Oracle’s Instant Client is a valuable tool allowing anyone on a Mac to connect to Oracle databases, and is a prerequisite for installing SQL Developer, SQLPlus, or OCI8 (for PHP connectivity). However, Oracle’s documentation for installing Instant Client is very light. There are multiple ways to install it, and although most of them work, some are better than others if you want to avoid downstream issues. This article describes the method that I finally settled on after trying several other variations.

Downloading the install packages from the Oracle Instant Client download site is the first step. However, rather than a single install, you get a choice of library files and versions. Read More...

Tags: Oracle, Mac, Mac Mini, Instant Client, os x, TNS, SQLPlus, SQL Developer

Last month, when I got the new Mac Mini, my key reason was to set it up as a small home-based server to support my Oracle development and education. Since my workplace isn’t great at staying up to date with the latest products, I wanted a sandpit to try things out for myself - even when they don’t relate to my current projects. The Mac Mini seemed like an ideal home server - as its small, discreet, and doesn’t draw much power. And, as per my previous post it doubles as my media server. Although Oracle don’t ship or support any native server-based or database products for the Mac, Oracle’s pre-built VirtualBox VMs are a great way to trial new products and configurations hosted within a Linux-based virtual machine. This means less time playing with configuration and upgrades (unless I want to). As newer products come out, I just download and substitute the latest VM, and if I mess things up then I can just revert back to the original VM. However, as with all things, the first time setup takes a little research and planning - as changes to some configuration settings, and other customisations, may be required depending on what you want the system to do. Read More...

Tags: Oracle, VirtualBox, os x, Database, VM, Mac Mini