3 Installation Tasks

3.2.1.1 Downloading the Installation Archive Files

To download the installation archive files from Oracle Technology Network:

1. Use any browser to access the software download page from Oracle Technology Network:

   http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/
   
   

2. Navigate to the download page for the product that you want to install.

3. On the download page, identify the required disk space by adding the file sizes for each required file.

   The file sizes are listed next to the file names.

4. Select a file system with enough free space to store and expand the archive files.

   In most cases, the available disk space must be at least twice the size of all of the archive files.

5. On the file system that you selected in step 4, create a parent directory for each product, for example OraCli10g, to hold the installation directories.

6. Download all of the installation archive files to the directory that you created in step 5.

7. Verify that the files you downloaded are the same size as the corresponding files on Oracle Technology Network.

3.2.1.2 Extracting the Installation Files

To extract the installation archive files, perform the following steps:

1. If necessary, change directory to the directory that contains the downloaded installation archive files.

2. To uncompress each file, enter a command similar to the following:

   $ gunzip filename.cpio.gz
   
   

   This command creates files with names similar to the following:

   filename.cpio
   
   

3. To extract the installation files, enter a command similar to the following:

   $ cpio -idmv < filename.cpio
   

   
   

   Note: Refer to the download page for information about the correct options to use with the cpio command. Some browsers uncompress files while downloading them, but leave the .gz file extension. If these steps do not work, remove the .gz extension from the files and repeat step 3.

   
   

   For each file, this command creates a subdirectory named Diskn, where n is either 1 or the disk number identified in the file name.

When you have extracted all of the required installation files, refer to "Installing the Oracle Client Software".

3.2.2.1 Mounting Discs

On most Linux systems, the disc mounts automatically when you insert it into the disc drive. If the disc does not mount automatically, then follow these steps to mount it:

1. Switch user to root:

   $ su - root
   
   

2. If necessary, enter a command similar to one of the following to eject the currently mounted disc, then remove it from the drive:

   • Red Hat:

     # eject /mnt/dvd
     
     

   • SUSE:

     # eject /media/dvd
     
     

   In these examples, /mnt/dvd and /media/dvd are the mount point directories for the disc drive.

3. Insert the appropriate disc into the disc drive.

4. To verify that the disc mounted automatically, enter one of the following commands depending on the platform:

   • Red Hat:

     # ls /mnt/dvd
     
     

   • SUSE:

     # ls /media/dvd
     
     

5. If this command fails to display the contents of the disc, enter a command similar to the following to mount it, depending on the platform:

   
   

   Note: Before running the following command, ensure that the /mnt/dvd and /media/dvd directories exist on Red Hat and SUSE Linux, respectively. If not, create the /mnt/dvd and /media/dvd directories, as required, to mount the DVD.

   
   

   • Red Hat:

     # mount -t iso9660 /dev/dvd /mnt/dvd
     
     

   • SUSE:

     # mount -t iso9660 /dev/dvd /media/dvd
     
     

   In these examples, /mnt/dvd and /media/dvd are the mount point directories for the disc drive.

6. If Oracle Universal Installer is displaying the Disk Location dialog box, enter the disc mount point directory path, for example:

   /mnt/dvd
   
   

To continue, go to one of the following sections:

• If you want to copy software to a hard disk, refer to the "Copying the Oracle Client Software to a Hard Disk" section.

• If you want to install the software from the discs, refer to the "Installing the Oracle Client Software" section.

3.2.2.2 Copying the Oracle Client Software to a Hard Disk

If the system does not have a DVD drive, you can copy the software from the disc to a file system on another system, then either mount that file system using NFS, or use FTP to copy the files to the system where you want to install the software.

To copy the contents of the disc to a hard disk:

1. Create a directory on the hard disk to hold the Oracle software:

   $ mkdir OraCl10g
   
   

2. Change directory to the directory you created in step 1:

   $ cd OraCl10g
   
   

3. Mount thedisc, if it is not already mounted.

   Some platforms automatically mount the disc when you insert it into the drive. If the disc does not mount automatically, refer to the "Mounting Discs" section for platform-specific information about mounting it.

4. Copy the contents of the mounted disc to the corresponding new subdirectory as follows:

   $ cp -R /directory_path OraCl10g
   
   

   In this example, /directory_path is the disc mount point directory, for example /mnt/dvd on Red Hat systems or /media/dvd on SUSE systems, or the path of the client directory on the DVD. The mount point directory is /dvd.

5. If necessary, mount the next disc and repeat step 5.

After you have copied all the required discs, refer to the "Installing the Oracle Client Software" section.