2 System and Installation Requirements

2.1.1 Tips for Reducing Memory Usage

If you need to reduce memory consumption:

• Configure only the components that you need.

• After installation, start up only the components that you need. See the Oracle Application Server Administrator's Guide for details.

• Run Application Server Control only when you need to administer an instance. In most cases, you do not need Application Server Control running all the time.

2.4.1 How to Set Environment Variables

This section describes how to set environment variables in Windows:

1. Display the System control panel.

   On Windows 2000: Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > System.

   On Windows 2003: Select Start > Control Panel > System.

   On Windows XP: Select Start > Control Panel, then double-click System.

2. Select the Advanced tab.

3. Click Environment Variables.

4. To change the value of a variable, select the variable and click Edit.

2.4.2 ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_SID Environment Variables

These environment variables must not be set.

2.4.3 PATH Environment Variable

During the installation, the installer will update the PATH environment variable. Upon completion, the PATH environment variable cannot be longer than 1023 characters. Otherwise, you may receive a warning, or the installation may fail. If you receive a warning, you can shorten the PATH environment variable at that time.

2.4.4 TNS_ADMIN Environment Variable

Ensure that the TNS_ADMIN environment variable is not set when you run the installer. If set, it can cause errors during installation. Section H.3.11, "Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) Failures" shows such an error.

2.4.5 TEMP Environment Variable

During installation, the installer needs to write temporary files to a "temporary" directory. By default, the "temporary" directory is C:\temp.

If you want the installer to use a directory other than C:\temp, set the TEMP environment variable to the full path of an alternate directory. This directory must meet the requirements listed in Table 2-1.

If you do not set this environment variable, and the default directory does not have enough space, then the installer displays an error message that says the environment variable is not set. You can either set the environment variable to point to a different directory or free up enough space in the default directory. In either case, you have to restart the installation.

2.5.1 Location of the Default Identity Management Realm

The installer reads the hosts file to construct the location of the default Identity Management realm. It displays this location in the "Specify Namespace in Internet Directory" screen.

The hosts file should use the following format:

ip_address   fully_qualified_hostname   short_hostname

Example:

123.45.67.89   primaryHost.mydomain.com   primaryHost

In the preceding example, the location of the default Identity Management realm would look like "dc=mydomain,dc=com".

If the file uses a different format, the installer displays an incorrect value in the screen. For example, if the hosts file contains:

123.45.67.89   primaryHost   primaryHost.mydomain.com  <--- incorrect format

the installer would display "dc=primaryHost,dc=com" as the default Identity Management realm. This is probably not the value that you want for the default Identity Management realm.

2.5.2 Hostname for Oracle Application Server Single Sign-On

For Oracle Application Server Single Sign-On, if your hosts file contains only the hostname of your computer (without the domain name), then you will only be able to sign on to the Single Sign-On server using the hostname by itself (without the domain name).

If you want to require a domain name when connecting to the Single Sign-On server, you can edit the hosts file to include the domain name. If you do not want to edit the file, you can use the OUI_HOSTNAME command-line parameter to the installer to override the value in hosts. For example:

E:\> setup.exe OUI_HOSTNAME=myserver.mydomain.com

2.6.1 Installing on DHCP Computers

This section discusses the installation of Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One on DHCP computers.

2.6.2 Installing on Computers with Multiple IP Addresses

A computer with multiple IP addresses is usually configured with multiple network cards on that computer. Each IP address, in turn, is associated with a hostname. Additionally, you can set up aliases for the hostname.

When you install Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One on a computer with multiple IP addresses, the installer configures Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One to use the hostname/IP address on the primary network adapter.

Clients must be able to access the computer using this hostname (or aliases for this hostname). To check, ping the hostname from the client computers using the short name (hostname only) and the full name (hostname.domainname). Both must work.

How Windows determines the primary network adapter is described in Section 2.6.1.2.

If you want to use a network adapter that is not the primary adapter, start up the installer with the OUI_HOSTNAME command-line parameter. Specify the hostname that you want to use in the parameter. For example:

CD-ROM (assumes E: is the CD-ROM drive):

E:\> setup.exe OUI_HOSTNAME=myserver.mydomain.com

2.6.3 Installing on Computers with Multiple Aliases

A computer with multiple aliases refers to a computer registered with the naming service under a single IP but with multiple aliases. The naming service resolves any of those aliases to the same computer.

Before installing Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One on such computers, you must:

• Install a loopback adapter on the computer

• Make sure the loopback adapter is the primary network adapter

The loopback adapter ensures that when Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One queries for the hostname, it always gets the same name (because the queries are done locally). Without the loopback adapter, the queries can return any of the aliases for the computer (because the queries get the response from the naming service).

To learn how Windows determines which adapter is the primary adapter, see Section 2.6.1.2.

For steps on how to install a loopback adapter, see Section 2.6.6.

2.6.4 Installing on Non-Networked Computers

You can install Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One on a non-networked computer, such as a laptop. To do so, the computer must have networking capabilities. Non-networked means that the computer is not connected to a network.

If you want to install Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One on a non-networked computer, and you never want to connect the computer to a network after installation, ever, then you can just go ahead and install Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One on your non-networked computer.

