3 Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Real Application Clusters

Configuring the Operating System Environment

You run OUI from the oracle user account. Before you start OUI to install Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you do not need to configure the environment of the oracle user. You can specify the directories to use for the central inventory and the Grid home during the installation process.

However, you can set the ORACLE_BASE environment variable to the directory in which you want the Oracle Inventory files located.For example, if you plan to make the Oracle Database home directory /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1, you would set ORACLE_BASE to the directory /u01/app/oracle/. If you set the ORACLE_BASE directory prior to installation, then this becomes the default location for the central inventory displayed by OUI.

You can also set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable to the location chosen for the Grid home. If you set the ORACLE_HOME directory prior to installation, then this becomes the default location for the Grid home displayed by OUI.

(Optional) To modify the user environment prior to installing Oracle grid infrastructure on Oracle Enterprise Linux:

1. As the oracle user, execute the following commands:

   [oracle]$ unset ORACLE_HOME
   [oracle]$ unset ORACLE_SID
   [oracle]$ unset ORACLE_BASE
   [oracle]$ export ORACLE_BASE=/u01/app/oracle/
   [oracle]$ export ORACLE_HOME=/u01/grid
   

2. Verify the changes have been made by executing the following commands:

   [oracle]$ echo $ORACLE_SID
   
   [oracle]$ echo $ORACLE_HOME
   /u01/grid
   [oracle]$ echo $ORACLE_BASE
   /u01/app/oracle/
   

About CVU Fixup Scripts

During installation, for certain prerequisite check failures, you can click Fix & Check Again to generate a fixup script (runfixup.sh). You are then prompted by OUI to run the fixup script as the root user in a separate session. You must run the script on all the nodes specified by OUI.

The Fixup script does the following:

• Checks and sets kernel parameters to values required for successful installation, including:

  • Shared memory parameters

  • Semaphore parameters

  • Open file descriptor and UDP send/receive parameters

• Sets permissions on the Oracle Inventory (central inventory) directory.

Modifying the contents of the generated fixup script is not recommended.

Using Oracle Universal Installer to Install the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

As the Oracle grid infrastructure software owner (oracle) user on the first node, install the Oracle grid infrastructure for your cluster. Note that OUI uses Secure Shell (SSH) to copy the binary files from this node to the other nodes during the installation. OUI has the ability to configure SSH for you during installation.

To install the Oracle grid infrastructure software:

1. Use the following command to start OUI, where staging_area is the location of the staging area on disk, or the root level of the installation media:

   cd /staging_area/clusterware/Disk1
   ./runInstaller
   

   After a few minutes, the Select Installation Option window appears.

2. Choose the Install and Configure Grid Infrastructure for a Cluster option, then click Next.

   The Select Installation Type window appears.

3. Select Typical Installation, then click Next.

   The Specify Cluster Configuration window appears.

4. In the SCAN Name field, enter a name for your cluster that is unique throughout your entire enterprise network. For example, you might choose a name that is based on the node names' common prefix. This guide will use the SCAN name docrac.

   In the Hostname column of the table of cluster nodes, you should see your local node, for example racnode1.example.com. Click Add to add another node to the cluster.

   The Add Cluster Node Information pop-up window appears.

5. Enter the second node's public name (racnode2), and virtual IP name (racnode2-vip), and then click OK.

   You are returned to the Specify Cluster Configuration window.

6. You should now see both nodes listed in the table of cluster nodes. Make sure both nodes are selected, then click the SSH Connectivity button at the bottom of the window.

   The bottom panel of the window displays the SSH Connectivity information.

7. Enter the operating system username and password for the Oracle software owner (oracle). Select the option If you have already configured SSH connectivity between the nodes, then select the Reuse private and public keys existing in user home option. Click Setup.

   A message window appears, indicating that it might take several minutes to configure SSH connectivity between the nodes. After a short period of time, another message window appears indicating that passwordless SSH connectivity has been established between the cluster nodes. Click OK to continue.

8. When returned to the Specify Cluster Configuration window, click Next to continue.

   After several checks are performed, the Specify Install Locations window appears.

