Installation And Upgrade Guide RAC 12 PDF 122 GRIDInstallation Windows

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Contents
List of Examples
List of Tables
Preface
- Audience
- Documentation Accessibility
- Java Access Bridge and Accessibility
- Related Documentation
- Conventions
Changes in this Release for Oracle Clusterware
- Changes in Oracle Clusterware 12c Release 2 (12.2)
- Changes in Oracle Clusterware 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2)
  - New Features for Oracle Clusterware 12.1.0.2
  - Other Changes for Oracle Clusterware 12.1.0.2
- Changes in Oracle Clusterware 12c Release 1 (12.1)
1 Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation Checklist
- 1.1 Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation Server Hardware Checklist
- 1.2 Operating System Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC
- 1.3 Server Configuration Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure
- 1.4 Oracle Grid Infrastructure Network Checklist
- 1.5 User Environment Configuration Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure
- 1.6 Storage Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure
- 1.7 Installer Planning Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure
2 Configuring Servers for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC
- 2.1 Checking Server Hardware and Memory Configuration
- 2.2 General Server Requirements
- 2.3 Server Minimum Hardware and Memory Requirements
- 2.4 Server Minimum Storage Requirements
  - 2.4.1 Disk Format Requirements
- 2.5 Configuring Time Synchronization for the Cluster
3 Configuring Operating Systems for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC
- 3.1 Reviewing Operating System and Software Upgrade Best Practices
- 3.2 Reviewing Operating System Security Common Practices
- 3.3 Verify Privileges for Copying Files in the Cluster
- 3.4 Identifying Software Requirements
  - 3.4.1 Windows Firewall Feature on Windows Servers
- 3.5 Checking the Operating System Version
- 3.6 Checking Hardware and Software Certification on My Oracle Support
- 3.7 Oracle Enterprise Manager Requirements
- 3.8 Installation Requirements for Web Browsers
4 Configuring Networks for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC
- 4.1 About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Network Configuration Options
- 4.2 Understanding Network Addresses
- 4.3 Network Interface Hardware Requirements
- 4.4 Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements
- 4.5 Intended Use of Network Adapters
- 4.6 Broadcast Requirements for Networks Used by Oracle Grid Infrastructure
- 4.7 Multicast Requirements for Networks Used by Oracle Grid Infrastructure
- 4.8 Configuring Multiple ASM Interconnects on Microsoft Windows Platforms
5 Configuring Users, Groups and Environments for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC
- 5.1 Creating Installation Groups and Users for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC
- 5.2 Standard Administration and Job Role Separation User Groups
- 5.3 Configuring User Accounts
- 5.4 Creating Oracle Software Directories
- 5.5 Enabling Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)
6 Configuring Shared Storage for Oracle Database and Grid Infrastructure
- 6.1 Supported Storage Options for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC
- 6.2 Oracle ACFS and Oracle ADVM
- 6.3 Storage Considerations for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC
- 6.4 Guidelines for Choosing a Shared Storage Option
  - 6.4.1 Guidelines for Using Oracle ASM Disk Groups for Storage
  - 6.4.2 Guidelines for Using Direct Network File System (NFS) with Oracle RAC
- 6.5 About Migrating Existing Oracle ASM Instances
- 6.6 Preliminary Shared Disk Preparation
  - 6.6.1 Disabling Write Caching
  - 6.6.2 Enabling Automounting for Windows
- 6.7 Configuring Disk Partitions on Shared Storage
  - 6.7.1 Creating Disk Partitions Using the Disk Management Interface
  - 6.7.2 Creating Disk Partitions using the DiskPart Utility
7 Configuring Storage for Oracle Automatic Storage Management
- 7.1 Identifying Storage Requirements for Using Oracle ASM for Shared Storage
- 7.2 Oracle Clusterware Storage Space Requirements
- 7.3 About the Grid Infrastructure Management Repository
- 7.4 Restrictions for Disk Partitions Used By Oracle ASM
- 7.5 Preparing Your System to Use Oracle ASM for Shared Storage
- 7.6 Marking Disk Partitions for Oracle ASM Before Installation
- 7.7 Configuring Oracle Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System
8 Configuring Direct NFS Client for Oracle RAC Data Files
- 8.1 About Direct NFS Client Storage
- 8.2 Creating an oranfstab File for Direct NFS Client
- 8.3 Configurable Attributes for the oranfstab File
- 8.4 Mounting NFS Storage Devices with Direct NFS Client
- 8.5 Specifying Network Paths for a NFS Server
- 8.6 Enabling Direct NFS Client
- 8.7 Performing Basic File Operations Using the ORADNFS Utility
- 8.8 Monitoring Direct NFS Client Usage
- 8.9 Disabling Oracle Disk Management Control of NFS for Direct NFS Client
9 Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a Cluster
- 9.1 About Image-Based Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation
- 9.2 Understanding Cluster Configuration Options
  - 9.2.1 About Oracle Standalone Clusters
  - 9.2.2 About Oracle Extended Clusters
- 9.3 About Default File Permissions Set by Oracle Universal Installer
- 9.4 Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a New Cluster
- 9.5 Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure Using a Cluster Configuration File
- 9.6 Installing Only the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Software
- 9.7 Confirming Oracle Clusterware Function
- 9.8 Confirming Oracle ASM Function for Oracle Clusterware Files
- 9.9 Understanding Offline Processes in Oracle Grid Infrastructure
10 Oracle Grid Infrastructure Postinstallation Tasks
- 10.1 Required Postinstallation Tasks
  - 10.1.1 Download and Install Patch Updates
  - 10.1.2 Configure Exceptions for the Windows Firewall
- 10.2 Recommended Postinstallation Tasks
- 10.3 Using Earlier Oracle Database Releases with Grid Infrastructure
- 10.4 Modifying Oracle Clusterware Binaries After Installation
11 Upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure
- 11.1 Understanding Out-of-Place and Rolling Upgrades
- 11.2 About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrade and Downgrade
- 11.3 Options for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrades
- 11.4 Restrictions and Guidelines for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrades
- 11.5 Preparing to Upgrade an Existing Oracle Clusterware Installation
- 11.6 Understanding Rolling Upgrades Using Batches
- 11.7 Performing Rolling Upgrades of Oracle Grid Infrastructure
- 11.8 Applying Patches to Oracle Grid Infrastructure
- 11.9 Updating Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Target Parameters
- 11.10 Checking Cluster Health Monitor Repository Size After Upgrading
- 11.11 Downgrading Oracle Clusterware After an Upgrade
  - 11.11.1 Downgrading to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1 (12.1)
  - 11.11.2 Downgrading to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g Release 2 (11.2)
- 11.12 Completing Failed or Interrupted Installations and Upgrades
12 Modifying or Deinstalling Oracle Grid Infrastructure
- 12.1 Deciding When to Deinstall Oracle Clusterware
- 12.2 Migrating Standalone Grid Infrastructure Servers to a Cluster
- 12.3 Changing the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Home Path
- 12.4 Unconfiguring Oracle Clusterware Without Removing the Software
- 12.5 Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM Software
A Installing and Configuring Oracle Grid Infrastructure Using Response Files
- A.1 How Response Files Work
  - A.1.1 Deciding to Use Silent Mode or Response File Mode
  - A.1.2 Using Response Files
- A.2 Preparing Response Files
- A.3 Running Oracle Universal Installer Using a Response File
- A.4 Running Oracle Net Configuration Assistant Using Response Files
- A.5 Postinstallation Configuration Using Response File Created During Installation
  - A.5.1 Using the Installation Response File for Postinstallation Configuration
  - A.5.2 Running Postinstallation Configuration Using Response File
- A.6 Postinstallation Configuration Using the ConfigToolAllCommands Script
B Optimal Flexible Architecture
- B.1 About the Optimal Flexible Architecture Standard
- B.2 About Multiple Oracle Homes Support
- B.3 Oracle Base Directory Naming Convention
- B.4 Oracle Home Directory Naming Convention
- B.5 Optimal Flexible Architecture File Path Examples
Index

Oracle® Grid Infrastructure

Installation and Upgrade Guide

12c Release 2 (12.2) for Microsoft Windows

E85704-03

September 2018

Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation and Upgrade Guide, 12c Release 2 (12.2) for Microsoft Windows

E85704-03

Primary Authors: Bharathi Jayathirtha, Subhash Chandra, Janet Stern, Aparna Kamath

Contributing Authors: Prakash Jashnani, Jacqueline Sideri, Douglas Williams

Contributors: Prasad Bagal, Eric Belden, Maria Colgan, Ian Cookson, Jonathan Creighton, Rajesh Dasari,

Barbara Glover, Kevin Jernigan, Aneesh Khandelwal, Tonghua Li, Rudregowda Mallegowda, Sivaselvam

Narayanasamy, Srinivas Poovala, Vishal Saxena, Sunil Surabhi, Richard Wessman, James Williams, Yanhua

Xia, Suresh Yambari Venkata Naga, Jiangqi Yang

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Contents

Preface

Audience xiv

Documentation Accessibility xiv

Java Access Bridge and Accessibility xv

See Also:

Oracle Database Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows for more

information about installing Java Access Bridge

Related Topics

•Configuring Servers for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

You must complete certain operating system tasks on your servers before you

install Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a Cluster and Oracle Real Application

Clusters.

