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Oracle® Database Client Installation Guide
11g Release 2 (11.2) for Microsoft Windows

Part Number E24187-05
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5 Removing Oracle Database Client Software

This chapter describes how to completely remove Oracle software and configuration files related to the specified Oracle home using the Deinstallation Tool.

The deinstall command removes the Oracle Database Client installations.

It includes information about the following topics:

5.1 About the Deinstallation Tool

The Deinstallation Tool (deinstall) is available in the installation media before installation, and is available in Oracle home directories after installation. It is located in ORACLE_HOME\deinstall.

The deinstall command uses the information you provide and the information gathered from the software home to create a parameter file. Alternatively, you can supply a parameter file generated previously by the deinstall command using the –checkonly option, or by editing the response file template.

Caution:

When you run the deinstall command, if the central inventory contains no other registered homes besides the home that you are deconfiguring and removing, then the Deinstallation tool removes the following files and directory contents in the Oracle base directory of the Oracle Database installation owner:
  • admin

  • cfgtoollogs

  • checkpoints

  • diag

  • oradata

  • flash_recovery_area

Oracle strongly recommends that you configure your installations using an Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) configuration, and that you reserve Oracle base and Oracle home paths for exclusive use of Oracle software. If you have any user data in these locations in the Oracle base that is owned by the user account that owns the Oracle software, then the deinstall command deletes this data.

The command uses the following syntax, where variable content is indicated by italics:

deinstall.bat -home complete path of Oracle home [-silent] [-checkonly] [-local]
[-cleanupOBase] [-paramfile complete path of input parameter property file] [-params name1=value name2=value . . .]
[-o complete path of directory for saving files] [-help]
 

The default method for running the deinstall tool is from the deinstall directory in the Oracle home as the installation owner:

%ORACLE_HOME%\deinstall
DRIVE_LETTER:\> deinstall

Provide information about your servers as prompted or accept the defaults.

The deinstall tool stops Oracle software, and removes Oracle software and configuration files on the operating system.

In addition, you can run the deinstall tool from other locations, or with a parameter file, or select other options to run the tool.

The options are:

5.2 Downloading the Deinstall Tool for Use With Failed Installations

If you require the Deinstallation Tool (deinstall) to remove failed or incomplete installations, then it is available as a separate download from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) Web site.

To download the Deinstallation Tool from OTN:

  1. Go to the following URL:

    http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/database/index.html

  2. Under Oracle Database 11g Release 2, click See All for the respective platform for which you want to download the Deinstallation Tool.

    The Deinstallation Tool is available for download at the end of this web page.

5.3 Example of Running the Deinstallation Command

As the deinstall.bat command runs, you are prompted to provide the home directory of the Oracle software that you want to remove from your system. Provide additional information as prompted.

If you run the deinstall tool from the deinstall.zip file, you must include the -home flag, and the help is displayed. If you run the tool from the installed ORACLE_HOME, the -home flag is not required and deinstallation starts without prompting you for a home address.

In the following example, the deinstall.bat command is in the path C:\app\oracle\product\11.2.0\client_1\deinstall, and it uses a parameter file in the software owner location C:\Documents and Settings\oracle\.

DRIVE_LETTER:\> cd \app\oracle\product\11.2.0\client_1\deinstall\
DRIVE_LETTER:\> deinstall -home \app\oracle\product\11.2.0\client_1 -paramfile %HOMEPATH%\myparamfile.tmpl

5.4 Example of a Deinstallation Parameter File for an Oracle Database Client

You can run the deinstallation command on a standalone Oracle Database with the -paramfile option to use the values you specify in the parameter file. The following is an example of a parameter file, in which the Oracle Database binary owner is oracle, the Oracle Database home (Oracle home) is in the path D:\app\oracle\product\11.2.0\client_1, the Oracle base (where other Oracle software is installed) is D:\app\oracle, the Oracle Inventory home is C:\Program Files\Oracle\Inventory, the virtual IP address (VIP) is 192.0.2.1, and the local node (the node where you are running the deinstallation session from) is client1:

#Copyright (c) 2005, 2006 Oracle Corporation.  All rights reserved.
#Wed Feb 18 02:19:20 PST 2009
ORACLE_BASE=D\:\\app\\oracle
INVENTORY_LOCATION=C\:\\Program Files\\Oracle\\Inventory
CRS_HOME=false
HOME_TYPE=CLIENT
ORA_CRS_HOME=
silent=false
local=false
LOCAL_NODE=client1
LOGDIR=D\:\\app\\oracle\\product\\11.2.0\\client_1\\deinstall\\logs\\
ORACLE_HOME=D\:\\app\\oracle\\product\\11.2.0\\client_1
OLD_ACTIVE_ORACLE_HOME=