Re: Oracle base

David E. Grove wrote:
[snip]
>
> I didn't see the purpose for "product". But, I see form your example, that
> there will be another directory ("admin") that will also be at that level in
> the path. So, that now makes sense. The "db_1" didn't make a lot of sense
> either, until I realized that (trying to use terms carefully here to avoid
> confusing Informix and Oracle terminology) a distinct instance, and,
> therefore, a distinct Oracle home directory, is required for each database
> (if one requires multiple databases). That explained the "db_1".

It just appeared to me, that it might just be a typographical slip of the pen: product needs to be replaced with the product: DB, forms, app(s), web, etc.
Looks like it made it to the standard :)
>
> How about the "app", as in "/u01/app/oracle", in the Oracle base directory?
> And the "/u01", which doesn't seem to mean anything in particular, and is
> not used by anything else, as far as I can tell. This is why I want to just
> use "/opt" instead of "/u01/app".

No reason to use /opt, or /u01/app (if fact, the latter is a remains of the days you would spread your I/O across all disks; disks being u01, u02, ... u05).
You could just as well use /usr/oracle.

>
> I now understand from yours and others comments that the Oracle base doesn't
> matter to Oracle (which is what I was concerned about). It sure doesn't
> matter to Solaris (since that is the purpose of "/opt"-- unless you are an
> "old timer" in which case you would use "/usr/local").
>
> Anyway, thank you. I plan to use "/opt/oracle" as Oracle base, and I will
> stick with the Oracle convention of
> "<oracle_base>/product/10.1.0/<database_name>" for Oracle home.
>
> Lastly, is there any reason (either a real danger or violation of common
> Oracle practice) not to mount a file system at "<oracle_base>/oradata/" to
> use for all the data?
>

The whole point is to set a "standard". Once you start using a naming convention, stick to it. It is easier for your successor to find his/her way around.
OFA is all about that; even for external contractors: hm, OK, so they use OFA, and have /u01/app/oracle as base.

-- 
Regards,
Frank van Bortel