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Requirements and Features

Completing a quick, successful installation depends on the local system satisfying the software dependencies and space requirements for Oracle software. This chapter describes the requirements for installing the Oracle8 Server release 8.0.4 on Solaris 2.x. Verify that the system meets the requirements described in this chapter before starting the installation.

Installation Overview

Installing the Oracle8 Server involves the following steps:

Satisfy Prerequisites: make sure the local system satisfies the hardware, software, memory, and disk space requirements for the products you want to install. See Chapter 1 of this manual. If you are upgrading an existing installation, see Chapter 5, "Upgrading and Migrating".
Check the UNIX Environment: make sure the UNIX environment is properly set up for the products you want to install. See Chapter 2, "Setting the Environment" of this manual.
Install: use the Installer to install the Oracle software. See Chapter 3, "Installation Tasks" of this manual.
Post-Installation: Create database objects, establish the user environment, and configure the installed Oracle products for the local system. See Chapter 4, "Configuring the Oracle8 System" of this manual.
Client Installations: Install Oracle tools, applications, and client interfaces, in accordance with the installation guides for those products.

System Installation Requirements

Verify that your system meets the installation requirements described in the following sections before you install the Oracle8 Server.

Hardware Requirements
Table 1-1 Hardware Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Memory

A minimum of 32 MB RAM is required. 128 MB is recommended if you are using the ConText Cartridge.

Swap Space

In general, three times the amount of RAM is recommended.

Disk Drives

At least four devices: one for the Oracle software distribution and three for creating an OFA-compliant database.

Note: To improve performance and fault tolerance, Oracle Corporation recommends that disk space be spread across many, smaller drives, rather than a few, large drives.

Disk Space

At least 600 MB is required when installing the entire Oracle8 Server distribution. Less space is required if installing only a subset of the available products.

CD-ROM Device

A CD-ROM drive supported by Solaris is required. Oracle uses High Sierra or ISO 9660 format CD-ROM disks with RockRidge extension.

Hardware	Requirements
Memory	A minimum of 32 MB RAM is required. 128 MB is recommended if you are using the ConText Cartridge.
Swap Space	In general, three times the amount of RAM is recommended.
Disk Drives	At least four devices: one for the Oracle software distribution and three for creating an OFA-compliant database. Note: To improve performance and fault tolerance, Oracle Corporation recommends that disk space be spread across many, smaller drives, rather than a few, large drives.
Disk Space	At least 600 MB is required when installing the entire Oracle8 Server distribution. Less space is required if installing only a subset of the available products.
CD-ROM Device	A CD-ROM drive supported by Solaris is required. Oracle uses High Sierra or ISO 9660 format CD-ROM disks with RockRidge extension.

Operating System Software Requirements
Table 1-2 Operating System Software Requirements

OS Software Requirements

Operating System

Solaris 2.5.1, or 2.6 (SunOS 5.5.1 or 5.6)

Operating System Patch

Use the latest kernel patch from Sun Microsystems.

Operating System Packages

SUNWarc, SUNWbtool, SUNWlibm, SUNWlibms, SUNWsprot, SUNWtool, SUNWhea, SUNWmfrun

Window Manager

Use any Sun supported window manager, for example, `dtwm`, `twm`, `olwm`.

OS Software	Requirements
Operating System	Solaris 2.5.1, or 2.6 (SunOS 5.5.1 or 5.6)
Operating System Patch	Use the latest kernel patch from Sun Microsystems.
Operating System Packages	SUNWarc, SUNWbtool, SUNWlibm, SUNWlibms, SUNWsprot, SUNWtool, SUNWhea, SUNWmfrun
Window Manager	Use any Sun supported window manager, for example, `dtwm`, `twm`, `olwm`.

To determine which operating system patches are installed, enter the following command:

$ showrev -p

To determine which operating system packages are installed, enter the following command:

$ pkginfo -i [package_name]

If you enter pkginfo -i, all installed packages are listed.

Additional Product-Specific Installation Requirements

This section provides product-specific information additional to hardware and software requirements provided earlier in this chapter.

