F
Distributing and Managing Oracle Software

This appendix describes how to distribute and manage Oracle8 products across a network.

Specific topics discussed are:

• Overview
• Oracle Client Software Manager
• Systems Management Server

Overview

The following products enable you to distribute and manage Oracle software across a network:

• Oracle Client Software Manager
• Systems Management Server

This appendix provides:

• a brief overview of the features of each product
• installation, configuration, and usage instructions (where necessary)
• lists of products capable of being installed

Oracle Client Software Manager

Oracle Client Software Manager (OCSM) is part of the Oracle Installer. OCSM enables system administrators to install and configure 16- and 32-bit Oracle products on machines for access by multiple client workstations. Installation is centralized, and updates to software on client workstations are automatic. OCSM enables:

• users to install client software onto a file server shared by multiple clients
• the administrator to define software configurations and enhance the degree of product sharing based on client space and network performance
• the administrator to group individual client personal computers (PCs) with common software configurations
• the administrator to save time and effort because a single update to the server's shared software pool configures many client PCs

Follow the procedures in the sections below to create an OCSM environment:

• Reviewing the Installation Requirements
• Creating an OCSM Host Machine
• Giving OCSM Clients Access to Oracle Home on the OCSM Host Machine
• Registering the Client Machine
• Understanding the Oracle Client Configuration Manager
• Understanding Client User vs. Administrator Options
• Assigning Products
• Assigning Clients
• Defining Installation Options
• Defining Conflict Resolution Installation Options
• Using Oracle Client Software Agent
• Understanding OCSM Files
• Distributing Software with OCSM

Reviewing the Installation Requirements

To install OCSM, you must create an OCSM host machine on which to install Oracle products that OCSM clients can access. The table below lists the installation requirements for your OCSM host machine and OCSM clients.

If the OCSM Host Machine is...	Then...
Windows NT	All OCSM clients registering with an Oracle home created on this machine must also be running Windows NT.
	The OCSM client machines must belong to a domain and have access privileges to the OCSM host machine.
	To set up, run REGEDT32 and use the Security - Permissions menu item to allocate access privileges for the various OCSM clients. Typically, an OCSM client requires read access to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key of the OCSM host machine's registry. The process of assigning access privileges is the same as when permissions are defined for access to files and directories in an NTFS file system.
Windows 95	All OCSM clients registering to an Oracle home created on this machine must also be running Windows 95. The OCSM Client machines must belong to a domain and have access privileges with the OCSM host machine. The Microsoft Remote Registry Services must be installed on both the OCSM host and client machines. This service is not installed by default when you set up Windows 95 on a machine. See the sections "Installing the Microsoft Remote Registry Service", "Windows 95 Setup", and "Windows 95 Limitations" below.
Windows 3.1	All OCSM clients registering with an Oracle home created on this machine must also be running Windows 3.1. See the section "Windows 3.1 Issues" for additional information.

Installing the Microsoft Remote Registry Service

To install the Microsoft Remote Registry Service:

1. Click Add in the Network option of the Control Panel.
2. Double-click Service in the Select Network Component Type dialog box.
3. Click Have Disk in the Select Network Service dialog box.
4. Enter the path to the ADMIN\NETTOOLS\REMOTREG directory on the Windows 95 CD-ROM disc in the Install From Disk dialog box and click OK.
5. Click OK in the Install From Disk dialog box.
6. Click Microsoft Remote Registry in the Select Network Service dialog box and click OK.

Note: If you are prompted to specify the location of additional files, specify the path to the Windows 95 source files on a shared network directory or on the Windows 95 CD-ROM disc.

Windows 95 Setup

To enable OCSM client access to the OCSM host machine:

1. Go to the OCSM host machine.
2. Click the Access Control Tab in the Network option of the Control Panel.
3. Ensure user-level access control is clicked.
4. Enter the domain in which the OCSM client users exist.
5. Click the Remote Administration tab in the Passwords option of the Control Panel.
6. Ensure Enable Remote Administration Of This Server is checked.
7. Add the users to be OCSM Clients by clicking Add.

Windows 95 Limitations

It is not possible to give read-only access for OCSM clients to the OCSM host machine's registry. Hence, OCSM Clients can potentially write to the OCSM host machine's registry. This is a known security problem with the current implementation.

Windows 3.1 Issues

Note: This release of OCSM has been tested with Microsoft networks, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows 95, Windows NT 3.51 or 4.0 (Workstation and Server), NetWare Server versions 3.x and 4.x, and NetWare Client Requestors versions 3.12, 3.32, and 4.0.

Note: The included versions of Oracle Objects for OLE and the Oracle ODBC Driver are not OCSM-compliant. If you want to take advantage of the shared-installation feature of Oracle Installer, do not attempt to share-install Oracle Objects for OLE or the Oracle ODBC Driver.

Note: On Windows NT version 4.0, the Oracle ODBC Driver 32-Bit ODBC Release Notes item in the Oracle for Windows NT program group may not launch correctly on some Windows NT 4.0 systems. This is because in some cases the correct location for the WRITE.EXE program is not specified in the item shortcut. If you have this problem, change the properties for the 32-Bit ODBC Release Notes item so that the shortcut points to the correct location for the WRITE.EXE program.

Creating an OCSM Host Machine

Follow the instructions below to create an OCSM host machine for the Windows platform you are running:

• Windows NT or 95
• Windows 3.1

Creating an OCSM Host Machine on Windows NT or 95

To create an OCSM host machine:

1. Run the Oracle Installer as described in the Oracle8 Installation for Windows NT CD-ROM Insert.
2. Enter a language, company name, and Oracle home directory when prompted.
3. Choose Custom when prompted for an installation type.

The Software Asset Manager window appears.

4. Select Oracle Installer, Oracle Client Configuration Manager, and Oracle Client Software Agent (OCSA), and choose Install.
5. Enter the path where the client information is to be stored:
1. Choose a location.

The location can be outside Oracle home, but specify the full path. The location can be any name, although CLIENTS is the default name.

2. Enter the name under which to share the client directory to which other clients connect.

Note: The directory must be one to which clients can write.

6. Click Exit when prompted to exit the Oracle Installer.

Your Oracle home directory becomes an OCSM host Oracle home when the OCSA is installed.

Creating an OCSM Host Machine on Windows 3.1

To set up a machine as an OCSM host, run the Oracle Installer in shared mode. Install the Oracle Installer, the Oracle Client Configuration Manager, and the Oracle Client Software Agent in a shared Oracle home.

To set up an OCSM host, follow these steps on the host machine:

1. Run the Oracle Installer in shared mode by selecting the RUN option in the Windows File Manager and entering the following command:

ORAINST.EXE /SHARED

The Language dialog box appears.

2. Select a language in which to run Oracle products and choose OK.

The Oracle Installation Settings dialog box appears.

3. Enter the following:
• company name
• path for the shared Oracle home.

If this is the first time you have installed OCSM and you previously had a stand-alone Oracle home on your machine, choose a different location for your new shared Oracle home. The path you enter here is bound to the variable SHARED_ORACLE_HOME.

The Administrator Information dialog box appears.

4. Enter the OCSM administrator's user name and choose OK.

The Configuration dialog box appears.

5. Choose Yes to modify the path in AUTOEXEC.BAT to include the location of the new Oracle products. If you do not want the Oracle Installer to modify AUTOEXEC.BAT, choose No.
6. In the Software Asset Manager window, select the following products to install:
• Oracle Client Configuration Manager
• Oracle Client Software Agent
• Oracle Installer
7. Click Install to install the products.
8. Click Exit after the products are installed.

When you install OCSM, you get an Oracle for Windows program group containing the Oracle Installer, Oracle Client Configuration Manager, and Switch Homes icons.

Giving OCSM Clients Access to Oracle Home on the OCSM Host Machine

To give OCSM clients access to Oracle home on the OCSM host machine:

1. Grant the following permissions to OCSM clients:
• Read access to the Oracle home on the OCSM host machine.
• Read/write access to the client directory. The OCSA writes to this directory. The client directory must be shared explicitly by the administrator under the name specified during OCSA installation.

Registering the Client Machine

Follow the instructions below to register the client machine for the Windows platform you are running:

• Windows NT or 95
• Windows 3.1

Registering the Client Machine for Windows NT or 95

To register an OCSM client:

1. Go to the client machine.
2. Map a network drive to the OCSM host machine's Oracle home.

Note: In both cases, the OCSM administrator must give you read access to the host Oracle home and write access to the client's directory.

3. Run BIN\SHARAGT.EXE from the OCSM host machine's Oracle home.

This program places the OCSA icon in the Windows NT or 95 startup group. Consequently, the OCSA is invoked whenever Windows NT or 95 is started or when a client user double-clicks the icon.

4. Enter an appropriate name when prompted for the client name.

The name you enter appears in the Oracle Client Configuration Manager on the OCSM host machine.

5. Enter a name for the OCSM client's Oracle home when prompted.

This is the area where Oracle products are installed locally.

