Cx_Oracle does not recognize installation location of Oracle software to install on Linux

I was able to successfully install cx_Oracle for use with Python 3.4 on my Windows 8 laptop, and now I am trying to get the same setup (cx_Oracle with Python 3.4) on a Linux machine. When running the setup.py file from cx_Oracle-5.1.3.tar.gz I get the following error:

    sudo python3 setup.py install
    Traceback (most recent call last):
       File "setup.py", line 135, in <module>
          raise DistutilsSetupError("cannot locate an Oracle software " \
    distutils.errors.DistutilsSetupError: cannot locate an Oracle software installation

      

        
        
        
      

    

Following some other answers, I looked ( easy_install cx_Oracle (python package) on Windows , https://gist.github.com/jarshwah/3863378 ) I installed these 3 instant client rpms:

rpm -ivh oracle-instantclient12.1-basic-12.1.0.2.0-1.i386.rpm
rpm -ivh oracle-instantclient12.1-devel-12.1.0.2.0-1.i386.rpm
rpm -ivh oracle-instantclient12.1-sqlplus-12.1.0.2.0-1.i386.rpm

      

        
        
        
      

    

And then I set the ORACLE_HOME to the folder where they were installed, which should help python determine the location of the oracle files so that it can install correctly.

I still get the same "cannot install Oracle software installation" error every time I try to run setup.py.

Any idea what I need to do to be able to successfully install cx_oracle?

Update for more information:

echo $ ORACLE_HOME returns /instantclient_12_1

where rpm files are installed.

This is the contents of the my / instantclient_12_1 directory:

adrci                  libnnz12.so       libsqlplusic.so  tnsnames.ora
BASIC_README           libocci.so        libsqlplus.so    tnsnames.ora_andy
genezi                 libocci.so.12.1   ojdbc6.jar       uidrvci
glogin.sql             libociei.so       ojdbc7.jar       xstreams.jar
libclntshcore.so.12.1  libocijdbc12.so   sdk
libclntsh.so           libons.so         sqlplus
libclntsh.so.12.1      liboramysql12.so  SQLPLUS_README

      

        
        
        
      

    

This is slightly different from the directory I have for my Windows 8 installation - it has files .dll

and .sym

eg orasql12.dll

. If the instant client version of Linux has different files?

Update with partial solution:

I found a solution that installed cx_Oracle correctly, but only during this shell instance:

I have set these two environment variables:

export ORACLE_HOME=/instantclient_12_1
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$ORACLE_HOME

      

        
        
        
      

    

And then I created a symbolic link:

ln -s libclntsh.so.12.1 libclntsh.so

      

        
        
        
      

    

After that, going to the folder cx_oracle

and it worked:

python3 setup.py build
python3 setup.py install

      

        
        
        
      

    

For some reason sudo python3 setup.py install

doesn't work for this.

Update with link to related question:

My next problem is to keep environment variables outside of the shell instance, so I don't have to define environment variables every time. The environment variables I put in profile.d show up when I iterate over them, but python fails to import cx_oracle correctly and I have to export the environment variables for some reason. I don't know the correct procedure to post another question related to one, so I opened a new question here:

Linux profile.d environment variables not working with cx_oracle in Python

Please help me with this, I feel totally stuck trying to get it to work. Environment variables show up when I echo them, but they seem functional if I export them again before running the python code.