Table 1-3 Restrictions, Requirements, and Installation Tasks for Server, Options, and Cartridges

Product Name	Restrictions and Requirements	Required Tasks for Successful Installation
Oracle8 Server, 8.0.4	None.	Complete all pre-installation, installation, and post-installation tasks.
Oracle8 Objects Option, 8.0.4	Only available with Oracle8 Enterprise Edition.	None.
Oracle8 Parallel Server Option, 8.0.4	Only available with Oracle8 Enterprise Edition. The Oracle8 Parallel Server Option requires Sun SPARCcluster PDB 1.2 or higher, and PDB patch provided on the 8.0.4 Oracle distribution.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for Oracle Parallel Server Option" in Chapter 2. Complete "Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Parallel Server Option" in Chapter 4. Note: Migration and upgrade requirements are described in "Complete Pre-Upgrade Tasks" in Chapter 5.
Oracle8 Partitioning Option, 8.0.4	Only available with Oracle8 Enterprise Edition.	None.
Oracle8 ConText Cartridge, 2.3.6	Requires an installed Oracle8 database.	Complete "Post-Installation for Oracle ConText Cartridge" in Chapter 4. Note: Migration and upgrade requirements are described in "Complete Pre-Upgrade Tasks" in Chapter 5.
Oracle8 Spatial Cartridge, 8.0.4	Only available with Oracle8 Enterprise Edition.	None.
Oracle8 Time Series Cartridge, 8.0.4	Only available with Oracle8 Enterprise Edition.	Complete "Post-Installation Steps for Oracle8 Time Series Cartridge" in Chapter 4.
Oracle8 Image Cartridge, 8.0.4	Only available with Oracle8 Enterprise Edition.	None.
Oracle8 Visual Information Retrieval Cartridge, 1.0.1	Only available with Oracle8 Enterprise Edition. Requires Oracle8 Image Cartridge.	None.
PL/SQL, 8.0.4	None.	None.

Table 1-4 Restrictions, Requirements, and Installation Tasks for Tools and Precompilers

Product Name	Restrictions and Requirements	Required Tasks for Successful Installation
Java Database Connect (JDBC) 8.0.4, including JDBC OCI Driver and JDBC Thin Driver	Requires JDK release 1.0.2 or 1.1.1.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for JDBC" in Chapter 2.
Migration Utility (Oracle7 to Oracle8), 8.0.4	None.	None.
Object Type Translator, 8.0.4	None.	None.
Oracle Installer, 4.0.3	None.	None.
Oracle Online Text Viewer, 1.0.1	None.	None.
Oracle Server Manager: Line Mode, 3.0.4	None.	None.
Pro*COBOL, 8.0.4.	Requires Micro Focus COBOL 3.2 or higher, or Sun Nihongo COBOL 1.0.1.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for the Pro*COBOL Precompiler" in Chapter 2.
Pro*COBOL, 1.8.26	Requires Micro Focus COBOL 3.2 or higher, or Sun Nihongo COBOL 1.0.1.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for the Pro*COBOL Precompiler" in Chapter 2.
Pro*C/C++, 8.0.4	Requires SPARCworks C compiler 4.2 or higher.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for the Pro*C/C++ Precompiler" in Chapter 2. Complete "Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Precompilers" in Chapter 4.
Pro*FORTRAN, 1.8.26	Requires FORTRAN77 3.0.1 or higher.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for the Pro*FORTRAN Precompiler" in Chapter 2.
SQL*Module Ada, 8.0.4	Requires Sun Ada 2.1 or higher.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for the SQL*Module Ada" in Chapter 2.
SQL*Plus, 8.0.4	None.	None.

Table 1-5 Restrictions, Requirements, and Installation Tasks for Networking and System Management Products