When the program exits, the Oracle Client Software Agent icon is created.

Registering the Client Machine for Windows 3.1

To register an OCSM client, the client user must map a network drive to the shared Oracle home on the host, then run SHARAGT.EXE. This program places the Oracle Client Software Agent icon in the Windows startup group. Consequently, the agent is invoked whenever Windows is started or when a user double-clicks the icon.

To register an OCSM client, follow these steps on the client machine:

1. Map a network drive to the shared Oracle home on the host.

To do so with Windows 3.1 or Windows NT, use the File Manager. On Windows 95, use the File Explorer. In both cases, the OCSM administrator needs to give you read access to %SHARED_ORACLE_HOME% and read/write access to the %SHARED_ORACLE_HOME%\CLIENTS directory.

2. Run BIN\SHARAGT.EXE from the shared Oracle home.
3. Enter an appropriate name for the client name when prompted.

The name you enter here shows up in the Oracle Client Configuration Manager on the host.

4. Enter the name for the local Oracle home when prompted. This is the area where Oracle products are installed locally.

When the program exits, the Oracle Client Software Agent icon is placed in the Windows startup group.

Understanding the Oracle Client Configuration Manager

The system administrator uses the Oracle Client Configuration Manager to define client configurations. For each configuration, the administrator must define the following:

• Configuration name
• Configuration definitions (the set of products belonging to the configuration)
• Client assignments (the names of the OCSM clients belonging to the configuration)
• Install options (the installation options or instructions on how to install the software on the OCSM client)

Within a configuration, the installation options control the way the products are installed on the OCSM clients.

Products can be installed in one of the following ways:

1. Run from the OCSM host machine

All product executables are kept on the OCSM host machine. This saves disk space on the client, but the software runs slower because the client must run the software over the network.

2. Download EXE/DLL to Client Machine

Configuration files (EXEs and DLLs) are downloaded to the OCSM client. This type of installation improves performance over "Run from the OCSM host machine", because executables are run locally.

3. Install Completely on Client Machine

All product files are fully replicated on the client machine. This type of installation takes up more disk space than a "Run from the OCSM host machine", but the client can run the software even when the network is down.

Understanding Client User vs. Administrator Options

A systems administrator sets the following options that define how OCSM clients run the software:

Option	Description
Force Executable Location	When an OCSM administrator sets the installation option as "Run from the OCSM host machine", "Download EXE/DLL to Client Machine", or "Install Completely on Client Machine", OCSM client users cannot choose the location of executables. In this case, the placement of executables is "forced" from the host. When the administrator does not force the location of executables, the Oracle Installer lets client users choose how the products are installed.
Force Product Selection	When an OCSM administrator forces the installation of products, all products associated with the configuration are always installed on the OCSM client. OCSM client users cannot choose which products to install. When an OCSM administrator does not force the installation of products in the configuration, the Oracle Installer prompts client users for which products to install, among the list of products specified by the administrator.
Conflict Resolution	When a client belongs to more than one configuration and some options are set differently for the different configurations, a conflict arises. To resolve such conflicts, the administrator must define a general conflict resolution setting. The conflict resolution options are identical to the regular installation options. Note: The conflict resolution setting does not apply to specific pairs of configurations. It is one general setting used to resolve all OCSM client configuration conflicts.

Assigning Products

To assign products to a configuration:

1. Start the Oracle Client Configuration Manager:
1. For Windows NT, choose Start>Programs>Oracle for Windows NT>Oracle Client Configuration Manager.
2. For Windows 95, choose Start>Programs>Oracle for Windows 95>Oracle Client Configuration Manager.
3. For Windows, double-click the icon in the Oracle for Windows program group.
2. Choose Configuration Definitions from the View pull-down menu.
3. Select an existing configuration from the Configuration pull-down menu or click Add to create a new configuration.
4. Select the appropriate product names in the Available Products field.
5. Click Add or double-click on the product names to place products in the Selected Products field in the Software Asset Manager dialog box.
6. Click OK to assign selected products to configuration.

Assigning Clients

To assign an OCSM client to a configuration:

1. Ensure that the client user first registers the client with the OCSM host machine.
2. Start the Oracle Client Configuration Manager:
1. For Windows NT, choose Start>Programs>Oracle for Windows NT>Oracle Client Configuration Manager.
2. For Windows 95, choose Start>Programs>Oracle for Windows 95>Oracle Client Configuration Manager.
3. For Windows, double-click the icon in the Oracle for Windows program group.

The Oracle Client Configuration Manager dialog box appears.

