Setting up Oracle InstantClient 10g for Windows or GNU/Linux

Prelude

I needed an Oracle client to connect to the Oracle server that I run on my home server and to connect to servers at work via the VPN, and, as I often dual-boot between Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux, I needed to install an Oracle client for both operating systems.

Oracle now provides a quick method for installing a client called Oracle InstantClient.

Oracle Client for Windows

Download the basic and sqlplus installs for Windows from here.

Create the folder c:\oracle

Unpack the files instantclient-basic-win32-10.1.0.3-20050113.zip and instantclient-sqlplus-win32-10.1.0.3-20050113.zip into c:\oracle

Right click "My Computer" -> Properties -> Advanced -> Environment Variables

Select the "Path" variable and click the "Edit" button and append ;c:\oracle to the end of the existing line.

Setup a c:\oracle\tnsnames.ora file similar to this example:

MYDB.WORLD=
  (DESCRIPTION =
    (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = IPAddress)(PORT = 1521))
    (CONNECT_DATA =
      (SERVICE_NAME= MYDB)
    )
  )
    

Then connect to this database to test it as follows: sqlplus username/password@MYDB.WORLD

Oracle Client for Linux

Download the basic and sqlplus installs for Linux from here.

mkdir oracle
mv instantclient-basic-linux-x86-64-10.1.0.3.zip oracle/
mv instantclient-sqlplus-linux-x86-64-10.1.0.3.zip oracle/
cd oracle
unzip instantclient-basic-linux-x86-64-10.1.0.3.zip
unzip instantclient-sqlplus-linux-x86-64-10.1.0.3.zip
cd InstantClient10
mv * ../
rmdir InstantClient10 
cat >> ~/.profile
PATH=$PATH:/home/username/oracle
SQLPATH=/home/username/oracle
export SQLPATH
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/home/username/oracle
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH
TNS_ADMIN=/home/username/oracle
export TNS_ADMIN
    

Setup a tnsnames.ora file similar to this example:

cat > ~/oracle/tnsnames.ora
MYDB.WORLD=
  (DESCRIPTION =
    (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = IPAddress)(PORT = 1521))
    (CONNECT_DATA =
      (SERVICE_NAME= MYDB)
    )
  )
    

Then re-login to your user account, or restart your profile.

Then connect to this database to test it as follows: sqlplus username/password@MYDB.WORLD