Oracle Validated Configurations - Yes or No

Question

To satisfy my curiosity, I've just tried, for the first time, oracle-validated configuration on a clean 32-bit OEL-5.2 installation without oracle database software already installed. I've used the actual
oracle-validated-1.0.0-8.el5.i386
rpm package.
According to the official oracle documentation's recommendations and naming convention, taken as a standard, I can say that oracle-validated configuration more failed than succeeded.
CORRECT SETTINGS:
* /etc/sysctl.conf has been correctly set
* /boot/grub/grub.conf has been correctly set
FAILED SETTINGS AND INCORRECT CREATIONS:
* /etc/security/limits.conf has been correctly set for oracle, but all other entries in the file related to other users has been erased by validation script
* no modification of /etc/pam.d/login file (pam_limits.so)
* the script created 'dba' and 'oinstall' groups and 'oracle' user with 'dba' group as primary group (not 'oinstall'), that is not in compliance with official oracle documentation. To verify:
[root@localhost ~]# id oracle
uid=502(oracle) gid=502(dba) groups=502(dba),503(oinstall)
If oinstall is not the primary group, what is it supposed to do?
I'd appreciate if someone could clarify this dichotomy between Oracle official documentation's recommendations and "oracle-validated configuration".
Thanks in advance.
NJ

Answer 1

frits hoogland wrote:
NJ, (and segio, please take my response in account),
If you read between the lines of my response I (more or less) make the some of the point you do.
-required rpms
'that's a job for OEL linux Installer': I can only come to conclusion 'the OEL linux installer' you talk about must be installation program of linux. There is no database option in there, so that installer can't help you. Or do you mean the database installer? The database installer only checks if the rpm's are installed.No, I meant OEL Linux installer (anaconda). When you choose packages to be installed, you can select them either individually or in various groups. A group called let's say "Oracle database 10g/11g required packages", as an option, would be very useful. I said - as an option - because OEL is not exclusively related to Oracle database. It is a distro, just like any other distro. Certainly this doesn't mean that "oracle-validated configuration" cannot be useful by checking (and resolving) the dependencies once again at any time when it is necessary. But, in any case, it should be the primary job for OEL installer at OEL installation time.
I agree with you that loosing settings is a very bad thing and should be considered a bug.Of course.
besides that I don't like the oracle user and groups to get random uid and gid's; in any environment you want that to be fixed numbers.
besides that the points I wanted to make was:
-it is not that it's not that hard to make a script which setups your environment in a basic way.
another point is that for rough and quick setup, a default linux system can be used to run a default installed database. no need to do any tweaks with system settings.
-an oracle validated package should not overwrite any settings (obviously), but should be flexible and 'steerable' so it can work together with system policiesCompletely agreed.
Regards
NJ