3. Enter the configuration name or select it from the Configuration pull-down menu.
4. Choose Client Assignments from the View pull-down menu.
5. Select the clients by clicking the client names in the All Clients field. All Clients is a list of all registered clients to the host.
6. Click Add to place clients in the Selected Clients field.
7. Click OK to assign selected clients to the configuration.

Defining Installation Options

To define installation options for a configuration:

1. Start the Oracle Client Configuration Manager:
1. For Windows NT, choose Start>Programs>Oracle for Windows NT>Oracle Client Configuration Manager.
2. For Windows 95, choose Start>Programs>Oracle for Windows 95>Oracle Client Configuration Manager.
3. For Windows, double-click the icon in the Oracle for Windows program group.
2. Enter the configuration name or select it from the Configuration pull-down menu.
3. Choose Install Options from the View pull-down menu.
4. In the Client Installation Options window, select Force Executable Location to define how software is installed on clients.
5. To allow client users to define how products are installed, do not select "Force Executable Location".
6. If you selected Force Executable Location, you must define how software is installed on client machines by selecting one of the following:
• Run from OCSM Host
• Download EXE/DLL to Client Machine
• Install Completely on Client Machine
7. Select Force Client Installation to force the installation of products on client machines.
8. Click OK to assign the installation options to the configuration.

Defining Conflict Resolution Installation Options

To define conflict resolution installation options:

1. Start the Oracle Client Configuration Manager:
1. For Windows NT, choose Start>Programs>Oracle for Windows NT>Oracle Client Configuration Manager.
2. For Windows 95, choose Start>Programs>Oracle for Windows 95>Oracle Client Configuration Manager.
3. For Windows, double-click the icon in the Oracle for Windows program group.
2. Select any configuration in the Configuration pull-down menu.
3. Choose Install Options from the View pull-down menu.
4. Define the conflict resolution options per host home exactly as you define regular installation options in the Conflict Resolution window.

The options override other conflict resolution options that are set for all configured clients on that home.

5. Click OK to save your conflict resolution settings.

Using Oracle Client Software Agent

Use the OCSA to bring the OCSM client machines up to date with respect to the OCSM host machine. The client is updated when the client user double-clicks the OCSA icon or when Windows is started.

To determine whether the OCSM client environment needs to be updated with respect to the OCSM host machine's environment, the OCSA compares the client timestamp in the local ORACLE portion of the registry to the client timestamp in the CLIENTS.INI file in the OCSM host machine's Oracle home. When the local timestamp is earlier than the CLIENTS.INI timestamp, the client is out of date, and the OCSA invokes Oracle Installer in configuration mode. Otherwise, the local OCSM client environment is up to date and the OCSA exits after an appropriate message.

Note: When the Oracle Installer runs for the OCSM client, it does not use the product installation scripts to configure the OCSM client. It merely copies the files from the OCSM host machine's Oracle home according to how the configuration was defined on the host.

Understanding OCSM Files

The following files in the ORACLE_HOME\ORAINST directory are used by OCSM:

• GROUPS.INI
• CLIENTS.INI
• Registration Files

GROUPS.INI

OCSM maintains GROUPS.INI in the OCSM host machine's Oracle home directory. Each section in GROUPS.INI describes an OCSM client configuration. There is also an extra section for resolving parameter conflicts when an OCSM client is a member of more than one configuration. Each OCSM client configuration section is headed by its name and keeps track of the following information:

Client Configuration Field	Description
ROLE	When the administrator forces the location of executables, the ROLE is Administrator. Otherwise, the ROLE is User.
EXE.HOME	The type of install option, either SHARED (Run from OCSM Host) LOCAL (Download EXE/DLL to Client Machine) DOWNLOAD (Install Completely on Client Machine)
SELECTION	When the administrator assigns products to the clients in a configuration, SELECTION is Mandatory. Otherwise, SELECTION is Optional.
PRODUCTS	List of products belonging to this configuration. These names have the same form as the Product field in the .PRD file. For example: WINBOOK20, WINRSF71, etc.

The Conflict Resolution section in GROUPS.INI tracks the following fields, which have the same meaning as above, but are used to resolve conflicts:

• ROLE
• EXE_HOME
• SELECTION

CLIENTS.INI

The CLIENTS.INI file is maintained in the OCSM host machine's Oracle home directory. This file contains a section for each client known to the OCSM host. For each client, the CLIENTS.INI file keeps track of the following information:

Client Field	Description
Configurations	List of configurations of which the client is a member.
OS	Operating system of the client.
OSVER	Operating system version of the client.
ROLE	Client role specifying who selects the various options. Possible values are ADMINISTRATOR or USER.
EXE_HOME	Type of install option: LOCAL (Run from OCSM Host) SHARED (Download EXE/DLL) DOWNLOAD (Install Completely on Client Machine)
TIME_STAMP	The timestamp of the last time the OCSM changed the properties of any configuration to which the client belongs.

