C Installing and Configuring Oracle Database Using Response Files

This appendix describes how to install and configure Oracle products using response files. It includes information about the following topics:

C.1 How Response Files Work

When you start the installer, you can use a response file to automate the installation and configuration of Oracle software, either fully or partially. The installer uses the values contained in the response file to provide answers to some or all installation prompts.

Typically, the installer runs in interactive mode, which means that it prompts you to provide information in graphical user interface (GUI) screens. When you use response files to provide this information, you run the installer from a command prompt using either of the following modes:

  • Silent mode

    If you include responses for all of the prompts in the response file and specify the -silent option when starting the installer, then it runs in silent mode. During a silent mode installation, the installer does not display any screens. Instead, it displays progress information in the terminal that you used to start it.

  • Response file mode

    If you include responses for some or all of the prompts in the response file and omit the -silent option, then the installer runs in response file mode. During a response file mode installation, the installer displays all the screens, screens for which you specify information in the response file, and also screens for which you did not specify the required information in the response file.

You define the settings for a silent or response file installation by entering values for the variables listed in the response file. For example, to specify the Oracle home name, supply the appropriate value for the ORACLE_HOME variable:

ORACLE_HOME="OraDBHome1"

Another way of specifying the response file variable settings is to pass them as command line arguments when you run the installer. For example:

 -silent "ORACLE_HOME=OraDBHome1" ...

See Also:

Oracle Universal Installer NextGen Installation Guide for more information about response files

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

The following table provides use cases for running the installer in silent mode or response file mode.

Mode Uses
Silent Use silent mode to do the following installations:

  • Complete an unattended installation, which you schedule using operating system utilities such as at.

  • Complete several similar installations on multiple systems without user interaction.

  • Install the software on a system that does not have X Window System software installed on it.

The installer displays progress information on the terminal that you used to start it, but it does not display any of the installer screens.
Response file Use response file mode to complete similar Oracle software installations on multiple systems, providing default answers to some, but not all of the installer prompts.

In response file mode, all the installer screens are displayed, but defaults for the fields in these screens are provided by the response file. You have to provide information for the fields in screens where you have not provided values in the response file.

C.1.2 General Procedure for Using Response Files

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

Note:

You must complete all required preinstallation tasks on a system before running the installer in silent or response file mode.

  1. Prepare a response file.

  2. Run the installer in silent or response file mode.

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

These steps are described in the following sections.

C.2 Preparing a Response File

This section describes the following methods to prepare a response file for use during silent mode or response file mode installations:

C.2.1 Editing a Response File Template

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

Note:

If you copied the software to a hard disk, then the response files are located in the directory /response.

Table C-1 lists the response files provided with this software:

Table C-1 Response Files for Oracle Database

Response File Description

db_install.rsp

Silent installation of Oracle Database 11g

dbca.rsp

Silent installation of Database Configuration Assistant

netca.rsp

Silent installation of Oracle Net Configuration Assistant

Table C-2 Response files for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Response File Description

grid_install.rsp

Silent installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure installations

Caution:

When you modify a response file template and save a file for use, the response file may contain plain text passwords. Ownership of the response file should be given to the Oracle software installation owner only, and permissions on the response file should be changed to 600. Oracle strongly recommends that database administrators or other administrators delete or secure response files when they are not in use.

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 have copied the software to a hard drive, then you can edit the file in the response directory if you prefer.

  2. Open the response file in a text editor:

    $ vi /local_dir/response_file.rsp

    See Also:

    Oracle Universal Installer NextGen Installation Guide for detailed information on creating response files

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

    Note:

    The installer or configuration assistant fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.

  4. Change the permissions on the file to 600:

    $ chmod 600 /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.

C.2.2 Recording a Response File

You can use the installer in interactive mode to record 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 by clicking Save Response File on the Summary page. You can use the generated response file for a silent installation later.

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

If you use record mode during a response file mode installation, then the installer records the variable values that were specified in the original source response file into the new response file.

Note:

Oracle Universal Installer does not record passwords in the response file.

To record a response file:

  1. Complete preinstallation tasks as for a normal installation.

  2. Ensure that the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software owner user (typically grid) has permissions to create or write to the Oracle home path that you will specify when you run the installer.

  3. On each installation screen, specify the required information.

  4. When the installer displays the Summary screen, perform the following steps:

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

    2. Click Finish to create the response file and continue with the installation.

      Click Save Response File and click Cancel if you only want to create the response file but not continue with the installation. The installation will stop, but the settings you have entered will be recorded in the response file.

