Advanced Settings

This section contains more information about the Advanced configuration variables available in the Dbvisit standby configuration (DDC) file.

Variables are sorted alphabetically in the table below

Advanced Variables


Variable Name

Variable Description

ALERT_IF_STDBY_READ_ONLY

When standby database is in READ ONLY mode, the latest changes (archive logs) cannot be applied. This setting determines the action taken when Dbvisit Standby is executed on the standby server.

Possible Values:

  • Yes (Default Value)
    Dbvisit Standby will alert if standby database is in READ ONLY mode and Dbvisit Standby is run to apply archive logs (Default).

  • No
    Dbvisit Standby will NOT alert if standby database is in READ ONLY mode and Dbvisit Standby is run to apply archive logs. Dbvisit Standby will exit normally with a message in the Dbvisit Standby log file.

Example:

ALERT_IF_STDBY_READ_ONLY=No


ALERT_ON_WARNING

Normally Dbvisit Standby will only alert on Errors and not on Warnings. If Errors occur processing will be stopped with an error message that will be displayed including listing a trace file that can be reviewed.

With the default setting for this parameter as "No", Dbvisit Standby will not alert on warnings. 

Possible values:

  • Yes
    Dbvisit Standby will alert on warnings and stop processing. 

  • No (Default Value)
    Dbvisit Standby will alert on errors only and stop processing. Warnings will be displayed in the Dbvisit Standby log file.

Example:

    ALERT_ON_WARNING = No


When ALERT_ON_WARNING=Y causes an error and termination - review the error combinations:

  • Combination of ora-01547, ora-01110 and one of:ora-01194, ora-01152, ora-01196, ora-01195.

  • In this case if ALERT_ON_WARNING=N, then a message is logged/displayed: "This is Normal behaviour according to Oracle, need to apply more archived redo logs. Please run dbvisit again". Otherwise Dbvisit terminates.

  • When the combination of the above is seen, setting ALERT_ON_WARNING=N is recommended.


ALT_ARCH_LOCATION

This may be added if an alternate LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST is required. Standard, Dbvisit Standby uses the Oracle LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST parameters to determine the location of the archive log files.

If ALT_ARCH_LOCATION is set, then a process must be in place to copy the archive log files from the default LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST to the alternate location, otherwise Dbvisit Standby will not be able to find the archive log files.

Default value: None

Example:

    ALT_ARCH_LOCATION=/oracle/oraarch/altlocation/

    ALT_ARCH_LOCATION=c:\oracle\oraarch\altlocation\


AMM_CHECK_TRANSFERRED

Dbvisit Archive Log Management Module (AMM) checks if an archive log has been transferred to standby server(s) before deleting it. The default value for this parameter is "Y".

Example:

    AMM_CHECK_TRANSFERRED = Y


AMM_PROCESS_MULTIPLE_ARCH_DEST

Dbvisit Archive Log Management Module (AMM) processes multiple archive destinations when deleting logs on the primary server. Set this parameter to "N" to disable this functionality.

Example:

   AMM_PROCESS_MULTIPLE_ARCH_DEST = Y


APPLY_DELAY_LAG_MINUTES

This parameter can be used to specify a Delay (also known as a LAG or planned GAP) between the primary and standby database. Archive logs will be send to the standby database as normal (based on the schedule used) but if this value is set, Dbvisit Standby will recover the standby database using an until time clause where the value specified for this parameter is deducted from the current time. The effect of this is that the Standby database is only recovered up until the current time minus this lag. Example if you specify a value of 10 (which is 10 minute delay), the standby database will always be recovered to the current time minus 10minutes, which if the current time is 2pm, the standby will be recovered till 1:50pm.

Note that the archive logs are still transferred to the standby server as normal without delay.

When this variable is greater than 0, MAX_TIMES_TRIED can no longer be relied on to alert when there are no new archives to be applied to the standby database. Use TRANSFER_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD instead for alerting.


