Today I’ve experimented installing Oracle Database 11g,

After unsuccessful installation on debian-based system because of wrong path, missing packages, etc. I’ve tried using Fedora 18, one of most compatible linux distro thanks its own derivation by RedHat Linux, certified working by Oracle.

I’ve installed it over a virtual machine (VBox based) through Fedora 18 XFCE edition thanks this how-to: http://www.oracle-base.com/articles/11g/oracle-db-11gr2-installation-on-fedora-18.php

The process is very linear but not painless :-p I suggest you to follow the how-to as much as you can but trying avoiding the passes regarding “Packages Groups” suggested by the author.

The installation could stop sometimes because of missing deps or maybe for self errors, in any case push “Retry” button and don’t give up! :D

If you can’t get it working you can use the tricky way -> You can download a prebuilt image VirtualBox containing all you need for starting use Oracle Database 11g!

Please refer to this link for more info: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/enterprise-edition/databaseappdev-vm-161299.html