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Oracle8i Configuration Parameters and the Registry

This appendix describes use of the registry for various Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98 components. It also lists the recommended values and ranges for configuration parameters.

Specific topics discussed are:

• About Configuration Parameters

• Registry Overview

• Registry Parameters

• Adding a Registry Parameter with REGEDIT

• Adding or Modifying Initialization File Parameters and Registry Parameters with Oracle8i Navigatior's "Parameter Configurer"

About Configuration Parameters

Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98 uses configuration parameters to locate files and specify runtime parameters common to all Oracle products. When an Oracle program or application requires a translation for a particular configuration variable, Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98 uses the associated parameter. All Oracle parameters are stored in the registry.

Registry Overview

Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98 stores its configuration information in a database (the registry) that is organized in a tree format. The tree format consists of keys in the registry and parameter values for the keys. Keys and parameter values can be viewed and modified in the Registry Editor.

Keys are folders that appear in the left pane of a Registry Editor window. A key contains subkeys or parameters.

WARNING: Although the Registry Editor lets you view and modify registry keys and parameter values, you normally do not need to do so. In fact, you may render your system useless if you make incorrect changes. Therefore, only advanced users should edit the registry! Back up your system before making any changes in the registry.

Parameters in the Registry Editor appear as a string, consisting of two components:

• Parameter name

• Value itself

For example, parameter ORACLE_SID can have the following entry in the registry:

ORACLE_SID:ORCL1

Most Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98 parameter values are string types. Use Oracle Universal Installer defaults when a type is not given.

Registry Parameters

This section describes the Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98 registry parameters for the following keys. Other products may have additional keys and parameters that are not described in this appendix.

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\HOMEID

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\ALL_HOMES

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet

To modify the registry values described below, see "Modifying a Registry Value with REGEDIT".

Note: This appendix describes how to use REGEDIT to edit your registry.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\HOMEID

Each time you install Oracle products into a new Oracle home on your computer, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\HOMEID is created and ID is incremented. This subkey contains parameter values for most Oracle products.

Additional Information: See Chapter 3, "Multiple Oracle Homes and Optimal Flexible Architecture" for details on the PATH variable and registry values when you are working with multiple Oracle homes.

This figure shows the parameter subkeys created with two Oracle home directories on the same computer.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\HOMEID includes the following parameters for an Oracle home directory on a computer. Depending on the products you install, additional parameters can also be created.

Parameter	Description	Default Value
MSHELP_TOOLS	Specifies the location of the Windows help files.	ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\MSHELP
NLS_LANG	Specifies the supported language, territory, and character set. This parameter specifies the language in which the messages are displayed, the territory and its conventions for calculating week and day numbers, and the character set displayed.	During installation, Oracle Universal Installer sets this value based on the language setting of the operating system. See Oracle8i Installation Guide for Windows 98 for a list of commonly used values. Note: If this parameter is deleted at a later time, Oracle uses the value AMERICAN_AMERICA.US7ASCII.
ORA_CWD	Specifies the current working directory. This parameter must be manually set.	The value for this parameter must be set manually.
ORA_SID_PFILE	The full path to the initialization parameter file.	ORACLE_BASE\ADMIN\DB_NAME\PFILE\INIT.ORA
ORACLE_BASE	The top-level Oracle directory (for example, C:\ORACLE) that contains ORACLE_HOME, \ADMIN, and \ORADATA.	ORACLE_BASE
ORACLE_GROUP_ NAME	Specifies the name of the group containing icons of the Oracle products installed. The parameter is added to your registry when you first install Oracle products, even if Oracle Universal Installer does not create a program group for the Oracle products you have installed (for example, if you have installed only Net8 software).	Oracle - HOME_NAME
ORACLE_HOME	Specifies the Oracle home directory in which Oracle products are installed. This directory is immediately beneath the Oracle base directory in the Oracle directory hierarchy.	The drive letter and name that you specify during installation
ORACLE_HOME_KEY	The HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE location of Oracle parameters.	SOFTWARE\ORACLE\HOMEID
ORACLE_HOME_ NAME	Specifies the home name of the Oracle home directory in which Oracle products are installed.	The name that you specify during installation
NAV81	Specifies Oracle8i Navigator files	ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\NAV81
PO8	Specifies that the Oracle8i Navigator be used	YES
DATABASE_STARTUP	Specifies whether the database should be mounted, if not started and mounted already, when connected using Server Manager/ SQL*Plus/ Oracle8i Navigator	AUTO (If it is set to NOAUTO, database will not be mounted even if not already mounted when connected using Server Manager/ SQL*Plus/Oracle8i Navigator)
ORACLE_SID	Specifies the name of the Oracle database instance on the host machine. The value of this parameter is the SID for the instance.	The default value is specified by the entry in the Database Identification window of Oracle Universal Installer.
RDBMS_ ARCHIVE	Specifies the location of the backup database files.	ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\DATABASE \ARCHIVE
RDBMS_ CONTROL	Specifies the location of the backup database control files.	ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\DATABASE
SQLPATH	Specifies the location of SQL scripts.	ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\DBS

