Create Oracle Configuration

Owned by Vijayganesh Sivaprakasam
Last updated: Sept 13, 2024 by Jakub Sejba
8 min read

 

If your primary database is residing on ASM, you must ensure that /etc/oratab contains entry for ASM instance. Database on ODA KVM is the only exception from this rule - with KVM, ASM instance must not be present in the /etc/oratab

1. Introduction

In this section, we will cover the creation of a new Dbvisit Standby Multiplatform Configuration, also known as creating a Dbvisit Database Configuration (DDC) file.

It is important that before you continue with these sections that you make sure the following pre-requisites have been performed:

  • Operating Systems are compatible

    • It is recommended that the primary and standby server operating systems match

  • Oracle Database Software is installed on both the primary and standby database servers

  • The Oracle Database software must use the same Edition - mixing editions is not recommended.  Using a combination of Standard and Enterprise Edition is not supported.

  • You have a Primary Database already configured and it is open read/write and fully-functional

    • If you are using Oracle RAC, when installing and configuring Dbvisit Standby, it is recommended at the point of installation and configuration that all nodes on the Primary database be fully functional and that all instances are open and running.

  • If you are using Oracle RAC:

    • Shared storage is highly recommended for:

      • Dbvisit Standby Installation (Dbvisit Base)

      • Dbvisit Standby ARCHDEST and ARCHSOURCE locations

  • Agent(dbvagentmanager)must be installed and configured on both primary and standby servers.

  • Control Center must be installed on a separate server. Optionally you could install it on the standby server. However, we strongly recommend installing in a separate server other than Database servers

Dbvisit Standby Multiplatform allows you to create a DDC (Dbvisit Standby configuration file) for the following scenarios:

 

Oracle single instance database as primary with a single instance database as a standby

  • The primary and standby databases can use Filesystem based storage or ASM

  • If ASM is to be used on standby it must already be configured with the required disk groups

  • Primary and Standby database systems should match - especially the Oracle Database software (Including patch levels)

  • Mixing Database Editions are not supported. Both primary and standby must use the same Oracle Software version and Edition.

  • Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC) database as primary to a single instance standby database (with multiple threads but only one is used)

  • Oracle Real Application Cluster (RAC) database as primary with an Oracle RAC database as a standby

Control Center (GUI) will be the preferred method for performing all the operations in Multiplatform. The CLI exists but must not be used without Dbvisit support supervision.

  • Standby Multiplatform is using Archive Logs to update the standby database.  There should be sufficient space on the Standby Database server to store the archive logs from the primary database server.  It is recommended you have sufficient space to keep at least 1 to 2 days worth of archive logs on disk.  Please make sure you cater for peak load periods during which more redo can be generated.

Standby Multiplatform makes use of a Dbvisit Archive Destination referred to as ARCHDEST (on the standby server) and ARCHSOURCE (on the primary server)

This is used to store the archive logs shipped from the primary server to the standby server.   This location is NOT the same as the database archivelog destination.

This location should be big enough to keep at least 1 to 2 day's worth of archive logs, but the capacity to store three days or more is recommended.  

For example, if you generate 2GB worth of redo (archive logs) on the primary in one day, you should have at least 2GB as an absolute minimum free space on the standby in the folder specified as the ARCHDEST.

2. Create a Configuration For Filesystem Based Storage

Below is a summary of the environment that will be used in this example:

  • This environment will not be using ASM for database storage

  • Primary Server: dbvel71

  • Standby Server: dbvel72

  • Primary Database Name: orcl21c

  • Primary Database Unique Name: orcl21c

  • Standby Database Unique Name and SID will be the same: orcl21c

  • Dbvisit Standby ARCHSOURCE location on the primary server: /u01/oracle/dbvisit_arch/orcl21c

  • Dbvisit Standby ARCHDEST location on standby server: /u01/oracle/dbvisit_arch/orcl21c

  • The Dbvisit Base directory is /usr/dbvisit 

  • Dbvisit Standby Multiplatform is already installed on both the primary and standby servers

2.1 Login to the Central Console

Login to the central console from the web browser (preferred browsers are Firefox, Chrome). The console login URL is in the below format. For the below example, we have used the Firefox browser. It is always recommended to update your browser to the latest release.

https://<IPV4 address of the server on which control center is installed>:<control center port default is 12345>. In our example, it translates to

https://192.168.56.10:12345 ( 1 )

The default login and password ( 2 ) is admin/admin. Press Login ( 3 ) to enter into the main screen prompting to create new configurations or to dashboard if existing configurations are present.

