F Troubleshooting the Oracle Database Installation

F.1 Verifying Requirements

Before you try any of the troubleshooting steps in this appendix, do the following:

• Check Chapter 2, "Oracle Database Preinstallation Requirements" to make sure that the system meets the requirements and that you have completed all of the preinstallation tasks.

• Read the release notes for the product on your platform before installing it. The release notes are available on the Oracle Database installation media. You can find the latest version of the release notes on the Oracle Technology Network Web site:

  http://www.oracle.com/technology/index.html
  

F.2 Encountering Installation Errors

If you encounter an error during installation:

• Do not exit Oracle Universal Installer.

• If you clicked Next after you entered incorrect information about one of the installation windows, click Back to return to the window and correct the information.

• If you encounter an error while Oracle Universal Installer is copying or linking files, see "Reviewing the Log of an Installation Session" for interactive installations or "Silent or Noninteractive Installation Response File Error Handling" for more information.

• If you encounter an error while a configuration assistant is running, see the "Troubleshooting Configuration Assistants" section.

• If you cannot resolve the problem, remove the failed installation by following the steps listed in the "Cleaning Up After a Failed Installation" section.

F.3 Reviewing the Log of an Installation Session

During an installation, Oracle Universal Installer records all the actions that it performs in a log file. If you encounter problems during the installation, review the log file for information about possible causes of the problem. By default, the log files are located in the following directory:

SYSTEM_DRIVE:\Program Files\Oracle\Inventory\logs

Log filenames from interactive installations take the form:

installActionsdate_time.log

For example, if an interactive installation occurred at 9:00:56 a.m. on October 14, 2005, the log file would be named:

installActions2005-10-14_09-00-56AM.log

F.4 Silent or Noninteractive Installation Response File Error Handling

To determine whether a silent or noninteractive installation succeeds or fails, check the silentInstallActionsdate_time.log file, located in DRIVE_LETTER:\Program Files\Oracle\Inventory\logs.

If necessary, see the previous section for information about determining the location of the Inventory directory.

A silent or noninteractive installation fails if:

• You do not specify a response file.

• You specify an incorrect or incomplete response file.

  For example, a common problem is that while all the product-specific data is filled out correctly, the staging area location may be incorrect. If this is the case, check the FROM_LOCATION variable and make sure that it points to the products.xml file in the installation media. In the installation media, this products.xml is in database\stage.

• Oracle Universal Installer encounters an error, such as insufficient disk space.

Oracle Universal Installer or a configuration assistant validates the response file at runtime. If the validation fails, the silent or noninteractive installation or configuration process ends. Oracle Universal Installer treats values for parameters that are of the wrong context, format, or type as if no value was specified in the file.

F.5 Troubleshooting Configuration Assistants

To troubleshoot an installation error that occurs when a configuration assistant is running:

• Review the installation log files listed in the "Reviewing the Log of an Installation Session" section.

• Review the specific configuration assistant log file located in the ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\cfgtoollogs directory. Try to fix the issue that caused the error.

• If you see the Fatal Error. Reinstall message, look for the cause of the problem by reviewing the log files. See "Fatal Errors" for more information.

F.6 Cleaning Up After a Failed Installation

If an installation fails, you must remove files that Oracle Universal Installer created during the attempted installation and remove the Oracle home directory. Follow the instructions in Chapter 6, "Removing Oracle Database Software" to run Oracle Universal Installer to deinstall Oracle Database, manually remove the Oracle directory, and remove Oracle from the Registry Editor keys. Afterward, reinstall the software.