2 Oracle Database Client Preinstallation Requirements

2.1.1 Hard Disk Space Requirements

This section lists system requirements for Windows platforms that use the NT File System (NTFS). Oracle strongly recommends that you install the Oracle database home (Oracle database binaries, trace files, and so on) on Oracle ACFS or NTFS; the database files themselves must be placed on Oracle ASM if using Oracle ACFS; otherwise they can be placed on NTFS. Usage of Oracle ACFS and Oracle ASM or NTFS instead of FAT32 is recommended to ensure security of these files.

The NTFS system requirements listed in this section are more accurate than the hard disk values reported by the Oracle Universal Installer Summary window. The Summary window does not include accurate values for disk space, the space required to create a database, or the size of compressed files that are expanded on the hard drive.

The hard disk requirements for Oracle Database Client components include space required to install Java Runtime Environment (JRE) and Oracle Universal Installer on the partition where the operating system is installed. If sufficient space is not detected, then installation fails and an error message appears.

Table 2-3 lists the Windows 32-Bit disk space requirements on NTFS.

Table 2-4 lists the Windows x64 disk space requirements on NTFS.

* Disk space requirements vary, depending on the components selected.

* Disk space requirements vary, depending on the components selected.

2.1.2 Verifying Hardware Requirements

To ensure that the system meets these requirements, follow these steps:

1. Determine the physical RAM size. For example, on a Windows 2003 computer, double-click System in the Windows Control Panel and select the General tab.

   On a Windows Server 2008 R2 computer, click System and Security in the Windows Control Panel, then click System.

   If the size of the physical RAM installed in the system is less than the required size, then you must install more memory before continuing.

2. Determine the size of the configured virtual memory (also known as paging file size). For example, on a Windows 2003 computer, double-click System, click the Advanced tab, and click Settings in the Performance section. Then select the Advanced tab.

   On a Windows Server 2008 R2 computer, click System and Security, then click System, click Advanced System Settings, click the Advanced tab on System Properties page, and then click Settings in the Performance section. Then select the Advanced tab on Performance Options page.

   The virtual memory is listed in the Virtual Memory section.

   If necessary, see your operating system documentation for information about how to configure additional virtual memory.

3. Determine the amount of free disk space on the system. For example, on a Windows 2003 computer, double-click My Computer, right-click the drive where the Oracle software is to be installed, and select Properties.

   On a Windows Server 2008 R2 computer, right-click My Computer and click Open.

4. Determine the amount of disk space available in the temp directory. This is equivalent to the total amount of free disk space, minus what will be needed for the Oracle software to be installed.

   On Windows 32-bit, if there is less than 500 MB of disk space available in the temp directory, then delete all unnecessary files. If the temp disk space is still less than 500 MB, then set the TEMP or TMP environment variable to point to a different hard drive location.

   On Windows x64, if there is less than 125 MB of disk space available in the temp directory, then delete all unnecessary files. If the temp disk space is still less than 125 MB, then set the TEMP or TMP environment variable to point to a different hard drive location.

   For example, to change the environment variables on a Windows Server 2003 computer, double-click System, click the Advanced tab, and click Environment Variables.

   On a Windows Server 2008 R2 computer, click System and Security, then click System, click Advanced System Settings, click the Advanced tab on System Properties page, and then click Environment Variables.

2.2.1 General Oracle Database Client Software Requirements for Windows 32-Bit

Table 2-5 lists the software requirements for Oracle Database Client on Windows 32-bit.

2.2.2 General Oracle Database Client Software Requirements for Windows x64

Table 2-6 lists the software requirements for Oracle Database Client on Windows x64.

2.2.3 Instant Client Light Language and Character Set Requirements

In addition to the requirements described in the previous section, if you plan to use Instant Client Light, the applications must use the following languages and character sets:

• Language: Any language that is supported by Oracle, but only US English error messages are returned for errors generated on the client side.

• Territory: Any territory that is supported by Oracle.

• Character sets:

  • Single byte

    • US7ASCII

    • WE8DEC

    • WE8ISO8859P1

    • WE8MSWIN1252

  • Unicode

    • UTF8

    • AL16UTF16

    • AL32UTF8

Instant Client Light can connect to databases having one of the following database character sets. An error is returned if a character set other than those in the list is used as the client or database character set.

• US7ASCII

• WE8DEC

• WE8MSWIN1252

• WE8ISO8859P1

• WE8EBCDIC37C

• WE8EBCDIC1047

• UTF8

• AL32UTF8

Instant Client Light can also operate with the OCI Environment handles created in the OCI_UTF16 mode.

The language, territory, and character sets are determined by the NLS_LANG parameter, which is stored in the registry under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ORACLE\KEY_HomeName\NLS_LANG subkey, where HomeName is the unique name identifying the Oracle home.

2.3.1 Installing Oracle Database on DHCP Computers

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) assigns dynamic IP addresses on a network. Dynamic addressing allows a computer to have a different IP address each time it connects to the network. In some cases, the IP address can change while the computer is still connected. You can have a mixture of static and dynamic IP addressing in a DHCP system.

In a DHCP setup, the software tracks IP addresses, which simplifies network administration. This lets you add a new computer to the network without having to manually assign that computer a unique IP address. However, before installing Oracle Database onto a computer that uses the DHCP protocol, you must install a loopback adapter to assign a static, non-routable IP address to that computer.

2.3.2 Installing Oracle Database on Computers with Multiple IP Addresses

You can install Oracle Database on a computer that has multiple IP addresses, also known as a multihomed computer. Typically, a multihomed computer has multiple network cards. Each IP address is associated with a host name; additionally, you can set up aliases for the host name. By default, Oracle Universal Installer uses the ORACLE_HOSTNAME environment variable setting to find the host name.