2.2 Choosing New Configuration

As a next step, you can choose to create either Oracle ( 1 ) or SQL Server ( 2 ) configuration. In this example, we will create a configuration for Oracle Database ( 1 ). You can also check out image ( 3 )on how the standby multiplatform works.

 

2.3 Select Host

The next step is choosing the host for creating the configuration. You must choose the primary host first. In this case dbvel71.oraclekiwi.co.nz ( 1 )

 

Choosing the host will lead you to select the source database for which you need to create the configuration. We will be creating a configuration for the Oracle 21c database orcl21c.

2.4 Selecting Standby Host

Select the standby host from the dropdown list. The dropdown will list all the known hosts to the control center. In this example, we just have two hosts. One source host is primary and the other is the standby host.

2.5 Advanced Settings

Clicking on Advanced Settings ( 1 ) will prompt you to enter/change default configurational changes for the Oracle Database Configuration.

( 2 ) Archive Log File Location on Source Host: This location must be available in the source host. By default, there will no files in this location as this location will be used for storing archivelogs post graceful switchover for applying archivelogs. This location is also used as a temporary location to copy archivelogs from ASM to the filesystem and move the archivelogs to standby.

( 3 ) New configuration name: By default, the configuration is named as same as the source database name. This can be changed to any name preferred. But it's recommended to leave it as such as it's easier to identify the configuration with the database.

( 4 ) Oracle SID: The standby database Oracle SID (Instance Name). This may be different from the primary database instance name.

( 5 ) ORACLE_HOME directory on Standby: The Oracle Home location on the standby server. It is recommended that you add an entry into the /etc/oratab file on the standby server for the standby database.

( 6 ) Unique database name: This will be the DB_UNIQUE_NAME value of the standby database. It may be different than the Primary database one - by default, it will be set to the same value which should be fine for most configurations. You must set this to a different value if you are running two standby databases on the same standby database server - where both of them are for the exact same primary database.

( 7 ) Archivelog Files Location on Standby Host: This is the location where Dbvisit will copy archivelogs on the standby server from the primary server. By default, compression will be enabled and archive logs will be stored in compressed format on the standby server. This may be changed following the DDC file creation.

( 8 ) Standby Dbvisit base directory: This location is automatically populated and must not be changed.

( 9 ) Would you like to use Automatic Storage Management: Selecting if ASM is being used on the standby server. Note that if you select yes for this option you must already have ASM configured on the standby database server. Once you use the toggle button it will prompt you to enter the ASM instance name of the standby server. This example uses filesystem for the standby so we leave it to default No

2.6 License Key and Create Configuration

Enter the license key provided by the Dbvisit renewals team or your trial key which was provided to you during your download. Once done please click on Create Configuration ( 1 )

2.7 Configuration List

The configuration will be listed in the dashboard and is now ready to set up Disaster Recovery by creating the standby database.

3 Create a Configuration for a Standby DB using ASM

The procedure does not change for creating an Oracle configuration for databases using ASM until 2.5 Advanced Settings. In the advanced setting, the ASM instance has to be provided to ensure that standby configuration is updated for the database using ASM storage.

( 1 ) The toggle button has to be slid to Yes to be enabled using ASM instance as storage for the standby database.

( 2 ) ASM instance name must be provided for the storage. This ASM instance would be used to create the DR standby database in ASM.

4 Create a Configuration on Oracle Database Appliance (ODA)

For a detailed description on ODA bare metal configurations please navigate to the following page: ODA Bare Metal Systems

For ODA KVM configurations please navigate to ODA DB Systems (ODA KVM)