9. Perform the following actions on this page:

   • For the Oracle base field, make sure it is set to the location you chose for your Oracle Base directory, for example /u01/app/oracle/. If not, click Browse. In the Choose Directory window, go up the path until you can select the /u01/app/oracle/ directory, then click Choose Directory.

   • For the Software Location field, make sure it is set to the location you chose for your Grid home, for example /u01/grid. If not, click Browse. In the Choose Directory window, go up the path until you can select /u01/grid, then click Choose Directory.

   • For the Cluster Registry Storage Type, choose Automatic Storage Management.

   • Enter a password for a SYSASM user in the SYSASM Password and Confirm Password fields. This password will be used for managing Oracle ASM after installation, so make note of it in a secure place.

   • For the OSASM group, use the drop-down list to choose the operating system group for managing Oracle ASM, for example, dba.

   After you have specified information for all the fields on this page, click Next.

   The Create ASM Disk Group page appears.

10. In the Disk Group Name field, enter a name for the disk group, for example DATA. Choose the Redundancy level for this disk group, and then in the Add Disks section, choose the disks to add to this disk group.

    In the Add Disks section you should see the disks that you configured using the ASMLIB utility in Chapter 2.

    When you have finished selecting the disks for this disk group, click Next.

    If you have not installed Oracle software previously on this computer, then the Create Inventory page appears.

11. Change the path for the inventory directory, if required. If you are using the same directory names as this book, then it should show a value of /u01/app/oraInventory. The oraInventory group name should show oinstall.

    Note:

    The path displayed for the inventory directory should be the oraInventory subdirectory of the directory one level above the Oracle base directory. For example, if you set the ORACLE_BASE environment variable to /u01/app/oracle/ before starting OUI, then the OraInventory path displayed is /u01/app/oraInventory.

    Click Next. The Perform Prerequisite Checks window appears.

12. If any of the checks have a status of Failed and a value of Yes in the Fixable column, select that check, for example OS Kernel Parameter:file-max, then click the Fix & Check Again button. This instructs the installer to create a shell script to fix the problem. You must run the specified script on the indicated nodes as the root user to fix the problem. When you have finished running the script on each node, click OK.

    Repeat until all the fixable checks have a status of Succeeded.

    
    Description of the illustration grid_install_fixup.gif
    
    

    If there are other checks that failed, but are do not have a value of Yes in the Fixable field, you will need to configure the node to meet these requirements in another window. After you have made the necessary adjustments, return to the OUI window and click Check Again. Repeat as needed until all the checks have a status of Succeeded. Click Next.

    The Summary window appears.

13. Review the contents of the Summary window and then click Finish.

    OUI displays a progress indicator allowing you to monitor the installation process.

14. As part of the installation process, you will be required to run certain scripts as the root user, as specified in the Execute Configuration Scripts window appears. Do not click OK until you have run the scripts.

    
    Description of the illustration grid_install_root_scripts.gif
    
    

    The Execute Configuration Scripts window shows configuration scripts, and the path where the configuration scripts are located. Run the scripts on all nodes as directed, in the order shown. For example, on Oracle Enterprise Linux you perform the following steps (note that for clarity, the examples show the current user, node and directory in the prompt):

    1. As the oracle user on racnode1, open a terminal window, and enter the following commands:

       [oracle@racnode1 oracle]$ cd /u01/app/oraInventory
       [oracle@racnode1 oraInventory]$ su
       

    2. Enter the password for the root user, and then enter the following command to run the first script on racnode1:

       [root@racnode1 oraInventory]# ./orainstRoot.sh
       

    3. After the orainstRoot.sh script finishes on racnode1, open another terminal window, and as the oracle user, enter the following commands:

       [oracle@racnode1 oracle]$ ssh racnode2
       [oracle@racnode2 oracle]$ cd /u01/app/oraInventory
       [oracle@racnode2 oraInventory]$ su
       

    4. Enter the password for the root user, and then enter the following command to run the first script on racnode2:

       [root@racnode2 oraInventory]# ./orainstRoot.sh
       

    5. After the orainstRoot.sh script finishes on racnode2, go to the terminal window you opened in Step 15a. As the root user on racnode1, enter the following commands to run the second script, root.sh:

       [root@racnode1 oraInventory]# cd /u01/grid
       [root@racnode1 grid]# ./root.sh
       

       Press Enter at the prompt to accept the default value.