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE

This subkey contains the following parameters:

Parameter	Description	Default Value Entry
INST_LOC	Specifies the location of Oracle Universal Installer files.	System Drive:\Program Files\Oracle\Inventory
OO4O	Specifies the location of Oracle Objects for OLE message files.	ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\OO4O\MESG

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\ALL_HOMES

This subkey provides general information on each Oracle home directory on a computer. This subkey contains the IDx subkey(s) and its parameters, described below, as well as other parameters listed.

IDx

This subkey corresponds to the HOMEID of the same number (for example, HOME0 for the first installation, HOME1 for the second installation, and so on). IDx contains the following parameters. The values that display are determined by what you enter during installation in the File Locations dialog box of Oracle Universal Installer.

Parameter	Description	Default Value Entry
NAME	Specifies the home name of the Oracle home for IDx. This is the value that you specify when prompted for an Oracle home name.	The name that you specify during installation.
PATH	Specifies the Oracle home directory for IDx.	ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\ALL_HOMES Parameters

This subkey contains the following parameters.

Parameter	Description	Default Value
DEFAULT_HOME	Specifies the default Oracle home name (that is, the first Oracle home installed on your machine).	The name that you specify during installation.
HOME_COUNTER	Specifies the number of installed Oracle homes.	1
LAST_HOME	Displays the ID number of the most recently installed Oracle home. For example, if HOME0 was the most recently installed Oracle home, the number 0 appears.	0

Modifying a Registry Value with REGEDIT

CAUTION: Do not edit your registry unless absolutely necessary. If an error occurs in your registry, Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98 can stop functioning and the registry itself can become unusable.

To edit the Oracle-related settings:

1. Start the registry in one of two ways:
   • From the command prompt, enter:

     C:\> REGEDIT
     
     

   • Choose Start > Run, enter REGEDIT in the Open field, and click OK.

   The Registry Editor window appears.

   

2. Navigate to the values you want to view or modify by double-clicking the appropriate keys.

   The left-hand side of the window shows the hierarchy of registry keys, and the right-hand side of the window shows various values associated with a key.

3. Double-click the parameter to edit.

   The String Editor dialog box appears:

   

4. Make any necessary edits.

5. Click OK.

6. Choose Exit from the Registry menu.

Adding a Registry Parameter with REGEDIT

To add a parameter to the registry:

1. Start the registry in one of two ways:
   • From the MS-DOS command prompt, enter:

     C:\> REGEDIT
     
     

   • Choose Start > Run, enter REGEDIT in the Open field, and click OK.

   The Registry Editor window appears.