1.2 Operating System Checklist for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

Review the following operating system checklist for all installations.

Table 1-2 Operating System General Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

and Oracle RAC

Check Task

Review

operating

system

security

standards

Secure operating systems are an important basis for general system security.

Verify

Privileges for

Copying

Files in the

Cluster

During installation, OUI copies the software from the local node to the remote

nodes in the cluster. The installation user must have Administrator privileges on

the other nodes in the cluster to copy the files.

Configure

Remote

Desktop

Services

If you want to enable remote display of the installation process, then configure

remote access for necessary user accounts.

Disable

Windows

Firewall

If the Windows Firewall is enabled, then remote copy and configuration

assistants such as Virtual IP Configuration Assistant (VIPCA), Network

Configuration Assistant (NETCA), and Oracle Database Configuration Assistant

(DBCA) will fail during Oracle RAC installation.

Chapter 1

Operating System Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

1-2

Table 1-2 (Cont.) Operating System General Checklist for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

Check Task

Operating

system

general

requirements

Review the system requirements section for a list of minimum software

component versions. Use the same operating system version on each cluster

member node.

Windows Server 2012 x64 - Standard, Datacenter, Essentials, and

Foundation editions

Windows Server 2012 R2 x64 - Standard, Datacenter, Essentials, and

Foundation editions

Ensure Web

browsers are

supported by

Enterprise

Manager

Web browsers must support Java Script, and the HTML 4.0 and CSS 1.0

standards.

1.3 Server Configuration Checklist for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure

Use this checklist to check minimum server configuration requirements for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure installations.

Table 1-3 Server Configuration Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Check Task

Disk space allocated to the

temporary file system

At least 1 GB of space in the temporary directory. Oracle

recommends 2 GB or more

Storage hardware for Oracle

software

Attached storage hardware can be either Storage Area Network

(SAN) storage or Network-Attached Storage (NAS).

Ensure that the Oracle home

(the Oracle home path you

select for Oracle Database)

uses only ASCII characters

The ASCII character restriction includes installation owner user

names, which are used as a default for some home paths, as

well as other directory names you may select for paths.

Additionally, the file path names cannot contain spaces.

Set locale (if needed) Specify the language and the territory, or locale, in which you

want to use Oracle components. A locale is a linguistic and

cultural environment in which a system or program is running.

NLS (National Language Support) parameters determine the

locale-specific behavior on both servers and clients. The locale

setting of a component determines the language of the user

interface of the component, and the globalization behavior, such

as date and number formatting.

Set Network Time Protocol

for Cluster Time

Synchronization

Oracle Clusterware requires the same time zone environment

variable setting on all cluster nodes.

Ensure that you set the time zone synchronization across all

cluster nodes using either an operating system configured

network time protocol (NTP), Oracle Cluster Time

Synchronization Service, or Windows Time Service.

Chapter 1

Server Configuration Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

1-3

1.4 Oracle Grid Infrastructure Network Checklist

Review the installation requirements to ensure that you have the required hardware,

names, and addresses for the cluster.

During installation, you designate interfaces for use as public, private, or Oracle ASM

interfaces. You can also designate interfaces that are in use for other purposes, and

not available for Oracle Grid Infrastructure use.

Table 1-4 Network Configuration Tasks for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and

Oracle RAC

Check Task

Public Network

Hardware

•Public network switch (redundant switches recommended) connected

to a public gateway and to the public interface ports for each cluster

member node.

•Ethernet interface card.

Redundant network cards recommended; use NIC teaming so they

appear as one Ethernet port name.

•The switches and network interface cards must be at least 1 GbE.

•The network protocols are UDP and TCP/IP.

Private Network

Hardware for the

Interconnect

•Private dedicated network switch (redundant switches recommended,

with NIC teaming so they appear as one Ethernet port name),

connected to the private interface ports for each cluster member node.

•The switches and network interface adapters must be at least 1 GbE,

with 10 GbE recommended. Alternatively, use InfiniBand for the

interconnect.

•The interconnect must support the user datagram protocol (UDP).

Perform

Windows-specific

network

configuration

tasks

•Disable the Media Sensing Feature for TCP/IP. Media Sense allows

Windows to uncouple an IP address from a network interface card

when the link to the local switch is lost.

•Deselect Automatic Registration with DNS for the Public Network

Interface. To prevent Windows Server from potentially registering the

wrong IP addresses for the node in DNS after a server restart, you

must deconfigure the "Register this connection's addresses in DNS"

option for the public network adapters.

•Manually configure automatic metric values. Automatic Metric

feature automatically configures the metric for the local routes that are

based on link speed. If you use the default values for this feature, OUI

sometimes selects the private network interface as the default public

host name for the server when installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

Ensure that your public network adapter is first in the binding order,

and the private network adapter is second.

Oracle Flex ASM

Network

Hardware

Oracle Flex ASM can use either the same private networks as Oracle

Clusterware, or use its own dedicated private networks. Each network can

be classified PUBLIC or PRIVATE+ASM or PRIVATE or ASM. Oracle ASM

networks use the TCP protocol.

Chapter 1

Oracle Grid Infrastructure Network Checklist

1-4

Table 1-4 (Cont.) Network Configuration Tasks for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

and Oracle RAC

Check Task

Cluster Names

and Addresses

Determine and configure the following names and addresses for the cluster:

•Cluster name: Decide a name for the cluster, and be prepared to enter

it during installation. The cluster name should have the following

characteristics:

–Globally unique across all hosts, even across different DNS

domains.

–Must be between 1 and 15 characters in length.

–Consist of the same character set used for host names, in

accordance with RFC 1123: Hyphens (-), and single-byte

alphanumeric characters (a to z, A to Z, and 0 to 9).

•Grid Naming Service Virtual IP Address (GNS VIP): If you plan to

use GNS, then configure a GNS name and fixed address on the DNS

for GNS VIP, and configure a subdomain on your DNS delegated to the

GNS VIP for resolution of cluster addresses. GNS domain delegation is

mandatory with dynamic public networks (DHCP, autoconfiguration).

•Single Client Access Name (SCAN) and addresses:

–Using Grid Naming Service Resolution: Do not configure SCAN

names and addresses in your DNS. SCANs are managed by GNS.

–Using Manual Configuration and DNS resolution: Configure a

SCAN name to resolve to three addresses on the domain name

service (DNS).

Hub Node Public,

Private and

Virtual IP names

and Addresses

If you are configuring a cluster with Grid Naming Service (GNS), then

OUI displays the public and virtual host name addresses labeled as "AUTO"

because they are configured automatically. To use this option, you must

have configured a subdomain on your DNS that is delegated to GNS for

resolution, and you must have a fixed GNS VIP address where the

delegated service requests can be routed.

If you are not using GNS, then configure the following for each Hub node:

•Public node name and address, configured on the DNS and in the

hosts (for example,

node1.example.com

, address

192.0.2.10

). The

public node name should be the primary host name of each node,

which is the name displayed by the

hostname

command.

•Private node address, configured on the private interface for each

node. The installer identifies addresses in the private range as private

IP addresses by default. For example: 10.0.0.10

The private subnet that the private interfaces use must connect all the

nodes you intend to have as cluster members. Oracle recommends

that the network you select for the private network uses an address

range defined as private by RFC 1918.

•Public node virtual IP name and address (for example,

node1-

vip.example.com

, address

192.0.2.11

)

If you are not using dynamic networks with GNS and subdomain

delegation, then determine a virtual host name for each node. A virtual

host name is a public node name that is used to reroute client requests

sent to the node if the node is down. Oracle Database uses VIPs for

client-to-database connections, so the VIP address must be publicly

accessible. Oracle recommends that you provide a name in the format

hostname-vip

. For example:

myclstr2-vip

Chapter 1

Oracle Grid Infrastructure Network Checklist

1-5

See Also:

Network Configuration Tasks for Windows Server Deployments

1.5 User Environment Configuration Checklist for Oracle

Grid Infrastructure

Review the following environment checklist for all installations.

