7 Removing Oracle Database Software

7.1.1 About the Deinstallation Tool

The deinstallation tool (deinstall) is available in Oracle home directories after installation. It is located in the $ORACLE_HOME/deinstall directory.

The deinstall command uses the information you provide, plus information gathered from the software home to create a parameter file. You can alternatively supply a parameter file generated previously by the deinstall command using the –checkonly option, or by editing the response file template.

The deinstall command uses the following syntax, where variable content is indicated in italics:

deinstall -home complete path of Oracle home [-silent] [-checkonly] [-local]
[-paramfile complete path of input parameter property file] [-params name1=value
name2=value . . .] [-o complete path of directory for saving files] [-help]
 

The default method for running the deinstallation tool is from the deinstall directory in the Oracle home as the installation owner:

$ $ORACLE_HOME/deinstall/deinstall

Provide information about your servers as prompted or accept the defaults.

The deinstall command stops Oracle software, and removes Oracle software and configuration files on the operating system.

In addition, you can run the deinstallation tool from other locations, or with a parameter file, or select other options to run the tool.

The options are:

• -home

  Use this flag to indicate the home path of the Oracle home that you want to check or deinstall. To deinstall Oracle software using the deinstall command in the Oracle home you plan to deinstall, provide a parameter file in another location, and do not use the -home flag.

  If you run deinstall from the $ORACLE_HOME/deinstall path, then the -home flag is not required because the tool knows from which home it is being run. If you use the standalone version of the tool, then -home is mandatory.

• -silent

  Use this flag to run the command in silent or response file mode. If you use the -silent flag, then you must use the -paramfile flag, and provide a parameter file that contains the configuration values for the Oracle home that you want to deinstall or deconfigure.

  You can generate a parameter file to use or modify by running deinstall with the -checkonly flag. The deinstall command then discovers information from the Oracle home that you want to deinstall and deconfigure. It generates the properties file, which you can then use with the -silent option.

  You can also modify the template file deinstall.rsp.tmpl, located in the response folder.

• -checkonly

  Use this flag to check the status of the Oracle software home configuration. Running the deinstall command with the -checkonly flag does not remove the Oracle configuration. The -checkonly flag generates a parameter file that you can use with the deinstall command.

• -local

  Use this flag on a multinode environment to deinstall Oracle software in a cluster.

  When you run deinstall with this flag, it deconfigures and deinstalls the Oracle software on the local node (the node where deinstall is run). On remote nodes, it deconfigures Oracle software, but does not deinstall the Oracle software.

• -paramfile complete path of input parameter property file

  Use this flag to run deinstall with a parameter file in a location other than the default. When you use this flag, provide the complete path where the parameter file is located.

  The default location of the parameter file depends on the location of deinstall:

  • From the installation media or stage location: $ORACLE_HOME/inventory/response

  • From a unzipped archive file from OTN: /ziplocation/response

  • After installation from the installed Oracle home: $ORACLE_HOME/deinstall/response

• -params [name1=value name 2=value name3=value . . .]

  Use this flag with a parameter file to override one or more values that you want to change in a parameter file you have already created.

• -o complete path of directory for saving response files

  Use this flag to provide a path other than the default location where the properties file (deinstall.rsp.tmpl) is saved.

  The default location of the parameter file depends on the location of deinstall:

  • From the installation media or stage location before installation: $ORACLE_HOME/

  • From a unzipped archive file from OTN: /ziplocation/response/

  • After installation from the installed Oracle home: $ORACLE_HOME/deinstall/response

• -help

  Use the help option (-help) to get additional information about the command option flags.

7.1.2 Downloading the Deinstallation Tool for Use with Failed Installations

If you require the deinstallation tool (deinstall) to remove failed or incomplete installations, then it is available as a separate download from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) Web site.

To download the deinstallation tool:

1. Go to the following URL:

   http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/enterprise-edition/downloads/index.html

2. Under Oracle Database 11g Release 2, click See All for the respective platform for which you want to download the deinstallation tool.

   The deinstallation tool is available for download at the end of this Web page.

7.1.3 Example of Running the Deinstall Command

As the deinstall command runs, you are prompted to provide the home directory of the Oracle software that you want to remove from your system. Provide additional information as prompted.

Use the optional flag -paramfile to provide a path to a parameter file.

In the following example, the deinstall command is in the path /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/deinstall, and it uses a parameter file in the software owner location /home/usr/oracle:

$ cd /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/deinstall
$ ./deinstall -paramfile /home/usr/oracle/my_db_paramfile.tmpl

For the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home, use the deinstallation script in the Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server home, which in this example is /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/grid:

$ cd /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/grid/deinstall
$ ./deinstall -paramfile /home/usr/oracle/my_grid_paramfile.tmpl

If you enter the deinstall command outside of the $ORACLE_HOME/deinstall folder, then help is displayed, unless you enter a -home flag and provide a path. If you run the deinstall command from the $ORACLE_HOME/deinstall folder, then deinstallation starts without prompting you for a home address.

