4 Administering Database Instances and Cluster Databases

Parameters that Must Have Identical Settings on All Instances

Certain initialization parameters that are critical at database creation or that affect certain database operations must have the same value for every instance in an Oracle RAC database. Specify these parameter values in the SPFILE, or within the individual PFILEs for each instance. The following list contains the parameters that must be identical on every instance:

• CLUSTER_DATABASE

• COMPATIBLE

• CONTROL_FILES

• DB_BLOCK_SIZE

• DB_DOMAIN

• DB_FILES

• DB_NAME

• DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST

• DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE

• DB_UNIQUE_NAME

• DML_LOCKS (only if set to 0)

• INSTANCE_TYPE (RDBMS or ASM)

• PARALLEL_EXECUTION_MESSAGE_SIZE

• REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE

• RESULT_CACHE_MAX_SIZE (either enabled or disabled on all instances)

• UNDO_MANAGEMENT

Parameters that Must Have Unique Settings on All Instances

For the following parameters, the parameter must be set on all instances to a value that is unique to that instance:

• CLUSTER_INTERCONNECTS

• INSTANCE_NUMBER

• ROLLBACK_SEGMENTS (if the UNDO_MANAGEMENT initialization parameter is not set to AUTO)

• UNDO_TABLESPACE (if UNDO_MANAGEMENT is set to AUTO)

Oracle Database uses the INSTANCE_NUMBER parameter to distinguish among instances at startup. Oracle Database uses the INSTANCE_NAME parameter to assign redo log groups to specific instances. To simplify administration, use the same number for both the INSTANCE_NAME and INSTANCE_NUMBER parameters. With Oracle Database 11.2 using Grid Plug and Play, the instance name parameter is no longer required. If you do not specify the instance name, then instance name defaults to db_unique_name_number.

Parameters that Should Have Identical Settings on All Instances

Oracle recommends that you set the values for the following parameters to the same value on all instances. Although you can have different settings for these parameters on different instances, setting each parameter to the same value on all instances simplifies administration:

• ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET

  Different values for instances in your Oracle RAC database are likely to increase overhead because of additional automatic synchronization performed by the database processing.

  When using Oracle Streams with your Oracle RAC database, the value should be greater than zero.

• CONTROL_MANAGEMENT_PACK_ACCESS

  This parameter controls the use of the Diagnostics and Tuning Packs for Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control (Database Control). You should set the value for this parameter on all instance to reflect whether or not you have purchased the Diagnostics and Tuning Manageability Packs for your Oracle RAC database.

• DIAGNOSTIC_DEST

  As of Oracle Database 11g release 1 (11.1), the diagnostics for each database instance are located in a dedicated directory, which can be specified through the DIAGNOSTIC_DEST initialization parameter. This parameter can be set on each instance. Oracle recommends that each instance in a cluster specify a DIAGNOSTIC_DEST directory location that is located on shared disk and that the same value for DIAGNOSTIC_DEST be specified for each instance.

• LICENSE_MAX_USERS

  This parameter determines a database-wide limit on the number of user accounts defined in the database and it is useful to have the same value on all instances of your database so you can see the current value no matter which instance you are using. Setting different values may generate additional warning messages during instance startup, or cause commands related to database user account management to fail on some instances.

  If you have concurrent usage (session) licensing, then set the LICENSE_MAX_SESSIONS parameter instead. When using LICENSE_MAX_SESSIONS, set the value on each instance so that the sum of all the values is less than or equal to the total number of sessions licensed for the database. Do not set both LICENSE_MAX_SESSIONS and LICENSE_MAX_USERS.

• LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT

  If you do not use the same value for all your instances, then you complicate media recovery. The recovering instance expects the required archived redo log file names to have the format defined by its own value of LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT, regardless of which instance created the archived redo log files.

  Databases that support Oracle Data Guard, either to send or receive archived redo log files, must use the same value of LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT for all instances.

• REDO_TRANSPORT_USER

  This parameter specifies the name of the user whose password verifier is used when a remote login password file is used for redo transport authentication. This parameter is used in Oracle Data Guard configurations.

• SPFILE

  The SPFILE resides in the $ORACLE_HOME/dbs directory; however, users can place it any storage accessible to the local host as long as it is specified in an initialization parameter file.

  If this parameter does not identify the same file to all instances, then each instance may act differently and unpredictably in failover, load-balancing, or standard operations. Additionally, a change you make to the SPFILE using an ALTER SYSTEM SET or ALTER SYSTEM RESET command is saved only in the SPFILE used by the instance where you run the command. Your change will not be reflected in instances using different SPFILEs.

• TRACE_ENABLED

  When TRACE_ENABLED is set to true, Oracle records information in specific files when errors occur. Oracle Support Services uses this information for debugging the Oracle software. If you enable tracing on one instance, you should enable it on all instances to make sure that the diagnostic information is recorded in a trace file.

• UNDO_RETENTION

  By setting different values for UNDO_RETENTION in each instance, you are likely to reduce scalability and encounter unpredictable actions following a failover. Therefore, you should carefully consider whether or not you will accrue any benefits before you assign different values for this parameter to the instances in your Oracle RAC database.

About Modifying the SERVICE_NAMES Parameter for Oracle RAC

The SERVICE_NAMES initialization parameter specifies one or more names by which clients can connect to the instance. The instance registers its service names with the listener. When a client requests a service, the listener determines which instances offer the requested service and routes the client to the appropriate instance.

In an Oracle RAC database, you should not modify this parameter directly. Instead, define services for your database and database instances using the Clustered Managed Database Services page in Oracle Enterprise Manager. If you need to change a service, you can use either Enterprise Manager or SRVCTL. When you use either Oracle Enterprise Manager or SRVCTL to create and start the service, the SERVICE_NAMES parameter is updated automatically once the service is active.

Modifying the Initialization Parameter for Oracle RAC Using the Current Tab

The Current subpage of the Initialization Parameters contains a list of configuration parameters for that instance and database. You can set these parameters to particular values to initialize many of the memory and process settings of an Oracle instance. When you modify initialization parameters using the Current tab, the changes are applied only to the running instances, not the SPFILE, unless the "Apply changes in current running instance(s) mode to SPFile" option is selected.

The Instance column shows the instances for which the parameter has the value listed in the table. An asterisk (*) indicates that the parameter has the same value for all remaining instances of the cluster database. For example, if open_cursors = 250 for node1 and open_cursors = 300 for node2, then the Instance column for open_cursors = 250 displays an asterisk, but the Instance column for open_cursors = 300 contains "node2". This shorthand notation saves space when the cluster databases has many instances.

You can filter the Initialization Parameters page to show only those parameters that meet the criteria of the filter you enter in the Filter by name field. Optionally, you can select Show All to display on one page all parameters currently used by the running instance(s).

To modify parameter values using the Current tab:

1. Select a parameter from the Select column and do one of the following:

   • Click Add to add the selected parameter to a different instance.

     When the new row appears in the table, choose the instance name to which the new setting applies, and enter the new value for the parameter in the Value field. Optionally, you can put text in the Comment field to indicate why the instance has a different value from the other instances.

   • Click Reset to reset the value of the selected parameter. Note that using this option you can reset only those parameters that do not have an asterisk in the Instance column.

     When you click Reset, the value of the selected parameter is reset to the value of the remaining instances (that is, the row with the asterisk in the Instance column) and the row that has the local instance name in the Instance field is removed from the table.

   For example, select the parameter OPEN_CURSORS, then click Add. In the new entry for OPEN_CURSORS, select an Instance (for example sales1 or RACDB2), change the Value field to 300.

2. After you make changes to one or more of the parameters, click Apply to accept and implement the changes.

Modifying the Initialization Parameter for Oracle RAC Using the SPFile Tab

You can also add or reset parameters using the SPFile tab. When you modify initialization parameters using the SPFile tab, the changes are applied only to the SPFILE, not the currently running instances, unless the "Apply changes in SPFile mode to the current running instance(s)" option is selected.

Resetting parameters using the SPFile tab is different than resetting the same parameters using the Current tab. You can either reset the parameter value for an instance back to the default value for all instances, or you can delete the default parameter setting (unset the parameter) for all instances.

