Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) rules are a set of configuration guidelines created to ensure well-organized Oracle installations, which simplifies administration, support and maintenance.

• About the Optimal Flexible Architecture Standard
  Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) rules help you to organize database software and configure databases to allow multiple databases, of different versions, owned by different users to coexist.
• About Multiple Oracle Homes Support
  Oracle Database supports multiple Oracle homes. You can install this release or earlier releases of the software more than once on the same system, in different Oracle home directories.
• About the Oracle Inventory Directory and Installation
  The directory that you designate as the Oracle Inventory directory (oraInventory) stores an inventory of all software installed on the system.
• Oracle Base Directory Naming Convention
  The Oracle Base directory is the database home directory for Oracle Database installation owners, and the log file location for Oracle Grid Infrastructure owners.
• Oracle Home Directory Naming Convention
  By default, Oracle Universal Installer configures Oracle home directories using these Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture conventions.
• Optimal Flexible Architecture File Path Examples
  Review examples of hierarchical file mappings of an Optimal Flexible Architecture-compliant installation.