Re: 9i linux install: permission problems: what is "oracle user"

Thanks for your thoughts, all. And the links.

It's a strange situation. I'm updating user documentation for a corporate sysadmin class which requires several components (not just oracle) to be installed.

The existing documentation says to create a separate linux user "bob" (well, it's not really bob, that's just an example) separate from the "oracle" account to run the Oracle install program.

I'm dealing with a test machine with lots of previous installs on it. "oracle" was the default user in the install script, which I had to manually change. I still get hold of the sysadmin/instructor who knew the answer.

the linux user id #'s for both accounts were also the same; I had to edit /etc/passwd to make them unique.

I'm a relative newbie to Oracle and especially to this particular deployment.

Robert Nagle
Idiotprogrammer
Houston, Texas

fitzjarrell_at_cox.net wrote:
> Comments embedded.
> idiotprogrammer wrote:
> > Hi, I'm upgrading a 9i Oracle installation and running a patch on RHE
> > 3. I'm having a permission problem. User bob ran the original install
> > script.
>
> Why? The installation should have been done as 'oracle'.
>
> >However, when user bob ran the upgrade patch with the Universal
> > Installer (name: Oracle9i, path /data/oracle9i/OraHome1), it says you
> > don't have the right to create dir OraHome1. I've verified that
> > /data/oracle9i/OraHome1 exists; however, it isn't owned by bob; it is
> > owned by user "oracle".
>
> Correct. As it should be. 'bob' should have had nothing to do with
> this software installation or upgrade.
>
> > So how do you solve that problem? Do I delete
> > the OraHome1 directory and let the install/upgrade wizard create one?
>
> At that point you'd be removing the existing installation and affecting
> any and all databases you've created. The true solution to this is you
> should never have had 'bob' associated with any of the Oracle software
> installation and used the 'oracle' user, as originally intended and
> specified in the installation notes.
>
> > Or do I "su - oracle" . The thing is that I don't recall ever creating
> > a user "oracle." Opinons?
>
> The fact is 'bob' should not be owner of any of the Oracle software,
> period. 'oracle' should. And the SA made certain that 'oracle' owns
> the $ORACLE_HOME root directory (and should own any subdirectories
> under it). Read the installation notes and pre-installation checklist
> again and you'll find Oracle specifies that 'oracle' (or an account
> created *specifically* as the administrative account for the Oracle
> installation) should be the O/S user installing the software (that is
> unless you intend to make 'bob' the Oracle software owner, which means
> you must take away his access to the account and create another for his
> daily use. It also means you'll need to change ownership of these
> directories to 'bob'. And assign that account the 'dba' group as
> primary. And monitor the use of the 'bob' account to prevent
> unauthorised access. And ensure all file permissions are set properly
> on the Oracle executables.)
>
> Hopefully this is not a critical installation (somehow I feel it is
> not). It may be better if you simply wipe the Oracle slate clean and
> start again, this time with the proper O/S user account.
>
>
> >
> >
> > Robert Nagle
> > idiotprogrammer
> > Houston, Texas
>
>
> David Fitzjarrell
Received on Fri Sep 15 2006 - 15:39:30 CDT