Storage Foundation for Oracle® RAC 7.4.1 Administrator's Guide - Linux

Last Published:
Product(s): InfoScale & Storage Foundation (7.4.1)
Platform: Linux
  1. Section I. SF Oracle RAC concepts and administration
    1. Overview of Storage Foundation for Oracle RAC
      1. About Storage Foundation for Oracle RAC
        1.  
          Benefits of SF Oracle RAC
      2.  
        How SF Oracle RAC works (high-level perspective)
      3. Component products and processes of SF Oracle RAC
        1. Communication infrastructure
          1.  
            Data flow
          2.  
            Communication requirements
        2. Cluster interconnect communication channel
          1. About Low Latency Transport (LLT)
            1.  
              How LLT supports RDMA capability for faster interconnects between applications
          2.  
            Group Membership Services/Atomic Broadcast
        3.  
          Low-level communication: port relationship between GAB and processes
        4. Cluster Volume Manager (CVM)
          1.  
            CVM architecture
          2.  
            CVM communication
          3.  
            CVM recovery
          4.  
            Configuration differences with VxVM
          5. About Flexible Storage Sharing
            1.  
              Flexible Storage Sharing use cases
            2.  
              Limitations of Flexible Storage Sharing
        5. Cluster File System (CFS)
          1.  
            CFS architecture
          2.  
            CFS communication
          3.  
            CFS file system benefits
          4.  
            CFS configuration differences
          5.  
            CFS recovery
          6.  
            Comparing raw volumes and CFS for data files
        6. Cluster Server (VCS)
          1.  
            VCS architecture
          2. VCS communication
            1.  
              About the IMF notification module
          3. About resource monitoring
            1.  
              How intelligent resource monitoring works
          4.  
            Cluster configuration files
        7.  
          About I/O fencing
        8. Oracle RAC components
          1. Oracle Clusterware/Grid Infrastructure
            1.  
              Co-existence with VCS
          2.  
            Oracle Cluster Registry
          3. Application resources
            1.  
              Resource profiles
            2.  
              Oracle Clusterware/Grid Infrastructure node applications
            3.  
              Voting disk
        9. Oracle Disk Manager
          1.  
            ODM architecture
          2.  
            Veritas ODM performance enhancements
          3.  
            ODM communication
        10. RAC extensions
          1.  
            Veritas Cluster Server membership manager
          2.  
            Oracle and cache fusion traffic
      4.  
        Periodic health evaluation of SF Oracle RAC clusters
      5. About Virtual Business Services
        1.  
          Features of Virtual Business Services
        2.  
          Sample virtual business service configuration
      6.  
        About Veritas InfoScale Operations Manager
      7.  
        About Veritas Services and Operations Readiness Tools (SORT)
    2. Administering SF Oracle RAC and its components
      1. Administering SF Oracle RAC
        1.  
          Setting the environment variables for SF Oracle RAC
        2. Starting or stopping SF Oracle RAC on each node
          1.  
            Starting SF Oracle RAC using the script-based installer
          2.  
            Starting SF Oracle RAC manually on each node
          3.  
            Stopping SF Oracle RAC using the script-based installer
          4.  
            Stopping SF Oracle RAC manually on each node
        3.  
          Applying Oracle patches on SF Oracle RAC nodes
        4.  
          Migrating Pluggable Databases (PDB) between Container Databases (CDB)
        5.  
          Installing Veritas Volume Manager, Veritas File System, or ODM patches on SF Oracle RAC nodes
        6.  
          Applying operating system updates on SF Oracle RAC nodes
        7.  
          Adding storage to an SF Oracle RAC cluster
        8.  
          Recovering from storage failure
        9.  
          Backing up and restoring Oracle database using Veritas NetBackup
        10.  
          Enhancing the performance of SF Oracle RAC clusters
        11.  
          Administering SmartIO
        12.  
          Creating snapshots for offhost processing
        13.  
          Managing database storage efficiently using SmartTier
        14.  
          Optimizing database storage using Thin Provisioning and SmartMove
        15.  
          Scheduling periodic health checks for your SF Oracle RAC cluster
        16.  
          Using environment variables to start and stop VCSMM modules
        17.  
          Verifying the nodes in an SF Oracle RAC cluster
      2. Administering VCS
        1.  
          About managing VCS modules
        2.  
          Viewing available Veritas device drivers
        3.  
          Starting and stopping VCS
        4.  
          Environment variables to start and stop VCS modules
        5.  
          Adding and removing LLT links
        6.  
          Configuring aggregated interfaces under LLT
        7.  
          Displaying the cluster details and LLT version for LLT links
        8.  
          Configuring destination-based load balancing for LLT
        9.  
          Enabling and disabling intelligent resource monitoring for agents manually
        10.  