To turn of this delay (LAG) set: APPLY_DELAY_LAG_MINUTES=0

Important

If you want to use this option to enable a delay in applying archived redo on the standby, it is required that timezone on the Primary and Standby operating systems be exactly the same.

Changing timezones should be done with caution and it is recommended to review the Oracle documentation or contact Oracle support before making any timezone changes to a database environment.

Ideally timezones should be configured before database creation. 


Example:

To set a 100minute delay, set the following value:

APPLY_DELAY_LAG_MINUTES=100


APPLY_READ_ONLY

This parameter only apply to the standby database. If the standby database is in READ ONLY mode, the recovery of the standby database will not continue as recovery cannot happen if the standby database is open read only. If this parameter is set to Y, the standby database will be restarted into recovery mode if it was in read only mode.

Default value:

APPLY_READ_ONLY = N

Note: be careful when setting this parameter to Y, you might want the database to stay in read only mode and not to be started in recovery mode if dbvisit standby is run on the standby to apply logs.

_APPLY_ARCHIVE_RMAN

By default Dbvisit Standby is making use of SQL commands to perform standby database recovery.

The recover command is executed from SQL*Plus and the requested archive log is provided for recovery.

When running this in an Oracle RAC environment, where the standby database will need to recover using multiple threads, the recovery process - especially in busy systems or systems where many archive logs needs to be applied, can take longer than it would, if as alternative the recovery process is making use of RMAN recovery commands.

To enable the use of RMAN recovery commands on the standby database to perform recovery, set _APPLY_ARCHIVE_RMAN=Y in the DDC file.

The default value is _APPLY_ARCHIVE_RMAN=N

This parameter will only have an effect on the standby database.

The archive logs will still be shipped to the standby database and located in the Dbvisit Standby ARCHDEST. From here when Dbvisit Standby is executed on the standby database, the archive logs will be catalogued in the controlfile and then applied using RMAN recovery commands. This process does require that the archive logs on the standby be uncompressed in the ARCHDEST, which will require more storage for the ARCHDEST to hold the uncompressed archive logs.

Setting _APPLY_ARCHIVE_RMAN=Y can be used for non-RAC databases as well.

ARCHIVE_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD

Dbvisit Standby will generate an alert, if the log gap from the Dbvisit Standby "log gap report" (can be run with the command: dbvisit -i) exceeds this specified value.

Set to 0 to turn off 


Note: The "Archive Log Gap" is the difference between the last archived sequence on the primary and the last applied sequence on the standby database. The archive log gap should be near 0 (except when APPLY_DELAY_LAG_MINUTES is used).


ARCHLOG_PREFIX

The archive log may be renamed by another process or in some cases Oracle prefixes the archive with the word "arch". If this happens, Dbvisit Standby may not be able to identify the archive log. Setting this parameter ensures that Dbvisit Standby can identify the archive log name.

Default value: arch

Example:

    ARCHLOG_PREFIX=arch


ARCHTMP


Specifies a temporary location on the primary server to copy archives from ASM before shipping them to the standby, in case of an ASM primary database. 

Defaults to ARCHDEST


AUTO_START_STANDBY_DB

Automatically start the standby database if standby database is down and dbvisit -i or dbvisit -R command is given on the primary server. These Dbvisit Standby commands require the standby database to be up.

Setting AUTO_START_STANDBY_DB = Yes ensures the standby database will be up.

Default value: Yes

Example:

AUTO_START_STANDBY_DB=Yes


COMPARE_CHECKSUM

Determines if Dbvisit Standby will perform a checksum and compare the checksum on the file that has been transferred. If the checksum is not the same, Dbvisit Standby will alert. 

Possible Values:

  • Yes
    Dbvisit Standby will calculate checksum on the file being transferred and will alert if the transferred file  is not the same as the original file.  

  • No
    Dbvisit Standby will not perform a checksum. It is not guaranteed that the transferred file will be the same as the original file.  

Default value: Yes

Example:

    COMPARE_CHECKSUM=Yes


CP_OPTIONS

Allow for different secure copy (scp) options.