Table 1-5 Environment Configuration for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle

RAC

Check Task

Create operating

system groups

and users for

standard or role-

allocated system

privileges

Create operating system groups and users depending on your security

requirements, as described in this install guide. Oracle Installation users

have different requirements from Oracle Home users. User names must

use only ASCII characters.

Configure the

Oracle Software

Owner

Environment

Set the

TEMP

environment variable.

Unset Oracle

software

environment

variables

If you have set

ORA_CRS_HOME

as an environment variable, then unset it

before starting an installation or upgrade. Do not use

ORA_CRS_HOME

as a

user environment variable.

If you have had an existing installation on your system, and you are using

the same user account to install this installation, then unset the

ORACLE_HOME

ORACLE_BASE

ORACLE_SID

, and

TNS_ADMIN

environment

variables. Unset any other environment variable set for the Oracle

installation user that is connected with Oracle software homes, such as

ORA_NLS10

Manage User

Account Control

If you have enabled the User Account Control security feature, then Oracle

Universal Installer prompts you for either your consent or your credentials

when installing Oracle Database software. Provide either the consent or

your Windows Administrator credentials as appropriate.

Related Topics

•Configuring Users, Groups and Environments for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and

Oracle RAC

You must configure certain users, groups, and environment settings used during

Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a Cluster and Oracle Real Application Clusters

installations.

1.6 Storage Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Review the checklist for storage hardware and configuration requirements for Oracle

Grid Infrastructure installation.

Chapter 1

User Environment Configuration Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

1-6

Table 1-6 Oracle Grid Infrastructure Storage Configuration Checks

Check Task

Minimum disk space

(local or shared) for

Oracle Grid

Infrastructure

Software

•At least 12 GB of space for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

for a cluster home (Grid home).

Oracle recommends that you allocate 100 GB to allow

additional space for patches.

At least 3.5 GB of space for the Oracle base of the Oracle

Grid Infrastructure installation owner (Grid user). The

Oracle base includes Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM

log files.

At least 7.5 GB of space for Oracle Database Enterprise

Edition.

•Allocate additional storage space as per your cluster

configuration, as described in Oracle Clusterware Storage Space

Requirements.

Select Oracle ASM

Storage Options

During installation, based on the cluster configuration, you are asked

to provide Oracle ASM storage paths for the Oracle Clusterware files.

These path locations must be writable by the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installation owner (Grid user). These locations must be shared across

all nodes of the cluster on Oracle ASM because the files in the Oracle

ASM disk group created during installation must be available to all

cluster member nodes.

•For Oracle Standalone Cluster deployment, shared storage, either

Oracle ASM or Oracle ASM on NFS, is locally mounted on each of

the Hub Nodes.

Voting files are files that Oracle Clusterware uses to verify cluster

node membership and status. Oracle Cluster Registry files (OCR)

contain cluster and database configuration information for Oracle

Clusterware.

Select Grid

Infrastructure

Management

Repository (GIMR)

Storage Option

For Oracle Standalone Cluster deployment, you can specify the same

or separate Oracle ASM disk group for the GIMR.

Related Topics

•Oracle Clusterware Storage Space Requirements

Use this information to determine the minimum number of disks and the minimum

disk space requirements based on the redundancy type, for installing Oracle

Clusterware files, and installing the starter database, for various Oracle Cluster

deployments.

1.7 Installer Planning Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Review the checklist for planning your Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation before

starting Oracle Universal Installer.

Chapter 1

Installer Planning Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

1-7

Table 1-7 Oracle Universal Installer Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Installation

Check Task

Read the Release Notes Review release notes for your platform, which are available for

your release at the following URL:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/indexes/documentation/

index.html

Review the Licensing

Information

You are permitted to use only those components in the Oracle

Database media pack for which you have purchased licenses.

For more information, see:

Oracle Database Licensing Information

Run OUI with CVU and use

fixup scripts

Oracle Universal Installer is fully integrated with Cluster

Verification Utility (CVU), automating many CVU prerequisite

checks. Oracle Universal Installer runs all prerequisite checks

and creates fixup scripts when you run the installer. You can

run OUI up to the Summary screen without starting the

installation.

You can also run CVU commands manually to check system

readiness. For more information, see:

Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide

Download and run Oracle

ORAchk for runtime and

upgrade checks, or runtime

health checks

The Oracle ORAchk utility provides system checks that can

help to prevent issues after installation. These checks include

kernel requirements, operating system resource allocations,

and other system requirements.

Use the Oracle ORAchk Upgrade Readiness Assessment to

obtain an automated upgrade-specific system health check for

upgrades. For example:

./orachk -u -o pre

The Oracle ORAchk Upgrade Readiness Assessment

automates many of the manual pre- and post-upgrade checks

described in Oracle upgrade documentation.

Oracle ORAchk is supported on Windows platforms in a

Cygwin environment only. For more information, see:

https://support.oracle.com/rs?type=doc&id=1268927.1

Ensure cron jobs do not run

during installation

If the installer is running when daily cron jobs start, then you

may encounter unexplained installation problems if your cron

job is performing cleanup, and temporary files are deleted

before the installation is finished. Oracle recommends that you

complete installation before daily cron jobs are run, or

disable daily cron jobs that perform cleanup until after the

installation is completed.

Obtain Your My Oracle

Support account information

During installation, you require a My Oracle Support user

name and password to configure security updates, download

software updates, and other installation tasks. You can register

for My Oracle Support at the following URL:

https://support.oracle.com/

Chapter 1

Installer Planning Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

1-8

Table 1-7 (Cont.) Oracle Universal Installer Checklist for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure Installation

Check Task

Check running Oracle

processes, and shut down

processes if necessary

•On a node with a standalone database not using Oracle

ASM: You do not need to shut down the database while

you install Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

•On a node with a standalone Oracle Database using

Oracle ASM: Stop the existing Oracle ASM instances. The

Oracle ASM instances are restarted during installation.

•On an Oracle RAC Database node: This installation

requires an upgrade of Oracle Clusterware, as Oracle

Clusterware is required to run Oracle RAC. As part of the

upgrade, you must shut down the database one node at a

time as the rolling upgrade proceeds from node to node.

Chapter 1

Installer Planning Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

1-9

Configuring Servers for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

You must complete certain operating system tasks on your servers before you install

Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a Cluster and Oracle Real Application Clusters.

The values provided in this chapter are for installation minimums only. Oracle

recommends that you configure production systems in accordance with planned

system loads.

•Checking Server Hardware and Memory Configuration

Perform these tasks to gather your current system information.

•General Server Requirements

Verify that servers where you install Oracle Grid Infrastructure meet the minimum

requirements for installation.

•Server Minimum Hardware and Memory Requirements

Each system must meet certain minimum hardware and memory requirements.

•Server Minimum Storage Requirements

Each system must meet certain minimum storage requirements.

•Configuring Time Synchronization for the Cluster

Oracle Clusterware requires the same time zone setting on all cluster nodes.

Related Topics

•Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation Server Hardware Checklist

Review server hardware requirements for Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

2.1 Checking Server Hardware and Memory Configuration

Perform these tasks to gather your current system information.

•Checking the Available RAM on Windows Systems

Use the control panel to check the available RAM on each server.

•Checking the Currently Configured Virtual Memory on Windows Systems

Virtual memory (also known as a paging file) stores information that cannot fit in

RAM, the main memory for the computer. All processes share the paging files, and

a lack of space in the paging files can prevent processes from allocating memory.

•Checking the System Processor Type

To view your processor type (32-bit or 64-bit), perform these steps.

•Checking the Available Disk Space for Oracle Home Directories

Additional disk space on a cluster file system is required for the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure Management Repository, Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR) and voting

files used by Oracle Clusterware.

•Checking the Available TEMP Disk Space

The amount of disk space available in the TEMP directory is equivalent to the total

amount of free disk space, minus what is needed to install the Oracle software.

2-1

2.1.1 Checking the Available RAM on Windows Systems

Use the control panel to check the available RAM on each server.

The minimum required RAM is 4 gigabyte (GB) for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a

Cluster installations, including installations where you plan to install Oracle RAC.

To determine the physical RAM size, for a computer, you can use either of the

following methods:

•Open System in the control panel and Select the General tab.

•Alternatively, start the Windows Task Manager, then select the Performance tab

to view the available memory for your system.

2.1.2 Checking the Currently Configured Virtual Memory on Windows

Systems

Virtual memory (also known as a paging file) stores information that cannot fit in RAM,

the main memory for the computer. All processes share the paging files, and a lack of

space in the paging files can prevent processes from allocating memory.