          Administering the AMF kernel driver
      3. Administering I/O fencing
        1.  
          About administering I/O fencing
        2. About the vxfentsthdw utility
          1.  
            General guidelines for using the vxfentsthdw utility
          2.  
            About the vxfentsthdw command options
          3. Testing the coordinator disk group using the -c option of vxfentsthdw
            1.  
              Removing and replacing a failed disk
          4.  
            Performing non-destructive testing on the disks using the -r option
          5.  
            Testing the shared disks using the vxfentsthdw -m option
          6.  
            Testing the shared disks listed in a file using the vxfentsthdw -f option
          7.  
            Testing all the disks in a disk group using the vxfentsthdw -g option
          8.  
            Testing a disk with existing keys
        3. About the vxfenadm utility
          1.  
            About the I/O fencing registration key format
          2.  
            Displaying the I/O fencing registration keys
          3.  
            Verifying that the nodes see the same disk
        4. About the vxfenclearpre utility
          1.  
            Removing preexisting keys
        5. About the vxfenswap utility
          1.  
            Replacing I/O fencing coordinator disks when the cluster is online
          2.  
            Replacing the coordinator disk group in a cluster that is online
          3.  
            Adding disks from a recovered site to the coordinator disk group
          4.  
            Refreshing lost keys on coordinator disks
        6.  
          Enabling or disabling the preferred fencing policy
        7.  
          About I/O fencing log files
        8.  
          Migrating from disk-based fencing to server-based fencing using the installer
        9.  
          Migrating from server-based fencing to disk-based fencing using the installer
      4. Administering the CP server
        1.  
          Refreshing registration keys on the coordination points for server-based fencing
        2.  
          Replacing coordination points for server-based fencing in an online cluster
        3.  
          Migrating from non-secure to secure setup for CP server and SF Oracle RAC cluster communication
      5. Administering CFS
        1.  
          Adding CFS file systems to a VCS configuration
        2.  
          Resizing CFS file systems
        3.  
          Verifying the status of CFS file system nodes and their mount points
      6. Administering CVM
        1.  
          Listing all the CVM shared disks
        2.  
          Establishing CVM cluster membership manually
        3. Changing the CVM master manually
          1.  
            Considerations for changing the master manually
          2.  
            Errors during CVM master switching
        4.  
          Importing a shared disk group manually
        5.  
          Deporting a shared disk group manually
        6.  
          Starting shared volumes manually
        7.  
          Verifying if CVM is running in an SF Oracle RAC cluster
        8.  
          Verifying CVM membership state
        9.  
          Verifying the state of CVM shared disk groups
        10.  
          Verifying the activation mode
      7. Administering Flexible Storage Sharing
        1.  
          About Flexible Storage Sharing disk support
        2.  
          About the volume layout for Flexible Storage Sharing disk groups
        3.  
          Setting the host prefix
        4.  
          Exporting a disk for Flexible Storage Sharing
        5.  
          Setting the Flexible Storage Sharing attribute on a disk group
        6.  
          Using the host disk class and allocating storage
        7.  
          Administering mirrored volumes using vxassist
        8.  
          Displaying exported disks and network shared disk groups
        9.  
          Tuning LLT for memory and performance in FSS environments
        10. Backing up and restoring disk group configuration data
          1.  
            Backing up and restoring Flexible Storage Sharing disk group configuration data
      8. Administering SF Oracle RAC global clusters
        1.  
          About setting up a disaster recovery fire drill
        2. About configuring the fire drill service group using the Fire Drill Setup wizard
          1.  
            Running the fire drill setup wizard
          2.  
            About configuring local attributes in the fire drill service group
        3.  
          Verifying a successful fire drill
        4.  
          Scheduling a fire drill
        5.  
          Sample fire drill service group configuration
  2. Section II. Performance and troubleshooting
    1. Troubleshooting SF Oracle RAC
      1. About troubleshooting SF Oracle RAC
        1. Gathering information from an SF Oracle RAC cluster for support analysis
          1.  
            Gathering configuration information using SORT Data Collector
          2.  
            Gathering SF Oracle RAC information for support analysis
          3.  
            Gathering VCS information for support analysis
          4.  
            Gathering LLT and GAB information for support analysis
          5.  
            Gathering IMF information for support analysis
        2. SF Oracle RAC log files
          1.  
            Collecting important CVM logs
        3.  
          About SF Oracle RAC kernel and driver messages
        4. VCS message logging
          1.  
            GAB message logging
          2.  
            About debug log tags usage