For example (Unix/Linux):

    -l limit

The above example "Limits" the used bandwidth, specified in Kbit/s

See man scp in Unix and Linux for scp options.

Example:

CP_OPTIONS=-l 100


CSD_FORCE_ASM_REDO_CONVERT


Set to Y (yes) if your environment does not allow for creating a filesystem standby database for an ASM primary database on a standby server that does not have an ASM instance running.

Defaults value is "N" (no)


DAYS_TO_KEEP_TRACE

Specifies the number of days to keep Dbvisit Standby trace files. Trace files are generated every time Dbvisit Standby is executed.

Trace files are only used for Dbvisit Standby support. Dbvisit Standby will delete trace files that are older than this variable value (in days).

Works in conjunction with NUM_TRACE_TO_KEEP.

Least restrictive setting applies between DAYS_TO_KEEP_TRACE and NUM_TRACE_TO_KEEP


To turn off, set to 0.

Example:

DAYS_TO_KEEP_TRACE=3


DB_CONNECTION_MODE

Determines the type of connection Dbvisit Standby makes to the database on the primary server.

Possible Values:

  • Dedicated
    By default Dbvisit Standby connects with the dedicated connection mode. The dedicated connection mode initiates a database connection each time information is requested from the database. The connection is closed after each request.

  • Shared (Recommended)
    A database connection is opened once at the start of Dbvisit Standby. This connection is used (shared) for all information requested from the database.  At the end of Dbvisit Standby processing, the connection is closed.


If the time taken to establish a database connection is too long, Dbvisit Standby may be optimised to improve performance by setting DB_CONNECTION_MODE = shared.

The connection to the database is then only made once.

Example:

DB_CONNECTION_MODE = shared


DB_CONNECTION_MODE_DR

Determines the type of connection Dbvisit Standby makes to the database on the standby server.

Possible Values:

  • Dedicated
    By default Dbvisit Standby connects with the dedicated connection mode. The dedicated connection mode initiates a database connection each time information is requested from the database. The connection is closed after each request.

  • Shared (Recommended)
    A database connection is opened once at the start of Dbvisit Standby. This connection is used (shared) for all information requested from the database.  At the end of Dbvisit Standby processing, the connection is closed.


If the time taken to establish a database connection is too long, Dbvisit Standby may be optimised to improve performance by setting DB_CONNECTION_MODE = shared.

The connection to the database is then only made once.

Example:

DB_CONNECTION_MODE_DR = shared


DBV_LAST_RUN_OFFSET

For multiple standby databases, Dbvisit AMM module checks if an archive log has been transferred to a standby server before deleting it, if Dbvisit Standby has run at least once within the last DBV_LAST_RUN_OFFSET days

Default value is 1


DROP_STANDBY_TEMPFILES


Specifies if tempfiles should be dropped on the standby database after successful completion of Graceful Switchover for Oracle versions 11.2 or higher.

This is a workaround to fix Oracle bug 10292173


Default value for DROP_STANDBY_TEMPFILES is "Y"


FLASH_ARCH_DIRNAME

Name of the directory used by Oracle for flash_recovery area for archive logs. Do not set or modify this setting if not instructed by Dbvisit Support.

Default value: archivelog

Example:

    FLASH_ARCH_DIRNAME=archivelog


FLASH_ARCHIVE_LOG_FORMAT

Default log_archive_format for when flash area is being used.  Do not set or modify this setting if not instructed by Dbvisit Support.

The log_archive_format specified in v$parameter is ignored and a default is being used.

This parameter allows tuning off the default parameter when Dbvisit Standby is not able to determine the default parameter. 

Default value: *_%t_%s_%r.arc

Example:

    FLASH_ARCHIVE_LOG_FORMAT=*_%t_%s_%r.arc


FLASH_DIR_FORMAT

Format of the archive log directory when using flash recovery area. Standard a directory will be created for every day to hold the archives. This variable dictates the date format of the day directory.

