Please, please....Can someone point me in any direction. I'm lost 1

[macknox]

I have finally successfully installed Personal Oracle 8.1.6 from technet.oracle.com.

Now, what program do I open to log in and create my first database? I know SQL, but I don't know where to begin with this product. If I can create my first table I can start having fun problems, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Thanks,

Kevin

 

[MikeLacey]

Kevin,

You should have a program called sqlplus in your Oracle program group; that's SQL for Oracle.

If you've created the test database, as part of the install process, you can login using the user name scott, the password tiger and the database name oracle. You can then create tables using the CREATE TABLE command.

If you didn't create the test database you must go through the steps for "Creating a database" in the documentation.

Have fun and get back to us if you have problems with something. Mike
michael.j.lacey@ntlworld.com
Email welcome if you're in a hurry or something -- but post in tek-tips as well please, and I will post my reply here as well.

 

[macknox]

Thanks Mike,

I am having problems that seem to be more basic than that. Perhaps I have downloaded the wrong package?

When I run the Universal Installer (I have Windows ME, and have implemented the win.ini [Compatibility95] workaround) it doesn't ask me which product to install (Typical, minimal, or custom). Instead it asks me Installation Types for Oracle8i Client 8.1.6.0.0

Perhaps I downloaded something that has no server?

At any rate, whether I use the GUI SQL*Plus, or the command line, I get errors approximating what I have copied below. You will notice that it never asks me for a database name. I don't know where to put one in.

Looking at the Installation Guide Release 2 Chapter 4 doesn't seem to help me. I have played around in a number of different places in the start menu, and continually receive "no listener", "tns protocol error", etc. All these things lead me to the obvious conclusion that I have no server running on my computer.

Thanks for your offer,

Kevin


(This is really frustrating, as I am a senior developer/administrator in Lotus Notes, and I'm not used to being unable to even get started)

C:\>sqlplus

SQL*Plus: Release 8.1.6.0.0 - Production on Sun Mar 4 15:02:26 2001

(c) Copyright 1999 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.

Enter user-name: SCOTT
Enter password:
ERROR:
ORA-12560: TNSrotocol adapter error


Enter user-name:
ERROR:
ORA-12560: TNSrotocol adapter error


Enter user-name:

 

[MikeLacey]

Hi Kevin,

Looks like you're running the text version of sqlplus. when you start it type:

sqlplus scott/tiger@oracle

And, if you took the default installation route, that should connect you.

I know how you feel by the way -- I feel the same way every time I have to look at a computer running that notes thing....

If this doesn't work -- maybe you *did* download just the client. I just had a look and the file for personal oracle 8i is nt817personal.zip -- is that the file you downloaded? (It's 600mb!!!!) Mike
michael.j.lacey@ntlworld.com
Email welcome if you're in a hurry or something -- but post in tek-tips as well please, and I will post my reply here as well.

 

[macknox]

Thanks again Mike,

I think I may just have to give up. I don't have NT, so I couldn't download the NT version of Personal Oracle. I downloaded psoracle816nt.zip (462mb), which is advertised to be the version for Windows 98.

I have tried SQL*Plus on the command line, and in the GUI both. Both give approximately the same errors. There's nothing out there for them to find or connect to. The command line you gave me results in:

C:\>sqlplus scott/tiger@oracle

SQL*Plus: Release 8.1.6.0.0 - Production on Sun Mar 4 21:18:13 2001

(c) Copyright 1999 Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.

ERROR:
ORA-12154: TNS:could not resolve service name


I don't know how to set up my TNS file to access a localhost server, and I don't know how to get my localhost server running in the first place. I don't even know if my download has a server.

You mention the default installation. I always accept all defaults the first time around. It makes support's life much easier. In this case though, the default installation differed from that which the documentation said it should be, which is a mite discouraging.

I don't even know what my options are.

I really wouldn't think it should be this hard. I keep going back to technet, and I keep seeing that I downloaded the right thing, though.

Well, I'll keep plugging.

Thanks for your help,

Kevin

 

[Nebuchednezzar]

Try connecting by typing...
sqlplus scott/tiger (leave off the @oracle).
See if that works. If it does, then the @oracle is your problem (that is the connection descriptor oracle uses to find which server you are connecting to. When connecting to a local database - one on the machine you are working on- it is not required).

If it opens this way, you know that your connection descriptor is wrong. Try that and let us know.

 

[macknox]

Thanks for the note.

No, I still have TNS protocol errors no matter how I attempt to start the program.

What background processes should I have running from boot up? What should start when I start SQL*Plus?

Everything I read says that PersonalOracle should have a server, but a little more reading a book I bought indicates to me that ONLY the client has been installed. How do I force the server install?

Kevin

 

[MikeLacey]

Kev,

I'll take the Personal Edition CD's home this evening and install it on my Win98 home PC. I'll be able to be a bit more specific with advice then (hopefully anyway) Mike
michael.j.lacey@ntlworld.com
Email welcome if you're in a hurry or something -- but post in tek-tips as well please, and I will post my reply here as well.

 

[macknox]

Before you invest any significant time in helping a complete stranger, let me tinker a little bit more. I am working at home at night, so I can't get much done on a daily basis. Last night I uninstalled everything. Tonight I will try to ensure that all directories are erased, and the registry is clean, and I'll do a fresh install and see what happens. It is more than possible that I munged something during the multiple attempts that I made to install the product.

When I am automatically creating the first database, what do you recommend I use for the two names so that I can open it locally?

Thanks,

Kevin

 

[MikeLacey]

I just put 'test' in both, worked for me. Mike
michael.j.lacey@ntlworld.com
Email welcome if you're in a hurry or something -- but post in tek-tips as well please, and I will post my reply here as well.

 

[macknox]

Yep, whatever I downloaded, it professes to only be installing the 8.1.6.0.0 Oracle8i Client.

No wonder I'm frustrated.

 

[nettyman]

Another way to tell if you have just the client or the entire personal server installed is to goto your c:\oracle\ora81\bin directory and see if you have an oracle.exe and a svrmgrl.exe. If those 2 files DO exist, then you have the personal server installed. It does not sound correct that the Oracle client is a 462mb download. Run lsnrctl.exe, once in the program type 'start'. See if you have at least 1 service handler 'orcl', 'test', etc. This relates to connecting to Oracle via TNS (Transparent Network Substrate). While this is not required to connect to a local instance, it will at least tell you if you have an instance of Oracle to connect to. Next, check your c:\oracle\ora81\network\admin\tnsnames.ora file. See if there exists an 'alias' entry for the database you are trying to connect to. An alias is a single name that corresponds to a bunch of details on how to connect to an Oracle database. For example, if you were successful in connecting to an oracle database by running 'sqlplus scott/tiger@orcl.world', you can be pretty sure that there is an entry in the tnsnames.ora file called orcl.world. In this example, orcl.world defines the means to connect to an instance of Oracle (protocol to use, ip address of the computer hosting the database, name of the SID, Port on which the listener is listening, etc.) Here is my alias that I use to connect on my personal 8.1.5 running under Windows 2000.

TEST.MANHATTAN.COM =
(DESCRIPTION =
(ADDRESS_LIST =
(ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = 25.20.116.3)
(PORT = 1521))
)
(CONNECT_DATA =
(SID = ORCL)
(SERVICE_NAME = TEST.US)
(INSTANCE_NAME = orcl)
)
)

I can connect successfully by typing:
'sqlplus system/manager@test.manhattan.com'

Using the sqlplus gui I would enter the username, password and test.manhattan.com as the host.

If you look at my above tnsnames alias you will see several variables that define the oracle instance I am connecting to. The most important variables to get correct are SID, protocol, Host, and port. Correct number of open/closed parentheses is essential as well. It's always trouble when you are editing this file. The variables labelled Service_name and Instance_name are fairly new. It seems like each new version of Oracle introduces new naming methods and connection variables. I honestly can't tell you what a service_name is or why Instance_name is important. As long as you have the SID, protocol, IP address (or computer name), and a port, you should be able to connect. Look for some tnsnames.ora examples on the net. They may be able to clarify some concepts.
Probably too much information for one post but this should help point you in the right direction given the error you are receiving.

If I am wrong on any of the above, please correct me. I would hate to give out wrong info to anyone.

-S

 

[macknox]

Well, that's a definite answer. I do not have either of those files on my system.

I redid the install process from scratch, and was never offered the opportunity to install the server, nor the test database. I was only given the options for which client I would install.

I will find a better file before the weekend I hope!

Kevin

 

[macknox]

After all the great tips from MikeLacey, Nebuchadnezzar, and NettyMan, I am in everyone's debt. Thank you very much.

I can return the favor when it comes to integrating with Domino databases and JavaScript.

Kevin

 

[macknox]

Well, I have successfully installed Personal Oracle. Mistakes made include:
1) Somehow I downloaded the wrong file from technet.oracle.com. I don't know what it was I downloaded. The two files that are available now are 597 or 195 mb. The one I downloaded was 462mb. At any rate, the correct file is only 195mb.

2) I had to completely uninstall the previous wrong installation. It took me 4 installs to figure out that autoexec.bat, c:\oracle\..., the Oracle Registry keys all had to be cleaned AFTER a complete uninstall for the install to work correctly. I had a problem with SID not found until I completely purged everything.

3) The jrew setting
Jrew=0x00080000
still needs to be present in the [Compatibility95] section of the win.ini file, and the autoexec.bat path statement needs to be modified to contain DOS filenames. Oracle puts in a long file name that won't work.

At this stage, I can successfully start SQLPlus with scott/tiger, but I can't query any tables yet. I get an Item doesn't exist error, but that will be a problem for tomorrow.

 

[macknox]

I could not query tables that "scott" didn't own. Figured that one out and moved on.