Removing Oracle Software

This chapter describes how to completely remove all Oracle databases, instances, and
software from an Oracle home directory. It includes information about the following
topics:

■ Overview
■ Identifying All Instances
■ Removing an Oracle Database
■ Removing an Automatic Storage Management Instance
■ Reconfiguring Oracle Cluster Synchronization Services
■ Removing Oracle Software

Overview
To completely remove all Oracle databases, instances, and software from an Oracle
home directory, you must:
■ Identify all instances associated with the Oracle home.
■ Remove database and Automatic Storage Management instances.
■ Shut down processes.
■ Reconfigure the Oracle Cluster Synchronization Services Daemon, if necessary.
■ Remove the Oracle software.

Identifying All Instances
To identify all instances associated with the Oracle home that you want to remove,
enter the following command:

$ more /etc/oratab

The output of this command contains entries similar to the following:

+ASM:/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1:N
CUST:/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1:N

See Also: If you want to remove an Oracle Real Application Clusters
installation, refer to Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation and
Configuration Guide for more information
If you want to remove an individual product, refer to the
product-specific documentation for requirements and restrictions

Removing an Oracle Database

6-2 Oracle Database Installation Guide
These entries show that the +ASM Automatic Storage Manager instance and the CUST
Oracle database instance are associated with the
/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1 Oracle home directory.
Removing an Oracle Database
To completely remove Oracle Database software, you must remove any installed
databases. To remove an Oracle database:

1. Log in as the oracle user:

$ su - oracle

2. Run the oraenv or coraenv script to set the environment for the database that
you want to remove, for example:

■ Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:

$ . /usr/local/bin/oraenv

■ C shell:

% source /usr/local/bin/coraenv

3. At the prompt, specify the SID for the database that you want to remove.

4. Start the Database Configuration Assistant:

$ dbca

The Welcome window appears.

5. Click Next.

The Operations window appears.

6. Select Delete a Database, then click Next.

7. Select the database that you want to delete, then click Finish.

8. In the window that appears, confirm that you want to delete the database.

9. When Database Configuration Assistant removes the database, you are prompted
to choose whether you want to perform another operation. Click Yes to return to
the Operations screen or click No to exit from Database Configuration Assistant. If
you want to remove another database, click Yes and repeat steps 6 through 8.

Removing an Automatic Storage Management Instance

To completely remove Oracle database software, you must also remove any Automatic
Storage Management instances running in the Oracle home. To remove an Automatic
Storage Management instance:

1. If necessary, log in as the oracle user:

$ su - oracle

Note: Removing an Oracle database deletes all of the data in the
database. If you want to keep this data, make sure that you back up
the database before deleting it.
Removing an Automatic Storage Management Instance
Removing Oracle Software 6-3

2. Run the oraenv or coraenv script to set the environment for the Automatic
Storage Management instance that you want to remove, for example:

■ Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:
$ . /usr/local/bin/oraenv

■ C shell:
$ source /usr/local/bin/coraenv

3. At the prompt, specify the SID for the Automatic Storage Management instance
that you want to remove.

4. Connect to the Automatic Storage Management instance as the SYS user:

$ sqlplus "SYS/SYS_PASSWORD AS SYSDBA"

5. Enter the following command to determine whether any Oracle database instance
is using the Automatic Storage Management instance:

SQL> SELECT INSTANCE_NAME FROM V$ASM_CLIENT;

This command lists all of the database instances that are using this Automatic
Storage Management instance.
6. If there are no database instances associated with this Automatic Storage
Management instance, drop the disk groups associated with this instance as
follows:
a. Identify the disk groups associated with the Automatic Storage Management
instance:

SQL> SELECT NAME FROM V$ASM_DISKGROUP;

b. For each disk group that you want to delete, enter a command similar to the
following:

SQL> DROP DISKGROUP name INCLUDING CONTENTS;

Note: This command only lists database instances that are
running. It is possible that other instances are associated with the
Automatic Storage Management instance, but they are not
currently running.
If you removed a database from this Oracle home but the output
from the command shows that this Automatic Storage Management
instance is supporting a database instance in another Oracle home,
do not remove the Automatic Storage Management instance or the
Oracle home.
Note: Dropping the Automatic Storage Management disk group
makes the disk device available for use with another Automatic
Storage Management instance if required. However, all data in the
disk group is lost. Make sure that no other database instance
requires any data from this disk group before you drop it.
Reconfiguring Oracle Cluster Synchronization Services
6-4 Oracle Database Installation Guide

7. Enter the following command to shut down the Automatic Storage Management
instance:

SQL> SHUTDOWN

8. Remove the entry for the Automatic Storage Management instance from the
/etc/oratab file.

Reconfiguring Oracle Cluster Synchronization Services

Oracle Cluster Synchronization Services (CSS) is a daemon process that is configured
by the root.sh script when you configure an Automatic Storage Management
instance. It is configured to start every time the system boots. This daemon process is
required to enable synchronization between Oracle Automatic Storage Management
and database instances. It must be running if an Oracle database is using Automatic
Storage Management for database file storage.
Before you remove an Oracle Database 10g Oracle home, you must determine whether
the CSS daemon is running from that Oracle home and whether any other Oracle
Database 10g Oracle homes exist on the system:
■ If the Oracle Database 10g Oracle home that you want to remove is the only Oracle
Database 10g installation on the system, you can delete the CSS daemon
configuration.
■ If the CSS daemon is running from the Oracle Database 10g Oracle home that you
want to remove and other Oracle Database 10g installations exist on the system,
you must reconfigure the CSS daemon to run from another Oracle Database 10g
Oracle home.
The following sections describe how to complete these tasks:
■ Identifying Oracle Database 10g Oracle Homes
■ Reconfiguring the Oracle CSS Daemon
■ Deleting the Oracle CSS Daemon Configuration

Identifying Oracle Database 10g Oracle Homes

To identify all of the Oracle Database 10g Oracle home directories, enter the following
command:

$ more /etc/oratab

From the output, identify any Oracle home directories where Oracle Database 10g is
installed. Oracle homes that contain Oracle Database 10g typically have paths similar
to the following. However, they might use different paths.
/mount_point/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_n
Note: On cluster systems with Oracle Real Application Clusters
(RAC) installations, the CSS daemon is configured during the
Oracle Clusterware installation. If the system is running Oracle
CRS, refer to Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation and
Configuration Guide for Linux for information about removing RAC
or Oracle Clusterware.

