easy, fast cloning ORACLE_HOME

updated 27.4.2012

Building a master-installation for cloing has multiple benefits

1. a new Oracle installation can be done very fast
2. all clones from the master are identical – e.g. no one off is missing
3. the installation can be scripted very easy, no creation of responsefile necessary

Quick overview

create tarfile from master

extract tarfile to the new location

start clone

that’s all 😉

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Ensure you don’t install any options or features you’ve no licence for.

Create your new stage

• Install 11.1.0 base release
• patch up to the latest patchset (e.g.11.1.0.7)
• install psu (patchset update) (e.g. 11.1.0.7.1)
• and one off bugfixes (if required)

Check before installing the according installation guides to avoid installation problems.

After creating this “master-installation” create a tar file (relative directory)

e.g.

cd $ORACLE_HOME

cd ..

tar -cvf ora-master-install_111071.tar  <directory name of ORACLE_HOME>

In this case you are able to change the new ORACLE_HOME to any other location ..

If you tar the directory full qualified, you can only extract it to the same location; this would make you less flexible.

CAUTION:

If you packaged cpu/psu or oneoffs a hidden directory (.patch_storage) in Oracle_home will be created.

When installing afterwards on a cloned environment a additional patch which will rollback an already installed one, the apply will fail.

So check after untar the file on the target side, whether there is a .patch_storage directory in your ORACLE_HOME

This happens due to the missing .patch_storage

You see, a simple hidden directory is quite important!

When you already run into this problem :

– create a new installation on a seperate machine / environment
– install the missing cpu/psu/oneoffs
– tar .patch_storage
– untar this “fix” on the “corrupted” environment.

1. Cloning from master-installation

logon as software owner

extract the tar-file to

/opt/oracle/product/11.1.0/db_1

2. setting the environment

export ORACLE_HOME=/opt/oracle/product/11.1.0/db_1

export HOME_NAME=11gR1HOME1

export ORACLE_BASE=/opt/oracle

export ORACLE_HOSTNAME=oradev

export TMP=/opt/oracle/tmp

export PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/bin:$PATH

3. create Oracle inventory file oraInst.loc

mkdir -p /opt/oracle/oraInventory

echo “inventory_loc=/opt/oracle/oraInventory” > /opt/oracle/oraInst.loc

echo “inst_group=dba” >> /opt/oracle/oraInst.loc

4. start cloning

$ORACLE_HOME/oui/bin/runInstaller -clone -silent -ignorePreReq -invPtrLoc $ORACLE_BASE/oraInst.loc ORACLE_HOME=”$ORACLE_HOME” ORACLE_HOME_NAME=”$HOME_NAME”
ORACLE_BASE=”$ORACLE_BASE” -waitforcompletion

(all above in one line)

the clone should finish successful

that’s all  – quite simple and fast !!

additonal hints :

1. create multiple master-installations
   – master image without any options
   – another one with used options (e.g.partitioning)
2. change for each master-installation a unique ORACLE_HOME_NAME
   so it’s easier for you to identify your origin master
3. don’t believe in this ORACLE_HOME_NAME without checking patches wit opatch lsinventory

 

RunInstaller fail with a segmentation fault in the Java layer

This error might occur on AIX platforms

Just set

 export JAVA_COMPILER=NONE

and restart the runInstaller

 

any other hints ? please let me know

 

test this in your enviroment