This repository contains a Python script for automatically installing and setting up the Oracle Instant Client under Linux.

Example usage:

1. [Get the Oracle Instant client][2] `.zip` archive file
2. Install under `/opt`: `./install-ic.py --dry`

2018, Georg Sauthoff mail@gms.tf, GPLv3+

Features

Since Oracle is unable to publish cryptographically secure checksums for their downloads (as of early 2018) the script includes some and validates them before continuing.

Besides the obvious unzipping, the script fixes some issues and inconsistencies created by Oracle:

• It fixes the runtime linker path (RPATH) in the executables and shared libraries such that there is no need to apply any LD_LIBRARY_PATH hacks.
• It creates missing symbolic links to shared libraries such that basic usage like -lclntsh works, as expected.
• It creates subdirectories like bin, lib and precomp/public and puts the necessary symbolic links into them such that basic user expectations are met and software written for the non-instant client doesn't have to change any relative paths.
• It fixes the Oracle 'Pro C' configuration such that compiling the generated C code works out-of-the-box (without this, obscure compiler errors are generated).
• A provided tnsnames.ora is put into the right path, even when some Oracle documentation may confuse the average Oracle DBA.

The resulting installation under - say - /opt/oracle-12 is completely relocatable. That means that it can be moved around and copied to another system without the need to change any files. Only the ORACLE_HOME environment variable has to adjusted, as well.

The script has a dry-mode where all the planned steps are printed as shell commands to stdout. Thus, alternatively to running the Python script in non-dry mode one can do something like this:

$ ./install-ic.py --dry > dry-stdout.sh
$ bash dry-stdout.sh

This features comes handy for testing and when you want to setup a remote system that already have the necessary .zip files available but doesn't come with Python 3. It is also convenient when you work in a very bureaucratic corporation where different silos are involved in installing a single package (e.g. 'Enterprise Security', 'Enterprise Infrastructure', 'Enterprise Compliance', ...). In such an environment where some poor Joe have to create - say - several tickets that have to include in minute detail each installation step such that even an off-shored pseudo-admin is able to execute them, the reassuring way out is to just capture the stdout of a dry-run and copy'n'paste it into the tickets.

See also dry-stdout.sh.

Portability

Tested on:

• Fedora 27
• CentOS 7

Requirements

• Python 3
• PatchELF