Do not set or modify this setting if not instructed by Dbvisit Support.

Default value: YYYY_MM_DD

Example:

    FLASH_DIR_FORMAT=YYYY_MM_DD


FLASH_DIR_NUM

How many days to go back to look for archive logs in flash recovery area. Each day will have a new directory in the flash recovery area.

Default value: 7

Example:

    FLASH_DIR_NUM=5


FORCE_FLASH_AREA

Force the use of the flash_area or DB_RECOVERY_FILE area. Only necessary when Dbvisit Standby does not recognise a flash area is in use.  

Do not set or modify this setting if not instructed by Dbvisit Support.

Yes    = Force flash area.

No     = Let Dbvisit Standby determine to use flash area or not.

Ignore = Ignore flash area when Dbvisit Standby has detected flash area.

Example:

    FORCE_FLASH_AREA=No


FORCE_SYSDBA

Determines how Dbvisit Standby will connect to the database to perform its actions.

Possible Values:

  • Yes
    Dbvisit Standby will connect as sysdba. The DBUSER schema will not be used to connect to the database,

  • No
    Dbvisit Standby will connect with Dbvisit Standby database repository (DDR) user.

Dbvisit Standby will always connect to the database as sysdba to stop and start the database and to get the status of the database. Dbvisit Standby will always connect to the standby database with sysdba.

Default value: No

Example:

    FORCE_SYSDBA=No


HOSTNAME_CMD

If Dbvisit Standby is part of a cluster and a different hostname should be used instead of the regular hostname returned by the current server, then this variable can be used to specify a command to set the hostname for Dbvisit Standby. 

For example, When Dbvisit Standby is used in a cluster and the virtual cluster name should be used instead of the physical hostname.

Example:

HOSTNAME_CMD=/usr/local/bin/hostname.sh

The above script can then contain the following:

#!/bin/bash

echo "server1"


The name "server1" should be able to resolve to an IP address. In case of a cluster configuration (example Oracle Fail-Safe), this name should resolve to the Cluster IP address.


If the HOSTNAME_CMD file is specified but does not exist on the server, then Dbvisit Standby ignores the HOSTNAME_CMD and uses the regular method to obtain the hostname of the server. This is useful if the standby server is a regular server and the default hostname is sufficient.


IGNORE_RESETLOG_ID

Ignore the %r parameter in the log_archive_format. This may be used if Dbvisit Standby fails to recognise the log archive format, or Dbvisit Standby is unable to obtain the Resetlogs Id.

Possible values: Yes, No

Default value: No.

Example:

    IGNORE_RESETLOG_ID = No


INITIATE_DBVISIT_ON_STANDBY

Setting this to Yes:

  • Dbvisit Standby when executed on the primary, will initiate Dbvisit Standby on the standby server as the last step of running Dbvisit Standby on the primary server. 
  • will mean Dbvisit Standby should no longer be scheduled on the standby server (as it is now initiated from the primary server). 

Dbvisit Standby will no longer function as two independent processes with independent alerting and a new strategy must be in place to ensure that notification is received in case of a failure. 

It is therefore recommended to set ARCHIVE_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD or TRANSFER_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD and to schedule the Dbvisit Standby log gap report (dbvisit -i) on the primary to alert if the standby database gets too far behind the primary database.

Warning: Only set this to Yes if you understand the implications and make sure you test this in your specific configuration.

Possible Values are Yes or No.

Example:

INITIATE_DBVISIT_ON_STANDBY=No


KEEP_ORIG_FILE_BEFORE_COMPRESS

Only applies if Dbvisit Standby internal compression method is used.             

When set to "Yes", Dbvisit Standby will keep the original file as well as the compressed file after compression.

If set to no, Dbvisit Standby will delete the original file after compression and keep the compressed file.

Example:

KEEP_ORIG_FILE_BEFORE_COMPRESS=Y


LD_LIBRARY_PATH

Sets the library path. This is needed for some versions of Oracle. Not needed for Windows. Do not include the ORACLE_HOME in the path. This will be done automatically.

Do not set or modify this setting if not instructed by Dbvisit Support.

Default value: none

Example:

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/dt/lib;/usr/openwin/lib


LOCK_MAX_TIME_SEC

If Dbvisit Standby detects a lock on a file that it is trying to process, this parameter specifies the maximum wait in seconds Dbvisit Standby will retry the lock.

If the file is still locked after LOCK_MAX_TIME_SEC, then Dbvisit Standby will raise an alert.

Example:

LOCK_MAX_TIME_SEC=10


LOCK_RETRY_TIMEOUT_MILLISEC

If Dbvisit Standby detects a lock on a file that it is trying to process, this parameter specifies the wait in milliseconds before Dbvisit Standby will attempt to access the file again. On some platforms the minimum timeout time may be 1 second.

Example:

LOCK_RETRY_TIMEOUT_MILLISEC=500


LOG_FILE_ROTATE_MAX

Dbvisit Standby log files are will automatically according to these settings.


LOG_FILE_SIZE_MAX_MB









LOG_FILE_ROTATE_MAX indicates how many backups are made of the log files before it is overwritten.

The first backup will be dbvisit_hist.log.1

The second backup will be dbvisit_hist.log.2

etc.

LOG_FILE_SIZE_MAX_MB indicates the size of the log file before the log file is rotated as above.                              


Example:

LOG_FILE_ROTATE_MAX = 5

LOG_FILE_SIZE_MAX_MB = 5


LOG_SWITCH_WAIT_IN_SEC

Wait in seconds to allow log switch to occur. If it is found that the archives are not yet completely written to when Dbvisit Standby tries to transfer them to the standby server, then this parameter may be increased. 

If Oracle has not completed the log switch before Dbvisit Standby attempts to compress and transfer the logs, Dbvisit Standby will raise an error message.

Default value: 3

Example:

    LOG_SWITCH_WAIT_IN_SEC=3


LOGGING_LEVEL

Determines the level of logging for the Dbvisit Standby log file.

Default value: all

Possible Values:

  • all
    All messages will be logged.

  • important
    Only important messages will be logged, the following messages will NOT be logged:
    • Log not found on standby database
    • Dbvisit Standby still running
    • Dbvisit Standby pre-processing completed
    • Dbvisit Standby post-processing completed
    • Schedular heartbeat message sent
    • Duplicate compressed file found

Example:

LOGGING_LEVEL = important


MIN_ARCH_TO_KEEP

Number of archive logs Dbvisit AMM module keeps on the server when deleting logs, regardless of AMM settings

Default value is 3


NUM_TRACE_TO_KEEP

Specifies the number of Dbvisit Standby trace files to keep. Trace files are generated every time Dbvisit Standby is executed. Trace files are only used for Dbvisit support. Dbvisit Standby will delete trace files greater than this number. Deletes oldest trace file first.  Works in conjunction with DAYS_TO_KEEP_TRACE.

Least restrictive setting applies between DAYS_TO_KEEP_TRACE and NUM_TRACE_TO_KEEP


To turn off, set to 0.

Example:

NUM_TRACE_TO_KEEP=100


RECOVERY_PARALLELISM


May take values PARALLEL to enforce parallel recovery of database, or NOPARALLEL to enforce serial recovery of database.

If not specified then reset to NOPARALLEL for databases version 11.1 and higher

Defaults to none

Example:

RECOVERY_PARALLELISM = PARALLEL


REMOVE_TEMP_FILES

Determines if Dbvisit Standby temporary files should be deleted after Dbvisit Standby processing. 

Possible Values:

  • Yes (Default Value)
    Dbvisit Standby temporary files will be deleted. 

  • No
    Dbvisit Standby temporary files will NOT be deleted.

Example:

    REMOVE_TEMP_FILES=Yes


RETRIES_WAIT_IN_SEC

Time in seconds to wait before performing another transfer if a previous transfer failed.