       Note:

       Do not attempt to run the root.sh script on other nodes, or it might fail. Wait until the script finishes running on the local node before starting it on a different node.

    6. After the root.sh script finishes on racnode1, go to the terminal window you opened in Step 15c. As the root user on racnode2, enter the following commands:

       [root@racnode2 oraInventory]# cd /u01/grid
       [root@racnode2 grid]# ./root.sh
       

    Press Enter at the prompt to accept the default value.

    After the root.sh script completes, return to the OUI window where the Installer prompted you to run the orainstRoot.sh and root.sh scripts. Click OK.

    The software installation monitoring window reappears.

15. Continue monitoring the installation until the Finish window appears. Then click Close to complete the installation process and exit the installer

Completing the Oracle Clusterware Configuration

After you have installed Oracle Clusterware, verify that the node applications are running. Depending on which operating system you use, you may need to perform some postinstallation tasks to configure the Oracle Clusterware components properly.

To complete the Oracle Clusterware configuration on Oracle Enterprise Linux:

1. As the oracle user on the first node, check the status of the Oracle Clusterware targets by entering the following command:

   /u01/grid/bin/crsctl check cluster -all
   

   This command provides output showing if all the important cluster services, such as gsd, ons, and vip, are running on the nodes of your cluster.

2. In the displayed output, you should see the Oracle Clusterware daemons are online for each node in the cluster.

   ******************************************************************
   racnode1:
   CRS-4537: Cluster Ready Services is online
   CRS-4529: Cluster Synchronization Services is online
   CRS-4533: Event Manager is online
   ******************************************************************
   racnode2:
   CRS-4537: Cluster Ready Services is online
   CRS-4529: Cluster Synchronization Services is online
   CRS-4533: Event Manager is online
   
   ******************************************************************
   

   If you see that one or more Oracle Clusterware resources are offline, or are missing, then the Oracle Clusterware software did not install properly.

Configuring the Operating System Environment

You run OUI from the oracle user account. Before you start OUI you do not need to configure the environment of the oracle user.

However, you can set the ORACLE_BASE environment variable to the directory in which you want the Oracle Inventory files located.For example, if you plan to make the Oracle Database home directory /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1, you would set ORACLE_BASE to the directory /u01/app/oracle/. If you set the ORACLE_BASE directory prior to installation, then this becomes the default location for the central inventory displayed by OUI.

You can also set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable to the location chosen for the Oracle Database home. If you set the ORACLE_HOME directory prior to installation, then this becomes the default location for the Grid home displayed by OUI.

(Optional) To modify the user environment prior to installing Oracle Database software on Oracle Enterprise Linux:

1. As the oracle user, execute the following commands:

   [oracle]$ unset ORACLE_SID
   [oracle]$ export ORACLE_BASE=/u01/app/oracle/
   [oracle]$ export ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1
   

2. Verify the changes have been made by executing the following commands:

   [oracle]$ echo $ORACLE_SID
   
   [oracle]$ echo $ORACLE_HOME
   /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1
   [oracle]$ echo $ORACLE_BASE
   /u01/app/oracle/
   

3. Install the Oracle grid infrastructure software.

Creating Additional ASM Disk Groups

If you chose to store the Oracle Clusterware files on ASM during the Oracle grid infrastructure installation, then a single disk group was created in ASM. You can use this same disk group to store the data files for your Oracle database.

If you want to use a separate disk groups for your Oracle database files or for a Fast Recovery Area, then you need to create additional ASM disk groups prior to installing Oracle Database software.

To create an additional disk group using ASMCA:

1. Prepare the disks or devices for use with ASM, as described in "Configuring Installation Directories and Shared Storage".

