Install and configure VirtualBox Image with Oracle Linux for Oracle Database and Oracle Fusion Middleware

Download required Software

- Virtual Box
   https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

- Oracle Linux 6

   https://edelivery.oracle.com/linux

Install Virtual Box

- There should not be any difficulty. 

- After installing, start Virtual Box

  - Menue: Virtual Box - preferences:

    Tab Extensions: Install the Virtual Box Extensions if needed.

Create Virtual Maschine

- Menue: Maschine - New

- Name and operating system:

  - Name: OL6
  - Type: Linux
  - Version: Oracle (64 bit)

  -> continue

- Choose Memory size

  - depending on your host capabilities chaoose Memory size. For Oracle Database you shoud not
    start below 2GB of memory.
  - I choose 2048 MB
  -> continue

 - select to create a virtual hard drive now
   -> create

 - select hard drive type
   - VDI

   -> continue

 - select method to create storage
   - dynamically allocated
     (Tip: if you plan to install Oracle RAC choose fixed size to allocate the storage now)
   -> continue

 - file location and size
   (the file location is suggested by default - see VirtualBox preferences)
   - I use the suggested location and name: OL6
   - 100 GB (so it can grow)
   -> create

 - The VM envelope is created.

Configure VM settings
- We need to change some settings:
- Menue: Maschine - Settings

 - Tab: System
   - de-select Floppy

 - Tab: Storage
   - for the IDE controller point the location where you stored your Oracle Linux iso image:
     (I choose OracleLinux-R6-U3-Server-x86_64-dvd.iso)

 - Tab: Network
   - select to
     - create Adapter 2 - "host-only"
       (I do this, because my host is a laptop and I want to use it in several locations. So with adapter 1 I
       will configure a DHCP network, that always connect to the internet by defauld, so I am able to
       get packages etc. Databases and application servers need a fixed IP adress, so I will configure
       adapter 2 with a fixed IP adress, later.)

 - Tab: Shared Folders
   - enables to mount this location within my VM, so I can exchange files between Host and Guest.
   - I choose my Downloads directory, where I have downloaded the Oracle Datbase and WebLogic
     Server.
   - Folder name: Downloads
   - select auto-mount (so the folder will be mounted automatically when starting the VM)
   -> OK
------------------------
Sometimes, in addition the Host-only network needs defining:

 Thanks to Christian for the screen shots!
------------------------

Install Oracle Linux

- start the VM

- choose install or upgrade

-> enter

- once you have checkt the install media is ok ...

-> skip

 -> next

- choose the language for installation

-> next

- choose your keyboard

-> next

- choose the storage devices. I choose

- Basic Storage Devices

-> next

- specify the hostname. (i.e. ol6.de.oracle.com)

- ATTENTION:

-> click network settings

- select "connect automatically" in order to DHCP on startup

-> apply

-> next

- choose your time zone settings

-> next

- select and remember! your password for the admin user "root"
-> next

- as the 100GB parition is empty choose
- replace existing Linux Systems

- ATTENTION:

- "select "review and modify partitioning layout"
-> next

- the partition layout is not ideal. We will delete the "lv_home" partion and add this partion space to
  the "lv_root" partion
- choose "lv_home" partition

- delete 

- select the "lv_root" partion and enlarge it to the max available space (Max size is ...).
- 97864

-> OK

-> next

-> Format

- I do not change the boot loader settings

-> next

- for the software of the Linux Server select

- Basic Server

- ATTENTION:
- select "Customize now"

-> next 

 - Base System

   - select: Base

- Servers
  - select: Server Platform

- Desktop
  - select: Desktop, Graphical Administration Tools, X-Window System

- Applications
  - select: Internet Browser

- redy to install ...
-> next

- once the install and configuration finishs, click
-> Reboot

-> Forward 

- read the License Information

- choose to agree or not agree

-> Forward

- if you have an Oracle support contract, or like to initiate one, do so. For this howto I will do so later.

-> Forward

- skip to create a user. We will add a package in a later step, that not only creates a user, but also adds
  required groups and kernel settings and so on
-> Forward

- You can choose to sysnc system time. I do not choose this for this document
-> Forward 

- I skipp Kdump, although there might be a good reason for Kdump
- Finish

- the login screen appears. As we have only the root user so far, log in as
- root

- password you have set before

-> Log In

- first I add a Terminal start button to the panel

- then I delete the Mail Icon - we will not need it

- now we configure the server with a public-yum server, where to get the latest packages and security
  updates from Oracle

- start the firefox browser. Navigate tothe page
- public-yum.oracle.com

- scroll down the web page for the "howto configure with Oracle Linux 6"

- open a Terminal

- change to the directory: ("cd" means: change directory)
- cd /etc/yum.repos.d              (Linux differs between capital letters!)
- now we download the configuration fire with a command line browser wget:

- wget http://public-yum.oracle.com/public-yum-ol6.repo

- the file shoud be configured to automatically suggest the latest repoitory and Oracle Kernel setting

- if not, edit the file with the famous editor vi:

- vi public-yum-ol6.repo

- change enabled=0 to enable=1 if needed 

- now update the Linux packages:
- yum update

- y to update suggested updates.

- y for the keys

-

- the kernel updates need a restart of the system:

- reboot

- the following comands are just to chek the running kernel:

- uname -a

- while the lollowing lists installed Oracle kernels:

- rpm -q kernel-uek

- next we will prepare the Linux Server for Oracle. In Oracle Linux 5 the Package oracle-validated
  represented a package which creates the oracle user, required groups, sets kernel and security 
  parameters, limits etc. and required packages. With Oracle Linux 6 oracle-validated has been
  replaced by the package "oracle-rdbms-server-11gR2-preinstall" 

 

- to install the package is easy:
- yum install oracle-rdbms-server-11gR2-preinstall

- enter

- click y to apply

- now, the system also has all required files to build the vboxadditions:

- escape out of the VM (keys are shown in the corner right down: Left "cmd")

- autorun

-> OK

- now we need to set the password for the oracle user:

- passwd oracle

- (remember the password you set!)

- only a few steps to do

- define the fixed IP adress:

- Menue: System - Preferences - Network Connections

- System eth1 - edit

- ATTENTION:
- select connect automatically
- IPv4 Settings:
- Method: Manual
- Address: 192.168.56.60   (192.168.56.x is the defauld VBox network configuration)
- Netmask: 255.255.255.0
- Gateway: 192.168.56.1
-> apply

- now we need to configure the shared folder between Host and Guest VM. We need to add the VBox
  shared folder Group to the oracle user:
- Menue: System - Administration -Users and Groups

- select the oracle user:
  - properties - scroll down and select
  - vboxsf
  -> OK

- just before the final reboot we need to edit the hosts file:
- vi /etc/hosts
- add the following line:
- IP Address               fully qualifies hostname           alias
- 192.168.56.60          ol6.de.oracle.com                    ol6
- safe and close the file:
- esc
- :
- wq!

- check the network and loopback settings

- ping ol6

- ping ol6.de.oracle.com

- hostname

- create the folders for the oracle software install:
- mkdir /opt/oracle        (mkdir: make directory)
- chown -R oracle:oinstall /opt/oracle  (chown: change owner des verzeichnisses von root an oracle)
- chmod -R 775 /opt/oracle    (Berechtigungen ändern)

 

- finaly it is a good moment to backup our work:

- poweroff the VM.

- export the VM:

- Menue: File - export Appliance