Default value: 5

Example:

    RETRIES_WAIT_IN_SEC=10


RESYNCH_SEQ_OFFSET

This determines the archive log sequence offset when Dbvisit Standby resynchs with the standby database.

A value of 1, means the standby sequence will be offset with -1 and the first sequence is resent.

Important

Do not set or modify this setting if not instructed by Dbvisit Support.


Default value: 1

Example:

    RESYNCH_SEQ_OFFSET=1


RMAN_DBF_BACKUP_TYPE

The CSD process is by default making use of RMAN (when direct transfer is not used).  
To be more specific COMPRESSED BACKUPSET is used for the backups.  

In certain scenarios it might be required to adjust the backup option to not use compressed backups or to rather use image copies.  
This can be done by setting the RMAN_DBF_BACKUP_TYPE parameter in the primary server DDC file.  
This parameter can be set to specify if a backupset, compressed backupset or image copies are to be used during the CSD operation:

Valid options are:

RMAN_DBF_BACKUP_TYPE=AS BACKUPSET - reates a non compressed backup piece
RMAN_DBF_BACKUP_TYPE=AS COMPRESSED BACKUPSET - creates a compressed backup piece (default)
RMAN_DBF_BACKUP_TYPE=AS COPY - creates a physical copy of a datafile

Note:  the AS COMPRESSED BACKUPSET option performs compression on the fly, so it does not require extra space. It takes a bit longer compared to the AS BACKUPSET option but results in smaller backup pieces. The option AS BACKUPSET is faster than AS COPY as it does not backup empty blocks.The location of the backup on primary and standby cannot be set in a DDC file, only via CSD interface.For large databases, the option AS BACKUPSET can be used together with the TRANSPORTABLE media option. This will cut off both compression and transfer.

RSH_OPTIONS

Allow for different secure shell (ssh) options.

For example (Unix/Linux):

    -l login_name

Specifies the user to log in as on the remote machine.  

See man ssh in Unix and Linux for ssh options.

See sexec on Windows for ssh options.

Example:

RSH_OPTIONS=-l oracle2


RUN_INSPECT

If this value is set (default is yes) Dbvisit Standby will Automatically run "dbvisit -i" command on the primary server every time Dbvisit executes. The command "dbvisit -i" collects the archive and transfer log gap information from the standby database and saves this information for reporting purposes in the Dbvisit Standby repository.

This parameter can be set to "N" (No) which will disable the run of "dbvisit -i" command at the beginning of each Dbvisit Standby execution on the primary server. This can improve the execution time of Dbvisit Standby on the primary server, but there will be no reporting information available in the Dbvisit Standby repository.

Default value is Y


Example: 

RUN_INSPECT = Yes


SHOW_TIME_IN_TRACE

Shows the timestamp in the trace file. There is no significant overhead in displaying the timestamp in the trace file.

Possible Values:

  • Yes
    Will show current timestamp on every line in trace file. 

  • No
    Will not show timestamp in trace file.

Default value: Yes

Example:

    SHOW_TIME_IN_TRACE=Yes


SHOW_TRACEFILE_NAME

Determines when to show the tracefile name. 

Possible Values:

  • Yes
    Will show tracefile name in alerts, errors and success emails.

  • No
    Will show tracefile name in alerts and errors.

Default value: No

Example:

    SHOW_TRACEFILE_NAME=No


SHUT_WIN_SERVICE


Specifies if windows service should be shut down when the standby database is shutdown during creating of standby database and Graceful Switchover

Do not set or modify this setting if not instructed by Dbvisit Support.

Default value is "N" (No)


SSH_PORT

Used to specify a different ssh port to the default 22.

If no value is supplied then the default of 22 is used.

If the DBVNET_PORT is specified, Dbvnet will be used for communication between the primary and standby server and the SSH_PORT is ignored

If the DBVNET_PORT is not specified or left with no value, SSH will be used - This is only available on Linux


Example:

SSH_PORT=2200


SWITCHOVER_TIMEOUT_IN_SEC

SWITCHOVER_TIMEOUT_IN_SEC is the maximum time in seconds that Dbvisit Standby will wait for response from the other server during graceful switchover ONLY.