2. Start the Automatic Storage Configuration Assistant (ASMCA) from the Grid home:

   /u01/grid/bin/asmca
   

   The ASM Configuration Assistant starts, and displays the Disk Groups window.

3. Click the Create button at the bottom left-hand side of the window to create a new disk group.

   The Create Disk Group window appears.

4. Provide the following information:

   • In the Disk Group Name field, enter a name for the new disk group, for example, FRA.

   • Choose a Redundancy level, for example, Normal.

   • Select the disks to include in the new disk group.

     If you used ASMLIB to configure the disks for use with ASM, then the available disks are displayed if you have the Show Eligible option selected, and they have a Header Status of PROVISIONED.

   After you have provided all the information, click OK. A progress window titled DiskGroup: Creation appears. After a few minutes, a message appears indicating the disk group was created successfully. Click OK to continue.

5. Repeat Step 3 and 4 to create additional disk groups, or click Exit, then select Yes to exit the utility.

Using Oracle Universal Installer to Install Oracle RAC

After you have configured the operating system environment, you can use Oracle Universal Installer to install the Oracle Database software and create an Oracle RAC database.

To install Oracle Database software on your cluster and create a clustered database:

1. As the oracle user, use the following commands to start OUI, where staging_area is the location of the staging area on disk, or the location of the mounted installation disk:

   cd /staging_area
   ./runInstaller
   

   When you start Oracle Universal Installer, the Configure Security Updates window appears.

2. (Optional) Enter your email address and My Oracle Support password, then click Next to continue.

   If you want to receive notification by email of any newly discovered security issues related to the software you are installing, then enter an email address in the Email field. If you also want to receive the security updates through My Oracle Support, then use the same email address that is registered with My Oracle Support, select the I wish to receive security updates via My Oracle Support option, and enter your My Oracle Support login password in the My Oracle Support Password field.

   If you provide an email address, then the Oracle Configuration Manager (OCM) tool with also be installed. This utility provides Oracle Support Services with configuration information about your system when creating service requests. You can disable the OCM tool after installation, but Oracle strongly discourages this. OCM does not access, collect, or store any personal information (except for technical support contact information), or any business data files residing in your software environment. See http://www.oracle.com/technology/documentation/ocm.html for more information.

   After you click Next, the Select Installation Option window appears.

3. Select Create and configure a database, then click Next.

   The System Class window appears.

4. Choose Server Class, then click Next.

   If you choose the Desktop Class option, it installs a single-instance database, not a clustered database.

   The Node Selection screen appears.

5. Select the Real Application Clusters database installation type.

   Select the nodes on which you want to install Oracle Database software and create an Oracle RAC instance. All the available nodes in the cluster are selected by default.

   Click the SSH Connectivity button at the bottom of the window. The bottom panel of the window displays the SSH Connectivity information.

6. Because you configured SSH connectivity between the nodes for the Oracle grid infrastructure installation, select the Reuse private and public keys existing in user home option. If you are using a network user with home directory on shared storage, then also select the "User home if shared by the selected nodes" option. Click Test.

   A message window appears, indicating that passwordless SSH connectivity has already been established between the cluster nodes. Click OK to continue.

7. When returned to the Node Selection window, click Next to continue.

   The Select Install Type window appears.

8. Choose the Typical install option, and click Next.

   A typical installation requires minimal input. It installs the software and optionally creates a general-purpose database. If you choose the Advanced installation type (not documented in this guide), you are prompted to provide more information about how the database should be configured. For example, you could set passwords for each user account individually, choose a different template for the starter database, choose a non-default language for the database, and so on.

   The Typical Install Configuration window appears.

9. In this window, you must provide the following information:

   • Oracle base location: The default value is /u01/app/oracle. If you did not set the ORACLE_BASE environment variable and the default location is different from the directory location you have chose, then enter the directory for your Oracle base or click the Browse button to change the directory path.

   • Software location: If you did not set the ORACLE_HOME environment variable prior to starting the installation, then enter the directory for your Oracle home or click the Browse button to change the directory path.

