SecureAnyCloud
Deployment guide

Oracle Database Client 12.1 on Oracle Linux 8

Overview

Oracle Database Client 12c R1 (version 12.1.0.2.0) provides the tools and libraries you need to connect to and manage legacy Oracle 12.1 and earlier database instances. It includes SQL*Plus, sqlldr, tnsping, expdp, impdp, the full Oracle Net client utility set, and OCI and JDBC drivers. No database server is required on the same VM.

This SecureAnyCloud image runs the client on Oracle Linux 8 on Microsoft Azure, as a preconfigured virtual machine image from the Azure Marketplace.

What you get:

  • Oracle Database Client 12c R1 12.1.0.2.0 (Administrator install) installed at /u01
  • A dedicated oracle OS user with an environment script (setEnv.sh)
  • SQL*Plus, sqlldr, tnsping, expdp, impdp, exp, imp, tkprof, rman, adrci, and the full Oracle Net client utility set
  • Preseeded tnsnames.ora and sqlnet.ora, ready for your entries
  • A system-wide /etc/profile.d hook, so any future user picks up the client tools
  • A libnsl shim and OEL8 compatibility layer, so 12c R1 binaries link cleanly on Oracle Linux 8
  • The bundled Oracle JDK replaced with system OpenJDK, so security patches arrive through dnf
  • An OS package update script that keeps the system current
  • Azure Linux Agent (waagent) for Azure integration
  • cloud-init for automated provisioning
  • Latest security patches applied at build time
  • 24/7 SecureAnyCloud support with a guaranteed 24-hour response SLA

Platform: Microsoft Azure (Gen2 Hyper-V)

Default user: azureuser

Oracle Home: /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/client_1

TNS Admin: /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/client_1/network/admin

Compatibility Note

Oracle originally certified Oracle Database Client 12c R1 on Oracle Linux 5, 6 and 7. SecureAnyCloud packages 12c R1 on Oracle Linux 8 by installing the equivalent compatibility libraries (libnsl, libxcrypt-compat, libstdc++ 32-bit) and relinking the client binaries against the OL 8 system libraries.

The result is functionally equivalent to a certified install for the customer-facing tooling (SQL*Plus, Oracle Net, sqlldr, expdp, impdp). For Oracle support questions about this combination, contact your Oracle account manager. SecureAnyCloud provides 24/7 support for the platform integration.

Prerequisites

Before you deploy this image, make sure you have:

  • An active Microsoft Azure subscription
  • Access to the Azure Portal or Azure CLI
  • An SSH key pair for Linux VM access
  • The hostname, port and service name (or SID) of the Oracle Database you want to connect to
  • Network connectivity from the new VM to the target Oracle Database (typically TCP 1521 outbound)

Recommended VM size: Standard_B2s (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) or larger.

The Oracle Client is a set of libraries and tools rather than a running service, so the minimum requirements are modest: 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM and 20 GB disk space.

1

Deploy the Virtual Machine

Option A: Azure Portal

  • Open the Azure Marketplace and search for "Oracle Database Client 12.1 Oracle Linux 8 SecureAnyCloud".
  • Select the image and click Create.
  • Configure the basics:
  • Subscription: Select your Azure subscription.
  • Resource Group: Create a new group or select an existing one.
  • Virtual Machine Name: Enter a name for your VM.
  • Region: Select your preferred Azure region.
  • Size: Standard_B2s recommended.
  • Under Administrator Account, select SSH public key and enter your key.
  • Under Inbound Port Rules, allow SSH (port 22) from your trusted IP only.
  • Click Review + Create, then click Create.

Option B: Azure CLI

az vm image terms accept --urn sac1647283583153:oracle-db-12-1-client-oel8:default:latest
az vm create \
  --resource-group myResourceGroup \
  --name my-oracle-client-12-1-vm \
  --image sac1647283583153:oracle-db-12-1-client-oel8:default:latest \
  --size Standard_B2s \
  --admin-username azureuser \
  --generate-ssh-keys \
  --public-ip-sku Standard

Important: The Oracle Client makes outbound connections to remote databases on port 1521. You do not need to open port 1521 inbound on this VM. Review your Network Security Group and route table to confirm that the VM can reach your target Oracle Database server on the listener port.

2

Connect via SSH

When your VM is running, connect over SSH:

ssh azureuser@<public-ip-address>

To find your VM's public IP, run:

az vm show --resource-group myResourceGroup --name my-oracle-client-12-1-vm --show-details --query publicIps -o tsv

Switch to the root user:

sudo su -

Important: Wait for the VM to reach a running state before you connect. Early connection attempts may produce permission denied errors while cloud-init completes initial provisioning.

3

Switch to the Oracle User and Set Environment

The dedicated oracle OS user owns the Oracle Client software. Switch to this user and source the environment. Type this command rather than copying and pasting it:

sudo su - oracle cd $HOME . ./setEnv.sh sqlplus -V

Expected output:

The setEnv.sh script sets the Oracle environment variables that utilities such as sqlplus require:

ORACLE_BASE=/u01/app/oracle ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/client_1 TNS_ADMIN=$ORACLE_HOME/network/admin PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/bin:$PATH LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$ORACLE_HOME/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH NLS_LANG=AMERICAN_AMERICA.AL32UTF8

A system-wide hook is also installed at /etc/profile.d/oracle-client.sh. Any future Linux user on the VM picks up the same environment automatically on login.

4

Explore the Client Tooling

sqlplus -H prints a usage summary of every command-line option that the SQL*Plus binary understands. This is the fastest way to confirm that the client is fully functional and to look up an option without leaving the shell:

sqlplus -H | head -28

Expected output:

Browse the install tree to see the full set of binaries in the Administrator install set:

ls $ORACLE_HOME/
ls $ORACLE_HOME/bin/ | grep -E "sqlplus|sqlldr|tnsping|exp|imp|rman"

Expected output:

5

Configure tnsnames.ora

Before you connect to a remote Oracle Database, add an entry for it to tnsnames.ora. As the oracle user, run the following commands. Replace the example values with your target database details:

cd $HOME . ./setEnv.sh cat >> "$ORACLE_HOME/network/admin/tnsnames.ora" << 'TNS' MY_DATABASE = (DESCRIPTION = (ADDRESS_LIST = (ADDRESS = (PROTOCOL = TCP)(HOST = YOUR_DB_HOSTNAME)(PORT = 1521)) ) (CONNECT_DATA = (SERVER = DEDICATED) (SERVICE_NAME = YOUR_SERVICE_NAME) ) ) TNS

Replace the following values:

  • YOUR_DB_HOSTNAME: the IP address or DNS name of your Oracle Database server.
  • 1521: the port number, if it differs from the default.
  • YOUR_SERVICE_NAME: the service name of the target database.

Verify that Oracle Net loads correctly and your environment is set:

env | grep -E "^(ORACLE_|TNS_|LD_LIBRARY)" tnsping invalid_alias

Expected output:

The TNS Ping Utility for Linux: Version 12.1.0.2.0 banner confirms that the Oracle Net layer loads. The TNS-03505: Failed to resolve name error against the example alias is expected. To test against your real database, use the alias you just added to tnsnames.ora:

tnsping MY_DATABASE

You can expect one of the following results:

  • OK (n msec) if YOUR_DB_HOSTNAME resolves and the remote listener accepts the connection. This is what you want to see.
  • TNS-12545: Connect failed because target host or object does not exist if YOUR_DB_HOSTNAME is unresolvable. The TNS layer is loading correctly. Replace the example host.
  • TNS-12541: TNS:no listener if the hostname resolves but nothing is listening on port 1521. Check that the target listener is up and reachable from this VM.
6

Connect to a Remote Database via SQL*Plus

With the environment sourced and tnsnames.ora populated, connect to your remote database. The simplest form uses the TNS alias you just created:

cd $HOME . ./setEnv.sh sqlplus system/your_password@MY_DATABASE

Alternatively, use the EZCONNECT syntax, which needs no edits to tnsnames.ora:

sqlplus 'system/your_password@//your-db-host:1521/your-service-name'

Expected output:

SQL*Plus: Release 12.1.0.2.0 Production Copyright (c) 1982, 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved. Connected to: Oracle Database ... SQL>

Type EXIT to leave the SQL*Plus session.

Server Components

Component Version Install Path

Oracle Database Client 12c R1 (Administrator) 12.1.0.2.0 /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/client_1

Oracle Linux 8 /

Note: The automatic OS package update script may update component versions on first boot.

Filesystem Layout

The image uses LVM on a single OS disk. The root filesystem hosts the Oracle Client software under /u01. There is no separate /u01 mount point to manage or resize independently.

Mount Point Size Description

/ 37 GB Root filesystem (LVM logical volume), hosts the Oracle Client software under /u01

/boot 2 GB Operating system kernel files

/boot/efi 100 MB UEFI boot partition (Gen2 Hyper-V)

/var/crash 10 GB Reserved for kernel crash dumps (LVM logical volume)

/mnt varies Azure temporary resource disk (not persistent across stop/deallocate)

Key Oracle directories:

Directory Purpose

/u01/app/oracle Oracle base directory

/u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/client_1 Oracle Client home directory

/u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/client_1/bin Client binaries (sqlplus, sqlldr, tnsping, expdp, impdp, exp, imp, tkprof, rman, adrci)

/u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/client_1/lib Oracle Net libraries (libclntsh.so)

/u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/client_1/network/admin TNS configuration files (tnsnames.ora, sqlnet.ora)

/u01/app/oraInventory Oracle Universal Installer inventory

Managing the Oracle Client

The Oracle Client is a set of tools and libraries, not a running service. There are no services to start or stop. To use the client tools, switch to the oracle user and source the environment:

sudo su - oracle cd $HOME . ./setEnv.sh

Verify that the client is ready:

sqlplus -V which sqlplus

Scripts and Log Files

Script/Log Path Description

initial_boot_update.sh /stage/scripts Updates the OS with the latest packages on first boot

initial_boot_update.log /stage/scripts Output log for the boot update script

setEnv.sh /home/oracle Sets Oracle environment variables for sqlplus and other tools

oracle-client.sh /etc/profile.d System-wide environment hook for any logged-in user

On Startup

An OS package update script runs on first boot to apply any updates released since the build. To disable it, remove the script and its crontab entry:

sudo rm -f /stage/scripts/initial_boot_update.sh
sudo crontab -e
# Delete the following line, save and exit: @reboot /stage/scripts/initial_boot_update.sh

Troubleshooting

Cannot connect via SSH

  • Verify that the VM is in the Running state in the Azure Portal.
  • Check that the Network Security Group allows port 22.
  • Make sure you are using the correct username: azureuser
  • Verify that your SSH key matches the one you configured during deployment.

sqlplus: command not found

  • Confirm that you switched to the oracle user: sudo su - oracle
  • Source the environment script: . ~/setEnv.sh
  • Verify that the install path exists: ls /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/client_1/bin/sqlplus
  • Confirm that $ORACLE_HOME/bin is on your PATH: echo $PATH

ORA-12154: TNS:could not resolve the connect identifier specified

  • Check that your alias is defined in tnsnames.ora: cat $ORACLE_HOME/network/admin/tnsnames.ora
  • Confirm that TNS_ADMIN points at the network/admin directory: echo $TNS_ADMIN
  • Validate that the alias resolves: tnsping MY_DATABASE
  • Watch for typos and case sensitivity in the alias name.

ORA-12170: TNS:Connect timeout occurred

  • Confirm that the target database hostname and port are reachable from the VM: nc -vz YOUR_DB_HOSTNAME 1521
  • Check that the Network Security Group on the target database side allows inbound traffic from your VM.
  • Verify route tables, peering or VPN from this Azure VM to the target database network.
  • If the target is on premises, confirm Azure ExpressRoute or Site-to-Site VPN connectivity.

ORA-12541: TNS:no listener

  • The remote database listener may be down. Check with the DBA who manages the target database.
  • Confirm that you are using the correct port number in your tnsnames.ora entry.
  • Run tnsping MY_DATABASE to confirm that the listener responds at the protocol layer.

Security Recommendations

  • Restrict outbound access. Allow outbound TCP 1521 from this VM only to the specific Oracle Database servers it needs to reach.
  • Protect tnsnames.ora. The TNS configuration file can reveal the hostnames and service names of databases on your private network. Keep file permissions tight and do not share the file.
  • Use wallets for credentials. Configure Oracle Wallet so that passwords are not stored in plain text in scripts or shell history.
  • Encrypt connections. Configure Oracle Net Services to use SSL/TLS encryption for client-to-database traffic.
  • Limit OS access. Restrict SSH access to authorized administrators only.
  • Enable auditing. Forward shell history and OS audit logs to a central log store.
  • Keep the system updated. Apply Oracle Critical Patch Updates and OS security patches regularly.

Support

If you have any issues with this product, contact SecureAnyCloud support:

  • Email: sales@secureanycloud.com
  • Website: secureanycloud.com
  • Product catalog: secureanycloud.com/products
  • User guides: secureanycloud.com/guides
  • Support hours: 24/7, with a guaranteed 24-hour response SLA

SecureAnyCloud provides Oracle expertise and platform engineering support across AWS, Microsoft Azure and Alibaba Cloud. For Oracle licensing questions, contact your Oracle account manager.

Oracle and Oracle Database are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. SecureAnyCloud is an independent provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Oracle Corporation.

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