Free Pro Oracle Database 11g Administration by Darl Kuhn

specified by o11r2, whereas the instance name is specified as O11R2:
    /ora01/app/oracle/diag/rdbms/o11r2/O11R2
    Now that you understand the OFA standard, you see how it’s used when installing the Oracle binaries. For example, you need to specify directory values for the ORACLE_BASE and ORACLE_HOME
    directories when running the Oracle installer.
    Installing Oracle
    Suppose you’re new on the job, and your manager asks you how long it will take to install a new set of Oracle Database 11 g binaries on a server. You reply that it will take less than an hour. Your boss is incredulous and states that previous DBAs always estimated at least a day to install the Oracle binaries (software) on a new server. You reply, “Actually, it’s not that complicated, but DBAs do tend to overestimate installations because it’s hard to predict everything that might go wrong.”
    When you’re handed a new server and are given the task of installing the Oracle binaries, this usually refers to the process of downloading and installing the software required before you can create an Oracle database. This process involves several steps:

    Create the operating system dba group and the operating system oracle user.
    4

    CHAPTER 1 ■ INSTALLING THE ORACLE BINARIES

    Ensure that the operating system is configured adequately for an Oracle database.

    Obtain the database installation software from Oracle.

    Unzip the database installation software.

    Configure the response file, and run the Oracle silent installer.

    Troubleshoot any issues.
    These steps are detailed in the following subsections.
    ■ Note Any version of the database that Oracle designates as a base release (10.1.0.2, 10.2.0.1, 11.1.0.6, and 11.2.0.1) can be freely downloaded from Oracle’s technology network web site (http://otn.oracle.com).
    However, be aware that any subsequent patch downloads require a purchased license. In other words, downloading base software requires an Oracle Technology Network (OTN) logon (free), whereas downloading a patchset requires a My Oracle Support account (paid support account).
    Step 1. Create the Operating System Group and User
    If you work in a shop with a good system administrator (SA), then steps 1 and 2 usually are performed by the SA. If you don’t have an SA, then you have to perform these steps yourself (this is often the case in small shops where you’re required to perform many different job functions). You need root access to accomplish these steps.
    As root, use the groupadd command to add operating system groups. In Linux/Unix environments, Oracle recommends that you create three operating system groups: oinstall, dba, and oper. The oinstall group has privileges to manipulate the installation files and perform installations and upgrades. Operating system users assigned to the dba group can connect to the database with sysdba database privileges. Operating system users assigned to the oper group can connect to the database with sysoper database privileges.
    The idea behind the three separate groups is to be able to allow separate operating system users to perform various database tasks. For example, you may have one user who typically installs the Oracle software and is assigned the oinstall group, and other users who require sysdba or sysoper privileges who are assigned the dba and oper groups, respectively.
    Having said that, many shops create just one operating system group, dba, and use that group to install software and perform all sysdba and sysoper functions. I typically only use one group (dba).
    If you have root access, you can run the groupadd command as shown here:
    # groupadd dba
    If you don’t have access to a root account, then you need to get your system administrator to run the previous commands. If you have a company requirement that a group be set up with the same group ID on different servers, then use the -g option. This example explicitly sets the group ID to 505:
    # groupadd -g 505 dba
    You can verify that the