rebuilding database with different db_block_size?

Objective: rebuild Oracle 8.0.5 RDBMS using db_block_size of 4096 (or maybe 8192) on Intel PII/Red Hat Linux 5.2 (Apollo 2.0.36-3 kernel) box.

Gotchas:

According to the Oracle8 DBA Handbook (p. 275) you need to blow away the old db files. The online docs were relatively unhelpful. I'd prefer to read a well-written man page (with examples!), but Oracle doesn't have man pages.

Background:

1. The filesystem has been built with a 4096 block size (using mkfs.ext2) and tune2fs confirms it.
2. Used ORACLE_HOME/bin/exp to export the entire database
3. dbshut
4. Hand edited the files in: ORACLE_BASE/admin/[sid]/pfile ORACLE_HOME/dbs and added db_block_size = 4096
5. Blew away the stuff in /u0[n]/oradata/[sid]

Problem:

When I run orainst to create the database objects, it replaces my tweaked files with default files. I *have* rebuilt the data- base correctly by copying *my* config files during the orainst session, but I can't imagine that this is the *right* way to rebuild the database.

Apologies:

Sorry, I'm new to this DBA thing, but I'd rather learn how to do this now (and set it up in a semi-correct fashion) rather than wait to find out that the default orainst parameters are all screwed up.

What I Want to Know?

1. How to rebuild the database from customized parameters?
2. Where does that config file live?

TIA, S.

--

Sean Yamamoto                   If William of Ockham had a beard,
Web Cabalist                it wasn't because his razor was dull.

seany_at_altavista.net                        "Apply Occam's razor."