One of the beauties of the Oracle database is that nearly everything associated with it can be automated. Oracle installation is one of the easiest tasks to handle with little or no human intervention. Sadly, Oracle Corporation has historically provided little documentation on exactly how to accomplish this.

This chapter will discuss the main steps in automating an Oracle installation. Some platforms may require specific preparation before the installer can run. This preparation is usually straightforward and simple, but consult the installation guide for your specific platform before proceeding.

Automated Installation

When performing an automated install, you must provide the installer with a text file containing all the necessary instructions. Oracle calls these Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) response files. A response file is a plain text file, which must follow Oracle’s syntax exactly.

To use a response file during an installation on Windows or UNIX, use the following commands (where "custom.rsp" is the name you’ve given your response file):

Windows

setup.exe [-silent] -responseFile C:\OraInst\custom.rsp

UNIX

./runInstaller [-silent] -responseFile /u01/OraInst/custom.rsp

The -silent qualifier is optional. When a silent install is indicated, the installer will not open any graphical user interface (GUI) windows under any circumstances. All needed information must be provided in the response file for a silent install. If any information is missing, the installer will exit, returning an error and the name of the log file to examine for details.

If the -silent qualifier is omitted, the installer will open normally and wait for the user to move through the install steps manually. Each page will be filled in with answers from the response file, but the installation will not proceed automatically. This is very useful if you want an installation "template" rather than a fully automated install.

In addition to the Oracle-provided sample response files, the installer can record a session to create a response file for use in later installations. To record a session, use the -record and -destinationFile qualifiers. For Windows and UNIX, for example:

Windows

setup.exe -record -destinationFile C:\OraInst\rec.rsp

UNIX

./runInstaller -record -destinationFile /u01/OraInst/rec.rsp

The installer will start and run normally. Choices made during the installation session will be recorded to the designated response file. After all selections have been made, a summary page will be presented. At this point, you can continue with the install or click the Cancel button to end it. Even if the installation is cancelled, the recorded response file is created.