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

Part Number B14207-05
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2 Server and Network Pre-Installation Tasks

This chapter describes the tasks that you must complete before you start Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) to install Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) on Microsoft Windows x86 (32-bit and 64-bit) and Itanium systems. This chapter includes the following topics:

Understanding and Using Cluster Verification Utility

Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) is a tool that performs system checks related to Oracle Clusterware and RAC requirements. CVU can assist you with confirming that your system is properly configured for Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Real Application Clusters installation. You will find CVU commands, along with information on how to respond to CVU output, in this chapter and the following chapters. Look for these commands at the start or the end of each major step in the pre-installation and installation processes.

This section tells you how to run CVU from your installation media and provides an overview of CVU commands. The section is divided into the following topics:

Entering Cluster Verification Utility Commands

Note:

You must have the utility unzip installed and configured with a path command for runcluvfy.bat to run.

Once you have installed Oracle Clusterware, you can use CVU by entering cluvfy commands on the command line. To use CVU before you install Oracle Clusterware, you must run the commands using a command file available on the Oracle Clusterware installation media. Use the following syntax to run a CVU command run from the installation media, where media is the location of the Oracle Clusterware installation media and options is a list of one or more CVU command options:

media\clusterware\cluvfy\runcluvfy.bat options

The value of media depends on where your installation media is located, such as on physical media inserted in a local ROM drive or downloaded onto a local disk drive from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) Web site. The available CVU options are listed in the CVU help system, described in the next section.

See Also:

Oracle Database Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows (32-Bit) for further information about options for locating your installation media.

The following code example is of a CVU help command, run from a staged copy of the Oracle Clusterware directory downloaded from OTN into a directory called stage on your C: drive:

C:\> stage\clusterware\cluvfy\runcluvfy.bat comp nodereach -n node1,node2 -verbose

By default, when you enter a CVU command, CVU provides a summary of the test and its results. During pre-installation, Oracle recommends that you obtain detailed output by using the -verbose argument with the CVU command as shown in example. When you use the -verbose argument, the command's output includes detailed information about each individual check. Where applicable, the output shows results for each node in a tabular layout.

For a quick test, you can run the following CVU command that you would normally use after you have completed the basic hardware and software configuration:

prompt> media\clusterware\cluvfy\runcluvfy.bat stage –post hwos –n node_list

Use the location of your Oracle Clusterware installation media for the media value and a list of the nodes, separated by commas, in your cluster for node_list. Expect to see many errors if you run this command before you or your system administrator complete the cluster pre-installation steps.

Using Cluster Verification Utility Help

CVU commands have context-sensitive help that shows correct syntax usage based on the command line arguments that you enter.

If you enter an invalid CVU command, then CVU shows the correct usage for that command. For example, if you enter runcluvfy.bat stage -pre dbinst with the appropriate directory prefix, then CVU shows the correct syntax for the database pre-installation checks that CVU performs with the dbinst stage option. The following is a list of context help commands, shown with the normal, post-installation command line syntax:

  • cluvfy: CVU displays high-level generic usage text describing the stage and component syntax.

  • cluvfy -help: CVU displays detailed CVU command information.

  • cluvfy comp -list: CVU displays a list of components that can be checked, and brief descriptions of how each component is checked.

  • cluvfy comp -help: CVU displays detailed syntax for each of the valid component checks.

  • cluvfy stage -list: CVU displays a list of valid stages.

  • cluvfy stage -help: CVU displays detailed syntax for each of the valid stage checks.

Verbose Mode and "Unknown" Output

If you run CVU using the -verbose argument and a CVU command responds with UNKNOWN for a particular node, then this is because CVU cannot determine whether a check passed or failed. The following is a list of possible causes for an "Unknown" response:

  • The node is down

  • CVU executables are missing in the Oracle Clusterware home or Oracle home directory

  • The user account starting CVU does not have privileges to run common operating system executables on the node

  • The node is missing an operating system patch, or a required package

  • The node has exceeded the maximum number of processes or maximum number of open files, or there is a problem with problem with IPC segments, such as shared memory or semaphores

Installation Differences Between Windows and UNIX

If you are experienced with installing Oracle components in UNIX environments, note that many manual setup tasks required on UNIX are not required on Windows. The key differences between UNIX and Windows installations are:

See Also:

"Oracle Database Windows/UNIX Differences," in Oracle Database Platform Guide for Microsoft Windows (32-Bit)

Checking Hardware and Software Certification

The hardware and software requirements included in this installation guide were current at the time this guide was published. However, because new platforms and operating system software versions might be certified after this guide is published, review the certification matrix on the OracleMetaLink Web site for the most up-to-date list of certified hardware platforms and operating system versions. This Web site also provides compatible client and database versions, patches, and workaround information for bugs. The OracleMetaLink Web site is available at the following URL:

https://metalink.oracle.com/

You must register online before using OracleMetaLink. After logging in, select Certify & Availability from the left-hand column. From the Product Lifecycle page, select the Certifications button. Other Product Lifecycle options include Product Availability, Desupport Notices, and Alerts.

The following sections list the following certification information:

Web Browser Support

On 32-bit Windows systems, the following Web browsers are supported for iSQL*Plus and Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control:

  • Netscape Navigator 7.0 and higher

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5, 6.0, and higher with service pack 1

  • Mozilla version 1.3.1 and higher

On 64-bit Windows systems, Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 and higher is supported for for iSQL*Plus and Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control.

Telnet and Terminal Services Support

This section contains these topics:

Windows Telnet Services Support

Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 includes a Telnet Service that allows remote users to log on to the operating system and run console programs using the command line. Oracle supports the use of database command line utilities such as sqlplus, export, import and sqlldr using this feature, but does not support the database GUI tools such as Oracle Universal Installer, Database Configuration Assistant, and Oracle Net Configuration Assistant.

Note:

Ensure that the Telnet service is started on the Services control panel.

Windows Terminal Services and Remote Desktop Support

Oracle supports installing, configuring, and running Oracle Database through Terminal Services, on Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 Server. If you encounter problems with the installation through Terminal Server, Oracle recommends that you try connecting to the Terminal Services console session of the server (using mstsc /console).

Platform-specific support information is as follows:

  • Windows 2000: Oracle supports installing, configuring, and running Oracle Database from a remote Terminal Services Client.

  • Windows Server 2003: You can configure Windows Server 2003 to use Terminal Services in Remote Desktop for Administration Mode or Terminal Server Mode.

The following products and features are not supported with Windows Terminal Services:

  • Oracle Connection Manager

  • Oracle Object Link Manager

  • Oracle Services for Microsoft Transaction Server

  • Server Management (SRVM) (You need to use a Windows Terminal Services console in order to use SRVM.)

See Also:

Checking Hardware Requirements

You must have at least the following hardware component values for installing Oracle Database:

Hard Disk Space Requirements

This section lists space requirements for both the Enterprise and Standard Editions of Oracle Database 10g RAC. Oracle recommends storing Oracle components on NTFS.

The NTFS system requirements listed in this section are more accurate than the hard disk values reported by the Oracle Universal Installer Summary screen. The Summary screen does not include accurate values for disk space, the space required to create a database (over 700 MB), or the size of compressed files that are expanded on the hard drive.

Data files are not placed on NTFS partitions, because they cannot be shared. Data files can be placed on Oracle Cluster File System (OCFS), on raw disks using ASM, or on raw disks.

The hard disk requirements for Oracle Database components include 32 MB required to install Java Runtime Environment (JRE) and Oracle Universal Installer on the partition where the operating system is installed. If sufficient space is not detected, then installation fails and an error message appears. Table 2-1 lists the hard disk space requirements, including the requirement for the starter database. The starter database requires 720 MB of disk space.

Table 2-1 Hard Disk Space Requirements

Installation Type TEMP space C:\Program Files\Oracle Oracle Home Data FilesFoot 1  Total

Standard Edition

125 MB

100 MB

4 GB

1.05 GB

6 GB

Enterprise Edition

125 MB

100 MB

4 GB

1.05 GBFoot 2 

6 GB


Footnote 1 Refers to the contents of the admin, flash_recovery_area, and oradata directories in the ORACLE_BASE directory
Footnote 2 This size can be higher, depending on the installation options selected, such as languages or additional components. If you choose to install Oracle Database and Oracle Real Application Clusters with automated backups enabled, then include at least 2 GB extra for data file disk space.

Verifying Hardware Requirements

To ensure that the system meets these requirements, follow these steps:

  1. Determine the physical RAM size. For a computer using Windows 2003, for example, open System in the control panel and select the General tab. If the size of the physical RAM installed in the system is less than the required size, then you must install more memory before continuing.

  2. Determine the size of the configured swap space (also known as paging file size). For a computer using Windows 2003, for example, open System in the control panel, select the Advanced tab, and click Settings in the Performance section.

    If necessary, refer to your operating system documentation for information about how to configure additional swap space.

  3. Determine the amount of free disk space on the system. For a computer using Windows 2003, for example, open My Computer, right-click the drive where the Oracle software is to be installed, and choose Properties.

  4. Determine the amount of disk space available in the temp directory. This is equivalent to the total amount of free disk space, minus what will be needed for the Oracle software to be installed.

    You require 125 MB of disk space available in the temp directory. If you do not have sufficient space, then first delete all unnecessary files. If the temp disk space is still less than the required amount, then set the TEMP or TMP environment variable to point to a different hard drive. For a computer using Windows 2003, for example, open the System control panel, select the Advanced tab, and click Environment Variables.

    Note:

    The temporary directory must reside in the same directory path on each node in the cluster.

Checking Software Requirements

Table 2-2 lists the software requirements for Oracle Database 10g Real Application Clusters.

Table 2-2 Software Requirements

Requirement Value

System Architecture

Processor: Intel (x86), Intel Itanium, AMD64, or Intel Extended memory (EM64T)

Note: Oracle provides 32-bit (x86), 64-bit (Itanium), and 64-bit (x86-64) versions of Oracle Database with Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) for Windows.

The 32-bit RAC version runs on the 32-bit version of Windows. The 64-bit (x86-64) RAC version runs on the 64-bit version of Windows on AMD64 and EM64T hardware. 64-bit (Itanium) RAC runs on the 64-bit version of Windows on Itanium hardware. Oracle provides limited certification for 32-bit Oracle Database on 64-bit Windows (x86-64). For additional information, visit OracleMetaLink at the following URL:

https://metalink.oracle.com

Operating System for 32-bit Windows

Oracle Real Application Clusters for 32-bit Windows:

  • Windows 2000 with service pack 4 or higher. All editions, including Terminal Services and Windows 2000 MultiLanguage Edition (MLE), are supported.

  • Windows Server 2003 with service pack 1 or higher.

Windows Multilingual User Interface Pack is supported on Windows Server 2003.

Operating system for x64 Windows

Oracle Real Application Clusters for x64 Windows:

Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 or higher.

Windows Multilingual User Interface Pack is supported on Windows Server 2003.

Operating system for Windows on Itanium

Oracle Real Application Clusters for Itanium systems:

Windows Server 2003.

Windows Multilingual User Interface Pack is supported on Windows Server 2003.

Compiler for 32-bit Windows

Pro*Cobol has been tested and certified with the following two compilers:

  • ACUCOBOL-GT version 6.2

  • Micro Focus Net Express 4.0

Object Oriented COBOL (OOCOBOL) specifications are not supported.

The following components are supported with the Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2002 7.0 and Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2003 7.1 compilers:

  • Oracle C++ Call Interface

  • Oracle Call Interface

  • GNU Compiler Collection (GCC)

  • External callouts

  • PL/SQL native compilation

  • XDK

If you plan to use GNU Compiler Collection as your primary compiler, see Oracle Database Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows (32-Bit) for configuration instructions.

Compiler for Windows on Itanium

The following components are supported with the windows 2003 Microsoft Platform SDK compiler or later and with the Intel Compiler Version 7.1 and Version 8.1:

  • Oracle C++ Call Interface

  • Oracle Call Interface

  • External callouts

  • PL/SQL native compilation

  • XDK

Pro*Cobol, Object Oriented COBOL (OOCOBOL) specifications, and GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) are not supported.

Compiler for x64 Windows

The following components are supported with the Windows 2003 Service Pack 1 Microsoft Platform SDK compiler and with the Intel Compiler, Version 8.1:

  • Oracle C++ Call Interface

  • Oracle Call Interface

  • External callouts

  • PL/SQL native compilation

  • XDK

Pro*Cobol, Object Oriented COBOL (OOCOBOL) specifications, and GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) are not supported.

Network Protocol

Oracle Net foundation layer uses Oracle protocol support to communicate with the following industry-standard network protocols:

  • TCP/IP

  • TCP/IP with SSL

  • Named Pipes


If you are currently running an operating system version that is not supported by Oracle Database 10g, release 10.2, such as Windows NT Server 4.0, then you must first upgrade your operating system before upgrading to Oracle Database 10g Real Application Clusters.

If you are currently running a cluster with Oracle9i clusterware and wish to continue to use it, then you must upgrade to Oracle9i, version 9.2.0.4 to ensure compatibility between Cluster Manager Services in Oracle9i and Oracle Database 10g.

Checking the Hardware and Operating System Setup with CVU

You can use two different CVU commands to check your hardware and operating system configuration. The first is a general check of the configuration and the second specifically checks for the components required to install Oracle Clusterware.

The syntax of the more general CVU command is:

cluvfy stage –post hwos –n node_list [-verbose]

where node_list is the names of the nodes in your cluster, separated by commas. However, because you have not yet installed Oracle Clusterware, you must execute the CVU command from the installation media using a command like the one following. In this example, the command checks the hardware and operating system of a two-node cluster with nodes named node1 and node2, using a staged copy of the installation media in a directory called stage on the C: drive:

C:\> stage\clusterware\cluvfy\runcluvfy.bat stage –post hwos –n node1,node2 -verbose

You can omit the -verbose keyword if you do not wish to see detailed results listed as CVU performs each individual test.

The following example is a command, without the -verbose keyword, to check for the readiness of the cluster for installing Oracle Clusterware:

C:\> stage\clusterware\cluvfy\runcluvfy.bat comp sys -n node1,node2 -p crs

Checking Network Requirements

Check that you have the networking hardware and internet protocol (IP) addresses required for an Oracle Real Application Clusters installation.

Note:

For the most up-to-date information about supported network protocols and hardware for RAC installations, refer to the Certify pages on the OracleMetaLink Web site:
https://metalink.oracle.com

Network Hardware Requirements

Each node in the cluster must meet the following requirements:

  • Each node must have at least two network adapters; one for the public network interface and one for the private network interface (the interconnect).

  • The private and public network interface names must be different from each other and cannot contain any multibyte language characters. The names are case-sensitive.

  • The private network interface name must be the same on all nodes.

  • The public network interface name must be the same on all nodes.

  • The public interface on each node must be listed first in the bind order (the order in which network services access the node).

  • Oracle supports the TCP/IP protocol for the public and private networks and requires that Windows Media Sensing is disabled by setting the value of the DisableDHCPMediaSense parameter to 1.

IP Address Requirements

Before starting the installation, you must have the following IP addresses available for each node:

  • An IP address with an associated network name registered in the domain name service (DNS) for the public interface. If you do not have an available DNS, then record the network name and IP address in the system hosts file, %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.

  • One virtual IP (VIP) address with an associated network name registered in DNS. If you do not have an available DNS, then record the network name and VIP address in the system hosts file, %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts. Select an address for your VIP that meets the following requirements:

    • The IP address and network name are currently unused

    • The VIP is on the same subnet as your public interface

    Before installation, ensure that the default gateway can be accessed by a ping command. To find the default gateway, use the route command, as described in your operating system's help utility. After installation, configure clients to use either the VIP address or the network name associated with the VIP. If a node fails, then the node's virtual IP address fails over to another node.

  • A private IP address with a host name for each private interface.

    Oracle recommends that you use private network IP addresses for these interfaces (for example: 10.*.*.* or 192.168.*.*). Use the %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file on each node to associate private network names with private IP addresses.

For example, with a two node cluster where each node has one public and one private interface, you might have the configuration shown in the following table for your network interfaces, where the hosts file is %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts:

Node Interface Name Type IP Address Registered In
rac1 rac1 Public 143.46.43.100 DNS (if available, else the hosts file)
rac1 rac1-vip Virtual 143.46.43.104 DNS (if available, else the hosts file)
rac1 rac1-priv Private 10.0.0.1 Hosts file
rac2 rac2 Public 143.46.43.101 DNS (if available, else the hosts file)
rac2 rac2-vip Virtual 143.46.43.105 DNS (if available, else the hosts file)
rac2 rac2-priv Private 10.0.0.2 Hosts file

To enable VIP failover, the configuration shown in the preceding table defines the public and VIP addresses of both nodes on the same subnet, 143.46.43. When a node or interconnect fails, then the associated VIP is relocated to the surviving instance, enabling fast notification of the failure to the clients connecting through that VIP. If the application and client are configured with transparent application failover options, then the client is reconnected to the surviving instance.

Checking Network Requirements

To verify that each node meets the requirements, follow these steps:

  1. If necessary, install the network adapters for the public and private networks and configure them with either public or private IP addresses.

  2. Register the host names and IP addresses for the public network interfaces in DNS.

  3. For each node, register one virtual host name and IP address in DNS.

  4. For each private interface on every node, add a line similar to the following to the %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file on all nodes, specifying the private IP address and associated private host name:

    10.0.0.1     rac1-priv
    
    

If you need to change a network interface name, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, then Settings, then Control Panel, and then Network and Dial-up Connections

  2. Right click the icon of the network interface for which you need to change the name

  3. Select Rename

  4. Enter and save the new name

To ensure that your public interface is first in the bind order, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click My Network Places and choose Properties.

  2. In the Advanced menu, click Advanced Settings...

  3. If the public interface name is not the first name listed under the Adapters and Bindings tab, then select it and click the arrow to move it to the top of list

  4. Click OK to save the setting and then exit network setup dialog

To disable Windows Media Sensing for TCP/IP, you must set the value of the DisableDHCPMediaSense parameter to 1 on each node. Because you need to modify the Windows registry to disable Media Sensing, you should first backup the registry and confirm that you can restore it, using the methods described in your Windows documentation. Disable Media Sensing by completing the following steps on each node of your cluster:

  1. Backup the Windows registry.

  2. Use Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) to view the following key in the registry:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
    
    
  3. Add the following registry value:

    Value Name: DisableDHCPMediaSense
    Data Type: REG_DWORD -Boolean
    Value: 1
    
    
  4. Restart the computer.

Checking the Network Setup

Enter a command using the following syntax to verify node connectivity between all of the nodes for which your cluster is configured:

cluvfy comp nodecon -n node_list [-verbose]

In the preceding command, the variable node_list is a list of nodes, separated by commas, in your cluster. This command detects all the network interfaces available on the cluster nodes, and verifies the connectivity between all the nodes through the network interfaces it finds. This command also lists all the interfaces available on the nodes that are suitable for use as virtual IPs. If you have defined the IP addresses for your private interconnects as suggested earlier in this section, the command will also show the interfaces to the private interconnects that are successfully connected.

Include the option -verbose to receive progress updates as CVU performs its system checks, and detailed reporting of the test results. You will need to provide the full path name to the CVU executable on the installation, just as before.

In the following example, the media is in the staging area on the C: drive and the two-node cluster consists of nodes named node1 and node2:

C:\> stage\clusterware\cluvfy\runcluvfy.bat comp nodecon -n node1,node2 -verbose

Checking Individual Component Requirements

This section contains these topics:

Oracle Advanced Security Requirements

Satisfy hardware and software requirements to use authentication support with Oracle components. Some Oracle Advanced Security components can use a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directory such as Oracle Internet Directory.

See Also:

Oracle Database Advanced Security Administrator's Guide

Oracle Enterprise Manager Requirements

All Oracle Enterprise Manager products must be of the same release. Older versions of Enterprise Manager are not supported with the current release.

Note:

All Oracle Enterprise Manager products, except Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Control and Enterprise Manager Java Console, are released on the Enterprise Manager Grid Control installation media. Enterprise Manager Database Control is available on the Oracle Database installation media and Enterprise Manager Java Console is available on the Oracle Client installation media.

See Also:

Oracle Enterprise Manager Grid Control Installation and Basic Configuration available on the Enterprise Manager Grid Control installation media

Stopping Existing Oracle Processes

Caution:

If you are installing additional Oracle Database 10g products in an existing Oracle home, stop all processes running in the Oracle home. You must complete this task to enable Oracle Universal Installer to relink certain executables and libraries.

If you are installing Oracle Clusterware on a node that already has a single-instance Oracle Database 10g installation, then stop the existing ASM instances. After Oracle Clusterware is installed, start up the ASM instances again. After Oracle Clusterware is installed, when you restart the ASM instances, they use the cluster CSS daemon instead of the daemon for the single-instance Oracle database.

If a GSD from Oracle9i, Release 9.2 or earlier, is running, then stop it before installing Oracle Database 10g Oracle Clusterware by stopping OracleGSDService. The procedure to stop Oracle services in the Services window appears at the end of this section.

If you choose to create a database during the installation, then most installation types configure and start a default Oracle Net listener using TCP/IP port 1521 and the IPC key value EXTPROC. However, if an existing Oracle Net listener process is using the same port or key value, then Oracle Universal Installer can only configure the new listener; it cannot start it. To ensure that the new listener process starts during the installation, you must shut down any existing listeners and stop their related services before starting Oracle Universal Installer.

To stop an Oracle service, perform one of the following procedures

Note:

If you receive a warning to stop all Oracle services after starting OUI, then run the command
Oracle_home\bin\localconfig delete

where Oracle_home is the home that is running CSS.

Verifying Cluster Privileges

Before running Oracle Universal Installer, from the node where you intend to run the Installer, verify that you have administrative privileges on the other nodes. To do this, enter the following command for each node that is a part of the cluster:

net use \\node_name\C$

where node_name is the node name. If your installation will access drives in addition to the C: drive, repeat this command for every node in the cluster, substituting the drive letter for each drive you plan to use.

For the installation to be successful, you must use the same user name and password on each node in a cluster or use a domain user name. If you use a domain user name, then log on under a domain with a user name and password to which you have explicitly granted local administrative privileges on all nodes.