Preface

Purpose

This guide and the Oracle8i Administrator's Reference provide instructions for installing and configuring Oracle8i Release 3 on Alpha OpenVMS systems. Product-specific documentation is in the Oracle8i Generic Documentation Set.

Audience

This document is intended for anyone responsible for installing Oracle8i Release 3 on Alpha OpenVMS systems.

Oracle8i and Oracle8i Enterprise Edition

Unless noted otherwise, features and functionality described in this document are common to both Oracle8i and Oracle8i Enterprise Edition.

For the Latest Information

For the latest information about Alpha OpenVMS production releases of Oracle8i and related products, see the README files in the Oracle product directories.

Install Only Licensed Products

You are entitled to install and use only those products for which you have a current Oracle license agreement.

Typographic Conventions

monospace	Monospace type indicates OpenVMS DCL commands, directory names, usernames, pathnames, and filenames.
brackets [ ]	Words enclosed in brackets indicate key names (for example, Press [Return]). Note that brackets have a different meaning when used in command syntax.
italics	Italic type indicates a logical, including logicals portions of filenames. It is also used for emphasis.
UPPERCASE	Uppercase letters indicate Structured Query Language (SQL) reserved words, initialization parameters, and environment logicals.

Command Syntax

Alpha OpenVMS command syntax appears in monospace font. The "$" character at the beginning of OpenVMS command examples should not be entered at the prompt.

hyphen -	A hyphen indicates a command that is too long to fit on a single line. Enter the line as printed or enter it as a single line without a hyphen: copy disk$server25:[oracle816.rdbms.admin]*.sql - disk$server2:[oracle.rdbms.admin]
braces { }	Braces indicate required items: .DEFINE {macro1}
brackets [ ]	Brackets indicate optional items: cvtcrt termname [outfile] Note that brackets have a different meaning when used in regular text.
ellipses ...	Ellipses indicate an arbitrary number of similar items: CHKVAL fieldname value1 value2... valueN
italics	Italic type indicates a variable. Substitute a value for the logical: library_name
vertical line |	A vertical line indicates a choice within braces or brackets: SIZE filesize [K|M]

Accessing Online Documentation

Oracle8i for Platform Documentation

Oracle8i for Platform documentation includes this guide and the Oracle8i Administrator's Reference for Platform.

To access the documentation in HTML and PDF formats, use a Alpha OpenVMS browser to open the products.htm file at the top level of the Oracle8i CD-ROM. This file contains links to product and Alpha OpenVMS-specific documentation.

Oracle Product Documentation

Oracle8i product documentation is on the Oracle8i Generic Documentation CD-ROM. Instructions for accessing and installing the documents on the CD-ROM are found in the README file on the top level directory of the CD-ROM.

Related Documentation

The documentation set for this release includes the following guides:

• Oracle8i for Alpha OpenVMS Installation Guide, Release 3 (8.1.7).

• Oracle8i for Alpha OpenVMS Server and Tools Administrator's Guide, Release 3 (8.1.7) describes how to administer Oracle8i and related products on Alpha OpenVMS, including optimizing, setting up users, starting up and shutting down, managing instances and databases, backing up and archiving, using logical names, and so on.

• SQL*Net for Alpha OpenVMS Configuration and User's Guide, Release 3 (8.1.7) describes how to configure and use SQL*Net.

• Oracle8i for Alpha OpenVMS Release Notes, Release 3 (8.1.7) explains particulars about the release, such as how to install online documentation, products not included, and known restrictions.

• Oracle Parallel Server Addendum for Alpha OpenVMS, Release 3 (8.1.7) explains details on Oracle parallel Server.

If you are unfamiliar with the concepts or terminology associated with relational database management systems, read Chapter 1 of Oracle8i Concepts before beginning your installation.

Information about system administration and tuning for a production database system are provided in these documents:

• Oracle8i System Administrator's Guide

• Net8 Administrator's Guide

• Oracle8i Designing and Tuning for Performance

Migrating from Oracle Version 6

Migrating directly from Oracle Version 6 for OpenVMS to Oracle8i Release 3 (8.1.7) for Alpha OpenVMS is not supported. Use the Migration Utility to migrate from Oracle Version 6 for Alpha OpenVMS to Oracle7 Release 7.1.5 for Alpha OpenVMS. Upgrade the database to Oracle7 Release 7.3.3.4, or higher, and then use the Migration Utility provided with the Oracle8 Enterprise Edition to migrate from your upgraded Oracle7 release to Oracle8i Release 3 (8.1.7) for Alpha OpenVMS.

Oracle Version 6 is not supported on Alpha OpenVMS 7.2-1. You can, however, perform a full export from a Version 6 database and import it into 8.1.7.

For more information about migrating from Oracle Version 7 to Oracle8i, see the Oracle8i Server Migration Guide.

Information about migrating or upgrading from a previous release of the Oracle Server is provided in Oracle8i Migration.

Related Documents for SQL*Net

The following Oracle manuals have relevant information for using SQL*Net:

• SQL*Net for Alpha OpenVMS Configuration and User's Guide, Release 3 (8.1.7)

• Oracle Network Manager Administrator's Guide

• Net8 Administrator's Guide

The following Compaq manual has relevant information for using SQL*Net:

• Digital TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS User's Guide

Oracle Services and Support

A wide range of information about Oracle products and global services is available on the Internet, from:

http://www.oracle.com

The sections below provide URLs for selected services.

Oracle Support Services

Technical Support contact information worldwide is listed at:

http://www.oracle.com/support

Templates are provided to help you prepare information about your problem before you call. You will also need your CSI number (if applicable) or complete contact details, including any special project information.

Products and Documentation

For U.S.A. customers, Oracle Store is at:

http://store.oracle.com

Links to Stores in other countries are provided from this site.

Product documentation can be found at:

http://docs.oracle.com

Customer Service

Global Customer Service contacts are listed at:

http://www.oracle.com/support/

Education and Training

Training information and worldwide schedules are available from:

http://education.oracle.com

Oracle Technology Network

Register with the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) at:

http://technet.oracle.com

OTN delivers technical papers, code samples, product documentation, self-service developer support, and Oracle's key developer products to enable rapid development and deployment of applications built on Oracle technology.

Support for the Hearing-Impaired

Oracle Corporation provides TTY access to Oracle Support Services within the United States of America at the following number:

1-800-446-2398