Product Name	Restrictions and Requirements	Required Tasks for Successful Installation
Oracle8 Advanced Networking Option: Security - Export Version, 8.0.4	Only available with Oracle8 Enterprise Edition. See Table 1-6 for information about ANO authentication adapter requirements.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for the Advanced Networking Option (ANO)" in Chapter 2.
Legato Storage Manager, 5.0.1.lsm	See Table 1-7 for Legato Storage Manager Software Requirements. Note: This product is only installable only by selecting to install the database.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for Legato Storage Manager (LSM)" in Chapter 2. Complete "Post Installation Steps for Legato Storage Manager (LSM)" in Chapter 4. For more information, refer to the Legato Storage Manager Administrator's Guide.
Oracle8 Data Gatherer, 8.0.4	Requires Oracle Intelligent Agent.	For more information, refer to the Oracle Enterprise Manager Configuration Guide and the Oracle Data Gatherer Installation and Configuration Guide.
Oracle8 Parallel Server Management Components, 8.0.4	Only available with Oracle8 Enterprise Edition. Requires Oracle8 Parallel Server Option.	Complete "Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Parallel Server Option" in Chapter 4. Complete "Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Parallel Server Option" in Chapter 4. For more information, refer to the Oracle Parallel Server Management Configuration Guide for UNIX.
NIS Native Naming Integration, 1.0.1	None.	None.
Oracle Intelligent Agent, 8.0.4	None.	Complete "Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Intelligent Agent" in Chapter 4.
Oracle Names, 8.0.4	None.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for Oracle Names Server" in Chapter 2. Complete "Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Names Server (Optional)" in Chapter 4.
Oracle Net8, 8.0.4	None.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for Oracle Net8" in Chapter 2. Complete "Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Net8" in Chapter 4. Note: Migration and upgrade requirements are described in "Complete Pre-Upgrade Tasks" in Chapter 5.
Oracle LU6.2 Protocol Adapter, 8.0.4	Sun SNA 9.0, or higher.	Complete "Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Protocol Adapters" in Chapter 4.
Oracle SPX/IPX Protocol Adapter, 8.0.4	Sun PC Protocol Services 1.1 is required for Solaris 2.5.1	Complete "Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Protocol Adapters" in Chapter 4.
Oracle TCP/IP Protocol Adapter, 8.0.4	None.	Complete "Pre-Installation Steps for the Oracle Protocol Adapters" in Chapter 2. Complete "Post-Installation Steps for Oracle Protocol Adapters" in Chapter 4.

Software Requirements for Networking Products

All network adapters require the underlying software and operating system libraries for the supported network. The network software must be installed and running prior to installation of the Oracle Net8 products. Refer to the operating system and third party vendor networking product documentation for more information. Oracle Net8 products require the specific release of Oracle8 Server and Oracle Net8 supplied with this release.

Table 1-6 describes requirements for authentication adapters supported by the Advanced Networking Option (ANO).

Table 1-6 ANO-Supported Authentication Adapters and Requirements

Adapter	Requirements
Kerberos	Kerberos release 5.4.2 or higher.
CyberSAFE	CyberSAFE Application Security Toolkit, release 1.0.4 or higher, installed on both Oracle client and server nodes. CyberSAFE Challenger, release 5.2.5 or higher, installed on the node running the authentication server. CyberSAFE Client installed on the Oracle client nodes.
SecurID	ACE/Server release 1.2.4 or higher or SecurID card from Security Dynamics.
Identix	Oracle Biometrix Authentication Server running on any production-release Oracle database, with fingerprint tables created.
No additional authentication adapter software is required to relink Oracle products. However, Oracle does not provide an authentication server for Kerberos, CyberSAFE, or SecurID. The appropriate authentication server for these adapters must be installed and configured separately.

Software Requirements for Legato Storage Manager

If you install Legato Storage Manager, make sure it is not already installed on your machine. You must de-install the existing version if you want to re-install.

Table 1-7 Legato Storage Manager Software Requirements

Components	Default Locations	Space Requirements
GUI	/usr/bin	23 MB
Daemon and utility command files	/usr/lib/nsr	22 MB
Online client file and server indexes; media database	/usr/lib/nsr	100 MB
Device Drivers	/etc/LGTOuscsi	1 MB

Disk Space and Memory Requirements

The total installed size of the Oracle8 Server distribution is approximately 600 MB. If you have at least this much disk space available under a single mount point, you have adequate disk space to install the Oracle8 Server distribution.

The minimum recommended RAM for running the products in this release is 32 MB. If you have at least this much memory available on the system, you have enough memory to run the products in this release.

Note:

600 MB of disk space does not account for the size of your database, and 32 of RAM is the minimum amount required for running the products in this release. A production RDBMS supporting many users requires significantly greater disk space and memory.

If you are installing other Oracle products on the server machine-Developer/2000 tools or Oracle Applications, for example-you must take the space and memory requirements for those products into account separately. See the installation guides for the additional products to determine their space and memory requirements.

Operating System and Installation-Specific Issues and Restrictions

The following issues and restrictions may affect the installation or use of the Oracle8 Server on Solaris 2.x. You should also check the release notes that accompany this release, and the README file in the $ORACLE_HOME/rdbms/doc directory before using the Oracle8 Server release 8.0.4. README files for other products on the Oracle8 Server distribution are in the doc or admin/doc directories for the respective products.