7.1.4 Example of a Deinstallation Parameter File for Oracle Database

You can run the deinstall command on a standalone Oracle Database with the -paramfile option to use the values you specify in the parameter file. The following is an example of a parameter file, in which the Oracle Database binary owner is oracle, the Oracle Database home (Oracle home) is in the path /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/, the Oracle base (where other Oracle software is installed) is /u01/app/oracle/, the central Oracle Inventory home (oraInventory) is /u01/app/oraInventory, the virtual IP address (VIP) is 192.0.2.1, the local node (the node where you run the deinstallation session from) is myserver, and the OSDBA group is dba:

#Copyright (c) 2005, 2006 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.
#Mon Feb 16 06:48:39 UTC 2009
DISK_GROUPS.sidb=
ASM_HOME=
ASM_LOCAL_SID=
LOGDIR=/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/oraInventory/logs/
ORACLE_BASE.sidb=/u01/app/oracle/
RECOVERY_LOC.sidb=
STORAGE_TYPE.sidb=FS
ORACLE_BASE=/u01/app/oracle/
INVENTORY_LOCATION=/u01/app/oraInventory
DB_TYPE.sidb=SI_DB
NODE_LIST.sidb=myserver
ARCHIVE_LOG_DESTINATION_LOC.sidb=
LOCAL_SID.sidb=sidb
DB_UNIQUE_NAME_LIST=sidb
ASM_FILES.sidb=
HOME_TYPE=SIDB
CRS_HOME=false
RAW_MAPPING_FILE.sidb=
SID_LIST.sidb=sidb
ORACLE_BINARY_OK=true
DATAFILE_LOC.sidb=/u01/app/oracle/oradata
local=false
LOCAL_NODE=myserver
CREATION_MODE.sidb=y
CONFIGFILE_LOC.sidb=
DIAG_DEST.sidb=/u01/app/oracle/
silent=false
ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/
SPFILE_LOC.sidb=

7.1.5 Example of a Deinstallation Parameter File for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

You can run the deinstall command on an Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server home with the -paramfile option to use the values you specify in the parameter file.

The following is an example of a parameter file, in which the Oracle Grid Infrastructure binary owner is oracle, the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home is in the path /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/grid, the Oracle base (where other Oracle software is installed) is /u01/app/oracle/, the central Oracle Inventory home (oraInventory) is /u01/app/oraInventory, the local node (the node where you run the deinstallation session from) is myserver, and the OSDBA group is dba:

#Copyright (c) 2005, 2009 Oracle Corporation.  All rights reserved.
#Thu Mar 05 11:36:03 PST 2009
LOCAL_NODE=myserver
HOME_TYPE=SIHA
ASM_REDUNDANCY=EXTERNAL
ORACLE_BASE=/u01/app/oracle/
SCAN_PORT=0
silent=false
ASM_UPGRADE=false
ORA_CRS_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/grid
GPNPCONFIGDIR=$ORACLE_HOME
LOGDIR=/home/oracle/tmp/deinstall/logs/
ASM_DISCOVERY_STRING=/u02/stor/asm*
GPNPGCONFIGDIR=$ORACLE_HOME
ORACLE_OWNER=oracle
ASM_DISKSTRING=
CRS_STORAGE_OPTION=0
ORACLE_BINARY_OK=true
OCR_VOTINGDISK_IN_ASM=false
ASM_ORACLE_BASE=/u01/app/oracle
NETCFGJAR_NAME=netcfg.jar
ORA_DBA_GROUP=svrtech
JREDIR=/u01/app/oracle/grid/jdk/jre/
ORA_ASM_GROUP=dba
LANGUAGE_ID='AMERICAN_AMERICA.WE8ISO8859P1'
CSS_LEASEDURATION=400
ASM_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/grid
SHAREJAR_NAME=share.jar
HELPJAR_NAME=help4.jar
SILENT=false
local=false
INVENTORY_LOCATION=/u01/app/oraInventory
GNS_CONF=false
JEWTJAR_NAME=jewt4.jar
EMBASEJAR_NAME=oemlt.jar
ASM_DISKS=/u02/stor/asm/asm0,/u02/stor/asm/asm2,/u02/stor/asm/asm3,/u02/stor/asm/asm1,/u02/stor/asm/asm4,/u02/stor/asm/asm5,/u02/stor/asm/asm6,
/u02/stor/asm/asm7,/u02/stor/asm/asm8
ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/grid
CRS_HOME=true
ASM_IN_HOME=true
EWTJAR_NAME=ewt3.jar
ASM_DROP_DISKGROUPS=false
ASM_LOCAL_SID=+ASM
JLIBDIR=/u01/app/oracle/grid/jlib
VNDR_CLUSTER=false
ASM_DISK_GROUP=DATA