          3.  
            Enabling debug logs for agents
          4.  
            Enabling debug logs for the VCS engine
          5.  
            Enabling debug logs for IMF
          6.  
            Message catalogs
      2.  
        Restarting the installer after a failed network connection
      3.  
        Installer cannot create UUID for the cluster
      4.  
        Troubleshooting SF Oracle RAC pre-installation check failures
      5.  
        Troubleshooting LLT health check warning messages
      6. Troubleshooting I/O fencing
        1.  
          SCSI reservation errors during bootup
        2.  
          The vxfentsthdw utility fails when SCSI TEST UNIT READY command fails
        3.  
          Node is unable to join cluster while another node is being ejected
        4.  
          System panics to prevent potential data corruption
        5.  
          Cluster ID on the I/O fencing key of coordinator disk does not match the local cluster's ID
        6. Fencing startup reports preexisting split-brain
          1.  
            Clearing preexisting split-brain condition
        7.  
          Registered keys are lost on the coordinator disks
        8.  
          Replacing defective disks when the cluster is offline
        9.  
          Troubleshooting I/O fencing health check warning messages
        10. Troubleshooting CP server
          1.  
            Troubleshooting issues related to the CP server service group
          2.  
            Checking the connectivity of CP server
        11. Troubleshooting server-based fencing on the SF Oracle RAC cluster nodes
          1.  
            Issues during fencing startup on SF Oracle RAC cluster nodes set up for server-based fencing
        12. Issues during online migration of coordination points
          1.  
            Vxfen service group activity after issuing the vxfenswap command
      7. Troubleshooting Cluster Volume Manager in SF Oracle RAC clusters
        1.  
          Restoring communication between host and disks after cable disconnection
        2.  
          Shared disk group cannot be imported in SF Oracle RAC cluster
        3.  
          Error importing shared disk groups in SF Oracle RAC cluster
        4.  
          Unable to start CVM in SF Oracle RAC cluster
        5.  
          CVM group is not online after adding a node to the SF Oracle RAC cluster
        6.  
          CVMVolDg not online even though CVMCluster is online in SF Oracle RAC cluster
        7.  
          Shared disks not visible in SF Oracle RAC cluster
      8. Troubleshooting CFS
        1.  
          Incorrect order in root user's <library> path
      9. Troubleshooting interconnects
        1.  
          Example entries for mandatory devices
      10. Troubleshooting Oracle
        1.  
          Error when starting an Oracle instance in SF Oracle RAC
        2.  
          Clearing Oracle group faults
        3.  
          Oracle log files show shutdown called even when not shutdown manually
        4.  
          DBCA fails while creating an Oracle RAC database
        5.  
          Oracle's clusterware processes fail to start
        6.  
          Oracle Clusterware fails after restart
        7.  
          Troubleshooting the Virtual IP (VIP) configuration in an SF Oracle RAC cluster
        8.  
          Troubleshooting Oracle Clusterware health check warning messages in SF Oracle RAC clusters
      11. Troubleshooting ODM in SF Oracle RAC clusters
        1.  
          File System configured incorrectly for ODM shuts down Oracle
      12.  
        Troubleshooting Flex ASM in SF Oracle RAC clusters
    2. Prevention and recovery strategies
      1.  
        Verification of GAB ports in SF Oracle RAC cluster
      2.  
        Examining GAB seed membership
      3.  
        Manual GAB membership seeding
      4.  
        Evaluating VCS I/O fencing ports
      5.  
        Verifying normal functioning of VCS I/O fencing
      6. Managing SCSI-3 PR keys in SF Oracle RAC cluster
        1.  
          Evaluating the number of SCSI-3 PR keys on a coordinator LUN, if there are multiple paths to the LUN from the hosts
        2.  
          Detecting accidental SCSI-3 PR key removal from coordinator LUNs
      7.  
        Identifying a faulty coordinator LUN
    3. Tunable parameters
      1.  
        About SF Oracle RAC tunable parameters
      2. About GAB tunable parameters
        1.  
          About GAB load-time or static tunable parameters
        2.  
          About GAB run-time or dynamic tunable parameters
      3. About LLT tunable parameters
        1.  
          About LLT timer tunable parameters
        2.  
          About LLT flow control tunable parameters
        3.  
          Setting LLT timer tunable parameters
      4. About VXFEN tunable parameters
        1.  
          Configuring the VXFEN module parameters
      5.  
        Tuning guidelines for campus clusters
  3. Section III. Reference
    1. Appendix A. List of SF Oracle RAC health checks
      1.  
        LLT health checks
      2.  
        I/O fencing health checks
      3.  
        PrivNIC health checks in SF Oracle RAC clusters
      4.  
        Oracle Clusterware health checks in SF Oracle RAC clusters
      5.  
        CVM, CFS, and ODM health checks in SF Oracle RAC clusters
    2. Appendix B. Error messages
      1.  
        About error messages
      2.  
        VxVM error messages
      3. VXFEN driver error messages
        1.  
          VXFEN driver informational message
        2.  
          Node ejection informational messages

