# How to install OCI8 on Linux Mint 19.2 and PHP 7.3
Sources:
- http://www.syahzul.com/2016/04/06/how-to-install-oci8-on-ubuntu-14-04-and-php-5-6/
- https://medium.com/@kabeza/setup-oracle-instant-client-with-apache-and-php-7-on-ubuntu-server-17-04-66cea2297d6f
- https://gist.github.com/hewerthomn/81eea2935051eb2500941a9309bca703#file-install_oci8_ubuntu_16-04_php7-1-md
- https://gist.github.com/Yukibashiri/cebaeaccbe531665a5704b1b34a3498e

## Upgrade or install PHP 7.3
### Step 1
Add [Ondřej Surý PHP PPA](https://launchpad.net/~ondrej/+archive/ubuntu/php)

```
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

apt update && apt upgrade

apt install php7.3-curl php7.3-gd php7.3-mysql php7.3-mbstring php7.3-cli php7.3-xml php7.3-zip
```

## Install Oracle Instant Client and SDK
### Step 2

Download the Oracle Instant Client and SDK from Oracle website.

[https://www.oracle.com/database/technologies/instant-client/linux-x86-64-downloads.html](https://www.oracle.com/database/technologies/instant-client/linux-x86-64-downloads.html)

Files: `instantclient-basic-linux.x64-19.5.0.0.0dbru.zip` and `instantclient-sdk-linux.x64-19.5.0.0.0dbru.zip`.

### Step 3

Create a new folder to store Oracle Instant Client zip files on your server.

Upload the Instant Clients files inside this folder.

```
sudo mkdir /opt/oracle
```

### Step 4

Now we need to extract the files.

```
cd /opt/oracle
unzip instantclient-basic-linux.x64-12.2.0.1.0.zip
unzip instantclient-sdk-linux.x64-12.2.0.1.0.zip
```

### Step 5

Add the folder to our `ldconfig`.

```
sudo -s
echo /opt/oracle/instantclient_19_5 > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/oracle-instantclient.conf
```

### Step 6

Update the Dynamic Linker Run-Time Bindings

```
ldconfig
```

Done. Now we can proceed to the next part.


## Install Additional Packages

To install the OCI8 extension, we need to install some additional package on our server.

### Step 1

Run these command:

```
apt install php-dev php-pear build-essential libaio1
```

### Step 2

Once installed, we need to get the OCI8 file.
But, before that we need to update PECL channel.

```
pecl channel-update pecl.php.net

```
Then.

```
pecl install oci8
```


When you are prompted for the Instant Client location, enter the following:

```
instantclient,/opt/oracle/instantclient_19_5
```

### Step 3

We need to tell PHP to load the OCI8 extension.

```
echo "extension = oci8.so" >> /etc/php/7.3/fpm/php.ini
echo "extension = oci8.so" >> /etc/php/7.3/cli/php.ini
echo "extension = oci8.so" >> /etc/php/7.3/apache2/php.ini

```

We also need to add on apache those environment variables.

```
echo "export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/oracle/instantclient_19_5" >> /etc/apache2/envvars
echo "export ORACLE_HOME=/opt/oracle/instantclient_19_5" >> /etc/apache2/envvars
echo "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/oracle/instantclient_19_5:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH" >> /etc/environment
```

### Step 4

Refresh the server. If you are accessing through SSH, then
```
exit
```
or
```
sudo shutdown -r now
```

Check if the extension is enabled.

```
php -m | grep 'oci8'
```

If returns `oci8`, its works!

### Step 5

Restart the PHP-FPM

```
systemctl restart php7.3-fpm.service
```

### Test it out!

Create a file containing the following codes.

```
if (function_exists('oci_connect')) {
    echo 'OCI8 is working!';
}
else {
    echo 'Whoopss...not working!';
}
```

Now you can connect to Oracle DBMS from your PHP applications.