Oracle recommends that you set the paging file size to match the amount of RAM

available on the server, up to a maximum of 16 GB. If possible, split the paging file into

multiple files on multiple physical devices. This configuration encourages parallel

access to virtual memory, and improves the software performance.

1. From the Control panel, select System.

2. In the System Properties window, select the Advanced tab.

3. Under Performance, click Performance Options, or Settings.

4. In the Performance Options window, click the Advanced tab.

The virtual memory configuration is displayed at the bottom of the window.

If necessary, refer to your operating system documentation for information about how

to configure additional virtual memory.

2.1.3 Checking the System Processor Type

To view your processor type (32-bit or 64-bit), perform these steps.

1. From the Start menu, select Run. In the Run window, type in

msinfo32.exe

2. In the System Summary display, locate the System Type entry.

•If the value for System Type is x64-based PC, then you have a 64-bit system.

•If the value for System Type is x86-based PC, then you have a 32-bit system.

2.1.4 Checking the Available Disk Space for Oracle Home Directories

Additional disk space on a cluster file system is required for the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure Management Repository, Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR) and voting files

used by Oracle Clusterware.

If you are installing Oracle RAC, then you must configuration additional disk space for:

Chapter 2

Checking Server Hardware and Memory Configuration

2-2

•The Oracle RAC software and log files

•The shared data files and, optionally, the shared Fast Recovery Area in an Oracle

ASM disk group

If you use standard redundancy for Oracle Clusterware files, which is 3 Oracle Cluster

Registry (OCR) files and 3 voting files, then you should have at least 2 GB of disk

space available on three separate physical disks reserved for storing the Oracle

Clusterware files in Oracle ASM.

Note:

You cannot install OCR or voting files (Oracle Clusterware files) on raw

partitions. You can install Oracle Clusterware files only on Oracle ASM. Raw

devices can be used as Oracle ASM disks.

To ensure high availability of OCR or voting files on Oracle ASM, you need to have at

least 2 GB of disk space for Oracle Clusterware files in three separate failure groups,

with at least three physical disks. Each disk must have at least 1 GB of capacity to

ensure that there is sufficient space to create Oracle Clusterware files.

If the temp space and the Grid home are on the same file system, then add together

their respective requirements for the total minimum space required for that file system.

Note:

Oracle recommends that you choose the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Management Repository option when installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

When you choose this option, OUI configures a Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Management Repository database on one of the nodes in the cluster.

Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 12.1.0.2, installation of

the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Management Repository is no longer optional

and it is installed automatically.

To determine the amount of available free disk space, there are two methods you can

use:

1. Using the Computer properties window:

a. Open the Start menu, then click Computer.

b. View the free disk space for each drive.

c. Right-click the drive on which you plan to install the Oracle software and select

Properties to view additional information about the disk space for that drive.

2. Using the Disk Management Microsoft Management Console (MMC) plug-in:

a. From the Start menu, select Run...

b. In the Run window, type in

Diskmgmt.msc

to open the Disk Management

graphical user interface (GUI).

The Disk Management GUI displays the available space on the available file

systems.

Chapter 2

Checking Server Hardware and Memory Configuration

2-3

See Also:

•"Configuring Shared Storage for Oracle Database and Grid

Infrastructure"

•Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide

2.1.5 Checking the Available TEMP Disk Space

The amount of disk space available in the TEMP directory is equivalent to the total

amount of free disk space, minus what is needed to install the Oracle software.

Oracle Installation User" for more information.

Note:

The temporary directory must reside in the same directory path on each

node in the cluster.

You must have 1 GB of disk space available in the

TEMP

directory. If you do not have

sufficient space, then first delete all unnecessary files. If the temporary disk space is

still less than the required amount, then increase the partition size of the disk or set the

TEMP

environment variable to point to a different hard drive. Ensure the environment

variables

TEMP

and

TMP

both point to the location of the

TEMP

directory, for example:

TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP

TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP

1. From the Control Panel, select System.

2. Select Advanced System Settings.

3. In the System Properties windows, select the Advanced tab, then click

Environment Variables.

4. Modify the value of the

TEMP

environment variable in the user variables list.

2.2 General Server Requirements

Verify that servers where you install Oracle Grid Infrastructure meet the minimum

requirements for installation.

•Select servers with the same instruction set architecture as cluster members.

•Ensure servers run the same operating system binary.

•Oracle Grid Infrastructure installations and Oracle Real Application Clusters

(Oracle RAC) support servers with different hardware in the same cluster. Your

cluster can have nodes with CPUs of different speeds or sizes, but Oracle

recommends that you use nodes with the same hardware configuration.

Chapter 2

General Server Requirements

2-4

Oracle recommends that if you configure clusters using different configuration, that

you categorize cluster nodes into homogenous pools as part of your server

categorization management policy.

See Also:

Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide for more

information about server state and configuration attributes, and about using

server pools to manage resources and workloads

2.3 Server Minimum Hardware and Memory Requirements

Each system must meet certain minimum hardware and memory requirements.

Table 2-1 Minimum Hardware and Memory Requirements for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure Installation

Hardware

Component

Requirements

Memory (RAM) Oracle Grid Infrastructure installations: At least 4 gigabyte (GB) of

physical RAM for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster installations,

including installations where you plan to install Oracle RAC

Virtual memory

(swap)

If your server has between 4 GB and 16 GB of RAM, then you should

configure a paging file of at least the same size as the RAM. If your

server has more than 16 GB of RAM, then the paging file should be 16

GB.

Video adapter 256 color and at least 1024 x 768 display resolution, so that OUI

displays correctly while performing a system console-based installation

Processor x64: Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T) or AMD 64

Note:

32-bit systems are no longer supported for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and

Oracle RAC.

2.4 Server Minimum Storage Requirements

Each system must meet certain minimum storage requirements.

•1 GB of space in the

%TEMP%

directory.

If the free space available in the

%TEMP%

directory is less than what is required, then

complete one of the following steps:

–Delete unnecessary files from the

%TEMP%

directory to make available the space

required.

–Extend the file system that contains the

%TEMP%

directory. If necessary, contact

your system administrator for information about extending file systems.

Chapter 2

Server Minimum Hardware and Memory Requirements

2-5

•At least 12 GB of space for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster home (Grid

home). Oracle recommends that you allocate 100 GB to allow additional space for

patches.

•At least 3.5 GB of space for the Oracle base of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Installation user. The Oracle base includes Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM

log files.

•If you intend to install Oracle Database, then allocate 7.5 GB of disk space for the

Oracle home (the location for the Oracle Database software binaries).

If you plan to configure automated database backups for your Oracle Database,

then you require additional space either in a file system or in an Oracle Automatic

Storage Management disk group for the Fast Recovery Area.

Note:

The base directory for Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c and the base directory

for Oracle RAC 12c must be different from the directories used by any Oracle

RAC 11g Release 2 installations.

•Disk Format Requirements

Oracle recommends that you install Oracle software, or binaries, on New

Technology File System (NTFS) formatted drives or partitions.

See Also:

•Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide

•Oracle Database Backup and Recovery User’s Guide for more

information about Fast Recovery Area sizing

2.4.1 Disk Format Requirements

Oracle recommends that you install Oracle software, or binaries, on New Technology

File System (NTFS) formatted drives or partitions.

Because it is difficult for OUI to estimate NTFS and file allocation table (FAT) disk

sizes on Windows, the system requirements documented in this section are likely

more accurate than the values reported on the OUI Summary screen.

Note:

Oracle Grid Infrastructure software is not supported on Network File System

(NFS).

You cannot use NTFS formatted disks or partitions for Oracle Clusterware files or data

files because they cannot be shared. Oracle Clusterware shared files and Oracle

Chapter 2

Server Minimum Storage Requirements

2-6

Database data files can be placed on unformatted basic disks or disk partitions, called

raw partitions, managed by Oracle ASM.

Oracle ASM is recommended for storing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Database

data files.

2.5 Configuring Time Synchronization for the Cluster

Oracle Clusterware requires the same time zone setting on all cluster nodes.

•About Cluster Time Synchronization

For the Microsoft Windows operating system, there are three different methods

you can use to synchronize the time between the nodes of your cluster.

•Understanding Network Time Requirements

Oracle Clusterware 12c Release 1 (12.1) is automatically configured with Cluster

Time Synchronization Service (CTSS).

•Configuring the Windows Time Service

The Windows Time service (W32Time) provides network clock synchronization on

computers running Microsoft Windows.

•Configuring Network Time Protocol

The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a client/server application.

•Configuring Cluster Time Synchronization Service

Cluster Time Synchronization Service (CTSS) is provided by Oracle to

synchronize the time across the nodes in your cluster.

2.5.1 About Cluster Time Synchronization

For the Microsoft Windows operating system, there are three different methods you

can use to synchronize the time between the nodes of your cluster.

During installation, the installation process picks up the time zone environment

variable setting of the Oracle Installation user for Oracle Grid Infrastructure on the

node where OUI runs. Then the installation process uses that time zone value on all

nodes as the default TZ environment variable setting for all processes managed by

Oracle Clusterware. The time zone default is used for databases, Oracle ASM, and

any other managed processes.

You have three options for time synchronization between cluster nodes:

•Windows Time service

•An operating system configured network time protocol (NTP)

•Oracle Cluster Time Synchronization Service

Oracle Cluster Time Synchronization Service is designed for organizations whose

cluster servers are unable to access NTP services. If you use NTP, then the Oracle

Cluster Time Synchronization daemon (ctssd) starts in observer mode. If neither NTP

or the Windows Time service is found, then ctssd starts in active mode and

synchronizes time among cluster members without contacting an external time server.

Chapter 2

Configuring Time Synchronization for the Cluster

2-7

Note:

•Before starting the installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure, Oracle

recommends that you ensure the clocks on all nodes are set to the same

time.

•The IP address for an NTP server can be an IPv6 address.

2.5.2 Understanding Network Time Requirements

Oracle Clusterware 12c Release 1 (12.1) is automatically configured with Cluster Time

Synchronization Service (CTSS).

CTSS provides automatic synchronization of the time settings on all cluster nodes.

CTSS uses the optimal synchronization strategy for the type of cluster you deploy.

If you have an existing cluster synchronization service, such as network time protocol

(NTP) or Windows Time Service, then CTSS starts in an observer mode. Otherwise,

CTSS starts in an active mode to ensure that time is synchronized between cluster

nodes. CTSS will not cause compatibility issues.

The CTSS module is installed as a part of Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation. CTSS

daemons are started by the Oracle High Availability Services daemon (

ohasd

), and do

not require a command-line interface.

2.5.3 Configuring the Windows Time Service

The Windows Time service (W32Time) provides network clock synchronization on

computers running Microsoft Windows.

If you are using Windows Time service, and you prefer to continue using it instead of

Cluster Time Synchronization Service, then you must modify the Windows Time

service settings to jumps in time and allow the time to gradually match with the

reference time. Restart the Windows Time service after you complete this task.

1. To configure Windows Time service, use the following command on each node:

C:\> W32tm /register

2. To modify the Windows Time service to work in an Oracle RAC environment,

perform the following steps:

a. Open the Registry Editor (regedit)

b. Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet

\Services\W32Time\Config key.

c. Set the following Windows Time service parameters to these decimal values:

•

MaxPosPhaseCorrection

to 600

•

MaxNegPhaseCorrection

to 600

•

MaxAllowedPhaseOffset

to 600

These parameter settings specify that small time adjustments are allowed

when the time difference between the reference and cluster nodes is under 10

minutes.

Chapter 2

Configuring Time Synchronization for the Cluster

2-8

Note:

You should configure the Windows Time service to meet the

requirements of your environment, with assistance from Microsoft, if

necessary. The recommended settings provided for the three

parameters are the settings that Oracle recommends to allow time

adjustments to happen through slewing (gradually adjusting the clock

using small changes) rather than in large steps (setting the clock to a

new time). Large time adjustments in a single step are not supported.

3. To put the changes into effect, use the following command:

C:\> W32tm /config /update

See Also:

For more information about using and configuring the Windows Time

Service, see:

•Microsoft® Support article ID 816042: "How to configure an authoritative

time server in Windows Server"

•Microsoft® Support article ID 939322: "Support boundary to configure

the Windows Time service for high accuracy environments"

•NTP FAQ and HOW TO

2.5.4 Configuring Network Time Protocol

The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a client/server application.

Each server must have NTP client software installed and configured to synchronize its

clock to the network time server. The Windows Time service is not an exact

implementation of the NTP, but it based on the NTP specifications.

If you decide to use NTP instead of the Windows Time service, then, after you have

installed the NTP client software on each cluster node, you must start the NTP service

with the

-x

option to prevent time from being adjusted backward. Restart the network

time protocol service after you complete this task.

1. Use the registry editor to edit the value for the

ntpd

executable under

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NTP

2. Add the

-x

option to the

ImagePath

key value, behind %INSTALLDIR%\ntpd.exe.

3. Restart the NTP service using the following commands:

net stop NTP

net start NTP

Chapter 2

Configuring Time Synchronization for the Cluster

2-9

2.5.5 Configuring Cluster Time Synchronization Service

Cluster Time Synchronization Service (CTSS) is provided by Oracle to synchronize the

time across the nodes in your cluster.

When OUI discovers that neither the Windows Time or NTP services are active, the

Cluster Time Synchronization Service is installed in active mode and synchronizes the

time across the nodes. If the Windows Time service or NTP service is found on the

server, then the Cluster Time Synchronization Service is started in observer mode,

and no active time synchronization is performed by the Cluster Time Synchronization

Service within the cluster.

To use Cluster Time Synchronization Service to provide synchronization service in the

cluster, disable the Windows Time service and stop the NTP service. If you have an

NTP service on your server but you cannot use the service to synchronize time with a

time server, then you must deactivate and deinstall the NTP to use Cluster Time

Synchronization Service.

•To confirm that the Cluster Time Synchronization Service is active after

installation, enter the following command as the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installation owner:

crsctl check ctss

Chapter 2

Configuring Time Synchronization for the Cluster

2-10

Configuring Operating Systems for Oracle

Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

Complete operating system configuration requirements and checks before you start

the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

•Reviewing Operating System and Software Upgrade Best Practices

Review the general planning guidelines and platform-specific information about

upgrades and migration.

•Reviewing Operating System Security Common Practices

Secure operating systems are an important basis for general system security.

•Verify Privileges for Copying Files in the Cluster

During installation, OUI copies the software from the local node to the remote

nodes in the cluster. The installation user must have privileges on the other nodes

in the cluster to copy the files.

•Identifying Software Requirements

Depending on the products that you intend to install, verify that the required

operating system software is installed on each node of your cluster.

•Checking the Operating System Version

To determine whether your computer is running a 64-bit (x64) Windows operating

system, perform these steps.

•Checking Hardware and Software Certification on My Oracle Support

The My Oracle Support website also provides compatible client and database

releases, patches, and workaround information for bugs.

•Oracle Enterprise Manager Requirements

Verify that your installed Oracle Enterprise Manager meets the minimum

requirements for use with Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

•Installation Requirements for Web Browsers

Web browsers are required to use Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Express

and Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control.

3.1 Reviewing Operating System and Software Upgrade

Best Practices

Review the general planning guidelines and platform-specific information about

upgrades and migration.

•General Upgrade Best Practices

Be aware of these guidelines as a best practice before you perform an upgrade.

•Oracle ASM Upgrade Notifications

Be aware of these issues regarding Oracle ASM upgrades.

•Rolling Upgrade Procedure Notifications

Be aware of this information regarding rolling upgrades.

3-1

3.1.1 General Upgrade Best Practices

Be aware of these guidelines as a best practice before you perform an upgrade.

If you have an existing Oracle Database installation, then do the following:

•Record the version numbers, patches, and other configuration information

•Review upgrade procedures for your existing installation

•Review Oracle Database upgrade documentation before proceeding with

installation, to decide how you want to proceed

Caution:

Always create a backup of existing databases before starting any

configuration change.

Refer to Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for more information about required

software updates, pre-upgrade tasks, post-upgrade tasks, compatibility, and

interoperability between different releases.

Related Topics

•Upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Oracle Grid Infrastructure upgrade consists of upgrade of Oracle Clusterware and

Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM).

•Oracle Database Upgrade Guide

3.1.2 Oracle ASM Upgrade Notifications

Be aware of these issues regarding Oracle ASM upgrades.

•You can upgrade Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) 11g

release 1 (11.1) and later without shutting down an Oracle RAC database by

performing a rolling upgrade either of individual nodes, or of a set of nodes in the

cluster. However, if you have a standalone database on a cluster that uses Oracle

ASM, then you must shut down the standalone database before upgrading. If you

are upgrading from Oracle ASM 10g, then you must shut down the entire Oracle

ASM cluster to perform the upgrade.

•The location of the Oracle ASM home changed in Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g

release 2 (11.2) so that Oracle ASM is installed with Oracle Clusterware in the

Oracle Grid Infrastructure home (Grid home).

If you have an existing Oracle ASM home from a earlier release, then you may

want to consider other configuration changes to simplify or customize storage

administration.

•When upgrading from Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g release 2 (11.2) or Oracle

Grid Infrastructure 12c release 1 (12.1) to a later release, if there is an outage

during the rolling upgrade, then when you restart the upgrade, ensure that you

start the earlier release of Oracle Grid Infrastructure. You must then bring the

Chapter 3

Reviewing Operating System and Software Upgrade Best Practices

3-2

Oracle ASM cluster back in the rolling migration mode, because two nodes of

different releases cannot run in the cluster.

•You must be an Administrator user to upgrade Oracle ASM.

3.1.3 Rolling Upgrade Procedure Notifications

Be aware of this information regarding rolling upgrades.

•During rolling upgrades of the operating system, Oracle supports using different

operating system binaries when both versions of the operating system are certified

with the Oracle Database release you are using.

•Using mixed operating system versions is supported during upgrade only.

Be aware that mixed operating systems are supported only for the duration of an

upgrade, over the period of a few hours.

•Oracle Clusterware does not support nodes that have processors with different

instruction set architectures (ISAs) in the same cluster. Each node must be binary

compatible with the other nodes in the cluster.

For example, you cannot have one node using an Intel 64 processor and another

node using an IA-64 (Itanium) processor in the same cluster. You could have one

node using an Intel 64 processor and another node using an AMD64 processor in

the same cluster because the processors use the same x86-64 ISA and run the

same binary release of Oracle software.

Note:

Your cluster can have nodes with processors of different manufacturers,

speeds, or sizes, but this is not recommended.

3.2 Reviewing Operating System Security Common

Practices

Secure operating systems are an important basis for general system security.

•Ensure that your operating system deployment is in compliance with common

security practices as described in your operating system vendor security guide.

3.3 Verify Privileges for Copying Files in the Cluster

During installation, OUI copies the software from the local node to the remote nodes in

the cluster. The installation user must have privileges on the other nodes in the cluster

to copy the files.

1. Verify that you have Administrator privileges on the other nodes in the cluster by

running the following command on each node, where nodename is the name of

the remote node:

net use \\nodename\C$

Chapter 3

Reviewing Operating System Security Common Practices

3-3

2. After installation, if your system does not use the net share shown in the above

example, then you can remove the unused net share using the following

command:

net use \\nodename\C$ /delete

3.4 Identifying Software Requirements

Depending on the products that you intend to install, verify that the required operating

system software is installed on each node of your cluster.

Requirements listed in this document are current as of the date listed on the title page.

To obtain the most current information about operating system requirements, see the

online version in the Oracle Help Center at the following URL:

docs.oracle.com

OUI performs checks on your system to verify that it meets the listed operating system

requirements. To ensure that these checks complete successfully, verify the

requirements before you start OUI.

Note:

Oracle does not support running different operating system versions on

cluster members, unless an operating system is being upgraded. You cannot

run different operating system version binaries on members of the same

cluster, even if each operating system is supported.

Table 3-1 Oracle Grid Software Requirements for Windows Systems

Requirement Value

System Architecture Processor: AMD64, or Intel Extended Memory (EM64T)

Note: Oracle provides only x64 releases of Oracle Database

with Oracle RAC for Windows.

The x64 release of Oracle RAC runs on the x64 version of

Windows on AMD64 and EM64T hardware.

Operating system Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC for x64 Windows:

•Windows Server 2012 x64 - Standard, Datacenter,

Essentials, and Foundation editions

•Windows Server 2012 R2 x64 - Standard, Datacenter,

Essentials, and Foundation editions

•Windows Server 2016 x64 - Standard, Datacenter, and

Essentials editions

The Windows Multilingual User Interface Pack is supported. The

Server Core option is not supported.

Note: Oracle Clusterware, Oracle ASM and Oracle RAC 12c

release 1 (12.1) and later are not supported on x86 (32-bit)

Windows operating systems.

Chapter 3

Identifying Software Requirements

3-4

Table 3-1 (Cont.) Oracle Grid Software Requirements for Windows Systems

Requirement Value

Compilers The following components are supported with the Microsoft

Visual C++ 2013 Update 4, Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Update 3,

and Intel 14.0 C compilers:

•Oracle Call Interface (OCI)

•Pro*C/C++

•External callouts

•Oracle XML Developer's Kit (XDK)

Oracle C++ Call Interface supports:

•Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 Update 4

•Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Update 3 - OCCI libraries are

installed under

ORACLE_HOME\oci\lib\msvc\vc14

. When

developing OCCI applications with MSVC++ 2015, ensure

that the OCCI libraries are correctly selected from this

directory for linking and executing.

•Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 - OCCI libraries are installed

under

ORACLE_HOME\oci\lib\msvc\vc12

. When developing

OCCI applications with MSVC++ 2013, ensure that the

OCCI libraries are correctly selected from this directory for

linking and executing.

•Intel 14.0 C compilers with Microsoft Visual Studio 2013

STLs

Pro*COBOL supports:

•Micro Focus Visual COBOL 2.2 - Update 2

Note:

The platform-specific hardware and software requirements included in this

guide were current when 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 My Oracle Support

website for the most up-to-date list of certified hardware platforms and

operating system versions:

https://support.oracle.com/

•Windows Firewall Feature on Windows Servers

When installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure software or Oracle RAC software on

Windows servers, it is mandatory to disable the Windows Firewall feature.

Chapter 3

Identifying Software Requirements

3-5

See Also:

•Checking Hardware and Software Certification on My Oracle Support for

certification information.

•Oracle Database Platform Guide for Microsoft Windows for upgrade

instructions for an operating system version that is not supported by

Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2), such as Windows Server 2003

x86.

3.4.1 Windows Firewall Feature on Windows Servers

When installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure software or Oracle RAC software on

Windows servers, it is mandatory to disable the Windows Firewall feature.

If the Windows Firewall is enabled, then remote copy and configuration assistants

such as virtual IP configuration assistant (VIPCA), Network Configuration Assistant

(NETCA), and Oracle Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) will fail during Oracle

RAC installation. Thus, you must disable the firewall on all the nodes of a cluster

before performing an Oracle RAC installation.

Note:

The Windows Firewall should never be enabled on a NIC that is used as a

cluster interconnect (private network interface) or for accessing an Oracle

ASM network.

After the installation is successful, you can enable the Windows Firewall for the public

connections. However, to ensure correct operation of the Oracle software, you must

add certain executables and ports to the Firewall exception list on all the nodes of a

cluster.

Additionally, the Windows Firewall must be disabled on all the nodes in the cluster

before performing any clusterwide configuration changes, such as:

•Adding a node

•Deleting a node

•Upgrading to patch release

•Applying a patch bundle or an emergency patch

If you do not disable the Windows Firewall before performing these actions, then the

changes might not be propagated correctly to all the nodes of the cluster.

Related Topics

•Configure Exceptions for the Windows Firewall

Chapter 3

Identifying Software Requirements

3-6

3.5 Checking the Operating System Version

To determine whether your computer is running a 64-bit (x64) Windows operating

system, perform these steps.

1. Right-click My Computer and select Properties.

2. On the General tab, under the heading of System, view the displayed text.

You will see text similar to "64-bit Operating System" if you have the x64 version of

the operating system installed.

3.6 Checking Hardware and Software Certification on My

Oracle Support

The My Oracle Support website also provides compatible client and database

releases, patches, and workaround information for bugs.

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 My Oracle Support website for the most up-to-

date list of certified hardware platforms and operating system versions.

•View certification information on both Oracle Technology Network (OTN) and My

Oracle Support.

The OTN certification page can be found on the following website: http://

www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/options/clustering/overview/index.html

•View hardware certification details for Microsoft Windows platforms on Oracle

Technology Network, at the following URL:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/clustering/tech-generic-windows-

new-166584.html

•View My Oracle Support for guidance about supported hardware options that can

assist you with your purchasing decisions and installation planning.

The My Oracle Support certifications page contains more detailed information

about certified hardware and has information specific to each release and

platform. My Oracle Support is available at the following URL:

https://support.oracle.com/

You must register online before using My Oracle Support. Use the steps described

in the support document "Locate Oracle Database Server Certification Information

for Microsoft Windows Platforms (Doc ID 1062972.1)" to locate the certification

information for your Windows operating system.

Note:

Contact your Oracle sales representative if you do not have a My Oracle

Support account.

Chapter 3

Checking the Operating System Version

3-7

3.7 Oracle Enterprise Manager Requirements

Verify that your installed Oracle Enterprise Manager meets the minimum requirements

for use with Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

All Oracle Enterprise Manager products that you use on your system must be of the

same release. Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1) and later releases do not

support releases of Enterprise Manager earlier than Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud

Control 12c.