2. Navigate to the key to which you want to add the new value.

3. Choose New-> String Value from the Edit menu. You can select either of the following three types of values
   • String Value

   • Binary Value

   • DWORD Value (hexadecimal data)

4. Type the name that you want to assign to the currently created values for the selected key.

5. To enter the data, select the `Value' then select `Modify' from `Edit' menu.

   A Edit dialog box appropriate for the data type appears:

   

6. Type the value for the parameter.

7. Click OK.

   The Registry Editor adds the parameter.

8. Choose Exit from the Registry menu.

9. The registry exits.

Adding or Modifying Initialization File Parameters and Registry Parameters with Oracle8i Navigatior's "Parameter Configurer"

Introducing Database Parameter Configuration Assistant

Database Parameter Configuration Assistant provides an easy to use interface to manipulate the parameters in the database initialization files (for example, init.ora file). These parameters are also called the Database Initialization Parameters. It also provides a user interface for safe manipulation of the registry parameters used by the Oracle8i Database Server. These parameters in the registry are called Oracle8i Configuration Parameters.

Introduction to Manipulating Database Initialization Parameters

The Initialization Parameter file is a text file that contains a list of parameters and a value for each parameter. The name of the parameter file varies depending on the operating system. For example, it can be in mixed case or lowercase, or it can have a logical name or a variation of the name init.ora.

Database administrators can use initialization parameters to:

• Optimize performance by adjusting memory structures, such as the number of database buffers in memory

• Set some database-wide defaults, such as the amount of space initially allocated for a context area when it is created

• Set database limits, such as the maximum number of database users

• Specify names of files

For more details on the Initialization Parameter file and individual parameters in this file refer to the Oracle8i Reference documentation available under Oracle 8i Server in the documentation accompanying the CD.

On opening an already existing database initialization file, you will see a list of parameters present in that file and all the files included therein as shown in the following figure:

Opening a window to manipulate database initialization files

1. Click on menu option View.

2. Under the Parameter Configuration menu option, a menu will pop up

3. Click on the initialization file and a window to manipulate the database parameters will be opened.

Creating a new initialization file

1. Click on menu File -> New

2. A file dialogue will pop up. Choose the file into which the parameters have to be saved.

3. Start adding parameters.

4. After you are done, save the file.

To open an already existing parameter file

1. Click on menu File -> open

2. From the popped up file dialogue, choose the parameter file to open.

3. If the parameter file is successfully opened, then you should see the list of parameters and their values on the window.

To add a parameter

1. Before adding a parameter, you should either have opened an already existing parameter file or created a new parameter file.

2. Click on menu Edit -> Add or right-click in the window and select Add from the menu.

3. A dialogue box will pop up containing the following fields.

Name	The name of the parameter.
Value	The value of that parameter.
Range	The valid range of the parameter, if any.
Save in File	The file in which the parameter has to be saved.

4. Select the parameter you want to add from the available list present against Name.

5. Enter the value of the parameter in the Value field. (The range of the chosen parameter is shown in the Range field. The Range field is not editable.)

6. In Save in File field, you will see a filename where the parameter will be saved. This filename will be same as the filename you provided while creating a new parameter file or opening an already existing file. In case you want to organize the parameters across many files and include the files from one file using IFILE parameter, change the Save in File to a suitable file name.

7. Click OK to reflect the change on the window, click Cancel to discard the change.

Deleting a Parameter

1. Click on the parameter to be deleted.

2. Click Edit -> Delete or right click on the parameter to be deleted and select Delete from the menu.

Modifying a Parameter Value

1. Double-Click on the parameter to be modified or right click on the parameter to be modified and select Modify from the menu.

2. Change the value of the parameter in the Dialogue box that appears.

3. Click OK to reflect the change on the window, click Cancel to discard the change.

Note:

For using parameter IFILE, to include an initialization file in a nested initialization file, you should also specify the filename in which the value of the ifile has to be placed.

For example, if you have a init1.ora file including init2.ora file which in turn includes init3.ora file, then the GUI will show the value for the parameter IFILE as:

init1.ora::init2.ora, init2.ora::init3.ora. 
init1.ora 
  |
  +----> init2.ora 
           |
           +-----> init3.ora

If you want to include another file init4.ora into init2.ora, the value of IFILE shown in the GUI has to be modified to:

init1.ora::init2.ora, init2.ora::init3.ora, init2.ora::init4.ora.  

Now the structure of the files included will be:

init1.ora 
  |
  +----> init2.ora 
           |
           +-----> init3.ora
           +-----> init4.ora

Saving the parameters

1. Click on menu File -> Save.

The parameters will be saved into the files that appears in the "Save in File" field of the respective parameters.

Introduction to Manipulating Oracle8i Configuration Parameters

Oracle 8i Personal Edition uses configuration parameters to locate files and specify run time parameters common to all Oracle products. All Oracle parameters are stored in the registry. Database Parameter Configuration Assistant provides a user interface for safe manipulation of the registry parameters used by the Oracle8i Database Server.

The following is a short description of the window used to modify the configuration parameters.

1. On opening a window to manipulate the Oracle 8i configuration parameters (and if you have Oracle Server installed in any of the Oracle Home locations), you will see a tree of Oracle Homes in the left window.

2. Each Oracle Home has a list of predefined number of SID-independent parameters i.e., the parameters that are common to all SIDs like DBA_AUTHORIZATION, DATABASE_STARTUP etc., and a list of SIDs belonging to that Home.

3. Each SID has a list of predefined number of SID-specific parameters i.e., parameters that are specific for different SIDs like ORA_SID_PFILE, ORA_SID_PWFILE.

4. On expanding each of the Oracle Home that appears in the tree, you will see two folders, one for SID-independent parameters; another for SID specific parameters.

5. On expanding the SID-Independent Parameters folder, you will see the list of SID-independent parameters and their corresponding values for that Oracle Home in the right window.

6. On expanding the SID List folder, you will see a list of available SIDs under that Home. Clicking on any of the SID folders will show a list of SID specific parameters and their corresponding values in the right window.

Opening a window to manipulate configuration parameters

1. Click on menu option View.

2. Under the Parameter Configuration menu option, a menu will pop up.

3. Click on the Configuration Parameters and a window to manipulate the registry parameters will pop up.

Note:

1. You will see a tree of installed Oracle Homes in the left window.

2. Each Oracle Home has a list of predefined number of SID-independent parameters and a list of SIDs belonging to that Home.

3. Each SID has a list of predefined number of SID specific parameters.

4. On expanding each of the Oracle Home that appears in the tree, you will see two folders, SID Independent and SID List.

5. On expanding the SID Independent folder, you will see the list of SID independent parameters and their corresponding values for that Oracle Home in the right window.

6. On expanding the SID List folder, you will see a list of available SIDs under that Home.

7. Clicking on any of the SID folders will show a list of SID specific parameters and their corresponding values in the right window.

Modifying a parameter value

1. By clicking on the appropriate tree elements in the left window, have the parameter -- that needs to be changed -- to appear in the right window.

2. For example, if you want to change the ORA_ORCL_PFILE parameter for SID = ORCL in Home_0, then expand Home_0, expand SID List that is present under Home_0, click on ORCL, that should appear on the left window on expanding the SID List. You should see the parameter ORA_ORCL_PFILE on the right window.

3. Double click on the parameter to be modified or right click on the parameter to be modified and select Modify from the menu.

4. A dialogue box will pop up. Enter the new value for the parameter in the dialogue box.

5. Click OK to reflect the change, click Cancel to discard the change.

Deleting a particular parameter

The parameters cannot be deleted. If you want to avoid writing the parameter into the registry then modify the parameter and make that parameter value as NULL.

For example, to delete ORA_ORCL_PFILE for the SID ORCL , modify ORA_ORCL_PFILE and clear the string that appears on the modify dialogue box and click on OK. You should see a "" against the value for ORA_ORCL_PFILE after this modification. Or right click on the parameter you want to delete and select Clear.