However, if you plan to connect the computer to a network after installation, perform these steps before you install Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One on the non-networked computer.

1. Install a loopback adapter on the computer. For more information, see Section 2.6.6.

   The loopback adapter and local IP address simulate a networked computer. If you connect the computer to the network, Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One still uses the local IP and hostname.

2. Ping the computer from itself, using only the hostname and using the fully qualified name.

   For example, if you installed a loopback adapter on a computer called mycomputer, check the following:

   prompt> ping mycomputer                Ping itself using just the hostname.
   Reply from 10.10.10.10                    Returns loopback adapter IP.
   prompt> ping mycomputer.mydomain.com   Ping using a fully qualified name.
   Reply from 10.10.10.10                    Returns loopback adapter IP.
   
   

   
   

   Note: When you ping a computer from itself, the ping command should return the IP of the loopback adapter.

   
   

   If ping fails, then you need to talk with your network administrator.

Connecting the Computer to the Network After Installation

If you connect the computer to a network after installation, your Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One instance on your computer can work with other instances on the network. Recall that you must have installed a loopback adapter on your computer. Your computer can use a static IP or DHCP, depending on the network to which you are connected.

See the Oracle Application Server Administrator's Guide for details.

2.6.5 Installing on Static IP Computers that You Want to Disconnect from the Network Later

If you plan to install Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One on a networked computer with static IP and you want to be able to run Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One when you disconnect the computer from the network, you need to do the following steps before installation:

1. Install a loopback adapter on your computer. For more information, see Section 2.6.6.

   Without a loopback adapter, Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One cannot function correctly when you disconnect the computer from the network because the static IP is no longer available.

2. Make sure the loopback adapter is the primary network adapter. For more information, see Section 2.6.1.2. To check, ping the computer from itself using (1) the hostname only and (2) the fully qualified name.

   For example, if you installed a loopback adapter on a computer called mycomputer, you can run these commands:

   prompt> ping mycomputer                Ping itself using just the hostname.
   Reply from 10.10.10.10                    Returns loopback adapter IP.
   prompt> ping mycomputer.mydomain.com   Ping using a fully qualified name.
   Reply from 10.10.10.10                    Returns loopback adapter IP.
   
   

   When you ping a computer from itself, the ping command should return the IP of the loopback adapter. It should not return the network IP of the computer.

These steps are required regardless of whether the computer is using static IP or DHCP. If this is a DHCP computer, you already know you need a loopback adapter; see Section 2.6.1.

When you disconnect the computer from the network, the computer has no access to any network resources. Make sure you have all the instances (for example, OracleAS Infrastructure and middle tier) you need on your computer.

2.6.6 Installing a Loopback Adapter

A loopback adapter is required in any of these scenarios:

• You are installing on a DHCP computer (see Section 2.6.1).

• You are installing on a non-networked computer and plan to connect the computer to a network after installation (see Section 2.6.4).

• You are installing on a computer with multiple aliases (see Section 2.6.3).

• You are installing on a networked computer (with static IP or DHCP), but you want to be able to run Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One when you take the computer off the network.

The procedure for installing a loopback adapter depends on the version of Windows:

• Section 2.6.6.1, "Checking If a Loopback Adapter Is Installed on Your Computer"

• Section 2.6.6.2, "Installing a Loopback Adapter on Windows 2000"

• Section 2.6.6.3, "Installing a Loopback Adapter on Windows 2003 or Windows XP"

• Section 2.6.6.4, "Checking the Hostname"

• Section 2.6.6.5, "Removing a Loopback Adapter on Windows 2000, Windows 2003, or Windows XP"

prompt> ipconfig /all

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:
  Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
  Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Loopback Adapter
  Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 02-00-4C-4F-4F-50
  DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
  Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
  Autoconfiguration IP Address. . . : 169.254.25.129
  Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0

2.6.7 Copying CD-ROMs or DVD-ROM to Hard Drive, and Installing from the Hard Drive

Instead of installing from the Oracle Application Server CD-ROMs or DVD-ROM, you can copy the contents of the CD-ROMs or DVD-ROM to a hard drive and install from there. This might be easier if you plan to install many instances of Oracle Application Server on your network, or if the computers where you want to install Oracle Application Server do not have CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives.

(You can install from remote CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drives; see Section 2.6.8, "Installing from a Remote CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Drive".)

When you install from the hard drive, the installer does not prompt you to swap CD-ROMs. It can find all the files if they are in the proper locations (see Figure 2-5).

Accessing the Hard Drive from Other Computers

If you want to install Oracle Application Server on remote computers from the hard drive where you copied the contents of the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, you have to do the following steps:

1. On the local computer, share the hard drive.

2. On the computers where you want to install Oracle Application Server, map to the shared hard drive.

3. Run the installer from the remote computers where you want to install Oracle Application Server.

   Note that you have to use the drive letter for the mapped drive to access the installer (for example, H:\appserver10_1_2\setup.exe).

   You cannot use the universal naming convention (UNC) syntax (\\hostname\sharename) to access the installer.