• If you reset a parameter with an asterisk in the Instance column, the entry will be deleted from both the SPFILE and the table in Database Control. Only parameters without an asterisk (or instance-specific parameters) will remain.

  
  Description of the illustration init_params2.gif
  
  

• If you reset the only entry for a nonasterick parameter, it will be deleted from both the SPFILE and the table in Database Control, but the parameter will be replaced by a dummy parameter with an empty value field and an asterisk in the Instance column; this enables you to specify a new value for the parameter, add new instance-specific entries for the parameter, and so on.

  
  Description of the illustration init_params3.gif
  
  

Resetting a parameter that is set for only one instance results in the parameter being unset for all instances.

To modify parameter values using the SPFile tab:

1. Choose a parameter using the Select column.

   For more information about each parameter, click the information icon in the Help column next to the parameter.

2. Click Add, then edit the entry to change the target instance or parameter value. You can optionally add a comment describing the reason for the change.

3. Click Apply to apply the changes to the SPFILE, or to the SPFile and the currently running instance if you selected the "Apply changes in SPFile mode to the current running instance(s)" option.

4. On the SPFile subpage of the Initialization Parameters page, select a parameter from the Select column and do one of the following:

   • Click Add to add the selected parameter to a different instance.

     When the new row appears in the table, choose the instance name to which the new setting applies, and then enter the new value for the parameter in the Value field. Optionally, you can put text in the Comment field describing the reason for the change.

   • Click Reset to reset the value of the selected parameter.

     When you click Reset, one of the following actions is performed:

     • If the entry you selected was for a specific instance, then the value of the selected parameter for that instance is reset to the value of the remaining instances (indicated by an asterisk in the Instance column). The entry that has the local instance name in the Instance field is deleted.

     • If the entry you selected to reset was the default values for all instances (indicated by an asterisk in the Instance column), then the value of the selected parameter is unset for all instances, but any instance-specific parameter entries for the same parameter are not changed.

     • If you reset the only entry for a parameter, regardless of whether the entry applies to all instances or a single instance, then the parameter is unset for all instances in the cluster database.

5. After you make changes to one or more of the parameters, click Apply to accept and implement the changes.

Example: Modifying the OPEN_CURSORS Parameter

Suppose that the open_cursors parameter has two entries in the SPFILE:

*.open_cursors = 200 
RACDB2.open_cursors = 250

Using the Initialization Parameters page with the SPFile tab selected, if you click Reset for *.open_cursors, then Enterprise Manager deletes that entry from both the SPFILE and the displayed list of parameters, leaving only RACDB2.open_cursors = 250 displayed.

If you click Reset for RACDB2.open_cursors, Enterprise Manager also deletes this parameter entry from both the SPFILE and the displayed list of parameters, but then a new entry, *.open_cursors = <NULL> is added to the displayed list of parameters in place of the reset parameter.

About Oracle ASM Components in Oracle RAC

When you configure Oracle ASM after installing Oracle grid infrastructure, one Oracle ASM instance is created on each node in your Oracle RAC environment if one does not already exist. Each Oracle ASM instance has either an SPFILE or PFILE type parameter file. For the environment described in this guide, the Oracle ASM instances use SPFILEs.

About Disk Group Configurations for Oracle ASM in Oracle RAC

When you create a disk group for a cluster, or add new disks to an existing clustered disk group, you must prepare only the underlying physical storage on shared disks. The shared disk requirement is the only substantial difference between using Oracle ASM in an Oracle RAC database compared to using it in a single-instance Oracle database. Oracle ASM automatically rebalances the storage load after you add or delete a disk or disk group.

In a cluster, each Oracle ASM instance manages the metadata updates to the disk groups for the node on which it is running. In addition, each Oracle ASM instance coordinates disk group metadata with other nodes in the cluster. As in single-instance Oracle databases, you can use Enterprise Manager, Oracle ASM configuration assistant (ASMCA), ASMCMD, SQL*Plus, and SRVCTL to administer disk groups for Oracle ASM in an Oracle RAC environment.

