Oracle Linux 8 -- Minimal Installation In a VirtualBox VM

Problem

You need an Oracle Linux 8 installation quickly and with minimal disk space consumption

Solution

Follow the below steps to perform the minimal Oracle Linux 8 installation

1. Download the installation image from https://yum.oracle.com/oracle-linux-isos.html. You need the Boot ISO. As of this writing, the latest was R8 U3. OL8U3 x86_64-boot.iso

 

2. Create and tune your virtual VIrtualBox VM appropriately. Boot from the installation media

 

3. On the welcome screen choose Install Oracle Linux 8.3.0

4. Once the installation wizard launches, choose the language for installation process and click continue

5. On Installation Summary screen, optionally set keyboard layout, language support and date/time

 

6. Set the root password. And optionally create non-root user (Recommended. Depending on the screen resolution, you might need to scroll down the screen to see the User Creation menu)

7. In Installation Destination menu, review the disk setup and tune appropriately

8. Disable KDUMP

9. In Network and Host Name menu, set the hostname of the vm, and enable and tune network adapters, optionally disable IPv6, rename connection names. The installation process assumes active Internet connection to download required packages

 

10. In Security Policy menu, disable any security policies 

11. Set up the installation source to the yum repository https://yum.oracle.com/repo/OracleLinux/OL8/baseos/latest/x86_64/index.html

12. In Software Selection menu, select Minimal Install option, and optionally review/add additional packages as required. 

13. Click Begin Installation. Once the installation completed, click Reboot System

14. Perform post installation steps:

• Add your account to the sudoers list using visudo /etc/sudoers
  
• Update packages using sudo dnf update
• sudo dnf install xorg-x11-xauth
  

15. Install VirtualBox Guest Additions:

• sudo dnf install gcc make kernel-headers kernel-devel elfutils-libelf-devel tar bzip2
  
• Insert Guest Additions Installation image, usually VBoxGuestAdditions.iso and mount with command: sudo mount -t iso9660 -o ro /dev/cdrom /cdrom
• Install as root using sudo sh ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run
• If installation fails, download the latest GuestAdditions build from https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Testbuilds
  
• reboot

16. Open specific ports through firewall:

$ sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --add-port=1521/tcp --add-port=5500/tcp

$ sudo firewall-cmd --reload