This is a post about using the deinstall script (it is a perl script on UNIX machines) without some testing on a non-production server. Why? It has the ability remove important database components that may still be needed for that server. Especially if you haven’t implemented database component locations as part of the Oracle Flexible Architecture (OFA) method.
I typically start up the listener in the highest-upper-level $ORACLE_HOME to service all databases for a particular server. Running the ORACLE-provided deinstall on an old decommissioned $ORACLE_HOME removed all listeners in the production $ORACLE_HOME. During the run of the deinstall script there didn’t seem to be any way around this task, I was unable to leave it blank or write in a wrong answer. So I created a bogus listener that was never going to be used for the script to remove. MORE WORK!
Specify all Single Instance listeners that are to be de-configured [LISTENER1,LISTENER2]: none Invalid listener list [ none]. You can only specify a subset of the configured listeners. At least one listener from the discovered listener list [LISTENER1, LISTENER2] is missing in the specified listener list [LISTENER1]. The Oracle home will be cleaned up, so all the listeners will not be available after deinstall. If you want to remove a specific listener, please use Oracle Net Configuration Assistant instead. Do you want to continue? (y|n) [n]:
Basically it requests to remove all LISTENERS (they are automatically discovered during the run) and you have to choose at least one to remove.
At least it didn’t try to remove databases that weren’t in this ORACLE_HOME.
Specify the list of database names that are configured in this Oracle home []:
Apparently there are a lot of problems (ie bugs) with the deinstall scripts so Oracle recommends not to use them. The following note verifies that the deinstall doesn’t behave as it should! So very naughty. It recommends downloading and installing yet another utility to manage things. MORE WORK! The downloaded utility is specific to ORACLE versions (ex. linux.x64_11202_deinstall.zip) and operating systems, so now I have to keep more software on hand to accomplish what used to be a simple task using the ORACLE UNIVERSAL INSTALLER. While this type of script may be useful for certain test environments that depend on extensive scripting capabilities like the deinstall tool, I am wondering how to use it safely to remove software on a production server?
One workaround would be to create a new oraInventory for each $ORACLE_HOME, then you would have to juggle multiple copies of /etc/oraInst.loc (on UNIX) to do maintenance tasks such as patching and upgrades. This would involve some local documentation on your part to keep it all straight. This would allow you to just manually remove old $ORACLE_HOME (s) along with their associated inventory when they are no longer needed. Particularly because database releases are all now required to have their own $ORACLE_HOME. MORE WORK!
How To Deinstall/Uninstall Oracle Home In 11gR2 [ID 883743.1]
“De-installation from new OUI is desupported.
Caution:
When you run the deinstall command, if the central inventory (oraInventory) contains no
other registered homes besides the home that you are deconfiguring and removing, then the deinstall command removes the following files and directory contents in the Oracle base directory of the Oracle Database installation owner:”
(In other words if this is the last ORACLE_HOME it will also remove the following directories under ORACLE_BASE)….so using a single oraInventory (s)/ORACLE_HOME and the deinstall script at the same time may be counterproductive. MORE WORK!
admin
cfgtoollogs
checkpoints
diag
oradata
flash_recovery_area
1) External de-install utility downloadable from OTN ***Recommended method***
It is advised to use the external De-install utility that is downloadable from OTN as currently there are some open bugs with the deinstall script.”
I downloaded the zip file, checked out the readme. It points you to the documentation on the standard use of deinstall. See the following output for how it was run:
>perl deinstall Tool is being run outside the Oracle Home, -home needs to be set. deinstall -home <Complete path of Oracle home> [ -silent ] [ -checkonly ] [ -local ] [ -paramfile <complete path of input parameter properties file> ] [ -params <name1=value[ name2=value name3=value ...]> ] [ -o <complete path of directory for saving files> ] [ -tmpdir <complete path of temporary directory to use> ] [ -help : Type -help to get more information on each of the above options. perl deinstall -home ORACLE_HOME_TO_BE_REMOVED (simplest form of using this script) ###############CHECK OPERATION SUMMARY ####################### Oracle Home selected for de-install is: /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1 Inventory Location where the Oracle home registered is: /u01/app/oraInventory Skipping Windows and .NET products configuration check Following Single Instance listener(s) will be de-configured: LISTENER1 No Enterprise Manager configuration to be updated for any database(s) No Enterprise Manager ASM targets to update No Enterprise Manager listener targets to migrate Checking the config status for CCR Oracle Home exists with CCR directory, but CCR is not configured CCR check is finished Do you want to continue (y - yes, n - no)? [n]: y ########### CLEAN OPERATION START ######################## Enterprise Manager Configuration Assistant START EMCA de-configuration trace file location: /u01/app/oraInventory/logs/emcadc_clean2012-05-08_11-03-05-AM.log Updating Enterprise Manager ASM targets (if any) Updating Enterprise Manager listener targets (if any) Enterprise Manager Configuration Assistant END Database de-configuration trace file location: /u01/app/oraInventory/logs/databasedc_clean2012-05-08_11-03-51-AM.log Network Configuration clean config START Network de-configuration trace file location: /u01/app/oraInventory/logs/netdc_clean2012-05-08_11-03-51-AM.log De-configuring Single Instance listener(s): LISTENER1 De-configuring listener: LISTENER1 Stopping listener: LISTENER1 Listener stopped successfully. Deleting listener: LISTENER1 Listener deleted successfully. Listener de-configured successfully. De-configuring backup files... Backup files de-configured successfully. The network configuration has been cleaned up successfully. Network Configuration clean config END Oracle Configuration Manager clean START OCM clean log file location : /u01/app/oraInventory/logs//ocm_clean_2012-05-08_11-03-05-AM.log Oracle Configuration Manager clean END Removing Windows and .NET products configuration END Oracle Universal Installer clean START Detach Oracle home '/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1' from the central inventory on the local node : Done Delete directory '/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1' on the local node : Done The Oracle Base directory '/u01/app/oracle' will not be removed on local node. The directory is in use by Oracle Home '/u01/app/oracle/agent12c/core/12.1.0.1.0'. Oracle Universal Installer cleanup was successful. Oracle Universal Installer clean END Oracle install clean START Clean install operation removing temporary directory '/tmp/deinstall2012-05-08_10-58-01AM' on node 'nodename' Oracle install clean END ############ CLEAN OPERATION END ######################### ########## CLEAN OPERATION SUMMARY ####################### Following Single Instance listener(s) were de-configured successfully: LISTENER1 Cleaning the config for CCR As CCR is not configured, so skipping the cleaning of CCR configuration CCR clean is finished Skipping Windows and .NET products configuration clean Successfully detached Oracle home '/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1' from the central inventory on the local node. Successfully deleted directory '/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1' on the local node. Oracle Universal Installer cleanup was successful. Oracle deinstall tool successfully cleaned up temporary directories. #######################################################################