Clients must be able to access the computer using this host name, or using aliases for this host name. To check, ping the host name from the client computers using the short name (host name only) and the full name (host name and domain name). Both must work.

Setting the ORACLE_HOSTNAME Environment Variable

To set the ORACLE_HOSTNAME environment variable:

1. Display System in the Windows Control Panel.

2. In the System Properties dialog box, click Advanced.

3. In the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.

4. In the Environment Variables dialog box, under System Variables, click New.

5. In the New System Variable dialog box, enter the following information:

   • Variable name: ORACLE_HOSTNAME

   • Variable value: The host name of the computer to use.

6. Click OK, then in the Environment Variables dialog box, click OK.

7. Click OK in the Environment Variables dialog box, then in the System Properties dialog box, click OK.

2.3.3 Installing Oracle Database on Computers with Multiple Aliases

A computer with multiple aliases is registered with the naming service under a single IP address but with multiple aliases. The naming service resolves any of those aliases to the same computer. Before installing Oracle Database on such a computer, set the ORACLE_HOSTNAME environment variable to the computer whose host name you want to use.

2.3.4 Installing Oracle Database on Non-Networked Computers

You can install Oracle Database on a non-networked computer. If the computer, such as a laptop, is configured for DHCP and you plan to connect the computer to the network after the Oracle Database installation, perform these steps before you install Oracle Database on the non-networked computer.

1. Install a loopback adapter on the computer.

   The loopback adapter and local IP address simulate a networked computer. If you connect the computer to the network, Oracle Database still uses the local IP address and host name.

   See Also:

   Installing a Loopback Adapter

2. Ping the computer from itself, using only the host name and using the fully qualified name, which should be in the DRIVE_LETTER:\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file.

   For example, if you installed a loopback adapter on a computer called mycomputer on the mydomain.com domain, check the following:

   DRIVE_LETTER:\>ping mycomputer                Ping itself using just the hostname.
   Reply from 10.10.10.10                    Returns local IP.
   DRIVE_LETTER:\>ping mycomputer.mydomain.com   Ping using a fully qualified name.
   Reply from 10.10.10.10                    Returns local IP.
   

   Note:

   When you ping a computer from itself, the ping command should return the local IP address (the IP address of the loopback adapter).

   If the ping command fails, contact your network administrator.

Connecting the Computer to the Network after Installation

If you connect the computer to a network after installation, the Oracle Database instance on your computer can work with other instances on the network. Remember that you must have installed a loopback adapter on your computer. Your computer can use a static IP or DHCP, depending on the network to which you are connected.

2.3.5 Installing a Loopback Adapter

When you install a loopback adapter, the loopback adapter assigns a local IP address for your computer. After the loopback adapter is installed, there are at least two network adapters on your computer: your own network adapter and the loopback adapter. To run Oracle Database on Windows, set the loopback adapter as the primary adapter.

You can change the bind order for the adapters without reinstalling the loopback adapter. The bind order of the adapters to the protocol indicates the order in which the adapters are used. When the loopback adapter is used first for the TCP/IP protocol, all programs that access TCP/IP first probe the loopback adapter. The local address is used for tools, such as Oracle Enterprise Manager. Any other applications that use a different Ethernet segment are routed to the network card.

A loopback adapter is required if:

• You are installing on a DHCP computer, or

  See Also:

  "Installing Oracle Database on DHCP Computers"

• You are installing on a non-networked computer and plan to connect the computer to a network after installation.

  See Also:

  "Installing Oracle Database on Non-Networked Computers"

This section covers the following topics:

• Checking if a Loopback Adapter Is Installed on Your Computer

• Installing a Loopback Adapter on Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, or Windows XP

• Installing a Loopback Adapter on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008

• Installing a Loopback Adapter on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

• Removing a Loopback Adapter

DRIVE_LETTER:\>ipconfig /all

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Loopback Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 02-00-4C-4F-4F-50
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.10.10.10
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0

2.4.1 Remote Desktop Services

On Windows, Oracle supports installing, configuring, and running Oracle Database through Remote Desktop Services, formerly known as Terminal Services. To install Oracle Database, Oracle recommends that you start all configuration tools from the Terminal Server console session of the server (using mstsc/console).

Platform-specific support information is as follows:

• Windows 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2: You can configure Windows 2003 and Windows Server 2003 R2 to use Terminal Services in Remote Desktop for Administration Mode or Terminal Server Mode.

• Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7: The Remote Desktop is only available in Single User Mode.

• Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2: You can have multiple Remote Desktop sessions.

2.4.2 Oracle Services for Microsoft Transaction Server

Oracle Services for Microsoft Transaction Server running on Windows Vista requires a minimum of Service Pack 1 or higher.

2.4.3 Third-Party Database Certification for SQL Developer

You can use Oracle SQL Developer to view metadata and data of several non-Oracle databases. See "Database Certification for SQL Developer (Oracle and Third-Party)" in Oracle SQL Developer Installation Guide for more information.

2.4.4 Separate 32-Bit Client Software for 64-Bit Platforms

Starting with Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2), the 64-bit client software does not contain any 32-bit client binaries. If you require 32-bit client binaries on 64-bit platforms, then install the 32-bit binaries from the respective 32-bit client software.

However, when you install the 32-bit client binaries on 64-bit platforms, the installer checks for the existence of 32-bit software.

2.4.5 Web Browser Support

The following Web browsers are supported for Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control:

• Netscape Navigator 8.1

• Netscape Navigator 9.0

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 SP2

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 SP1

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0

• Firefox 2.0

• Firefox 3.0.7

• Firefox 3.5

• Firefox 3.6

• Safari 3.1

• Safari 3.2

• Safari 4.0.x

• Google Chrome 3.0

• Google Chrome 4.0