password response file for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server

   Oracle Grid Infrastructure requires passwords for Automatic Storage Management Configuration Assistant (Oracle ASMCA) and for Intelligent Platform Management Interface Configuration Assistant (IPMICA) if you have a BMC card and you want to enable this feature. Provide the following response file:

   oracle.assistants.asm|S_ASMPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.asm|S_ASMMONITORPASSWORD=password
   

   Example A-2 Password response file for Oracle Database

   Oracle Database configuration requires the SYS, SYSTEM, SYSMAN, and DBSNMP passwords for use with Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). The S_ASMSNMPPASSWORD response file is necessary only if the database is using Oracle ASM for storage. Also, if you selected to configure Oracle Enterprise Manager, then you must provide the password for the Oracle software installation owner for the S_HOSTUSERPASSWORD response, similar to the following example:

   oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSTEMPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSMANPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_DBSNMPPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_HOSTUSERPASSWORD=password
   oracle.assistants.server|S_ASMSNMPPASSWORD=password
   

   If you do not want to enable Oracle Enterprise Manager or Oracle ASM, then leave those password fields blank

3. Change permissions to secure the file. For example:

   $ ls -al cfgrsp
   -rw------- 1 oracle oinstall 0 Apr 30 17:30 cfgrsp
   

4. Change the directory to $ORACLE_HOME/cfgtoollogs

   Run the configuration script using the following syntax:

   configToolAllCommands RESPONSE_FILE=/path/name.properties

   for example:

   $ ./configToolAllCommands RESPONSE_FILE=/home/oracle/cfgrsp.properties