InfoScale™ 9.0 Storage Foundation for Oracle® RAC Administrator's Guide - AIX

Last Published:
Product(s): InfoScale & Storage Foundation (9.0)
Platform: AIX
  1. Section I. SF Oracle RAC concepts and administration
    1. Overview of Storage Foundation for Oracle RAC
      1.  
        About Storage Foundation for Oracle RAC
      2.  
        Benefits of SF Oracle RAC
      3.  
        How SF Oracle RAC works (high-level perspective)
      4. 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)
          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
        6. 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
        7. 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
        8.  
          About I/O fencing
        9. Oracle RAC components
          1.  
            Oracle Clusterware/Grid Infrastructure
          2.  
            Co-existence or Oracle Clusterware/Grid Infrastructure with VCS
          3.  
            Oracle Cluster Registry
          4. Application resources
            1.  
              Resource profiles
            2.  
              Oracle Clusterware/Grid Infrastructure node applications
            3.  
              Voting disk
        10. Oracle Disk Manager
          1.  
            ODM architecture
          2.  
            Veritas ODM performance enhancements
          3.  
            ODM communication
        11. RAC extensions
          1.  
            Veritas Cluster Server membership manager
          2.  
            Veritas Cluster Server inter-process communication
          3.  
            Oracle and cache fusion traffic
      5.  
        Periodic health evaluation of SF Oracle RAC clusters
      6. About Virtual Business Services
        1.  
          Features of Virtual Business Services
        2.  
          Sample virtual business service configuration
      7.  
        About InfoScale Operations Manager
      8.  
        About 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.  
          Viewing available Veritas device drivers
        2.  
          Starting and stopping VCS
        3.  
          Environment variables to start and stop VCS modules
        4.  
          Adding and removing LLT links
        5.  
          Configuring aggregated interfaces under LLT
        6.  
          Displaying the cluster details and LLT version for LLT links
        7.  
          Configuring destination-based load balancing for LLT
        8.  
          Enabling and disabling intelligent resource monitoring for agents manually
        9.  
          Administering the AMF kernel driver
        10.  
          Rebooting nodes in an SF Oracle RAC cluster
      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
          4.  
            Removing and replacing a failed disk
          5.  
            Performing non-destructive testing on the disks using the -r option
          6.  
            Testing the shared disks using the vxfentsthdw -m option
          7.  
            Testing the shared disks listed in a file using the vxfentsthdw -f option
          8.  
            Testing all the disks in a disk group using the vxfentsthdw -g option
          9.  
            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
        5.  
          Removing preexisting keys
        6. 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
        7.  
          Enabling or disabling the preferred fencing policy
        8.  
          About I/O fencing log files
        9.  
          Migrating from disk-based fencing to server-based fencing using the installer
        10.  
          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. 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
        3.  
          Collecting important CVM logs
        4.  
          About SF Oracle RAC kernel and driver messages
        5.  
          Troubleshooting kernel memory corruption in SF Oracle RAC clusters
        6. 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 LMX and VCSMM health check warning messages in SF Oracle RAC clusters
      7. Troubleshooting I/O fencing
        1.  
          SCSI reservation errors during bootup
        2.  
          The vxfentsthdw utility fails when SCSI TEST UNIT READY command fails
        3.  
          The vxfentsthdw utility fails for Active/Passive arrays when you test disks in raw format
        4.  
          Node is unable to join cluster while another node is being ejected
        5.  
          Ignore "DISK OPERATION ERROR" message during restart
        6.  
          All SF Oracle RAC nodes come up in ADMIN_WAIT status
        7.  
          System panics to prevent potential data corruption
        8.  
          Cluster ID on the I/O fencing key of coordinator disk does not match the local cluster's ID
        9.  
          Fencing startup reports preexisting split-brain
        10.  
          Clearing preexisting split-brain condition
        11.  
          Registered keys are lost on the coordinator disks
        12.  
          Replacing defective disks when the cluster is offline
        13.  
          Troubleshooting I/O fencing health check warning messages
        14. Troubleshooting CP server
          1.  
            Troubleshooting issues related to the CP server service group
          2.  
            Checking the connectivity of CP server
        15. 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
        16. Issues during online migration of coordination points
          1.  
            Vxfen service group activity after issuing the vxfenswap command
      8. 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
      9. Troubleshooting CFS
        1.  
          Incorrect order in root user's <library> path
      10. Troubleshooting VCSIPC
        1.  
          VCSIPC errors in Oracle trace/log files
      11. Troubleshooting Oracle
        1.  
          Oracle log files
        2.  
          Oracle Notes
        3.  
          OUI fails to display the nodes names on the cluster configuration screen during the installation of Oracle Clusterware
        4.  
          Error when starting an Oracle instance in SF Oracle RAC
        5.  
          Clearing Oracle group faults
        6.  
          Oracle log files show shutdown called even when not shutdown manually
        7.  
          DBCA fails while creating an Oracle RAC database
        8.  
          Oracle's clusterware processes fail to start
        9.  
          Oracle Clusterware fails after restart
        10.  
          Troubleshooting the Virtual IP (VIP) configuration in an SF Oracle RAC cluster
        11.  
          Troubleshooting Oracle Clusterware health check warning messages in SF Oracle RAC clusters
      12. Troubleshooting ODM in SF Oracle RAC clusters
        1.  
          File System configured incorrectly for ODM shuts down Oracle
      13.  
        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 tunable parameters
      4. About LMX tunable parameters
        1.  
          LMX tunable parameters
        2.  
          Reconfiguring the LMX module
      5.  
        About VXFEN tunable parameters
      6.  
        Configuring the VXFEN module parameters
      7.  
        Tuning guidelines for campus clusters
  3. Section III. Reference
    1. Appendix A. List of SF Oracle RAC health checks
      1.  
        LLT health checks
      2.  
        LMX health checks in SF Oracle RAC clusters
      3.  
        I/O fencing health checks
      4.  
        PrivNIC health checks in SF Oracle RAC clusters
      5.  
        Oracle Clusterware health checks in SF Oracle RAC clusters
      6.  
        CVM, CFS, and ODM health checks in SF Oracle RAC clusters
    2. Appendix B. Error messages
      1.  
        About error messages
      2. LMX error messages in SF Oracle RAC
        1.  
          LMX critical error messages in SF Oracle RAC
        2.  
          LMX non-critical error messages in SF Oracle RAC
      3.  
        VxVM error messages
      4. VXFEN driver error messages
        1.  
          VXFEN driver informational message
        2.  
          Node ejection informational messages

Limitations of Flexible Storage Sharing

Note the following limitations for using Flexible Storage Sharing (FSS):

  • FSS is only supported on clusters of up to 8 nodes.

  • Disk initialization operations should be performed only on nodes with local connectivity to the disk.

  • FSS does not support the use of boot disks, opaque disks, and non-VxVM disks for network sharing.

  • Hot-relocation is disabled on FSS disk groups.

  • FSS does not support non-SCSI3 disks connected to multiple hosts.

  • FSS supports only those instant data change objects (DCOs) that are either created using the vxsnap operation or by specifying the logtype=dco and dcoversion=20 attributes during volume creation.

  • By default, creating a mirror between SSD and HDD is not supported through vxassist, as the underlying media types are different. To workaround this issue, you can create a volume with one media type, for instance the HDD, which is the default media type, and then later add a mirror on the SSD.

    For example:

    # vxassist -g diskgroup make volume size init=none

    # vxassist -g diskgroup mirror volume mediatype:ssd

    # vxvol -g diskgroup init active volume

    See Administering mirrored volumes using vxassist.