Before You Begin

This guide is your primary source of introductory, post-installation, configuration, and administration information for Oracle8i Personal Edition.

Specific topics discussed are:

Prerequisites

This guide assumes that you are familiar with the following:

Windows 98, and have installed and tested it on your computer system
Object-relational database management concepts

Additional Information:
If you are not familiar with object-relational database management concepts, see Oracle8i Concepts.

Intended Audience

This guide is necessary for anyone installing, configuring, or administering Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98.

Note:
This guide describes only the features of Oracle8i Personal Edition that apply to the Windows 98 operating system.

How This Guide Is Organized

This guide is organized as follows:

Chapter 1, "Oracle8i Differences among Windows 98, Windows NT and UNIX"

Provides a list of differences between Oracle8i on Windows 98, Windows NT and on UNIX.

Chapter 2, "Database Tools Overview"

Provides a list of preferred and optional tools you can use to perform common database administration tasks..

Chapter 3, "Multiple Oracle Homes and Optimal Flexible Architecture"

Describes how to use multiple Oracle homes and an Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) configuration for placement of database files. Read this chapter before installing Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98.

Chapter 4, "Installing, Migrating, and Upgrading Databases"

Describes what to do if you have existing databases on your system and want to install the latest release of Oracle8i Personal Edition.

Chapter 5, "Post-Installation Configuration Tasks"

Describes or references the configuration tasks you may need to perform before using such products as Oracle8i Navigator.

Chapter 6, "Post-Installation Database Creation"

Describes how to create a database after installation with either the Oracle Database Configuration Assistant or the BUILD_DB.SQL script.

Chapter 7, "Administering a Database"

Describes how to administer a database.

Chapter 8, "Monitoring a Database"

Describes how to monitor the Oracle8i Personal Edition database.

Chapter 9, "Backing Up and Recovering Database Files"

Provides recommendations and procedures for backing up and recovering database files.

Chapter 10, "Developing Applications"

Describes Windows 98-specific issues for application developers.

Appendix A, "Directory Structures"

Describes the default directory structures created when you install Oracle components.

Appendix B, "Oracle8i Database Specifications for Windows 98"

Describes Oracle8i database initialization parameters, how to edit them, and parameters without Windows 98-specific values. This appendix also explains how to calculate database limits.

Appendix C, "Oracle8i Configuration Parameters and the Registry"

Describes the use of the registry for various Oracle components. In addition, this chapter lists the recommended values and ranges for configuration parameters.

Appendix D, "Net8 Configuration"

Describes configuration for the Windows 98 platform.

Appendix E, "Error Messages"

Lists the error messages, causes, and corrective actions that are specific to the operation of Oracle8i Personal Edition for Windows 98.

Glossary

Provides brief descriptions of terms used throughout this guide.

Documentation and Code Conventions

The following conventions are used in this guide:

Convention Example Meaning

All uppercase plain

C:\ORACLE\ORA81

Indicates command names, SQL reserved words, and keywords, as in ALTER DATABASE. All uppercase plain is also used for directory names and file names.

Italic

Used to indicate a variable:

file name

Used to indicate the title of a guide.

Indicates a value that you must provide. For example, if a command asks you to type file name, you must type the actual name of the file.

Square brackets [ ]

X:\[PATHNAME]\ORACLE\
HOME_NAME

Encloses optional items. For example, when you create an OFA-compliant Oracle home directory, you can place an optional pathname before the \ORACLE pathname.
Square brackets also indicate a function key, for example [Enter].

Choose Start >

Choose Start > Programs > Oracle - HOME_NAME > Network Administration > Net8 Assistant

How to start a program. For example, to start Net8 Assistant, you must click the Start button on the taskbar and then choose Programs, Oracle - HOME_NAME > Network Administration > Net8 Assistant.

C:\>

C:\ORACLE\ORADATA>

Represents the Windows 98 command prompt of the current hard disk drive. Your prompt reflects the subdirectory in which you are working. Referred to as the MS-DOS command prompt in this guide.

Backslash (\) before a directory name

\ORADATA

Indicates that the directory is a subdirectory of the root directory.

ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_BASE

Go to the ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\RDBMS\ADMIN directory

In previous releases when you installed Oracle8 Personal Edition, all subdirectories were located under a top level ORACLE_HOME directory, that by default was:
C:\ORAWIN95 for Windows 95/98
or whatever you may have called your Oracle home.
In this Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA)-compliant release, all subdirectories are no longer under a top level ORACLE_HOME directory. There is now a new top-level directory called ORACLE_BASE that by default is C:\ORACLE. If you install Oracle8i Personal Edition release 8.1.6 on a clean computer (that is, there is no other Oracle software on the computer), the default settings for the first Oracle home directory is C:\ORACLE\ORA81. If you run Oracle Universal Installer again and install release 8.2.x, the second Oracle home directory is called \ORA82. These Oracle home directories are located directly under ORACLE_BASE.
All directory path examples in this guide follow OFA conventions.
See Chapter 4, "Multiple Oracle Homes and Optimal Flexible Architecture" for additional information on OFA compliances and for information on installing Oracle products in non-OFA compliant directories.

