Oracle B32100-01 - Manual (Page 54)

Can I Use Symbolic Links?
3-2 Oracle Application Server Installation Guide
If you plan to install a middle tier and an infrastructure on the same computer, you
must install them in different Oracle home directories. The installer does not allow you
to install a middle tier and an infrastructure in the same Oracle home.
3.1.1 Installing in an Existing Oracle Home
Generally, you cannot install Oracle Application Server in an existing Oracle home. See
"Oracle home directory" on page 2-27 for a list of combinations that are not allowed.
3.1.2 Installing in a Non-Empty Oracle Home
You cannot install Oracle Application Server in a directory that already contains some
files, except for the cases mentioned in
Section 3.1.1, "Installing in an Existing Oracle
Home" . For example, if you cancel an installation, or if an installation failed, you have
to clean up the directory before you can reinstall Oracle Application Server in it. Also,
the installer cannot "repair" an installation. See
Section F.3.4, "Message About Installing
in a Non-Empty Directory" for instructions on how to clean up the directory.
3.2 Can I Use Symbolic Links?
You can create symbolic links before installing Oracle Application Server and use them
during installation. For example, if you run the following commands:
prompt> mkdir /home/basedir
prompt> ln -s /home/basedir /home/linkdir
then, when you run the installer, you can specify /home/linkdir as the Oracle
Home.
After installation, you cannot create symbolic links to the Oracle Home. You also may
not move the Oracle Home to a different location and create a symbolic link to the
original Oracle Home.
3.3 First-Time Installation of Any Oracle Product
If Oracle Application Server is the first Oracle product to be installed on a computer,
the installer displays a screen where you specify an "inventory" directory (also called
the "oraInventory" directory). This inventory directory is used by the installer to keep
track of all Oracle products installed on the computer.
The inventory directory is separate from the Oracle home directory for Oracle
Application Server.
Notes: Spaces are not allowed anywhere in the Oracle home
directory path. For example, you cannot install in
"/opt/oracle/app server/Infra" because of the space character
in "app server". The installer does not check for this until several
screens after you have entered the path.
Tip: If you install multiple Oracle Application Server instances
(for example, an OracleAS Infrastructure and a middle tier) on the
same computer, create scripts for setting the environment for each
instance. This is to ensure that you run the binaries from the proper
Oracle home. Environment variables that you need to set include
ORACLE_HOME and PATH.