OBIEE 11g Install and "error creating asinstance instance1" Error

Hello Tech World,


In this post, I am going to give you insight of my own created issue. However, it can be helpful. Sometimes, you  come across issues by and accident and this is one of those. The platform is - OS RedHat 5.5 x86_64 OBIEE 11g (11.1.1.5).


Error:


While installing OBIEE 11g, following error displays in the orainventory logs and the configuration fails.


"error creating asinstance instance1"


Cause:


The environment variable was set with the name that the install was trying to create.


Debugging:


In most of the cases - you may not come across this issue as you may not have set this environment variable. I read too much into the installation guide and before even starting the install, I set the ORACLE_INSTANCE variable to what I wanted to create during the install. While doing configuration the configuration thinks that you already have this instance created for OPMN and will not proceed. 


This could be a bug - The install can always check whether that directory or path that is mentioned in the environment variable - exists or not but like a dumb it pops the error and will not proceed.




Solution:


I had to unset the ORACLE_INSTANCE variable to get the install going. To think of it, you can choose a different name than the one is set in the ORACLE_INSTANCE and get the install going - so trivial - but shocking when the error is so illusive.


I thought that it will help the community and less time at Oracle Support.


Hopefully Helps others.


Another day of a tech life.