Before You Begin

This guide is your primary source of introductory, post-installation, configuration, and administration information for Oracle8 Client.

Specific topics discussed are:

Prerequisites

This guide assumes that you are familiar with:

Windows NT and have installed and tested it on your personal computer (PC) and network hardware
Object relational database management concepts

Intended Audience

This guide is necessary for anyone configuring or administering Oracle8 Client.

Note:

This guide describes only the features of the software that apply to the Windows NT and Windows 95 operating systems. For information about that is applicable to all operating systems, see the other documentation included in your package listed in Chapter 1, "Getting Started with Your Documentation".

How This Manual Is Organized

This manual is organized as follows:

Chapter 1, "Getting Started with Your Documentation"

Introduces you to the Oracle documentation set. Read this chapter before installing or using.

Chapter 2, "Introducing Oracle8 Client"

Describes the basic components of Oracle8 Client.

Chapter 3, "Database Tools Overview"

Provides a list of preferred and optional tools you can use to perform common database administration tasks.

Chapter 4, "Oracle Enterprise Manager Overview"

Provides an overview of Oracle Enterprise Manager, Oracle's suite of products for managing Oracle databases over a distributed network.

Chapter 5, "Using Multiple Oracle Homes"

Describes the Oracle Multiple Homes feature of this release.

Chapter 6, "Post-Installation Configuration Tasks"

Describes the configuration tasks you must perform before using products, such as Oracle Enterprise Manager, Net8, and Cartridges.

Chapter 7, "Distributing and Managing Oracle Software"

Describes how to install products using Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS).

Chapter 8, "Developing Applications"

Describes Windows NT-specific issues for application developers.

Appendix A, "Directory Structures"

Lists default directory structures for components installed on the Windows NT and Windows 95 operating systems.

Appendix B, "Configuration Parameters and the Registry"

Describes the use of the registry for various components. Additionally, it lists the recommended values and ranges for configuration parameters.

Appendix C, "Messages and Codes"

Lists the error messages, causes, and corrective actions specific to installing and using.

Appendix D, "National Language Support"

Explains the NLS_LANG configuration parameter and its components, and lists available options.

Appendix E, "Troubleshooting"

Describes how to diagnose and troubleshoot common error messages. It also describes how to contact Oracle Worldwide Customer Support if you cannot resolve these problems.

Glossary

Provides brief descriptions of terms used throughout this manual.

Conventions

Convention	Example	Meaning
All uppercase plain	C:\ORANT\DATABASE	Indicates command names, SQL reserved words, and keywords, as in ALTER DATABASE. All uppercase plain is also used for directory names and file names.
Italic	Italic is used to indicate a variable: filename Italic is used for emphasis: The WHERE clause may be used to join rows in different tables.	Indicates a value that you must provide. For example, if a command asks you to type filename, you must type the actual name of the file. Italic is also used for emphasis in the text and to indicate the titles of other manuals.
Square brackets [ ]	Start > Programs > Oracle for Windows NT - [HOME_NAME] > Oracle Database Assistant	Encloses optional items. For example, you can start Oracle Installer from the default Oracle home or from another Oracle home indicated by [HOME_NAME] if you use multiple Oracle homes. Square brackets also indicate a function key, for example [Enter].
Choose Start >	Choose Start > Programs > Oracle for Windows NT > Oracle Installer	How to start a program. For example, to start Oracle Installer, you must click the Start button on the taskbar and then choose Programs, Oracle for Windows NT, Oracle Installer.
C:\>	C:\ORANT\DATABASE	Represents the Windows NT command prompt of the current hard disk drive. Your prompt reflects the subdirectory in which you are working. Referred to as the MS-DOS command prompt in this guide.
Backslash (\) before a directory name	\DATABASE	Indicates that the directory is a subdirectory of the root directory.
ORACLE_HOME	Go to the ORACLE_HOME\DATABASE directory `SVRMGR> @%ORACLE_HOME%\RDBMS80\ADMIN\CATALOG.SQL`	ORACLE_HOME is represented as the hard drive letter and the top level directory where your Oracle software is installed, which may be: C:\ORANT for Windows NT C:\ORAWIN95 for Windows 95 C:\ORAWIN for Windows 3.1 or whatever you may have called your Oracle home. In Server Manager commands, you may see %ORACLE_HOME%. Server Manager is able to locate your Oracle Home directory using the %ORACLE_HOME% variable. This convention can be used in Server Manager, SQL*Plus, Export Utility, and Import Utility.
HOME_NAME	OracleHOME_NAMETNSListener80	Represents the Oracle home name if you use multiple Oracle homes. This convention is not applicable for a single Oracle home. The home name can be up to sixteen alphanumeric characters. The only special character allowed in the home name is the underscore.
HOMEID	HOME0, HOME1, HOME2	Represents a unique registry subkey for each Oracle home directory in which you install products. A new HOMEID is created and incremented each time you install products to a different Oracle home directory on one computer. Each HOMEID contains its own configuration parameter settings for installed Oracle products.
Symbols	period . comma , hyphen - semicolon ; colon : equal sign = backslash \ single quote ` double quote " parentheses ()	Symbols other than brackets and vertical bars must be entered in commands exactly as shown.

The following conventions are used in this guide: