Category Archives: Oracle

Configuring DD Boost Replication for Oracle RMAN

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In this post, we are going to install the DD Boost module for Oracle RMAN.

DD Boost is an optional module that works with Data Domain and a number of applications and databases, including Oracle. DD Boost moves some of the sophisticated deduplication process from the Data Domain appliance to the database server, resulting in a dramatic reduction in network bandwidth and backup times.

A greater than fifty percent reduction in backup times for a full level zero RMAN backup is typical when switching to DD Boost although as always, your mileage may vary.

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Using Data Domain as a backup target for RMAN

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In this post, I will demonstrate how to set up Data Domain as a backup target for RMAN using NFS.

This is a basic process that involves creating the storage unit on the Data Domain, configuring NFS and then testing the backup.  The post will serve as a basis for future posts where we will cover Mtree replication in Data Domain, and the acceleration option called DD Boost.

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Using EMC Powerpath with ASMLib

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ASMLib is optional software to simplify the use of Automatic Storage Management (ASM) for Oracle databases on Linux.

ASMLib ensures consistent naming of devices across RAC clusters, and also maintains permissions on devices across reboots, a feature that was important until UDEV rules were added to Linux with the 2.5 kernel.

EMC Powerpath is an advanced multi-pathing host based solution that works with EMC arrays to intelligently load balance I/O across all available paths as well as provide fault tolerance by automatically re-routing traffic around failed paths. EMC Powerpath is significantly more powerful and robust that native Linux MPIO.

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Using KFOD to verify disks before installing Grid Infrastructure

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The KFOD tool is an Oracle supplied command line tool for inspecting available disks.

Since many of the issues associated with failed RAC installs are caused by shared disk, using KFOD to ensure that ASMLib or UDEV has correctly presented disks with the correct permissions to all nodes, before launching the Grid installer can save a good deal of time and effort.

However, since it is the Grid installer that installs KFOD, this can be tricky.

In this post we show how to leverage KFOD before the Grid Infrastructure is installed:

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Oracle 12cR1 12.1.0.1 2-node RAC on CentOS 6.4 on VMware Workstation 9 – Introduction

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A couple of weeks ago, Oracle released the long awaited Oracle 12c database, with lots of exciting new features.

A couple of great blog posts have already been done on how to install this, but from what I have seen they rely on Oracle’s OVM technology and/or Oracle Enterprise Linux.

This blog post is a detailed step-by-step of Oracle 12cR1 RAC using VMware Workstation and CentOS 6.4.

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Oracle 12cR1 12.1.0.1 2-node RAC on CentOS 6.4 on VMware Workstation 9 – Part XI

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Time Required: 20 minutes

Class Materials:

  • Completed Oracle 12c install

The next step is to create a new 12c database!

The dbca is still the method used to create a new database in 12c. But before we launch the installer, we will modify the /etc/oratab file.

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Oracle 12cR1 12.1.0.1 2-node RAC on CentOS 6.4 on VMware Workstation 9 – Part X

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Time Required: 60 minutes

Class Materials:

  • Oracle 12cR1 Database software

The next step is to install the Oracle 12c database software.

The database install process is largely unchanged from the 11g installer, so this should be familiar terriroty to most DBAs.

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Oracle 12cR1 12.1.0.1 2-node RAC on CentOS 6.4 on VMware Workstation 9 – Part IX

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Oracle 12cR1 12.1.0.1 2-node RAC on CentOS 6.4 on VMware Workstation 9 – Part IX

Time Required: 60 minutes

Class Materials:

  • Oracle 12cR1 Grid Infrastructure software

Now that we have completed all the preparation steps and the grid pre-install steps, we can install the 12c Oracle Grid Infrastructure software.

The Grid Infrastructure will provide the Cluster software that allows the RAC nodes to communicate, as well as the ASM software to manage the shared disks.

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Oracle 12cR1 12.1.0.1 2-node RAC on CentOS 6.4 on VMware Workstation 9 – Part VIII

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Time Required: 30 minutes

Class Materials:

  • Oracle 11gR2 Grid Infrastructure software

Next we are going to perform some final steps before we can launch the Oracle Grid Infrastructure install.

The Grid Infrastructure will provide the cluster software that allows the RAC nodes to communicate, as well as the ASM software to manage the shared disks.

To begin, download the zip files from the Oracle software download website and unzip on Ruggero. Make sure you are logged in as the oracle user so that oracle owns the unzipped files.

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Oracle 12cR1 12.1.0.1 2-node RAC on CentOS 6.4 on VMware Workstation 9 – Part VII

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Time Required: 60 minutes

Class Materials:

  • 20GB of disk space
  • an ASCII text editor

Next we are going to add shared disk for the RAC cluster to use.

In earlier releases of Oracle RAC, a mimimal RAC could be stood up on less than 5GB of ASM disk. With Oracle 12c that is no longer possible.

For this demonstration I am going to create a 20GB shared disk. If you are tight on space you just about shoe horn it into a 10GB disk.

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