What is the best free linux distribution for installing Oracle?
 

Hi,

I wonder if someone can give me some advice on what
Linux distribution I should install, considering that I want to use Linux mostly for the following purposes:

** Install Oracle database - Oracle9i Release 2 (9.2.0.1) or (9.2.0.2)

** Install Oracle application server e.g. (OracleAS Java Edition v9.0.4).

I don't want to pay for the distribution, since it is just to practice at home.

As for OracleAS: Oracle claims it is only supported on SLES8 or Redhat AS 2.1.

I wonder if someone succeeded in installing it on free distributions.

I'm thinking about Fedora.

Thanks.

You can download just about all distro's for free. www.linuxiso.org

And there is no best one, use the one your most comfortable with in using, etc. I'm sure there are workarounds in getting it to work with others besides those listed, etc.

Regards.

When Oracle say that they only support Red Hat, I think they mean that they will provide support for the system when their product is running on Red Hat Application Server. I think they actually provide support for the whole system too, not just the database. It does seem that they support other distributions too, as the link indicates. It's all part of this "unbreakable linux" thing. Take a look for yourself:

http://www.suse.com/us/company/press...e_support.html

All linux distributions are free

Fedora should be a good match, as will just about any other distro. However, fedora, being a redhat product (for all intensive purposes) may require less workarounds than other distros. Also, i have read of Oracle being run on Fedora recently but i cannot recall where

gentoo

I hear you. I too am not looking for support, just a free distro for home use.
I'll say RH9 because I got it working.
You may want to check out Oracle technet / Linux
http://forums.oracle.com/forums/forum.jsp?forum=135

Whatever you choose, you are going to have to be aware of your glibc version
to install the Oracle patch

Description : The glibc package contains standard libraries which are used by multiple programs on the system. In order to save disk space and memory, as well as to make upgrading easier, common system code is kept in one place and shared between programs. This particular package contains the most important sets of shared libraries: the standard C library and the standard math library. Without these two libraries, a Linux system will not function.
Different versions of Linux distros ship different versions of glibc. .

* * glibc 2.3 - Red Hat 9.0, Mandrake 9.1
* * glibc 2.2 - Red Hat 7.0 through 8.0, Mandrake 8.0 through 9.0, SuSE 8.x, Debian 3.0
* * glibc 2.1 - Red Hat 6.x, Mandrake 7.x, SuSE 7.x, Debian 2.x

You will need patches (available from Oracle) depending on your choice.

I think I'm going to try Fedora next... Sticking with tried and true, until I hear something better. Here's my bit on 8.17 on RH9
http://www3.sympatico.ca/arothmel/oracle/817.html

Good luck :)