About Standalone Oracle ASM Disk Group Management

You can configure Oracle ASM during installation of Oracle grid infrastructure. If you choose not to configure Oracle ASM during installation, then you need to manually configure Oracle ASM, or perform standalone Oracle ASM disk group management.

To manually configure Oracle ASM, you must first run ASMCA to create the Oracle ASM instances and create at least one diskgroup. Once Oracle ASM is running, then you can use DBCA to create an Oracle RAC database that uses Oracle ASM for storage.

You do not have to create a new database to modify Oracle ASM storage properties.

About Oracle ASM Instance and Disk Group Management

You can perform administrative operations on Oracle ASM disk groups using Enterprise Manager such as adding and deleting them. You can also monitor Oracle ASM disk group performance as well as control disk group availability at the instance level. For example, some of the Oracle RAC-specific features for Oracle ASM that are provided by Enterprise Manager are the following:

• When you add a disk group, the disk group definition includes a check box to indicate whether or not the disk group is automatically mounted to all the cluster database instances.

• The default Disk Group Performance page displays instance-level performance details when you click a performance characteristic such as Write Response Time or I/O Throughput.

• When you mount and dismount Oracle ASM disk groups, you can use a check box to indicate which instances should mount or dismount a particular Oracle ASM Disk Group.

About Redo Log Groups and Redo Threads in Oracle RAC Databases

Redo logs contain a record of changes that have been made to data files. In a single-instance Oracle database, redo logs are stored in two or more redo log file groups. Each of these groups contains a redo log file and possibly one or more mirrored copies of that file. In an Oracle RAC database, each instance requires its own set of redo log groups, which is known as a redo thread. Mirrored copies of the redo log files provide your system with extra protection against data loss that is due to hardware failures or data corruption. If a redo log file is unreadable, then the Oracle Database attempts to access its mirrored copy. The redo log file mirrors should be located on different disk devices from the primary redo log files.

Each instance's redo thread must contain at least two redo log groups. Each redo log group should contain at least two members: a redo log and its mirrored copy. If you create your Oracle RAC database using DBCA, then your Oracle RAC database automatically implements a configuration that meets the Oracle recommendations.

You should create redo log groups only if you are using administrator-managed databases. For policy-managed databases, if an instance starts up due to a change in server pool cardinality, then Oracle Database automatically creates redo log files, enables a redo thread for the instance if there is not already a redo thread allocated to that instance, and creates the undo tablespace if there is not already an undo tablespace allocated to that instance. The database must be using Oracle Managed Files and Oracle ASM in this situation. See Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment Guide for more information.

In an Oracle RAC database, all the redo log files reside on shared storage. In addition, each instance must have access to the redo log files of all the other instances in the cluster. If your Oracle RAC database uses Oracle ASM, then Oracle ASM manages the shared storage for the redo log files and the access to those files.

About Accessing Redo Log Files for an Oracle RAC Database

In an Oracle RAC database, each instance writes and archives the redo log groups in its redo thread in the same manner that single-instance Oracle databases do. However, in recovery mode, the instance performing the recovery is able to read and process all the redo threads for the database, regardless of which instance generated the redo thread. This enables a running instance to recover the work completed by one or more failed instances.

In case of instance failure, a surviving instance can read the redo logs of the failed instance. Users can continue to access and update the database without waiting for the failed instance to be restarted. For example, assume that you have an Oracle RAC database with two instances, instance A and instance B. If instance A is down, then instance B can read the redo log files for both instance A and B to ensure a successful recovery.

Using Enterprise Manager to View and Create Online Redo Log Files

On the Redo Log Groups page, you can create additional redo log groups and add members to the redo log group. The Thread column identifies the instance, or redo thread, to which a redo log file belongs.

To access the redo log file groups using Enterprise Manager:

1. On the Cluster Database Home Page, select Server.

   The Server page appears.

2. In the Storage section, select Redo Log Groups.

   The Redo Log Groups page appears.

3. On this page you can perform the following tasks:

   • View the status, number of members, thread, file size, status, and archive statue of each redo log group

   • Create or delete log groups

   • Edit a redo log group to add or remove members

   • Perform other redo log group management tasks, including clearing log files, duplicating a log group, generating sizing advice, and forcing a log switch