Concurrent Process Limit

The number of concurrent Oracle processes (initsid.ora parameter PROCESSES) for each Oracle system is limited by the Solaris 2.x-imposed limit for the maximum number of semaphore identifiers.

File Systems

The Oracle Server must be able to verify that file writes have been made to disk. File systems that do not support this verification are not supported for use with Oracle, such as NFS based on the UDP protocol.

Linking Single-Task Programs

In single-task systems, the user program, oracle kernel, and program interface run as parts of the same process. Consequently, the user can access the System Global Area (SGA) and can damage it. UNIX systems cannot provide the necessary separation between the user program and the Oracle program in a single process.

If you link single-task programs, use the chmod command to set the executable to assume the user ID of the oracle account at runtime. In such cases, review the source code to ensure data integrity. Also review the source code of the applications to ensure that they pose no security risk.

Migrating from Oracle7

The Migration utility is included with this release and makes it possible to migrate an Oracle7 Server, release 7.1.4 or higher to the Oracle8 Server. You cannot use the Migration utility when moving from a release 7.0 database to Oracle8.

Optimal Flexible Architecture

All new installations and all database creations performed with the Installer comply with the Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) standard, in that the Installer requires you to enter a value for ORACLE_BASE. If you need to create a non-OFA structure, the Installer allows you to specify the same value for ORACLE_BASE as you specify for ORACLE_HOME

See Also:

OFA is described in detail in Chapter 1 of the Oracle8 Administrator's Reference for Sun SPARC Solaris 2.x.

Solaris 2.3 and 2.4

Solaris 2.3 and 2.4 are not supported for use with Oracle8 release 8.0.4. You must be using Solaris 2.5.1 or 2.6. See page 1-4 for details of operating system and patch level requirements.

Sun Type 3 and 4 Keyboards

All key definitions released with Oracle8 Server products apply to both the Sun Type 3 and Sun Type 4 keyboards. However, if you have customized definitions for an application that specifically address the Type 3 keyboard and you do not want to convert them, you can make the Type 4 keyboard respond like a Type 3 keyboard. To do this, find the plate of dip switches under the upper right corner of the Type 4 keyboard. Move the first switch (#1) to the ON position. The default position is OFF.

Sun Type 5 Keyboards

This release also contains key definitions for the Sun Type 5 keyboard. The filenames of the Sun Type 5 key definitions are the same as those for Type 4 keyboards with the number 5 appended. For example, sun.r is for Type 4 keyboards and sun5.r is for Type 5 keyboards.

Very Large Files

Oracle8 includes native support for large files (greater than 2 GB). Solaris 2.6 also supports large files, however you should verify that your file system and volume manager do not impose file size limits. Some System V file systems contain only up to 2 GB.

New Products for Release 8.0.4

Legato Storage Manager

Legato Storage Manager provides Oracle data storage management service to the Oracle Server. Use Legato Storage Manager to configure the Oracle backup devices and storage volumes in those devices. For more information, refer to the Legato Storage Manager Administrator's Guide.

Oracle8 Data Gatherer

Oracle Data Gatherer is part of the Enterprise Manager framework and is used for collecting performance data that is used by Oracle Capacity Planner and the new Java-based Performance Manager.

Oracle8 JDBC Drivers

Oracle8 Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) drivers implement the standard JDBC interface as defined by JavaSoft. Oracle provides two categories of JDBC drivers: JDBC Thin for Java applets and applications, and JDBC OCI for Java applications.

Oracle8 Object Option

The Oracle8 Object Option allows data to be represented, accessed, manipulated, and stored as business objects.

Oracle8 Partitioning Option

The Oracle8 Partitioning Option allows the definition of partitions, tables, and indexes.

Oracle8 Time Series Cartridge

Oracle8 Time Series Cartridge is an extension of Oracle8 Enterprise Edition that allows you to store, retrieve, and manipulate time series data in an Oracle database, including developers of specialized cartridges.

Oracle8 Visual Information Retrieval Cartridge

Oracle8 Visual Information Retrieval Cartridge is an extension of Oracle8 Enterprise Edition that allows you to store, retrieve, and manipulate image data in an Oracle database, including developers of image specialization cartridges.

1 Requirements and Features