Registration Files

OCSM uses the following registration file:

Registration File	Description
Client	Each client has a registration file maintained in the OCSM host machine's ORACLE_HOME\CLIENTS directory. This file lists the shared products already configured in the client's local environment.
	The client registration file is named after the client. For example, if a client is named ALPHA, its registration file is ALPHA.RGS.

Distributing Software with OCSM

For system requirements and instructions on installing OCSM, see the Oracle8 Installation for Windows NT CD-ROM Insert. The table below lists the OCSM-compliant Oracle products and Windows platforms on which each can be installed:

Product	Windows NT	Windows 95	Windows 3.1
Required Support Files:
8.0.3.0.0	yes	yes	no
7.3.3.0.1A	yes	yes	yes
7.2.2.4.3B	yes	yes	yes
7.1.3.3.24A	yes	yes	yes
SQL*Plus	yes	yes	yes
Net8 Client1	yes	yes	yes

1 Includes Oracle Named Pipes Adapter, Oracle SPX Adapter, Oracle TCP/IP Adapter, Oracle APPC/LU6.2 Adapter, Oracle NDS Adapter).

Systems Management Server

Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) manages networked PCs running the Windows group of operating systems. Specifically, SMS provides:

• PC hardware and software inventory
• Software distribution
• PC troubleshooting

SMS is a component of Microsoft Backoffice, and is sometimes used in companies running their businesses on Windows NT.

Oracle8 SMS Support

Oracle products for Windows 95 and NT support remote installation and software inventory and auditing capabilities through SMS release 1.2. Oracle Corporation provides customizable package definition files (.PDFs) that SMS administrators can use to distribute and maintain Oracle products in an NT/95 network. These packages contain many of the same products as the corresponding packages in a traditional installation.

The Oracle8 CD-ROM disc includes two .PDF files:

File	Provides Support For...
ServerNT.PDF	Remote installations of Oracle8 for Windows NT with no Oracle8 ConText Cartridge and a default language of English.
Client32.PDF	Remote installations of Oracle8 client products. This package provides the same functionality as the Oracle8 Client CD.

More packages will be provided in subsequent releases. Oracle SMS support enables Oracle products to interoperate in a BackOffice environment

Distributing Oracle Software with SMS

To distribute Oracle software with SMS:

Note: You must be an SMS administrator to perform these procedures.

1. Open the Packages window from the SMS Administrator's console.
2. Select New from the File menu.
3. Select Import in the dialog box that appears.
4. Navigate to the SMS directory at the root of the Oracle8 CD-ROM disc.
5. Select the file ServerNT.PDF to install Oracle8 products.
6. Select Workstations to see more properties of the package.
7. Set the source directory for the package to the root directory of the Oracle8 CD-ROM disc.

Note: This is important, as installation command lines specified in the .PDF file are interpreted relative to the source directory.

One or more command line options listed for the package appear. They are defined in the .PDF file and must be left alone.

8. Choose Close to exit the window.
9. Choose OK to exit the Package Properties window.

SMS creates the package for you at this time.

10. Create a Run Command on Workstation job to distribute the new Oracle8 product package.

Choose the appropriate command line option for the package during job creation. Client32.PDF contains several options, including:

• Install Client/DBA for NT
• Deinstall Client/DBA for NT
• Install Client/AppUser for NT
• Deinstall Client/AppUser for NT
• Install Client/DBA for Win95
• Deinstall Client/DBA for Win95
• Install Client/AppUser for Win95
• Deinstall Client/AppUser for Win95

ServerNT.PDF options include:

• Install Oracle8 for NT
• Deinstall Oracle8 for NT

Consult your SMS documentation for more information about creating jobs.

11. Reboot all server and client machines after installing Oracle8 products with SMS.

Note: When you schedule an SMS job to distribute software, the source directory specified during package creation must be accessible to SMS. If you specified the Oracle8 CD-ROM as the source, ensure that your CD-ROM disc is loaded into your CD-ROM drive during job creation.

Note: Oracle documentation as distributed in an SMS package refers to the initial installation location in order to save client disk space. This location is the SMS_PKGD directory of the SMS distribution server. As a result, the client machine requires a drive mapping to the initial installation location for access to documentation files. On Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0, this drive mapping occurs automatically when the documentation icon is selected.

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