SWITCHOVER_WAIT_IN_SEC







SWITCHOVER_WAIT_IN_SEC is the time interval in seconds between Dbvisit Standby polling the other server for a response during graceful switchover ONLY.

Default values:

SWITCHOVER_TIMEOUT_IN_SEC = 1500

SWITCHOVER_WAIT_IN_SEC = 5

Example:

    SWITCHOVER_TIMEOUT_IN_SEC = 3000

    SWITCHOVER_WAIT_IN_SEC = 10


THREAD_DEST

If set to Yes, the THREAD number from the instance is obtained to determine the next archive to apply.

Do modify this setting if not instructed by Dbvisit Support.

This may be set to Yes if Dbvisit Standby fails to recognize the archive log sequence. For RAC this is always set to Yes.

Default value: No

Possible values: Yes, No

Example:

    THREAD_DEST=No


THREAD_SOURCE

If set to Yes, the THREAD number from the instance is obtained to determine the next archive to send.

Do modify this setting if not instructed by Dbvisit Support.

This may be set to Yes if Dbvisit Standby fails to recognize the archive log sequence. 

Default value: No 

Possible values: Yes, No

For RAC this is always set to Yes.

Example:

    THREAD_SOURCE=No


TRANSFER_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD






ARCHIVE_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD is the difference between the last archived sequence on the primary and the last applied sequence on the standby database. The archive log gap should be near 0 (except when APPLY_DELAY_LAG_MINUTES is used). 

TRANSFER_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD is the difference between the last archived sequence on the primary and the last sequence transferred to the standby server. The transfer log gap should be near 0.

The dbvisit -i <database> command must be scheduled for these settings to be effective.

Example:

ARCHIVE_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD = 0

TRANSFER_LOG_GAP_THRESHOLD = 4


TRANSFER_RETRIES

Determines the number of retries when the checksum of the transferred log file does not match the original file. When the checksum does not match, the file will be transferred again.

If the checksum does not match after TRANSFER_RETRIES attempts, an alert will be raised.

Default value: 2

Example:

    TRANSFER_RETRIES=2 


USE_LONG_SERVER_NAME

Dbvisit Standby uses short names for the primary and standby servers set by SOURCE and DESTINATION respectively.

To use fully qualified domain names for the SOURCE and DESTINATION settings set to Y.

Default value is "N".

Example:

USE_LONG_SERVER_NAMES = N




These settings are not present in the DDC file but can be added if required.


Variables are sorted alphabetically in the table below



Variable

Variable Description

CSD_PREFLIGHT_CHECK

If set to Y, Dbvisit will create a standby spfile and attempt to start up the standby instance prior to backing up the primary database, when creating the standby database. Dbvisit will report any invalid standby database parameters, and any errors can be fixed straight away.

Default value Y (YES) highly recommended


DBV_POST_PROC

If a different named script should be called, then this variable can be set. If no path name is given the Dbvisit Standby install directory is assumed. 

Default value Windows: dbv_post_processing.cmd

Default value Non Windows: dbv_post_processing.sh

See the Pre- and post-processing section for more information.

Example:

    DBV_POST_PROC = post_procs_all.cmd


DBV_PRE_POST_PROC

The name of the pre- and post- processing script.  If a different named script should be called, then this variable can be set. If no path name is given the Dbvisit Standby install directory is assumed. 

Default value Windows: dbv_pre_post_processing.cmd

Default value Non Windows: dbv_pre_post_processing.sh

See the Pre- and post-processing section for more information.

Example:

    DBV_PRE_POST_PROC = rman_backup.cmd


DBV_PRE_PROC

The name of the pre-processing script.  If a different named script should be called, then this variable can be set. If no path name is given the Dbvisit Standby install directory is assumed. 

