B Installing Oracle Database Client Using Response Files

This appendix describes how to use response files to perform a silent or noninteractive installation of Oracle Database Client. It covers the following topics:

How Response Files Work
Preparing a Response File
Running Oracle Universal Installer Using the Response File

B.1 How Response Files Work

You can automate the installation and configuration of Oracle software, either fully or partially, by specifying a response file when you start Oracle Universal Installer. Oracle Universal Installer uses the values in the response file to provide answers to some or all of the Oracle Universal Installer prompts.

Typically, Oracle Universal Installer runs in interactive mode, which means that it prompts you to provide information in graphical user interface (GUI) screens. When you use response files to provide this information, you run Oracle Universal Installer at a command prompt using either of the following modes:

Silent mode: Oracle Universal Installer does not display any screens. Instead it displays progress information in the command window where you started it. To use silent mode, you run setup.exe with the -silent parameter and include a response file, which contains responses to the Oracle Universal Installer prompts.
Noninteractive (or suppressed) mode: Oracle Universal Installer only displays screens for which you did not supply information in the response file. You can use variables in the response file or command-line prompts to suppress other Oracle Universal Installer screens, such as Welcome and Summary, that do not prompt for information. To use noninteractive mode, run setup.exe without the -silent parameter, but include the response file or any other parameters that apply.

You define the settings for a silent or noninteractive installation by entering values for the variables listed in the response file. For instance, to specify the Oracle home name, you would supply the appropriate value for the ORACLE_HOME_NAME variable, as in the following example:

ORACLE_HOME_NAME="OraDBHome1"

Another way of specifying the response file's variable settings is to pass them as command line arguments when you run Oracle Universal Installer. For example:

SYSTEM_DRIVE:\setup.exe_location> setup -silent "ORACLE_HOME_NAME=OraDBHome1" ...

Ensure that you enclose the variable and its setting in quotes.

B.1.1 Reasons for Using Silent Mode or Noninteractive Mode

Table B-1describes several reasons why you might want to run Oracle Universal Installer in silent mode or noninteractive mode.

Table B-1 Reasons for Using Silent Mode or Noninteractive Mode

Mode	Uses
Silent	Use silent mode if you want to: Complete an unattended installation Complete several similar installations on multiple systems without user interaction Oracle Universal Installer displays progress information in the window that you used to start it, but it does not display the Oracle Universal Installer screens.
Noninteractive	Use noninteractive mode if you want to complete similar Oracle software installations on more than one system, providing default answers to some, but not all, of Oracle Universal Installer prompts. If you do not specify information required for a particular Installer screen in the response file, Oracle Universal Installer displays that screen. It suppresses screens for which you have provided all of the required information.

Mode

Uses

Silent

Use silent mode if you want to:

Complete an unattended installation
Complete several similar installations on multiple systems without user interaction

Oracle Universal Installer displays progress information in the window that you used to start it, but it does not display the Oracle Universal Installer screens.

Noninteractive

Use noninteractive mode if you want to complete similar Oracle software installations on more than one system, providing default answers to some, but not all, of Oracle Universal Installer prompts.

If you do not specify information required for a particular Installer screen in the response file, Oracle Universal Installer displays that screen. It suppresses screens for which you have provided all of the required information.

B.1.2 General Procedure for Using Response Files

You follow these general steps to install Oracle Database Client using response files:

Customize or create a response file for the installation settings that you need.

You can create the response file by using either of the following methods:
- Modify one of the sample response files that is provided with the installation.
- Run Oracle Universal Installer at a command prompt using record mode.
"Preparing a Response File" explains how to customize or create the response file.
Run Oracle Universal Installer from a command prompt, specifying the response file, using either silent or noninteractive mode.

"Running Oracle Universal Installer Using the Response File" explains how to run Oracle Universal Installer with a response file.

B.2 Preparing a Response File

This section describes the methods that you can use to prepare a response file for use during silent-mode or noninteractive-mode installations:

Editing a Response File Template
Recording a Response File

B.2.1 Editing a Response File Template

Oracle provides response file templates for each product and installation type, and for each configuration tool. These files are located in the client\response directory on the Oracle Database installation media.

Creating a response file using a response file template is most useful for the Enterprise Edition or Standard Edition installation types.