Migrating Pluggable Databases (PDB) between Container Databases (CDB)

You can use the hapdbmigrate utility to perform a planned end-to-end migration of pluggable databases across containers of the same database version. The destination container database may be on the same node or on another node. The PDB must have its own independent storage.

If the PDB has parent groups, they will be unlinked and frozen by the utility during the migration. After successful migration, they will be relinked and unfrozen by the utility.

The migration is supported on database version 12.1.0.2.

The configuration must meet the following requirements:

  • The PDB and CDB databases must be on Veritas Cluster File System (CFS) or Veritas File system (VxFS).

  • There must be no parent resources for the PDB resource.

  • The PDB must be plugged in to the source CDB. The PDB resources may or may not be offline.

  • The source and destination CDB resources for the migration must be different.

  • The version of the destination CDB must be the same as the source CDB.

  • The PDB to be migrated is mounted on an independent file system (separate mount points for CDB and PDB datafiles).

  • The CDB and PDB resources must be configured in the same service group.

The utility performs the following actions during the migration:

  • Unlinks and freezes the parent groups, if any, depending on the source CDB group where the PDB resource to be migrated is configured.

  • Takes PDB resources offline.

  • Unplugs the PDB from the CDB and creates an XML file, <pdb_res_name>_<dest_cdb_res_name>.xml in the XML directory provided by the user.

  • Drops the PDB from the CDB keeping the datafiles.

  • Takes offline all the PDB child resources. Unlinks the PDB resource from the source CDB resource and deletes the PDB resource. Unlinks and deletes all PDB child resources.