   • Storage Type: In this drop-down list, choose Automatic Storage Management (ASM). If you do not want to use ASM, then choose File System. Because ASM was installed with the Oracle grid infrastructure, Automatic Storage Management is the default value.

   • Database file location: Choose the disk group to use for storing the database files. You can use the same disk group that Oracle Clusterware uses. If you do not want to use the same disk group that is currently being used to store the Oracle Clusterware files, then you must exit the installation and create a new disk group using ASM utilities. Refer to "Creating Additional ASM Disk Groups" for more information on creating a disk group.

     If you chose the File System storage type, then enter the directory location of the shared storage where the database files will be created.

   • ASMSNMP Password: Enter the password for the ASMSNMP user. The ASMSNMP user is used primarily by EM to monitor ASM instances.

     If you chose File System for the Storage Type, then this field is disabled.

   • Database edition: From this drop-down list choose either Enterprise Edition or Standard Edition. The number in parentheses next to your choice indicates the amount of disk space required.

   • OSDBA Group: From this drop-down list select the operating system group used for database administration, for example, dba.

   • Global database name: Enter the fully qualified global name for your database. The global database name is in the form ORACLE_SID.DB_DOMAIN, for example, orcl.example.com.

   • Administrative password: Enter the password to be used for the administrative account, such as SYS, SYSTEM, and DBSNMP.

   • Confirm Password: Enter the same password in this field.

   After you have provided all the necessary information, click Next. The Perform Prerequisite Checks window appears.

10. After a short period of time, the Summary window appears. Review the information on this screen, then click Finish to continue.

    If any of the information in the Summary window is incorrect, use the Back button to return to a previous window and correct it.

    After you click Finish, OUI displays a progress indicator to show that the installation has begun. This step takes several minutes to complete.

11. After the software is installed on each node, OUI starts the Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). This utility creates the database using the global database name specified in Step 9. At the end of the database creation, you will see the DBCA window with the database configuration information displayed, including the URL for the Database Control console.

    There is also a Password Management button that you can click to unlock the database user accounts, or change their default passwords.

    After making note of the information in this window, click OK.

    OUI configures Oracle Configuration Management, if you provided the information in Step 2.

12. In the last step of the installation process, you are prompted to perform the task of running the root.sh script on both nodes, as specified in the Execute Configuration Scripts window. Do not click OK until you have run the scripts on both nodes.

    
    Description of the illustration rac_install_7.gif
    
    

    Perform the following steps to run the root.sh script (note that for clarity, the examples show the current user, node and directory in the prompt):

    1. Open a terminal window. As the oracle user on the first node. Change directories to your Oracle home directory, and then switch to the root user by entering the following commands:

       [oracle@racnode1 oracle]$ cd /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1
       [oracle@racnode1 dbhome_1]$ su
       

    2. Enter the password for the root user, and then run the script specified in the Execute Configuration scripts window:

       [root@racnode1 dbhome_1]# ./root.sh
       

       Note:

       Do not attempt to run the root.sh script on other nodes, or it might fail. Wait until the script finishes running on the local node before starting it on a different node.

    3. As the root.sh script runs, it prompts you for the path to the local bin directory. The information displayed in the brackets is the information it has obtained from your system configuration. It also writes the dbhome, oraenv, and coraenv files in the /usr/local/bin directory. If these files already exist, you are asked if you want to overwrite them. After responding to prompt, press the Enter key. To accept the default choice, press the Enter key without entering any text.

    4. After the script has completed on the first node, the prompt appears. Enter commands similar to the following to run the script on the other nodes:

       [root@racnode1 dhome_1]# exit
       [oracle@racnode1 dhome_1]$ ssh racnode2
       [oracle@racnode2 ~]$ cd /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1
       [oracle@racnode2 dbhome_1]$ su
       

    5. Enter the password for the root user, and then run the script specified in the Execute Configuration scripts window:

       [root@racnode2 dbhome_1]# ./root.sh
       

    6. After responding to each prompt, press the Enter key.

    7. When the root.sh script completes, the following messages are displayed:

       
       Description of the illustration install030.gif
       
       

    After you finish executing the script on all nodes, return to the Execute Configuration scripts window and click OK.

