Optimal Flexible Architecture and Multiple Oracle Home Configurations

Learn about the various Optimal Flexible Architecture and multiple Oracle homes configurations.

Specifying an ORACLE_HOME Directory

To install an Optimal Flexible Architecture-compliant database, you must specify an Oracle home directory in the form of:

DRIVE_LETTER:\app\username\product\12.2.0\dbhome_1

where:

  • DRIVE_LETTER:\ is any hard drive. For example, c:\

  • \app\ is the ORACLE_BASE before performing the installation.

  • dbhome_1 is the default directory name.

The following are the examples of Optimal Flexible Architecture-compliant Oracle home directories:

  • c:\app\test1\product\12.2.0\dbhome_1

  • d:\app\test2\product\12.2.0\dbhome_1

Installing a Default Optimal Flexible Architecture Database: Example 1

This example shows how to create all Oracle homes within one Oracle base directory.

  1. Install any Oracle Database that supports Optimal Flexible Architecture (Oracle Database Release 8.1.6 or later) on a computer with no other Oracle software installed and ensure that you accept the default settings for the Oracle home (for example, c: \app\username\product\12.2.0\dbhome_1).
  2. Install any Oracle Database in a second Oracle home accepting the default settings.

The following table shows the default Optimal Flexible Architecture database settings:

Table B-1 Default Optimal Flexible Architecture Database Settings

Setting Value

ORACLE_BASE

c:\app\username (same for all Oracle homes)

Oracle home 1

c:\app\username\product\12.2.0\dbhome_1

Oracle home 2

c:\app\username\product\12.2.0\dbhome_2

Installing a Nondefault Optimal Flexible Architecture Database: Example 2

In this example, you install each Oracle home into its own directory, but they all share the same Oracle base.

  1. Install any Oracle Database that supports Optimal Flexible Architecture (Oracle Database 8.1.6 or later) on a computer with no other Oracle software installed and change the default Oracle Universal Installer settings for the first Oracle home (for example, from c:\oracle\ora81 to X:\xyz\oracle\abc).
  2. Install any Oracle Database and change the default Oracle Universal Installer settings for the second Oracle home (for example, from c:\oracle\ora10 to X:\pqr).

The table shows the nondefault Optimal Flexible Architecture database settings for this example:

Table B-2 Nondefault Optimal Flexible Architecture Database Settings: Example 2

Setting Value

ORACLE_BASE

X:\xyz\oracle

(same for both Oracle homes)

Oracle home 1

X:\xyz\oracle\abc

Oracle home 2

X:\pqr

The resulting directory tree looks similar to this:

X:\pqr                         --Oracle home 2
  \bin
  \network
X:\xyz
    \oracle                    --ORACLE_BASE for both Oracle homes
      \abc                     --Oracle home 1
        \bin
        \network
      \admin
        \DB_UNIQUE_NAME1
          \dpdump
          \
        \DB_UNIQUE_NAME2
          \...
      \oradata
        \DB_UNIQUE_NAME1
          CONTROL01.CTL
          CONTROL02.CTL
          CONTROL03.CTL
          EXAMPLE01.DBF
          SYSAUX01.DBF
          SYSTEM01.DBF
          TEMP01.DBF
          USERS01.DBF
          REDO01.LOG
          REDO02.LOG
          REDO03.LOG
        \DB_UNIQUE_NAME2