See Also:

Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Basic Installation Guide available

on the Enterprise Manager Cloud Control installation media

3.8 Installation Requirements for Web Browsers

Web browsers are required to use Oracle Enterprise Manager Database Express and

Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control.

Web browsers must support Java Script, and the HTML 4.0 and CSS 1.0 standards.

For a list of browsers that meet these requirements, see the Oracle Enterprise

Manager certification matrix on My Oracle Support: https://support.oracle.com

Chapter 3

Oracle Enterprise Manager Requirements

3-8

Configuring Networks for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

Check that you have the networking hardware and internet protocol (IP) addresses

required for an Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster installation.

Note:

For the most up-to-date information about supported network protocols and

hardware for Oracle RAC installations, refer to the Certify pages on the My

Oracle Support website. See "Checking Hardware and Software Certification

on My Oracle Support" for instructions.

•About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Network Configuration Options

Ensure that you have the networking hardware and internet protocol (IP)

addresses required for an Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster installation.

•Understanding Network Addresses

During installation, you are asked to identify the planned use for each network

interface that Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) detects on your cluster node.

•Network Interface Hardware Requirements

Review these requirements to ensure that you have the minimum network

hardware technology for Oracle Grid Infrastructure clusters.

•Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements

The Oracle Grid Naming Service (GNS) is used with large clusters to ease

network administration cost.

•Intended Use of Network Adapters

During installation, you are asked to identify the planned use for each network

adapter (or network interface) that Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) detects on your

cluster node.

•Broadcast Requirements for Networks Used by Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Broadcast communications address resolution protocol (ARP) and User Datagram

Protocol (UDP) must work properly across all the public and private interfaces

configured for use by Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

•Multicast Requirements for Networks Used by Oracle Grid Infrastructure

On each cluster member node the Oracle multicast DNS (mDNS) daemon uses

multicasting on all network interfaces to communicate with other nodes in the

cluster.

•Configuring Multiple ASM Interconnects on Microsoft Windows Platforms

When using multiple network interface cards for the Oracle Automatic Storage

Management (Oracle ASM) interconnect, you must enable the

weakhostsend

network parameter.

4-1

4.1 About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Network Configuration

Options

Ensure that you have the networking hardware and internet protocol (IP) addresses

required for an Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster installation.

Oracle Clusterware Networks

An Oracle Clusterware configuration requires at least two interfaces:

•A public network interface, on which users and application servers connect to

access data on the database server.

•A private network interface for internode communication.

You can configure a network interface to use either the IPv4 protocol, or the IPv6

protocol on a given network. If you use redundant network interfaces (bonded or

teamed interfaces), then be aware that Oracle does not support configuring one

interface to support IPv4 addresses and the other to support IPv6 addresses. You

must configure network interfaces of a redundant interface pair with the same IP

protocol.

All the nodes in the cluster must use the same IP protocol configuration. Either all the

nodes use only IPv4, or all the nodes use only IPv6. You cannot have some nodes in

the cluster configured to support only IPv6 addresses, and other nodes in the cluster

configured to support only IPv4 addresses.

The VIP agent supports the generation of IPv6 addresses using the Stateless Address

Autoconfiguration Protocol (RFC 2462), and advertises these addresses with GNS.

Run the

srvctl config

network command to determine if Dynamic Host Configuration

Protocol (DHCP) or stateless address autoconfiguration is being used.

See the Certify page on My Oracle Support for the most up-to-date information about

supported network protocols and hardware for Oracle RAC:

https://support.oracle.com

4.2 Understanding Network Addresses

During installation, you are asked to identify the planned use for each network

interface that Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) detects on your cluster node.

Identify each interface as a public or private interface, or as an interface that you do

not want Oracle Grid Infrastructure or Oracle ASM to use. Public and virtual internet

protocol (VIP) addresses are configured on public interfaces. Private addresses are

configured on private interfaces.

•About the Public IP Address

The public IP address uses the public interface (the interface with access available

to clients).

•About the Private IP Address

Oracle Clusterware uses interfaces marked as private for internode

communication.

Chapter 4

About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Network Configuration Options

4-2

•About the Virtual IP Address

The virtual IP (VIP) address is registered in the grid naming service (GNS), the

DNS, or in a hosts file.

•About the Grid Naming Service (GNS) Virtual IP Address

The GNS virtual IP address is a static IP address configured in the DNS.

•About the SCAN

Oracle Database clients connect to the database using a Single Client Access

Name (SCAN).

•About Shared SCAN

Shared SCAN provides the capability to share SCAN VIPs across multiple

clusters, thus reducing the number of IP addresses that must be assigned when

deploying Oracle Clusters.

4.2.1 About the Public IP Address

The public IP address uses the public interface (the interface with access available to

clients).

The public IP address is assigned dynamically using Dynamic Host Configuration

Protocol (DHCP), or defined statically in a domain name system (DNS) or

hosts

file.

The public IP address is the primary address for a cluster member node, and should

be the address that resolves to the name returned when you enter the command

hostname

If you configure IP addresses manually, then avoid changing host names after you

complete the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation, including adding or deleting

domain qualifications. A node with a new host name is considered a new host, and

must be added to the cluster. A node under the old name will appear to be down until it

is removed from the cluster.

4.2.2 About the Private IP Address

Oracle Clusterware uses interfaces marked as private for internode communication.

Each cluster node must have an interface that you identify during installation as a

private interface. Private interfaces must have addresses configured for the interface

itself, but no additional configuration is required. Oracle Clusterware uses the

interfaces you identify as private for the cluster interconnect. Any interface that you

identify as private must be on a subnet that connects to every node of the cluster.

Oracle Clusterware uses all the interfaces you identify for use as private interfaces.

For the private interconnects, because of Cache Fusion and other traffic between

nodes, Oracle strongly recommends using a physically separate, private network. If

you configure addresses using a DNS, then you should ensure that the private IP

addresses are reachable only by the cluster nodes.

You can choose multiple interconnects either during installation or postinstallation

using the

oifcfg setif

command.

After installation, if you modify the interconnect for Oracle Real Application Clusters

(Oracle RAC) with the

CLUSTER_INTERCONNECTS

initialization parameter, then you must

change the interconnect to a private IP address, on a subnet that is not used with a

public IP address, nor marked as a public subnet by

oifcfg

. Oracle does not support

changing the interconnect to an interface using a subnet that you have designated as

a public subnet.

Chapter 4

Understanding Network Addresses

4-3

You should not use a firewall on the network with the private network IP addresses,

because this can block interconnect traffic.

4.2.3 About the Virtual IP Address

The virtual IP (VIP) address is registered in the grid naming service (GNS), the DNS,

or in a hosts file.

Select an address for your VIP that meets the following requirements:

•The IP address and host name are currently unused (it can be registered in a

DNS, but should not be accessible by a ping command)

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

If you are not using Grid Naming Service (GNS), then determine a virtual host name

for each node. A virtual host name is a public node name that reroutes client requests

sent to the node if the node is down. Oracle Database uses VIPs for client-to-database

connections, so the VIP address must be publicly accessible. Oracle recommends that

you provide a name in the format hostname-vip. For example:

myclstr2-vip

4.2.4 About the Grid Naming Service (GNS) Virtual IP Address

The GNS virtual IP address is a static IP address configured in the DNS.

The DNS delegates queries to the GNS virtual IP address, and the GNS daemon

responds to incoming name resolution requests at that address. Within the subdomain,

the GNS uses multicast Domain Name Service (mDNS), included with Oracle

Clusterware, to enable the cluster to map host names and IP addresses dynamically

as nodes are added and removed from the cluster, without requiring additional host

configuration in the DNS.

To enable GNS, you must have your network administrator provide a set of IP

addresses for a subdomain assigned to the cluster (for example,

grid.example.com

and delegate DNS requests for that subdomain to the GNS virtual IP address for the

cluster, which GNS serves. DHCP provides the set of IP addresses to the cluster;

DHCP must be available on the public network for the cluster.

See Also:

Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide for more

information about GNS

4.2.5 About the SCAN

Oracle Database clients connect to the database using a Single Client Access Name

(SCAN).

The SCAN and its associated IP addresses provide a stable name for clients to use for

connections, independent of the nodes that make up the cluster. SCAN addresses,

virtual IP addresses, and public IP addresses must all be on the same subnet.

The SCAN is a virtual IP name, similar to the names used for virtual IP addresses,

such as

node1-vip

. However, unlike a virtual IP, the SCAN is associated with the entire

Chapter 4

Understanding Network Addresses

4-4

cluster, rather than an individual node, and associated with multiple IP addresses, not

just one address.