    The Install Product window is displayed.

13. Click Next to complete the installation.

    The Finish window is displayed, with the URL for Enterprise Manager Database Control displayed.

14. Click Close to exit the installer.

Verifying Your Oracle RAC Database Installation

At this point, you should verify that all the database services are up and running.

To verify the Oracle RAC database services are running:

1. Log in as the oracle user and go to the Grid_home/bin directory:

   [oracle] $ cd /u01/grid/bin
   

2. Run the following command to view the status of the resources managed by Oracle Clusterware that contain the string 'ora':

   [oracle] $ ./crsctl status resource -w "TYPE co 'ora'" -t
   

   The output of the command should show that the Oracle Clusterware, Oracle ASM, and Oracle Database resources are available (online) for each host. An example of the output is:

   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   NAME              TARGET STATE    SERVER            STATE_DETAILS
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Local Resources
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   ora.DATA.dg
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode1
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode2
   
   ora.LISTENER.lsnr
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode1
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode2
   
   ora.asm
   
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode1          Started
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode2          Started
   
   ora.eons
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode1
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode2
   
   ora.gsd
                     OFFLINE OFFLINE   racnode1
                     OFFLINE OFFLINE   racnode2
   
   ora.net1.network
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode1
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode2
   
   ora.ons
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode1
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode2
   ora.registry.acfs
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode1
                     ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode2
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Cluster Resources
   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   ora.LISTENER_SCAN1.lsnr
         1           ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode1
   ora.oc4j
         1           OFFLINE OFFLINE
   ora.orcl.db
         1           ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode1            Open
         2           ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode2            Open
   ora.racnode1.vip
         1           ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode1
   ora.racnode2.vip
         1           ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode2
   ora.scan1.vip
         1           ONLINE  ONLINE   racnode1
   

About Verifying the Oracle Clusterware Installation

After the Oracle Clusterware installation is complete, OUI automatically runs the cluvfy utility as a Configuration Assistant to verify that the Clusterware installation has been completed successfully.

If the CVU reports problems with your configuration, correct these errors before proceeding.

Backing Up Installation Files

Certain files used during installation are very important to the operation of the installed software. It is important to back up these files and keep them in a separate location from the installed software in case of hardware failure.

• About Backing Up the root.sh Script

• About Configuring User Accounts

Verifying Oracle Enterprise Manager Operations

When you create an Oracle RAC database and choose Database Control for your database management, the Enterprise Manager Database Control utility is installed and configured automatically.

To verify Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control has been started in your new Oracle RAC environment:

1. Make sure the ORACLE_UNQNAME environment variable is set to the unique name of the database to which you want to connect, for example orcl. Also make sure the ORACLE_HOME environment variable is set to the location of the installed Oracle Database software.

   $ export ORACLE_UNQNAME=orcl
   $ echo $ORACLE_HOME
   /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1
   
   $ echo $ORACLE_UNQNAME
   orcl
   

2. Go to the Oracle_home/bin directory.

3. Run the following command as the oracle user:

   ./emctl status dbconsole
   

   The Enterprise Manager Control (EMCTL) utility displays the current status of the Database Control console on the current node.

   Oracle Enterprise Manager 11g Database Control Release 11.2.0.1.0
   Copyright (c) 1996, 2009 Oracle Corporation.  All rights reserved.
   https://racnode1.example.com:1158/em/console/aboutApplication
   Oracle Enterprise Manager 11g is running.
   ------------------------------------------------------------------
   Logs are generated in directory /u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0/dbhome_1/racnode1_orcl/sysman/log
   

4. If the EMCTL utility reports that Database Control is not started, use the following command to start it:

   ./emctl start dbconsole
   

   Following a typical installation, Database Control serves console pages from the node where database was created. The console also monitors agents on all nodes of the cluster. However, you can configure Enterprise Manager to have multiple Database Control consoles within a cluster using EMCA.

