4
Configuring the Oracle8 System

You must perform certain post-installation steps and configure the Oracle8 system after completing the Installer session. This chapter describes the required steps, as well as some optional ones.

• Tasks to Perform as the root User
• Tasks to Perform as the oracle User
• Post-Installation for Individual Oracle Products
• Accessing Installed Documentation

  Note: This chapter describes basic configuration only. The more sophisticated configuration and tuning typically required for production systems is described in product and operating system-specific administration and tuning guides.

Tasks to Perform as the root User

Log in as the root user and perform the following tasks:

Run the root.sh Script

During the Installer session, the Installer creates the root.sh script in the $ORACLE_HOME/orainst directory. Running the script sets the necessary file permissions for Oracle products, and performs other root-related configuration activities.

# cd $ORACLE_HOME/orainst
# ./root.sh  

If you have installed Oracle Parallel Server, you must run the root.sh script on every node in the cluster.

Messages Displayed by the root.sh Script

The root.sh script prompts you to confirm the environment before it performs any actions. If you need to reset the environment for any reason, terminate the root.sh script. If you terminate the script, you must re-run it; you do not need to run the Installer again.

Depending on the products you installed, messages are displayed to inform you of the progress of root.sh. You might also be prompted for user names and be given additional instructions.

Run the catrep.sql Script

When performing a first-time installation of Oracle8, you will need to run the catrep.sql script. This script loads the necessary packages and views for replication.

Create Additional LINUX Accounts

Each DBA on the system must have an account in the OSDBA group. Do not assign multiple users to the same account.

Create these LINUX accounts with your system administration utility (useradd).

Verify Database File Security

Sites using the Oracle8 Server configured in a way similar to a United States NCSC C2 or European ITSEC E3 security evaluation configuration must perform this task to ensure the integrity of the Oracle software installation. This task is optional if security is not an issue.

Many files must be protected to prevent unauthorized access to secure data. The recommended file modes and ownership are as follows:

• The oracle account should own all common system files and installation files.
• The OSDBA group should have read, write, and execute privileges on all common system files and installation files.
• No user outside the OSDBA group should have write access on any files or directories in an Oracle installation.

Table 4-1 summarizes the directory and file permissions for different types of files.

Table 4-1 Access Permissions on Oracle Directories and Files

Update the oratab File

If you used Server Manager to create a database manually instead of using the Installer, you must ensure the system configuration is reflected in the /var/opt/oracle/oratab file.

Add an entry for each Server instance on the system in the following format:

ORACLE_SID:ORACLE_HOME:{Y|N}

where Y or N indicates whether you want to activate the dbstart and dbshut scripts (see the following task). The Installer automatically adds an entry for each database it creates.

Automate Database Startup and Shutdown (Optional)

Automating database startup is optional, but automatic shutdown is recommended, because it guards against improper shutdown of the database.

The dbshut and dbstart scripts are located in the $ORACLE_HOME/bin directory, and can be used to automate database startup and shutdown.

The dbstart and dbshut scripts reference the same entries in the oratab file, so the scripts must apply to the same set of databases. For example, you cannot have dbstart automatically start up databases sid1, sid2, and sid3, and dbshut shut down only databases sid1 and sid2. You can, however, specify that dbshut shut down a set of databases while dbstart is not used at all. To do this, include the dbshut entry in the shutdown file but omit the dbstart entry from the system startup files.

Automating Database Startup and Shutdown

To set up the dbstart and dbshut scripts so that they are called at system startup:

1. Edit the /var/opt/oracle/oratab file.

   Database entries in the oratab file appear in the following format:

   ORACLE_SID:ORACLE_HOME:{Y|N}
   
   

   where Y or N specifies whether you want the dbstart and dbshut scripts to start up and shut down the database.

2. Find the entries for all the databases that you want to start up. They are identified by the sid in the first field. Change the last field for each to Y.
3. Create a file named dbora in the /etc/init.d directory (if it does not already exist).
4. Create entries similar to the following at the end of the dbora file (if they do not already exist). Be sure to give the full path of the dbstart utility.

