Introduction

The complete installation and configuration should take less than 30 minutes. The server or the database does not need to be restarted.
This is a quick installation guide only. For the complete step-by-step instructions please see the Dbvisit Standby UserGuide.

Dbvisit Standby software components

Note: Dbvisit Standby refers to the product "Dbvisit Standby" and does not refer to the standby database or standby server.
The Dbvisit Standby environment consists of the following components:

1. Dbvisit software:
   1. Dbvisit Standby. This consists of the following executables:
      1. dbvisit - The main Dbvisit Standby executable.
      2. dbv_oraStartStop - Executable to start, stop, failover and switchover the databases.
      3. dbvisit_setup - Menu driven wizard to configure Dbvisit and to create the standby database.
      4. dbv_functions - Executable to provide extra tools and functionality.
   2. Dbvserver. This is Web server that provides the web interface to Dbvisit. It consists of the following executable:
      1. dbvserverd - The main Dbvserver executable for the Dbvisit Web server.
2. Dbvisit Database Configuration file or DDC file. This is similar to the init.ora parameter file and contains the Dbvisit Standby settings for a specific primary and standby database pair. The DDC file is generated during setup for each database. The DDC file can be edited with any text editor or through running dbvisit_setup or through the web-based GUI. The DDC file should only be edited on the primary server. The template to create the DDC file for each database is dbv_ORACLE_SID.env.
3. Dbvisit Database Repository (DDR). This is a schema in the database that contains the Dbvisit Standby tables used to manage the standby process. The DDR is created during setup.
4. Dbvisit Standby trace files. Each time Dbvisit Standby executes, a trace file is generated. This trace file contains information about Dbvisit Standby processing and its environment. This trace file is used by the Dbvisit support team to quickly diagnose issues. When an alert or error notification is sent by Dbvisit Standby, the trace file will be attached to the email so that this can be forwarded to Dbvisit support if needed.

Dbvisit Standby concepts

• The Dbvisit Standby environment (described above) will be the same on both the primary and the standby server. The Dbvisit Standby software executes separately on the primary and standby servers.
• DDC name or simply DDC. Most Dbvisit Standby commands require the DDC. In most cases this is the same as the database name or ORACLE_SID. The DDC refers to the DDC file which is in the form: dbv_DDC.env and contains the Dbvisit Standby settings for a particular primary and standby configuration. The DDC and the ORACLE_SID can be different. The ORACLE_SID is a variable setting contained within the DDC file and is not linked to the DDC name. However in most cases the DDC and the ORACLE_SID are the same.

Example: If the database name (or ORACLE_SID) is orcl, then the DDC is orcl and the DDC file is dbv_orcl.env.

• A primary and standby database must be on separate servers. A primary and standby database on the same server is not supported.
• Each time Dbvisit Standby executes, the DDC file on the primary server is compared with the DDC file on the standby server. If there are any differences, the DDC file on the standby server will be overwritten with the DDC file of the primary server. This is why the DDC file should only be edited on the primary server.
• Dbvisit Standby is scheduled on both the primary and the standby server. The schedule determines the maximum lag of the standby database. For example, if Dbvisit Standby is scheduled every 5 minutes, then the maximum time the standby database is behind the primary database is 5 minutes.
• Dbvisit Standby can be configured and run through a command line interface (CLI) or a web-based interface (GUI).