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

    Review parameters in the response file, and provide values for your cluster.

C.3 Running the Installer Using a Response File

Run Oracle Universal Installer at the command line, specifying the response file you created. The Oracle Universal Installer executable, runInstaller, provides several options. For help information on the full set of these options, run the runInstaller command with the -help option. For example:

$ directory_path/runInstaller -help

The help information appears in a window after some time.

To run the installer using a response file:

  1. Complete the preinstallation tasks as for a normal installation

  2. Log in as the software installation owner user.

  3. If you are completing a response file mode installation, set the DISPLAY environment variable.

    Note:

    You do not have to set the DISPLAY environment variable if you are completing a silent mode installation.

  4. To start the installer in silent or response file mode, enter a command similar to the following:

    $ /directory_path/runInstaller [-silent] [-noconfig] \
 -responseFile responsefilename

    Note:

    Do not specify a relative path to the response file. If you specify a relative path, then the installer fails.

    In this example:

    • directory_path is the path of the DVD or the path of the directory on the hard drive where you have copied the installation binaries.

    • -silent runs the installer in silent mode.

    • -noconfig suppresses running the configuration assistants during installation, and a software-only installation is performed instead.

    • responsefilename is the full path and file name of the installation response file that you configured.

  5. When the installation completes, log in as the root user and run the root.sh script. For example

    $ su root
password:
# /oracle_home_path/root.sh

C.4 Running Net Configuration Assistant Using a Response File

You can run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode to configure and start an Oracle Net listener on the system, configure naming methods, and configure Oracle Net service names. To run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode, you must copy and edit a response file template. Oracle provides a response file template named netca.rsp in the response directory in the database/response directory on the DVD.

Note:

If you copied the software to a hard disk, then the response file template is located in the database/response directory.

To run Net Configuration Assistant using a response file:

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

    $ cp /directory_path/response/netca.rsp local_directory

    In this example, directory_path is the path of the database directory on the DVD. If you have copied 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/netca.rsp

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

    Note:

    Net 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. Enter a command similar to the following to run Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode:

    $ $ORACLE_HOME/bin/netca /silent /responsefile /local_dir/netca.rsp

    In this command:

    • The /silent option indicates runs Net Configuration Assistant in silent mode.

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

C.5 Postinstallation Configuration Using a Response File

Use the following sections to create and run a response file configuration after installing Oracle software.

C.5.1 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 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 software installation is complete. The configuration assistants are started with a script called configToolAllCommands. You can run this script in response file mode by creating and using a password response file. The script uses the passwords to run the configuration tools in succession to complete configuration.

If you keep the password file to use for clone installations, then Oracle strongly recommends that you store it in a secure location. In addition, if you have to 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 configuration.

The command syntax is as follows:

internal_component_name|variable_name=value

For example:

oracle.assistants.asm|S_ASMPASSWORD=welcome

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

  • Permissions on the response file should be set to 600.

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

C.5.2 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 as needed.

    Example C-1 Password response file for Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation for a cluster

    Oracle Grid Infrastructure requires passwords for Oracle Automatic Storage Management Configuration Assistant (ASMCA). Provide the following response file:

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

    Example C-2 Password response file for Oracle Real Application Clusters

    Oracle Database configuration requires the SYS, SYSTEM, and DBSNMP passwords for use with Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). Providing a string for the S_ASMSNMPPASSWORD variable is necessary only if only if the database is using Oracle ASM for storage. Also, providing a string for the S_PDBADMINPASSWORD variable is necessary only if you create a container database (CDB) with one or more pluggable databases (PDBs). Also, if you selected to configure Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control, then you must provide the password for the Oracle software installation owner for the S_EMADMINPASSWORD response, similar to the following example, where the phrase password represents the password string:

    oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSPASSWORD=password
oracle.assistants.server|S_SYSTEMPASSWORD=password
oracle.assistants.server|S_DBSNMPPASSWORD=password
oracle.assistants.server|S_PDBADMINPASSWORD=password
oracle.assistants.server|S_EMADMINPASSWORD=password
oracle.assistants.server|S_ASMSNMPPASSWORD=password

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

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

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

  4. Change directory to $ORACLE_HOME/cfgtoollogs, and run the configuration script using the following syntax:

    configToolAllCommands RESPONSE_FILE=/path/name.properties

    for example:

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