This document covers instructions for installing the Oracle Data Pump tools, which are used to create and restore dump files. These tools are a requirement for using the Oracle Backup Provisioner. The Data Pump tools are usually included in a standard Oracle database install. However, it is necessary to install these tools when using a client machine without any Oracle database software installed.

Instructions for Linux

1. Install libaio1. On debian based systems this can be done with the command:
   

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install libaio1

   On Red Hat based systems this can be done with the command:
   

   sudo yum install libaio

2. Navigate to the Oracle Instant Client Downloads page. Select the relevant architecture and then download the following zip packages:
    - Basic Light Package (ZIP)
    - Tools Package (ZIP)
   
   For the purpose of these instructions, we will assume that the x64 packages with version 23.7.0.25.01 have been downloaded:
    - instantclient-basiclite-linux.x64-23.7.0.25.01.zip
    - instantclient-tools-linux.x64-23.7.0.25.01.zip
3. Create an install location and then extract the packages as follows:
   

   sudo mkdir -p /opt/oracle/datapump/
   sudo unzip instantclient-basiclite-linux.x64-23.7.0.25.01.zip -d /opt/oracle/datapump
   sudo unzip -o instantclient-tools-linux.x64-23.7.0.25.01.zip -d /opt/oracle/datapump

4. Update the PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variables to point to the installation point:
   

   export PATH="$PATH:/opt/oracle/datapump/instantclient_23_7/"
   export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/opt/oracle/datapump/instantclient_23_7/"

   Note: The extracted instantclient_xx_x  directory could have a different name if you've used a different version of the Data Pump tools than these instructions.
   
   At this point it should be possible to run the expdp command and see output:
   

   $ expdp HELP=yes | head -n 5
    
   Export: Release 23.0.0.0.0 - for Oracle Cloud and Engineered Systems on Tue Mar 4 15:49:07 2025
   Version 23.7.0.25.01
    
   Copyright (c) 1982, 2025, Oracle and/or its affiliates.  All rights reserved.

5. Persist the updated PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH variables, For example, if using bash:
   

   echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/opt/oracle/datapump/instantclient_23_7/"' >> ~/.bashrc
   echo 'export LD_LIBRARY_PATH="$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/opt/oracle/datapump/instantclient_23_7/"' >> ~/.bashrc

Instructions for Windows

1. Navigate to the Oracle Instant Client Downloads page. Select the relevant architecture (i.e. x64 or 32-bit) and then download the "Tools Package" zip file.
2. Create an install location for the new tools. For example, C:\DataPump\
   
   
3. Right click on the downloaded instantclient-tools zip file and then extract to the newly created DataPump directory:
   
4. Add the newly created C:\DataPump\instantclient_23_7 directory to the PATH.
   Note: the extracted instantclient_xx_x  directory could have a different name if you've used a different version of the Data Pump tools than these instructions.
   
5. Open up a shell and confirm that you can run the expdp command: