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Oracle® Database Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide
10g Release 2 (10.2) for AIX

Part Number B14201-04
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6 Creating Oracle Real Application Clusters Databases with Database Configuration Assistant

This chapter describes how to use Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) in standalone mode to create and delete Real Application Clusters (RAC) databases. This chapter includes the following topics:

6.1 Using Database Configuration Assistant in Oracle Real Application Clusters

DBCA has the following primary functions:

6.2 Benefits of Using Database Configuration Assistant

Oracle recommends that you use Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) to create your RAC database, because preconfigured databases optimize your environment for features such as Automatic Storage Management (ASM), the server parameter file (SPFILE), and automatic undo management. DBCA also provides pages to create new ASM disk groups if they are needed. If you use ASM or cluster file system storage, then DBCA also configures automated backup, which uses the flash recovery area.

With DBCA, you can create site-specific tablespaces as part of database creation. If you have data file requirements that differ from those offered by DBCA templates, then create your database with DBCA and modify the data files later. You can also run user-specified scripts as part of your database creation process.

DBCA also configures your RAC environment for various Oracle high availability features, such as services and cluster administration tools. It also starts any database instances required to support your defined configuration.

6.3 Oracle Real Application Clusters High Availability Services

When you configure high availability services with the DBCA Database Services page, you can also configure service instance preferences and Transparent Application Failover (TAF) policies.

6.3.1 Service Configuration and Instance Preferences

Use the Database Services page button in the column labeled Not Used, Preferred, or Available to configure service instance preferences as described in the following list:

  • Preferred—The service runs primarily on the selected instance.

  • Available—The service may run on the instance if a preferred instance fails.

  • Not Used—The service never runs on the instance.

Note:

You can assign services to run on multiple preferred instances, and fail over to multiple available instances.

After you have created the database, you can configure service instance preferences through Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control or Grid Control.

6.3.2 Transparent Application Failover Policies

Use the DBCA Database Services page to configure TAF failover policies. The DBCA Database Services page also has a TAF policy selector row under the instance preference display. Select one of the following options in this row for your failover and reconnection policy preference:

  • None—Do not use TAF.

  • Basic—Establish connections at failover time.

6.4 Automatic Listener Migration from Release 10.1 to 10.2

If your system has an Oracle Database Release 10g Release 10. 1 installation, and you install an Oracle Database 10g Release 2 (10.2) either to coexist with or to upgrade the Oracle Database 10.1 installation, then most installation types automatically migrate the Oracle Database 10.1 listener to the 10g Release 2 (10.2) Oracle home. During migration, they configure and start a default Oracle Net listener using the same TCP/IP port as the existing listener, with the IPC key value EXTPROC. This process occurs through one of the following scenarios:

The listener migration process stops the listener in the existing Oracle home, and restarts the listener from the new Oracle home. During migration, client applications may not be able to connect to any databases that are registered to the listener that is being migrated.

6.5 Verifying Requirements for DBCA

To help to verify that your system is prepared to create Oracle Database with RAC successfully, enter a Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) command using the following command syntax:

/mountpoint/crs/Disk1/cluvfy/runcluvfy.sh stage -pre dbcfg -n node_list -d oracle_home [-verbose]

In the preceding syntax example, the variable mountpoint is the mountpoint of the installation media, the variable node_list is the list of nodes in your cluster, separated by commas, and the variable oracle_home is the path for the Oracle home directory where OUI creates or modifies the database.

For example, to perform a check to determine if your system is prepared for an Oracle Database with RAC on a two-node cluster with nodes node1 and node2, with the mountpoint /dev/dvdrom/, and with the Oracle home path /oracle/product/10.2.0, enter the following command:

/dev/dvdrom/crs/Disk1/cluvfy/runcluvfy.sh stage -pre dbcfg -n node1,node2 -d /oracle/product/10.2.0/

You can select the option -verbose to receive progress updates as the CVU performs its system checks, and detailed reporting of the test results.

If the CVU summary indicates that the cluster verification check fails, then review and correct the relevant system configuration steps, and run the test again.

The command runcluvfy.sh stage -pre dbcfg verifies the following:

6.6 Creating an Oracle Real Application Clusters Database with DBCA

To create a database with DBCA in standalone mode without ASM or a cluster file system, you must have configured each raw device as described in Appendix C. In addition, you must have run the Oracle Net Configuration Assistant (NETCA) to configure your Oracle Net listener.ora file.

If you select DBCA templates that use preconfigured data files and if you do not use ASM or a cluster file system, then during database creation, DBCA first verifies that you created the raw devices for each tablespace. If you have not configured the raw devices, then you must configure the raw devices and replace the default data file names that DBCA provides with raw device names on the DBCA Storage page to continue database creation.

To start DBCA, connect as the oracle user to one of your nodes where RAC is installed, and enter the command dbca command from the $ORACLE_HOME/bin directory.

When you start DBCA, the first page it displays is the Welcome page for RAC, which includes the option to select an Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) database. DBCA displays this RAC-specific Welcome page only if the Oracle home from which it is started was cluster-installed.

If DBCA does not display the Welcome page for RAC, then DBCA was unable to detect if the Oracle home is cluster-installed. In this case, check that the OUI inventory is correctly located in the directory /etc/oraInst.loc, and that the oraInventory file is not corrupted. Also, perform clusterware diagnostics by running the CVU command /mountpoint/crs/Disk1/cluvfy/runcluvfy.sh stage -post crsinst -n nodename.

If the RAC Welcome page opens, then provide information as prompted by DBCA. Click Help if you need assistance.

Note the following important information when using DBCA:

After you respond to DBCA prompts, review the Summary dialog information and click OK, DBCA does the following:

Caution:

After you have created the database, if you decide that you want to install additional Oracle Database 10g products in the 10g Release 2 (10.2) database you have created, then you must stop all processes running in the Oracle home before you attempt to install the additional products. For the Oracle Universal Installer to relink certain executables and libraries, all database processes must be down. Refer to Appendix F, "How to Stop Processes in an Existing Oracle Real Application Clusters Database, and How to Perform Oracle Clusterware Rolling Upgrades" for additional information.

6.7 Deleting a Real Application Clusters Database with DBCA

This section explains how to delete a RAC database with DBCA. This process deletes a database and removes a database's initialization parameter files, instances, OFA structure, and Oracle network configuration. However, this process does not remove data files if you placed the files on raw devices or on raw partitions.

To delete a database with DBCA:

  1. Start DBCA on one of the nodes by running the DBCA command from the $ORACLE_HOME/bin directory.

    The DBCA Welcome page appears.

  2. Select Oracle Real Application Clusters, and click Next.

    After you click Next, DBCA displays the Operations page.

  3. Select Delete a database, and click Next. DBCA displays the List of Cluster Databases page.

  4. If your user ID and password are not operating-system authenticated, then the List of Cluster Databases page displays the user name and password fields. If these fields appear, then enter a user ID and password that has SYSDBA privileges.

  5. Select the database to delete, and click Finish.

    After you click Finish, DBCA displays a dialog box to confirm the database and instances that DBCA is going to delete.

  6. Click OK to begin the deletion of the database and its associated files, services, and environment settings, or click Cancel to stop the operation.

When you click OK, DBCA continues the operation and deletes all the associated instances for this database. DBCA also removes the parameter files, password files, and oratab entries.

At this point, you have accomplished the following: