C Troubleshooting

Verify Requirements

Before performing any of the troubleshooting steps in this appendix, ensure that the system meets the requirements and that you have completed all of the pre-installation tasks specified in Chapter 2, " Pre-installation Tasks".

Read the release notes for the product on your platform before installing it. The release notes are available on the Oracle product disc. The latest version of the release notes is also available on the OTN Web site:

http://otn.oracle.com/documentation/

X Windows Display Errors

If you are running the Installer on a remote system and you want to display the Installer’s user interface on your local system, you might see error messages similar to the following:

"Failed to connect to server"
"Connection refused by server"
"Can’t open display"

If you see one of these error messages, follow these steps:

1. In a local terminal window, log in as the user that started the X window session.

2. Enter the following command:

   $ xhost +
   
   

3. Enter the following commands, where workstation_name is the host name or IP address of your workstation:

   • Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:

     $ DISPLAY=workstation_name:0.0
     $ export DISPLAY
     
     

   • C or tcsh shell:

     % setenv DISPLAY workstation_name:0.0
     
     

4. To determine whether X Window applications display correctly on the local system, enter the following command:

   $ xclock
   
   

   The X clock should appear on your monitor.

5. If the X clock appears, close X clock and start the Installer again.

What to Do If an Installation Error Occurs

If you encounter an error during installation:

• Do not exit the Installer.

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

• If you encounter an error while the Installer is copying or linking files, see the "Reviewing the Log of an Installation Session" section.

• 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.

Reviewing the Log of an Installation Session

During an installation, the Installer records all of 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.

To view the log file, follow these steps:

1. If necessary, enter one of the following commands to determine the location of the oraInventory directory:

   • AIX or Linux:

     $ cat /etc/oraInst.loc
     
     

   • Other operating systems:

     $ cat /var/opt/oracle/oraInst.loc
     
     

   The inventory_loc parameter in this file specifies the location of the oraInventory directory.

2. Enter the following command to change directory to the Installer log file directory, where orainventory_location is the location of the oraInventory directory:

   $ cd /orainventory_location/logs
   
   

3. Enter the following command to determine the file name of the log file:

   $ ls -ltr
   
   

   This command lists the files in the order of creation, with the most recent file shown last. Installer log files have names similar to the following, where date_time indicates the date and time that the installation started:

   installActionsdate_time.log
   
   

4. To view the most recent entries in the log file, where information about a problem is most likely to appear, enter a command similar to the following:

   $ tail -50 installActionsdate_time.log | more
   
   

   This command displays the last 50 lines in the log file.

5. If the error displayed by the Installer or listed in the log file indicates a relinking problem, see the following file for more information:

   $ORACLE_HOME/install/make.log
   

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_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. Refer to the "Fatal Errors" section for further instructions.

oraInventory_location/logs/installActionsdate_time.log

Silent Response File Error Handling

To determine whether a silent installation succeeds or fails, see the following log file:

/oraInventory_location/logs/silentInstalldate_time.log

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

A silent installation fails if:

• You do not specify a response file

• You specify an incorrect or incomplete response file

• The Installer encounters an error, such as insufficient disk space

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

Cleaning Up After a Failed Installation

If an installation fails, you must remove files that the Installer created during the attempted installation and remove the Oracle home directory. Perform the following steps to remove the files:

1. Start the Installer as described in the "Install the Oracle Client Software" section.

2. Click Deinstall Products on the Welcome window or click Installed Products on any Installer window.

   The Inventory window appears, listing installed products.

3. Select the Oracle home that contains the products that you want to remove, then click Remove.

4. Manually remove the Oracle home directory created during the failed installation.

5. Reinstall the Oracle software.