oracle12c - Oracle 12c client installer error

Question

I'm trying to install Oracle client 12.1.0.2.0 (32-bit) on a completely clean copy of windows Server 2012, and I'm hitting a problem.

The installer runs fine until it gets to the final part - the net configuration assistant. An error message appears and says "[INS-20802] Oracle Net Configuration Assistant failed.". Here's the relevant part of the log file that is generated (I can post the entire thing if requested, but here's the bit with the actual error occurs):

INFO: Read: UnsatisfiedLinkError exception loading native library: oranjni12
INFO: Stderr Read: java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: oracle.net.common.NetGetEnv.jniGetOracleHome()Ljava/lang/String;
WARNING: Skipping line: UnsatisfiedLinkError exception loading native library: oranjni12
INFO: Read: java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: C:appORACLE_USERproduct12.1.0client_1BINoranjni12.dll: Can't find dependent libraries
INFO: Stderr Read:  at oracle.net.common.NetGetEnv.jniGetOracleHome(Native Method)
INFO: Stderr Read:  at oracle.net.common.NetGetEnv.getOracleHome(Unknown Source)
INFO: Stderr Read:  at oracle.net.ca.NetCALogger.getOracleHome(NetCALogger.java:230)
INFO: Stderr Read:  at oracle.net.ca.NetCALogger.initOracleParameters(NetCALogger.java:215)
INFO: Stderr Read:  at oracle.net.ca.NetCALogger.initLogger(NetCALogger.java:130)
INFO: Stderr Read:  at oracle.net.ca.NetCA.main(NetCA.java:433)
WARNING: Skipping line: java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: C:appORACLE_USERproduct12.1.0client_1BINoranjni12.dll: Can't find dependent libraries
INFO: Read: 
WARNING: Skipping line: 
INFO: Read: Error: oracle.net.common.NetGetEnv.jniGetOracleHome()Ljava/lang/String;
WARNING: Skipping line: Error: oracle.net.common.NetGetEnv.jniGetOracleHome()Ljava/lang/String;
INFO: Read: Oracle Net Services configuration failed.  The exit code is 1
WARNING: Skipping line: Oracle Net Services configuration failed.  The exit code is 1
INFO: Completed Plugin named: Oracle Net Configuration Assistant

Here are a few things I have tried:

• turning the firewall off
• disconnecting from network (clutching at straws!)
• running the installer as administrator
• re-downloading the client installer from Oracle, in case it had somehow been corrupted

None of these things made any difference. I have successfully installed this exact version of the client on a Windows Server 2012 PC in the past and it worked fine...

Has anyone else encountered this issue?

Answer 1

It turns out that the Oracle 12.1.0.2.0 client needs the MSVC 2010 redistributable to be installed first.

I got it from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=5555

Once installed the Oracle client installer runs fine! Couldn't find this anywhere in the Oracle documentation, and the error message is not helpful at all...