Understanding Universal Installer

The Universal Installer was introduced with Oracle8. For oracle, it was revamped , so it has several new features. It is now Java driven and its look and feel no longer change depending on the type of machine on which you use it. Another important feature of the Universal Installer is its ability to automatically detect dependencies within the Oracle software to be installed. If, for example, you tell it to install the SQLJ component, it automatically installs the Java toolset that is needed for SQLJ, even if you did not request it. The Universal Installer supports multiple Oracle homes and Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA).
Most of Oracle's software now supports multiple homes and OFA as well, so that you can install a new version of the software without obscuring the earlier version (if you so choose). This is important because at installation certain software requires its own Oracle home. If you wish, you can review what has been installed. To do this, start up the Universal Installer. There you will find a detailed software tree that shows version numbers and dependencies quite clearly. In the simulation below, you will learn the process of viewing previously installed software. The simulation begins at the initial screen of the Universal Installer. You arrive at the initial screen by either selecting the Universal Installer from your program Start menu or choosing to install software from a CD-ROM provided by Oracle.

During the simulation, the Universal Installer was used to remove software. Here are the steps you went through:

1. You first clicked the View Products button to see what is currently installed.
2. Once in the Inventory window, you expanded the OEMHOME branch to view the software installed under that Oracle home.
3. Then you clicked in the check box to mark Enterprise Manager Client for removal.
4. Next you clicked the Remove button to start the deinstall process. A confirmation window appeared and you clicked the Yes button to indicate that you wanted the deinstall process to continue.
5. After the process was completed, you expanded the OEMHOME branch again to verify that the Enterprise Manager Client software was no longer listed.
6. Then you closed the Inventory window, returning to the main window of the Universal Installer.

Please answer the following questions :

1. If you were running the Universal Installer because you wished to install new software, why might you use the Installed Products part of the Universal Installer?
2. The Universal Installer allows you to install a newer version of software while keeping the older version intact on the same machine.
   Describe a situation where this capability works to your advantage.