Space Requirement

Ensure that the hard drive contains enough space to hold the contents of the CD-ROMs or the application_server directory on the DVD-ROM. Each CD-ROM contains approximately 650 MB. This means that if you are copying three CD-ROMs, you need approximately 1.9 GB of disk space.

On the DVD-ROM, the application_server directory is approximately 1.6 GB.

This space is in addition to the space required for installing Oracle Application Server (listed in Table 2-1).

To Copy the CD-ROMs:

1. Create a directory structure on your hard drive as shown in Figure 2-5.

   You need to create a parent directory (called OracleAS_10g_10_1_2 in the example, but you can name it anything you like), and, under the parent directory, create subdirectories called Disk1, Disk2, and so on. The names of the subdirectories must be DiskN, where N is the CD-ROM number.

   Figure 2-5 Directory Structure for Copying CD-ROMs to Disk

   
   Description of "Figure 2-5 Directory Structure for Copying CD-ROMs to Disk"
   
   

2. Copy the contents of each CD-ROM into the corresponding directory.

   You can copy the files using Windows Explorer or the command line. If you are using the command line, you can use the xcopy command.

   The following example assumes E: is the CD-ROM drive, and C:\OracleAS_10g_10_1_2\DiskN are the directories that you want to copy the CD-ROMs to.

   E:\> xcopy /e /i  E:\1012disk1  C:\OracleAS_SEOne\Disk1
   E:\> xcopy /e /i  E:\1012disk2  C:\OracleAS_SEOne\Disk2
   ... Repeat for each CD-ROM.
   
   

To run the installer from the copied files, invoke the setup.exe executable from the Disk1 directory. Run it from the computer that will be running Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One.

C:\> cd OracleAS_SEOne\Disk1
C:\OracleAS_SEOne\Disk1> setup.exe

To Copy the application_server Directory from the DVD-ROM

You can copy the application_server directory using Windows Explorer or the command line. If you are using the command line, here are the steps:

1. (optional) Create a directory to contain the application_server directory.

2. Copy the application_server directory from the DVD-ROM to your hard disk.

   The example assumes E: is the DVD-ROM drive, and C:\application_server is the destination directory:

   E:\> xcopy /e /i  E:\application_server  C:\application_server
   
   

To run the installer from the copied files, invoke the setup.exe executable from the computer that will be running Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One:

C:\> cd application_server
C:\application_server> setup.exe

2.6.8 Installing from a Remote CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Drive

If the computer where you want to install Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One does not have a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, you can perform the installation from a remote CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. Check that you have performed these steps:

On the Remote Computer, Share the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Drive

The remote CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive that you want to use must allow shared access. To set this up, perform these steps on the remote computer (which has the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive):

1. Log in to the remote computer as an Administrator user.

2. Start up Windows Explorer.

3. Right-click the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive letter and choose Sharing (Windows 2000) or Sharing and Security (Windows 2003, Windows XP).

4. In the Sharing tab (Figure 2-6):

   Select Share this folder.

   Share name: Give it a share name such as cdrom or dvd. You will use this name when you map the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive on the local computer. See step d.

   Click Permissions. You need at least "read" permission for the user who will be accessing it to install Oracle Application Server.

   Click OK when done.

   Figure 2-6 Sharing a CD-ROM Drive

   
   

5. CD-ROM: Insert Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One Disk 1 into the CD-ROM drive.

   DVD-ROM: Insert the Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One DVD-ROM into the DVD-ROM drive.

On the Local Computer, Map the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Drive

Perform these steps on the local computer to map the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive and to run the installer:

1. Map the remote CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.

   1. Start up Windows Explorer on the local computer.

   2. Select Tools > Map Network Drive. This displays the Map Network Drive dialog.

   3. Select a drive letter to use for the remote CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.

   4. In Folder, enter the location of the remote CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive using the following format:

      \\remote_hostname\share_name
      
      

      Replace remote_hostname with the name of the remote computer with the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.

      Replace share_name with the share name that you entered in step 4.

      Example: \\computer2\cdrom

   5. If you need to connect to the remote computer as a different user:

      Click different user name, and enter the username.

   6. Click Finish.

2. Run the installer from the mapped CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.

   When the installer prompts you to switch CD-ROMs, eject the CD-ROM and insert the requested CD-ROM.

   
   

   Note: The installer must be running when you are switching CD-ROMs. Do not exit the installer when switching CD-ROMs. If you exit the installer, it is unable to continue from where it left off. In addition, the partial installation that it created is not usable, and may need to be removed manually.

   
   

2.6.9 Installing on Remote Computers Through Remote Control Software

If you want to install and run Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One on a remote computer (that is, the remote computer has the hard drive and will run Oracle Application Server components), but you do not have physical access to the computer, you can still perform the installation on the remote computer if it is running remote control software such as VNC or Symantec pcAnywhere. You also need the remote control software running on your local computer.

You can install Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One on the remote computer in one of two ways:

• If you have copied the contents of the Oracle Application Server Standard Edition One CD-ROM or DVD-ROM to a hard drive, you can install from the hard drive.

• You can insert the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM into a drive on your local computer, and install from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.