About Downloading and Installing RDBMS Patches

Periodically, Oracle issues bug fixes for its software called patches. Patch sets are a collection of bug fixes that were produced up to the time of the patch set release. Patch sets are fully tested product fixes. Application of a patch set affects the software residing in your Oracle home.Ensure that you are running the latest patch set of the installed software. You might also need to apply patches that are not included in a patch set. Information about downloading and installing patches and patch sets is covered in Chapter 10, " Managing Oracle Software and Applying Patches".

About Configuring User Accounts

The oracle user operating system account is the account that you used to install the Oracle software. You can use different operating system accounts for accessing and managing your Oracle RAC database. You can modify the shell configuration file to set environment variables such as ORACLE_HOME whenever you log in as that operating system user.

About Preparing for Database Conversion

Before you start the process of converting your database to a cluster database, your database environment must meet certain prerequisites:

• The existing database and the target Oracle RAC database must be on the same release of Oracle Database 11g and must be running on the same platform.

• The hardware and operating system software used to implement your Oracle RAC database must be certified for use with the release of the Oracle RAC software you are installing.

• You must configure shared storage for your Oracle RAC database.

• You must verify that any applications that will run against the Oracle RAC database do not need any additional configuration before they can be used successfully with the cluster database. This applies to both Oracle applications and database features, such as Oracle Streams, and applications and products that do not come from Oracle.

• Backup procedures should be available before converting from a single-instance Oracle Database to Oracle RAC.

• For archiving in Oracle RAC environments, the archive log file format requires a thread number.

• The archived redo log files from all instances of an Oracle RAC database are required for media recovery. Because of this, if you archive to a file and you do not use a cluster file system, or some other means to provide shared file systems, then you require a method of accessing the archived redo log files from all nodes on which the cluster database has instances.

Overview of the Database Conversion Process Using Grid Control

The following list provides an outline of the process of converting a single-instance database to an Oracle RAC database using Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control:

• Complete the prerequisite tasks for converting to an Oracle RAC database:

  • Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Database software is installed on all target nodes.

  • Oracle Clusterware is started.

  • The Oracle Database binary is enabled for Oracle RAC on all target nodes.

  • Shared storage is configured and accessible from all nodes.

  • User equivalency is configured for the operating system user performing the conversion.

  • Enterprise Manager agents are configured and running on all nodes, and are configured with the cluster and host information.

  • The database being converted has been backed up successfully.

• Access the Database Home page for the database you want to convert.

• Go to the Server subpage and select Convert to Cluster Database.

• Provide the necessary credentials.

• Select the host nodes that will contain instances of the new database.

• Provide listener and instance configuration information.

• Specify the location of the shared storage to be used for the data files.

• Submit the job.

• Complete the post-conversion tasks.

The resulting Oracle RAC database uses a server pool instead of a fixed configuration.

Overview of the Database Conversion Process Using rconfig

The following list provides an outline of the process of converting a single-instance database to an Oracle RAC database using the rconfig utility:

• Complete the prerequisite tasks for converting to an Oracle RAC database.

  • Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Database software is installed on all target nodes.

  • Oracle Clusterware is started.

  • The Oracle Database binary is enabled for Oracle RAC on all target nodes.

  • Shared storage is configured and accessible from all nodes.

  • User equivalency is configured for the operating system user performing the conversion.

  • The database being converted has been backed up successfully.

• Using rconfig, you can convert a single-instance database to either an administrator-managed cluster database or a policy-managed cluster database. Modify the parameters in either the ConvertToRAC_AdminManaged.xml or ConvertToRAC_PolicyManaged.xml sample file, as appropriate for your environment, then save the file to a new location. Both files are located in the Oracle_home/assistants/rconfig/sampleXMLs directory.

• Run the rconfig command, supplying the name of the modified XML file as input.

• Complete the post-conversion tasks.

You can also use the rconfig utility to convert single-instance Oracle ASM to clustered Oracle ASM.