Read-Only Oracle Home: A Tale of Two Versions (and 23c)
Read-Only Oracle Home: A Tale of Two Versions (and 23c)
The Read-Only Oracle Home (ROOH) feature, introduced in Oracle 18c, offers a compelling approach to enhancing database security and maintainability. It achieves this by relocating critical configuration and log files—such as listener.ora, sqlnet.ora, and spfile.ora—from the main ORACLE_HOME directory to subdirectories under ORACLE_BASE. This separation minimizes the risk of accidental modifications and simplifies database administration. But the path to ROOH enablement has been, shall we say, somewhat circuitous.
ROOH in Oracle 18c and 19c
In Oracle Database versions 18c and 19c, ROOH was notably not enabled by default. Administrators had to manually configure it if they desired its benefits. This behavior changed in later releases.
The 21c Shift: ROOH Enabled by Default
Starting with Oracle 21c, Oracle made a significant change: ROOH was enabled by default. This meant that new installations automatically utilized this security enhancement.
[oracle@RAC3 ~]$ /oracle21c/home/bin/orabasehome
/oracle21c/base/homes/OraDB21Home1
The 23c Curveball: ROOH Disabled by Default
However, in Oracle Database 23c, Oracle seemingly reversed course. In version 23c, ROOH was once again disabled by default. This unexpected change might cause confusion for administrators accustomed to ROOH being enabled automatically.
[oracle@OEL9 ~]$ /oracle23.6/home/bin/orabasehome
/oracle23.6/home
Manually Enabling and Disabling ROOH in 23c
Fortunately, administrators can still leverage ROOH in 23c; it just requires manual intervention. The roohctl utility provides the necessary control.
Enabling ROOH
[oracle@OEL9 ~]$ cd /oracle23.6/home/bin/
[oracle@OEL9 bin]$ ./roohctl -enable
Enabling Read-Only Oracle home.
Update orabasetab file to enable Read-Only Oracle home.
Orabasetab file has been updated successfully.
Create bootstrap directories for Read-Only Oracle home.
Bootstrap directories have been created successfully.
Bootstrap files have been processed successfully.
Bootstrap files have been processed successfully.
Read-Only Oracle home has been enabled successfully.
Check the log file /oracle23.6/base/cfgtoollogs/roohctl/roohctl-241112AM110738.log for more details.
[oracle@OEL9 bin]$ ./orabasehome
/oracle23.6/base/homes/OraDB23Home1Disabling ROOH
[oracle@OEL9 bin]$ ./roohctl -disable
Disabling Read-Only Oracle home.
Update orabasetab file to disable Read-Only Oracle home.
Orabasetab file has been updated successfully.
Read-Only Oracle home has been disabled successfully.
Check the log file /oracle23.6/base/cfgtoollogs/roohctl/roohctl-241112AM110944.log for more details.
[oracle@OEL9 bin]$ ./orabasehome
/oracle23.6/homeConclusion
While the default behavior of ROOH has shifted between Oracle releases, its core functionality remains highly valuable for enhancing security and streamlining Oracle database administration. Understanding how to enable and disable this feature, especially in Oracle 23c, is crucial for DBAs striving for optimal database management.
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