   # Set ORA_HOME to be equivalent to the ORACLE_HOME 
   
   # from which you wish to execute dbstart and
   
   # dbshut
   
   # set ORA_OWNER to the user id of the owner of the 
   
   # Oracle database in ORA_HOME
   
   ORA_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/8.0.5
   
   ORA_OWNER=oracle
   
   if [! -f $ORA_HOME/bin/dbstart -o ! -d $ORA_HOME]
   
   then
   
   echo "Oracle startup: cannot start"
   
   exit
   
   fi
   
   case "$1" in
   
   'start')
   
   # Start the Oracle databases:
   
   su - $ORA_OWNER -c $ORA_HOME/bin/dbstart &
   
   ;;
   
   'stop')
   
   # Stop the Oracle databases:
   
   su - $ORA_OWNER -c $ORA_HOME/bin/dbshut &
   
   ;;
   
   esac
   
   

5. Link dbora by entering:

   # ln -s /etc/init.d/dbora /etc/rc0.d/K10dbora
   # ln -s /etc/init.d/dbora /etc/rc2.d/S99dbora      
   

Tasks to Perform as the oracle User

Log in to the oracle account and perform the following tasks:

Update LINUX Account Startup Files

Update the startup files of the oracle account and the LINUX accounts of Oracle users.

Set Environment Variables

If you did not define LD_LIBRARY_PATH, ORACLE_BASE, ORACLE_HOME, and ORACLE_SID in the startup file of the oracle account before installing the Oracle8 Server, do so now. Set these variables to the values you entered during the Installer session. Table 4-2 shows the default Installer values (which you might have modified).

Table 4-2 Environment Variable Settings

Initialize the oraenv (coraenv) Script

Follow the instructions for a single-instance or multiple-instance configuration as appropriate.

Single-Instance Machine

On a single-instance machine, include the following commands to initialize the oraenv (coraenv) file at the end of the .profile or .login file of the oracle account.

For the Bourne or Korn shell:

ORAENV_ASK=NO

.  /usr/local/bin/oraenv

For the C shell:

set ORAENV_ASK = NO

source /usr/local/bin/coraenv

unset ORAENV_ASK

Multiple-Instance Machine

On a multiple-instance machine, include a list of instance names and the commands necessary to initialize the oraenv (coraenv) file at the end of the startup file of the oracle account. The value of ORACLE_SID you defined before the Installer session is the default instance name.

For the Bourne or Korn shell:

SIDLIST=\Qawk -F:'/^[^#]/{printf "%s",$1}'/var/opt/oracle/oratab\Q

echo "SIDs on this machine are $SIDLIST"

ORAENV_ASK=

. /usr/local/bin/oraenv

For the C shell:

set sidlist=\Qawk -F:'/^[^#]/{printf"%s",$1}'/var/opt/oracle/oratab\Q

echo "SIDs on this machine are $sidlist"

unset ORAENV_ASK sidlist

source /usr/local/bin/coraenv

Update Other Oracle User Startup Files

To create the same environment for all Oracle users, update each user startup file to include:

• /usr/local/bin and $ORACLE_HOME/bin in the PATH statement
• the following line at the end of the startup file:
  . /usr/local/bin/oraenv

  (or source /usr/local/bin/coraenv for C shell users)

• settings for ORACLE_BASE and ORACLE_HOME

Apply Any Required Oracle Patches

The Oracle8 Server release which this installation guide accompanies might include software patches that must be applied to the Server or other products. If patches are provided, apply them according to the instructions in the patch release notes.

Set Initialization Parameters

Oracle initialization parameters determine the character of an Oracle8 Server instance and its connection to a database. Initialization parameters can be divided into two groups:

• configuration parameters
• tuning parameters

Configuration parameters define the relationship between the database and its environment and are specified in the configdb_name.ora file. Tuning parameters determine the variable characteristics of an Oracle8 Server instance, and are specified in the initsid.ora file.