Table B-2 lists the available Oracle Database Client sample response files:

Table B-2 Response Files

Response File Name	Purpose
`netca.rsp`	Oracle Net Configuration Assistant to perform the configuration with the client installation types.
`clientadmin.rsp`	Administrator installation of Oracle Database Client
`clientcustom.rsp`	Custom installation of Oracle Database Client
`instantClient.rsp`	Instant Client installation of Oracle Database Client
`clientruntime.rsp`	Runtime installation of Oracle Database Client

To copy and modify a response file:

Copy the appropriate response files from the client\response directory on the Oracle Database media to your hard drive.
Modify the response files with a text file editor.

In addition to editing settings specific to the Oracle Database Client installation, check that the FROM_LOCATION path is correct and points to the products.xml file in the stage directory in the installation media. You may want to set this variable to point to an absolute path, for example:
```
FROM_LOCATION="\\myserver\client\stage\products.xml"
```
Remember that you can specify the response file variables at the command line rather than within the response file. "How Response Files Work" explains this method.

See Also:
Oracle Universal Installer and OPatch User's Guide for detailed information on creating response files. In an installed Oracle Database, select Start, then Programs, then Oracle - HOME_NAME, then Oracle Installation Products, then Universal Installer Concepts Guide. It appears in HTML format.
Run the response file by following the instructions in the "Running Oracle Universal Installer Using the Response File" section.

B.2.2 Recording a Response File

You can create a response file by running Oracle Universal Installer in interactive mode using record mode. This method is most useful for custom or software-only installations.

Recording the response file generates the response file immediately after you complete the Summary window, so you do not need to install Oracle Database Client to create the response file. After you create the response file in this manner, you can customize it to meet your needs.

If you want to use record mode during a noninteractive mode installation, Oracle Universal Installer records the variable values that were specified in the original source response file into the new response file.

Note:

You cannot use record mode to create a response file based on the Basic installation type.

To record a response file:

Ensure that the computer on which you are creating the response file has met the requirements described in Chapter 2.
At the command prompt, use the cd command to change to the directory that contains the Oracle Universal Installer setup.exe executable.

On the Oracle Database installation media, setup.exe is located in the client directory. Alternatively, navigate to the directory where you downloaded or copied the installation files.

Enter the following command:

SYSTEM_DRIVE:\setup.exe_location> setup -record -destinationFile response_file_name

Replace response_file_name with the complete path name for the new response file. For example:

SYSTEM_DRIVE:\setup.exe_location> setup -record -destinationFile c:\response_files\install_oracle10_2.rsp

After Oracle Universal Installer starts, enter the installation settings, which will be recorded in the response file.
When the Summary window appears, do one of the following:
- Click Install to create the response file and continue with the installation.
- Click Cancel if you only want to create the response file but not continue with the installation. The installation will stop, but the settings you have entered will be recorded in the response file.
Afterwards, Oracle Universal Installer saves your new response file using the path and file name you specified on the command line.
Edit the new response file to have any environment-specific changes for the computer on which you will run it.

In addition to editing settings specific to the Oracle Database Client installation, check that the FROM_LOCATION path is correct and points to the products.xml file in the stage directory in the installation media. You may want to set this variable to point to an absolute path, for example:
```
FROM_LOCATION="\\myserver\client\response\stage\products.xml"
```
Remember that you can specify the response file variables at the command line rather than within the response file. "How Response Files Work" explains this method.
Run the response file by following the instructions in the "Running Oracle Universal Installer Using the Response File" section, next.

B.3 Running Oracle Universal Installer Using the Response File

At this stage, you are ready to run Oracle Universal Installer at the command line, specifying the response file you created, to perform the installation. The Oracle Universal Installer executable, setup.exe, provides several options. For help information about the full set of these options, run setup.exe with the -help option, for example:

SYSTEM_DRIVE:\setup.exe_location> setup -help

A new command window appears, with the "Preparing to launch..." message. In a moment, the help information appears in that window.

To run Oracle Universal Installer and specify a response file:

Place the response file on the computer where you want to install Oracle Database Client.
At a command prompt, run Oracle Universal Installer with the appropriate response file. For example:
```
SYSTEM_DRIVE:\setup.exe_location> setup [-silent] "variable=setting" [-nowelcome] [-noconfig] [-nowait] -responseFile filename 
```
where:
- filename: Identifies the full path of the response file.
- -silent: Runs Oracle Universal Installer in silent mode and suppresses the Welcome window. When you use -silent, then the -nowelcome option is not necessary.
- "variable=setting" refers to a variable within the response file that you may prefer to run at the command line rather than set in the response file. Enclose the variable and its setting in quotes.
- -nowelcome: Suppresses the Welcome window that appears during installation.
- -noconfig: Suppresses running the configuration assistants during installation, performing a software-only installation instead.
- -nowait: Closes the console window when the silent installation completes.