Path to oratab
Here is the list to show Oracle oratab location in some operating systems.
| Operating System | oratab Location |
|---|---|
| Linux | /etc/oratab |
| AIX | /etc/oratab |
| HP/UX | /etc/oratab |
| Solaris | /var/opt/oracle/oratab |
| Windows | In Windows, there's no such oratab, because it uses registry to keep all necessary information about Oracle database(s). Please refer to Oracle Software Registry (regedit) |
Format of oratab
Let's see an example of oratab in Linux.
[oracle@test ~]$ cat /etc/oratab
...
ORCLCDB:/u01/app/oracle/product/19.3.0/dbhome_1:Y
CATDB:/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1:N
One entry one instance and each filed is delimited by a semicolon (:).
$ORACLE_SID:$ORACLE_HOME:<N|Y>
The meanings of fields are decribed as below:
- $ORACLE_SID: Which instance should be used.
- $ORACLE_HOME: Which database software should be used.
- Y or N: Do startup if "Y", otherwise don't start.
How to Use oratab
To know how to use oratab properly, you may like to read the following topics:
- How to start an Oracle database by dbstart.
- How to automatically start an Oracle database at system boot in Linux.
- How to automatically start an Oracle database at system boot in Solaris.
Please note that, newer RAC systems like 19c may Not contain useful information in oratab because Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR) already has it.