Oracle Response Files - Part 1 - Page 2

Starting the installation

With a properly configured response file, and "wsf" having given you the green light, you are ready to start the installation. From a command prompt, issue the following command:

setup -responseFile absolute_path_and_filename

On my PC, for example, the command would be:

setup -responseFile C:\DS10g\Disk1\stage\Response\
  oracle.ids.toplevel.development.Complete.rsp 

Based on the values in the response file, the person running this command will see screens such as the following:

and

As mentioned in an installation cookbook article, you can test the installation by viewing one of several available web pages. If testing by using the test.fmx form that ships with Developer Suite (and Application Server), and assuming that is the first time a 9i/10g form is being run on the PC, recall that the user will be prompted to install Oracle JInitiator.

After this is complete, the test form should appear (this form is the same in both Developer Suite and Application Server). You may have to check the portlist.ini file to confirm the assigned port number. To start the Developer Suite web services on Windows, use Start > Programs > Oracle Developer Suite - [home name] > Forms Developer > Start OC4J Instance.

In closing

If this was your first time seeing a response file in action, that wasn't too bad, was it? Why would you want to automate the installation process in the first place? Consider this scenario: You have 100 client-server Forms 6x users, all of whom need the runtime component (version 6.0) or the entire installation (version 6i). Wouldn't it be easier to use Terminal Services (one of several methods of how to do this with Windows) to and do this from your PC as opposed to going to each and every user's PC? This rationale also applies to installing SQL*Plus clients.

In the next article, we will look at other Windows-based methods of performing this installation and point out the differences between a silent installation and an unattended one, (and why you would use each type).

» See All Articles by Columnist Steve Callan