Default value Windows: dbv_pre_processing.cmd

Default value Non Windows: dbv_pre_processing.sh

See the Pre- and post-processing section for more information.

Example:

    DBV_PRE_PROC = rman_backup.cmd


ORACLE_HOME_ASM 

Default:

ORACLE_SID_ASM = +ASM


ORACLE_SID_ASM

The ASM instance name and the ORACLE_HOME for the ASM instance name.


SSH_SKIP_OUTPUT

If the ssh connection contains an ssh banner, then Dbvisit Standby will not be able to interpret the data correctly. This setting can be used to tell Dbvisit Standby to ignore the ssh banner.

For example if the ssh banner is as follows:

*************************************************************************** 
 NOTICE TO USERS 
  
 This computer system is the private property of xxxxx.

 It is for authorized use only. Users (authorized or unauthorized) 
 have no explicit or implicit expectation of privacy. 
  
 By using this system, the user consents to such interception, monitoring, 
 recording, copying, auditing, inspection, and disclosure at the 
 discretion of such personnel or officials. Unauthorized or improper use 
 of this system may result in civil and criminal penalties and 
 administrative or disciplinary action, as appropriate. By continuing to 
 use this system you indicate your awareness of and consent to these terms 
 and conditions of use. LOG OFF IMMEDIATELY if you do not agree to the 
 conditions stated in this warning. 
 ****************************************************************************

Then the following can be set to ignore this:

Example:

SSH_SKIP_OUTPUT=***

This will skip the output lines beginning with *** and ending with ***


SSH_SKIP_OUTPUT_LINES

By setting this parameter to a number value, that number of lines will be ignored during ssh connections. 


Example:

If your ssh banner is 5 lines, you can specify:

SSH_SKIP_OUTPUT_LINES=5


The first 5 lines of ssh output (which will include the banner) will be skipped.


STANDBY_ARCHIVELOG_NAME_EXTENSION

Filename extension for archive logs transferred to the standby.

Default .arc

Dbvisit uses name convention %t_%s[_%r]STANDBY_ARCHIVELOG_NAME_EXTENSION, for example: 1_120_123456.arc

Example:

STANDBY_ARCHIVELOG_NAME_EXTENSION = .log


USE_ARCHTMP_TO_COMPRESS

Note: This parameter applies to environments where ASM storage is NOT used for the Oracle Archive Destination (or recovery area)

Default value N (NO)

If this value is set to Y (Yes) Dbvisit Standby will compress the archive logs in ARCHTMP instead of the default location where the archive logs are stored (Oracle Archive Destination / Oracle Recovery Area).

This parameter is especially useful and recommended to be set when Multiple Standby Databases are used, or when RMAN backup is scheduled on the primary


WIN_SERVICE_WAIT

How long in seconds to wait for the Windows Oracle service to start or stop before starting or stopping the database.

Default value: 10

Example:

    WIN_SERVICE_WAIT=10






LOG, TRACE and TMP Directory Locations 


Even though these parameters are available, the default locations should be sufficient for most environments. If the parameters are not set in the DDC file, the default locations will be used.


The following parameters are specific to the Dbvisit Standby LOG, TRACE and TMP Directory Locations.




In some cases it might be required to move the default LOG, TRACE and TMP locations for the Dbvisit Standby log, trace and temp files.  


The default location should be sufficient for most environments, but if you do want to move these directories to a different location, you can use the LOGDIR, TRCDIR and TMPDIR directory parameters in the DDC file.  

There are also standby equivalent parameters with the _DR at the end (LOGDIR_DR, TRCDIR_DR and TMPDIR_DR).




The following parameters can be set in the DDC file to overwrite the default locations of these directories inside DBVISIT_BASE/standby:

LOGDIR=/your_primary_log_dir_location
TRCDIR=/your_primary_trace_dir_location
TMPDIR=/your_primary_temp_dir_location

LOGDIR_DR=/your_standby_server_log_location
TRCDIR_DR=/your_standby_server_trace_location
TMPDIR_DR=/your_standby_server_temp_location