%ORACLE_HOME%

SQL> @%ORACLE_HOME%\ADMIN\DB_NAME\ADHOC\CATALOG.SQL

In SQL*Plus commands, you may see %ORACLE_HOME%. SQL*Plus is able to locate your Oracle Home directory using the %ORACLE_HOME% variable. This convention can be used in Server Manager, SQL*Plus, Export Utility, and Import Utility.

HOME_NAME

OracleHOME_NAMETNSListener

Represents the Oracle home name.
The home name can be up to sixteen alphanumeric characters. The only special character allowed in the home name is the underscore.

HOMEID

HOME0, HOME1, HOME2

Represents a unique registry subkey for each Oracle home directory in which you install products. A new HOMEID is created and incremented each time you install products to a different Oracle home directory on one computer. Each HOMEID contains its own configuration parameter settings for installed Oracle products.

Symbols

period .
comma ,
hyphen -
semicolon ;
colon :
equal sign =
backslash \
single quote '
double quote "
parentheses ()

Symbols other than brackets and vertical bars must be entered in commands exactly as shown.

Convention	Example	Meaning
All uppercase plain	C:\ORACLE\ORA81	Indicates command names, SQL reserved words, and keywords, as in ALTER DATABASE. All uppercase plain is also used for directory names and file names.
Italic	Used to indicate a variable: file name Used to indicate the title of a guide.	Indicates a value that you must provide. For example, if a command asks you to type file name, you must type the actual name of the file.
Square brackets [ ]	X:\[PATHNAME]\ORACLE\ HOME_NAME	Encloses optional items. For example, when you create an OFA-compliant Oracle home directory, you can place an optional pathname before the \ORACLE pathname. Square brackets also indicate a function key, for example [Enter].
Choose Start >	Choose Start > Programs > Oracle - HOME_NAME > Network Administration > Net8 Assistant	How to start a program. For example, to start Net8 Assistant, you must click the Start button on the taskbar and then choose Programs, Oracle - HOME_NAME > Network Administration > Net8 Assistant.
C:\>	C:\ORACLE\ORADATA>	Represents the Windows 98 command prompt of the current hard disk drive. Your prompt reflects the subdirectory in which you are working. Referred to as the MS-DOS command prompt in this guide.
Backslash (\) before a directory name	\ORADATA	Indicates that the directory is a subdirectory of the root directory.
ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_BASE	Go to the ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\RDBMS\ADMIN directory	In previous releases when you installed Oracle8 Personal Edition, all subdirectories were located under a top level ORACLE_HOME directory, that by default was: `C:\ORAWIN95` for Windows 95/98 or whatever you may have called your Oracle home. In this Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA)-compliant release, all subdirectories are no longer under a top level `ORACLE_HOME` directory. There is now a new top-level directory called `ORACLE_BASE` that by default is `C:\ORACLE.` If you install Oracle8i Personal Edition release 8.1.6 on a clean computer (that is, there is no other Oracle software on the computer), the default settings for the first Oracle home directory is C:\ORACLE\ORA81. If you run Oracle Universal Installer again and install release 8.2.x, the second Oracle home directory is called `\ORA82.` These Oracle home directories are located directly under `ORACLE_BASE.` All directory path examples in this guide follow OFA conventions. See Chapter 4, "Multiple Oracle Homes and Optimal Flexible Architecture" for additional information on OFA compliances and for information on installing Oracle products in non-OFA compliant directories.
%ORACLE_HOME%	SQL> @%ORACLE_HOME%\ADMIN\DB_NAME\ADHOC\CATALOG.SQL	In SQLPlus commands, you may see %ORACLE_HOME%. SQLPlus is able to locate your Oracle Home directory using the %ORACLE_HOME% variable. This convention can be used in Server Manager, SQL*Plus, Export Utility, and Import Utility.
HOME_NAME	OracleHOME_NAMETNSListener	Represents the Oracle home name. The home name can be up to sixteen alphanumeric characters. The only special character allowed in the home name is the underscore.
HOMEID	HOME0, HOME1, HOME2	Represents a unique registry subkey for each Oracle home directory in which you install products. A new HOMEID is created and incremented each time you install products to a different Oracle home directory on one computer. Each HOMEID contains its own configuration parameter settings for installed Oracle products.
Symbols	period . comma , hyphen - semicolon ; colon : equal sign = backslash \ single quote ' double quote " parentheses ()	Symbols other than brackets and vertical bars must be entered in commands exactly as shown.