  • Recreates the PDB resource and all its children with original dependencies in the destination CDB service group.

  • Brings online the PDB child resources on all the nodes where the destination CDB service group is online

  • Plugs the PDB in the destination CDB.

  • Brings the PDB resource online after successful plugging. Unfreezes and links the parent group to the source CDB group.

The hapdbmigrate utility performs certain pre-requisite checks before the migration to verify that the cluster is ready for PDB migration. If the utility encounters any issues, you will need to manually fix the issues.

The utility is present in the $VCSHOME/bin directory.

The log files of the migration are located at $VCSLOG/log/hapdbmigrate.log. The logs are rotated after the file exceeds 5 MB and is saved in .gz format hapdbmigrate.log[1..7].gz.

You can find sample configuration files for Oracle RAC at /etc/VRTSvcs/conf/sample_rac/sfrac18_main.cf.

Note:

Ensure that only one instance of the hapdbmigrate utility is running at a time.

To migrate Pluggable Databases (PDB) between Container Databases (CDB)

  1. Back up the VCS configuration file /etc/VRTSvcs/conf/config/main.cf:
    # cp /etc/VRTSvcs/conf/config/main.cf \
    /etc/VRTSvcs/conf/config/main.cf.save
  2. Verify that the high availability daemon (had) is running on all the nodes in the cluster.
    # hastatus -summary
  3. Verify that there are no resources in faulted or unknown state.
    # hares -state|grep FAULTED
    # hares -state|grep UNKNOWN
  4. Verify that the PDBName attribute is present for the PDB resource with the correct value in the main.cf configuration file.
  5. Verify that the source and destination CDB resources are online.
    # hares -state resname
  6. On the destination CDB, verify the following:

    • The destination CDB is not in suspended mode.

      Any instance of the destination CDB is not in mounted state.

      See the Oracle documentation for more information.

    • If any instance of the destination CDB is in restricted state, ensure that the PDB resource you want to migrate has the StartUpOpt attribute set to restricted.

      # haconf -makerw
      # hares -modify pdb1 StartUpOpt \
      RESTRICTED
      # haconf -dump -makero
  7. Verify that existing dependencies do not conflict with the migration process.

    The PDB child resources must not be dependent on the CDB resource or any of its child resources.

    The PDB child resources must not have any parent, which is not a part of the PDB child hierarchy.

  8. Verify that the XML data directory has read and write permissions for the "oracle" user. The XML data directory must be located either on PDB mounts or at a location accessible to both source and destination CDBs.
  9. Run the hapdbmigrate utility as the root user:

    Note:

    If there are parent groups dependent on the source CDB group, specify the -ignoreparentgrp option.

    # $VCS_HOME/bin/hapdbmigrate -pdbres pdb_resname -cdbres cdb_resname \
    -XMLdirectory xml_directory [-ignoreparentgrp] [-prechecks]
    		-pdbres: Name of the PDB resource, which needs to be migrated
    	-cdbres: Name of the CDB resource, where the PDB needs to migrate
    	-XMLdirectory: XML directory location for the unplugged PDB
    -ignoreparentgrp: Utility proceeds even 
    if the PDB group has parent groups 
    -prechecks: Performs prechecks and validation
    -help|h: Prints usage

    The migration log file is located at $VCSLOG/log/hapdbmigrate.log.

  10. Verify that the PDB resource is online on the destination CDB.
    # hares -state pdb_resname
  11. Relink the parent service group of the source CDB group manually to the destination CDB group, if it depends on the migrated PDB.
    # haconf -makerw
    # hagrp -dep parent_sg
    #Parent     	     Child         	   Relationship
    parent_sg       source_CDB         online local firm
    # hagrp -offline parent_sg -any
    # hagrp -unlink parent_sg source_CDB
    # hagrp -link parent_sg dest_CDB online local firm 
    # hagrp -dep parent_sg
    #Parent     	    Child         	    Relationship
    parent_sg      dest_CDB           online local firm
    # haconf -dump -makero