Activate the Default initsid.ora File

The Installer creates the initsid_0.ora file, which does not contain information on rollback segments but is otherwise identical to the default initsid.ora file in the distribution. Though rollback segments are active and online at this point, they are not listed in the initsid_0.ora file. The initsid_0.ora file remains active until you shut down the instance. The next time you start up the instance, the default initsid.ora file is activated.

The default initsid.ora file shipped with the distribution is located in the $ORACLE_BASE/admin/sid/pfile directory. The file contains settings for small, medium, and large databases, with the settings for medium and large databases commented out. The size settings are relative to each other, but do not represent an empirical size of the database.

Modify initsid.ora Parameters

You can modify the initialization parameters in the initsid.ora (not initsid_0.ora) with a LINUX text editor. You can activate the modified initsid.ora file by shutting down and restarting the database.

Do not use symbolic character representations such as question marks (?) for ORACLE_HOME in parameter files.

Post-Installation for Individual Oracle Products

Perform the product-specific steps as necessary for your installation.

If you want to access online documentation before you configure your Oracle installation, instructions for accessing that documentation are on page 4-17. It is not necessary to read product documentation before completing the configuration tasks in this manual, but more sophisticated tuning requires information in the product documentation.

Post-Installation Steps for Oracle8 Server

Recovery Manager

Recovery Manager is an automated recovery utility that is installed as part of the Oracle8 Server. It stores information in a recovery catalog in a separate Oracle8 database. This second Oracle8 Server should be installed on a separate machine to provide maximum fault resistance.

Perform the following steps if you want to create a recovery catalog:

1. Install an Oracle8 Server on a separate machine from any other Oracle8 Server, and create a database for the recovery catalog.

   If you choose not to write a custom script to create the database, create the default database with the Installer. The default database is adequate for the recovery catalog.

2. Create a user in the recovery catalog database to be the Recovery Manager user.
3. As the Recovery Manager user, run the catrman.sql script in the $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/admin directory. Run the script using Server Manager line mode (not using SQL*Plus).

Multi-Threaded Server

Servers configured with MTS require a higher setting for the initialization parameter SHARED_POOL_SIZE. If you specified MTS during the Installer session, you should raise SHARED_POOL_SIZE in the initsid.ora file. In general, you should add 1 KB for each anticipated concurrent user.

Oracle Group Membership Services (OGMS) Trace Files

During normal operation, the OGMS daemon creates trace files in the /tmp/.ogms directory. Files in this directory are used for diagnostics and must not be deleted while OGMS is active.

Start up Instances

Although the Installer can start up a database in shared mode, only one instance is started during installation. You must start up the other Oracle instances using Server Manager after installation is complete.

Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Precompilers

Pro*C/C++

The configuration files ottcfg.cfg and pcscfg.cfg in $ORACLE_HOME/precomp/admin must be customized for your environment before using Pro*C. Use a text editor of your choice to delete the shipped contents of these files and customize them to your environment.

Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Net8

Configuring your Oracle network is beyond the scope of this manual, and is covered in detail in the Oracle Net8 Administrator's Guide. However, to configure a minimal network before exploring the new features in Net8, use the following procedure:

1. The Installer creates a basic listener.ora file for the Server and places it in the $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin/ directory. The file specifies a TCP/IP listener on port number 1521. Check the status of the listener.

   $ lsnrctl status
   
   

   If the listener is running, the output of the lsnrctl status command will be similar to the following:

   Connecting to (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=IPC)(KEY=PNPKEY))
   

If the listener is not running, start it up:

$ lsnrctl start listener

1. Reserve a port for the Net8 listener by making the following entry in the /etc/services file:

Figure 4-1 Net8 Assistant, Service Names Wizard

$ sqlplus username/password@service_name

$ ./oraview