Performing pre-install tasks for Oracle WebCenter 11g: on Windows Server 2008 x64 & MS SQL 2008 ~ Window Support Software

It has been quite a while since my initial blog post where I wrote about my interest in learning more about WebCenter Suite. 7 months later I'm finally in possession of those VM's that I've patiently waited for and jumped at the chance to install the latest PS4 version of WebCenter Suite.

Having installed more mature portal software from smaller companies (BEA WebLogic, Liferay, Plumtree) I expected to find an elegant installation tool from Oracle's reasonably young WebCenter Suite that would install and configure itself while allowing me to relax and play a quick game of Angry Birds. The "simple" installation topology diagram gave me a little pause, but I knew that my environment met the Fusion system requirements and assumed that a Windows Server/SQL environment would be fairly vanilla and any trouble I encountered would have a solution just a short Google search away.

As it turns out the installation documentation for MS SQL users is light so I figured I'd take a little bit of time and document the steps I take to get things up and running - at the very least so I can look back and do it all again if I need to!

Oh, and let us not forget the post install steps...
Time to get a BIG cup of coffee!!!

For today I'll just cover the first step of performing the pre-install tasks.

Verify System Requirements
This blog post deals specifically with:
Windows Server 2008 64bit
MS SQL 2008 64bit
Citrix Xenapp VM
Install and Configure Database

Install SQL
My understanding is that a server installation requires the “Instance Features” and to run SQL Server Management Studio or any other client tools on the VM, then Client Tools Connectivity and the Management Tools would also be necessary. To avoid any headaches further down the road I opted to include all options except SQL Server Books Online.
Create Databases
One database is needed for WebCenter and another for UCM. At this point we only need to worry about the WebCenter db, so create one called "webcenter".

Set DB Collation
Change the default collation for the SQL database from case insensitive to case sensitive.
This is done by accessing the properties of the db, and going to the Options tab, then changing the "Collation" field from SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS to the CS version.

SQL geeks can use the following command:
```
ALTER DATABASE mds COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CS_AS
```
In the example, the substring of "CS" denotes case sensitivity.

Set READ_COMMITTED_SNAPSHOT
If you are reading through the install guide for WebCenter this is a very easy step to miss:
To create a metadata repository in SQL Server, set READ_COMMITTED_SNAPSHOT to ON for the hosting database. This enables the needed row versioning support.
This feature can be enabled using this SQL command where "webcenter" is the name of your db:
```
ALTER DATABASE webcenter SET READ_COMMITTED_SNAPSHOT ON
```

Create Schemas (WebCenter Spaces & Portal App)

Download the Repository Creation Utility (RCU) for Windows which is under the "Prerequisites & Recommended Install Process" section, and unzip it to a folder that DOES NOT HAVE SPACES. If there are spaces in the path the install will #fail
Navigate to the rcuHome/bin folder and run rcu.bat (you can do this through Explorer) which will start the GUI installer

Welcome - click the "Next" button
Create Repository - choose "Create"
Database Connection Details

Set the Database type to "Microsoft SQL Server"
Enter "localhost" as the server name, or the actual name/IP if you prefer
The default SQL port is 1433
Enter the name of the database you created a few steps back
Enter your SA username/password
At this point your prerequisites should all be confirmed

Select Components

Set a new prefix - which will be appended to the schema owners name.
Select the "AS Common Schemas" and "WebCenter Suite". Don't add ECM at this point as that can't reside on the same db as the other WebCenter components.
At this point the system will verify your options. If you haven't adjusted your collation or read_committed_snapshot you'll get error at the start of this step and need to go back and correct them.

Schema Passwords

Here you are asked to create a password for the various schema accounts that will be created. Password can contain only letters, numbers and the following special characters: $, # , _ and should not start with a number or a special character.
One password to rule them all is fine for dev!

Custom Variables
For a dev environment you are fine to leave the Activity Graph & Analytics partitioning at the default setting.
Summary
Completion Summary

Voila! If you open your database you should see a mess load of things that have been added to your database including tables, synonyms, users, stored procedures, schemas, etc.

Install WebLogic Server (WLS) and create Middleware Home

The following are instructions based upon using the generic 32bit JRE that installs automatically with WLS. I've chosen to skip the 64bit JRE because I've read about the potential for mixups when having both 32/64 bit JREs installed in the environment, and I want to stay as out of the box and problem-free as possible at this point:). Once there is a 64bit version of WLS it might make this process a less cumbersome.
Download WLS. The screenshots below are for 10.3.5.
Since there isn't a 64bit install at this time don't be upset when the download has a name like: wls1035_oepe111172_win32.exe
Run the executable
Select the option to create a new Middleware home
Don't feel bad about unchecking the box that says "I wish to receive security updates via My Oracle Support"...or leave it checked and enter your credentials.
If you go for the typical install you'll get a lot more stuff than you actually need (evaluation database, Coherence, etc). Unfortunately I've been unable to find any documentation that says what the minimum components should be, so to be safe I'd recommend opting for the typical install.
Choose your install paths, the defaults are fine
Choose which users should see shortcuts in their "Start Menu"....the default "All Users" seems fine
Review your install summary
That is it!
No need to leave the "Run Quickstart" checked when you finish the installer because we aren't ready to take the next step of setting up the WebCenter domain yet. When the time comes for that you can launch the quickstart via your start menu.

Additional references (be very careful with these as Oracle releases new documentation every few months and leaves the old stuff up! there are many old documents out there, so always check the dates before relying on the information!!!)

Helpful blog posts

Window Support Software

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Performing pre-install tasks for Oracle WebCenter 11g: on Windows Server 2008 x64 & MS SQL 2008

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