Reconfiguring Oracle Cluster Synchronization Services

Removing Oracle Software 6-5
If there is only one Oracle home directory that contains Oracle Database 10g, refer to
the "Deleting the Oracle CSS Daemon Configuration" section on page 6-6 for
information about deleting the Oracle CSS daemon configuration.
If you identify more than one Oracle Database 10g Oracle home directory, refer to the
following section for information about reconfiguring the Oracle CSS daemon.
Reconfiguring the Oracle CSS Daemon
To reconfigure the Oracle CSS daemon so that it runs from an Oracle home that you
are not removing, follow these steps:
1. In all Oracle home directories on the system, stop all Oracle Automatic Storage
Management instances and any Oracle Database instances that use Automatic
Storage Management for database file storage.
2. Switch user to root.
3. Enter the following command to identify the Oracle home directory being used to
run the CSS daemon:
# more /etc/oracle/ocr.loc
The output from this command is similar to the following:
ocrconfig_loc=/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1/cdata/localhost/local.ocr
local_only=TRUE
The ocrconfig_loc parameter specifies the location of the Oracle Cluster
Registry (OCR) used by the CSS daemon. The path up to the cdata directory is
the Oracle home directory where the CSS daemon is running
(/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1 in this example).
If this Oracle home directory is not the Oracle home that you want to remove, go
to the "Removing Oracle Software" section on page 6-6.
4. Change directory to the Oracle home directory for an Oracle Database 10g
installation that you are not removing.
5. Set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable to specify the path to this Oracle
home directory:
■ Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:
# ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_2;
# export ORACLE_HOME
■ C shell:
# setenv ORACLE_HOME /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_2
6. Enter the following command to reconfigure the CSS daemon to run from this
Oracle home:
Note: If the value of the local_only parameter is FALSE, Oracle
Clusterware is installed on this system.
See Also: Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation and
Configuration Guide for Linux for information about removing Oracle
Real Applications Clusters or Oracle Clusterware
Removing Oracle Software
6-6 Oracle Database Installation Guide
# $ORACLE_HOME/bin/localconfig reset $ORACLE_HOME
This command stops the Oracle CSS daemon, reconfigures it in the new Oracle
home, and then restarts it. When the system boots, the CSS daemon starts
automatically from the new Oracle home.
7. To remove the original Oracle home directory, refer to the "Removing Oracle
Software" section on page 6-6.
Deleting the Oracle CSS Daemon Configuration
To delete the Oracle CSS daemon configuration, follow these steps:
1. Remove any databases or Automatic Storage Management instances associated
with this Oracle home. Refer to the preceding sections for information about how
to complete these tasks.
2. Switch user to root.
3. Change directory to the Oracle home directory that you are removing.
4. Set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable to specify the path to this Oracle
home directory:
■ Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:
# ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1
# export ORACLE_HOME
■ C shell:
# setenv ORACLE_HOME /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1
5. Enter the following command to delete the CSS daemon configuration from this
Oracle home:
# $ORACLE_HOME/bin/localconfig delete
The script stops the Oracle CSS daemon, then deletes its configuration. When the
system boots, the CSS daemon no longer starts.

Removing Oracle Software

The following steps describe how to use Oracle Universal Installer to remove Oracle
software from an Oracle home:

1. If necessary, log in as the oracle user:

$ su - oracle

Note: Delete the CSS daemon configuration only if you are certain
that no other Oracle Database 10g installation requires it.
Note: Always use Oracle Universal Installer to remove Oracle
software. Do not delete any Oracle home directories without first
using Oracle Universal Installer to remove the software.
Removing Oracle Software
Removing Oracle Software 6-7

2. Set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable to specify the path of the Oracle
home directory that you want to remove:

■ Bourne, Bash, or Korn shell:

$ ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1
$ export ORACLE_HOME

■ C shell:

$ setenv ORACLE_HOME /u01/app/oracle/product/10.2.0/db_1

3. Remove any databases or Automatic Storage Management instances associated
with this Oracle home and delete or reconfigure the Oracle CSS daemon.
Refer to the preceding sections for information about how to complete these tasks.

4. Stop any processes running in this Oracle home:

5. Start Oracle Universal Installer as follows:

$ $ORACLE_HOME/oui/bin/runInstaller

6. In the Welcome window, click Deinstall Products.
The Inventory screen appears, listing all of the Oracle homes on the system.

7. In the Inventory screen, select the Oracle home and the products that you want to
remove, then click Remove.
Oracle Universal Installer displays a confirmation window asking you to confirm
that you want to deinstall the products and their dependent components.

8. Click Yes.
Oracle Universal Installer displays a progress indicator as it removes the software.

9. Click Close on the Inventory screen.

10. When the products have been deleted, click Cancel to exit from Oracle Universal
Installer, and then click Yes.