The SCAN resolves to multiple IP addresses reflecting multiple listeners in the cluster

that handle public client connections. When a client submits a request, the SCAN

listener listening on a SCAN IP address and the SCAN port is made available to a

client. Because all services on the cluster are registered with the SCAN listener, the

SCAN listener replies with the address of the local listener on the least-loaded node

where the service is currently being offered. Finally, the client establishes connection

to the service through the listener on the node where service is offered. All of these

actions take place transparently to the client without any explicit configuration required

in the client.

During installation, listeners are created. These SCAN listeners listen on the SCAN IP

addresses. The SCAN listeners are started on nodes determined by Oracle

Clusterware. Oracle Net Services routes application requests to the least-loaded

instance providing the service. Because the SCAN addresses resolve to the cluster,

rather than to a node address in the cluster, nodes can be added to or removed from

the cluster without affecting the SCAN address configuration. The SCAN listener also

supports HTTP protocol for communication with Oracle XML Database (XDB).

The SCAN should be configured so that it is resolvable either by using Grid Naming

Service (GNS) within the cluster, or by using Domain Name Service (DNS) resolution.

For high availability and scalability, Oracle recommends that you configure the SCAN

name so that it resolves to three IP addresses. At a minimum, the SCAN must resolve

to at least one address.

If you specify a GNS domain, then the SCAN name defaults to

clustername-

scan.cluster_name.GNS_domain

. Otherwise, it defaults to

clustername-

scan.current_domain

. For example, if you start Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation

from the server

node1

, the cluster name is

mycluster

, and the GNS domain is

grid.example.com

, then the SCAN Name is

mycluster-scan.mycluster.grid.example.com

Clients configured to use IP addresses for Oracle Database releases prior to Oracle

Database 11g release 2 can continue to use their existing connection addresses;

using SCAN is not required. When you upgrade to Oracle Clusterware 12c release 1

(12.1) or later releases, the SCAN becomes available, and you should use the SCAN

for connections to Oracle Database 11g release 2 or later databases. When an earlier

release of Oracle Database is upgraded, it registers with the SCAN listeners, and

clients can start using the SCAN to connect to that database. The database registers

with the SCAN listener through the remote listener parameter in the

init.ora

file. The

REMOTE_LISTENER

parameter must be set to

SCAN:PORT

. Do not set it to a

TNSNAMES

alias

with a single address for the SCAN, for example, using

HOST= SCAN_name

The SCAN is optional for most deployments. However, clients using Oracle Database

11g release 2 and later policy-managed databases using server pools must access the

database using the SCAN. This is required because policy-managed databases can

run on different servers at different times, so connecting to a particular node by using

the virtual IP address for a policy-managed database is not possible.

Provide SCAN addresses for client access to the cluster. These addresses must be

configured as round robin addresses on the domain name service (DNS), if DNS is

used. Oracle recommends that you supply three SCAN addresses.

Identify public and private interfaces. Oracle Universal Installer configures public

interfaces for use by public and virtual IP addresses, and configures private IP

addresses on private interfaces. The private subnet that the private interfaces use

Chapter 4

Understanding Network Addresses

4-5

must connect all the nodes you intend to have as cluster members. The SCAN must

be in the same subnet as the public interface.

Related Topics

•Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment Guide

4.2.6 About Shared SCAN

Shared SCAN provides the capability to share SCAN VIPs across multiple clusters,

thus reducing the number of IP addresses that must be assigned when deploying

Oracle Clusters.

In earlier versions of the Oracle Clusterware, SCAN VIPs were configured on a per

cluster basis. With shared SCAN, the same SCAN is used among multiple clusters, so

that only one of these clusters runs SCAN listeners. The databases of all clusters use

the SCAN VIPs of this cluster, for all their database connections. Each cluster has its

own set of ports, instead of SCAN VIPs. Clusters using shared SCAN can name their

database services as desired, without naming conflicts if one or more of these clusters

are configured with services of the same name. Node VIP uses host IP address.

4.3 Network Interface Hardware Requirements

Review these requirements to ensure that you have the minimum network hardware

technology for Oracle Grid Infrastructure clusters.

•Network Requirements for Each Node

Verify that servers where you install Oracle Grid Infrastructure meet the minimum

network requirements for installation.

•Network Requirements for the Private Network

The following is a list of requirements for the private network configuration:

•Network Requirements for the Public Network

The following is a list of requirements for the public network configuration:

•IPv6 Protocol Support for Windows

Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC support the standard IPv6 address

notations specified by RFC 2732 and global and site-local IPv6 addresses as

defined by RFC 4193.

•Using Multiple Public Network Adapters

You can configure multiple network adapters for the public network interface.

•Network Configuration Tasks for Windows Server Deployments

Microsoft Windows Server has many unique networking features. Some of these

features require special configuration to enable Oracle software to run correctly on

Windows Server.

•Network Interface Configuration Options for Performance

The precise configuration you choose for your network depends on the size and

use of the cluster you want to configure, and the level of availability you require.

4.3.1 Network Requirements for Each Node

Verify that servers where you install Oracle Grid Infrastructure meet the minimum

network requirements for installation.

Chapter 4

Network Interface Hardware Requirements

4-6

•The host name of each node must use only the characters a-z, A-Z, 0-9, and the

dash or minus sign (-). Host names using underscores (_) are not supported.

•Each node must have at least two network adapters or network interface cards

(NICs): one for the public network interface, and one for the private network

interface, or the interconnect. Each network adapter has a network connection

name.

Note:

Do not use the names PUBLIC and PRIVATE (all caps) for the public or

private (interconnect) network connection names.

•Network adapters must be at least 1 GbE, with 10 GbE recommended.

•If you plan to use Oracle ASM running in a different cluster for storage, then you

must either have a third network adapter for accessing the ASM network, or use

the same network adapter that is used for the private network interface.

4.3.2 Network Requirements for the Private Network

The following is a list of requirements for the private network configuration:

•The private network connection names must be different from the network

connection names used for the public network.

•Each node's private interface for interconnects must be on the same subnet.

For example, if the private interfaces have a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, then

your private network is in the range 192.168.0.0--192.168.0.255, and your private

addresses must be in the range of 192.168.0.[0-255]. If the private interfaces have

a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0, then your private addresses can be in the range of

192.168.[0-255].[0-255]

•The private network connection name cannot contain any multibyte language

characters. The private network connection names are case-sensitive.

•Both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are supported.

•If you use OUI to install Oracle Grid Infrastructure, then the private network

connection names associated with the private network adapters must be the same

on all nodes.

For example, if you have a two-node cluster, and

PrivNIC

is the private network

connection name for

node1

, then

PrivNIC

must be the private network connection

name for

node2

•For the private network, the network adapters must use high-speed network

adapters and switches that support UDP, TCP/IP (minimum requirement is 1

Gigabit Ethernet, 10GbE recommended). Alternatively, use InfiniBand for the

interconnect.

Chapter 4

Network Interface Hardware Requirements

4-7

Note:

UDP or TCP is the interconnect protocol for Oracle Clusterware. You

must use a switch for the interconnect. Oracle recommends that you use

a dedicated switch.

Oracle does not support token-rings or crossover cables for the

interconnect.

•For the private network adapters, the endpoints of all designated network

connection names must be completely reachable on the network. There should be

no node that is not connected to every other node on the private network. You can

test if an interconnect interface is reachable using

ping

4.3.3 Network Requirements for the Public Network

The following is a list of requirements for the public network configuration:

•The public network connection names must be different from the private network

connection names.

•Public network connection names are case-sensitive.

•The public network connection name cannot contain any multibyte language

characters.

•If you use OUI to install Oracle Grid Infrastructure, then the public network

connection names associated with the public network adapters for each network

must be the same on all nodes.

For example, if you have a two-node cluster, you cannot configure network

adapters on

node1

with

NIC1

as the public network connection name and on

node2

have

NIC2

as the public network connection name. Public network connection

names must be the same, so you must configure

NIC1

as the public network

connection name on both nodes.

•For the public network, each network adapter must use high-speed network

adapters and switches that support user datagram protocol (UDP), transmission

control protocol and internet protocol (TCP/IP). Minimum requirement is 1 Gigabit

Ethernet, 10GbE recommended.

4.3.4 IPv6 Protocol Support for Windows

Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC support the standard IPv6 address

notations specified by RFC 2732 and global and site-local IPv6 addresses as defined

by RFC 4193.

Cluster member node interfaces can be configured to use IPv4, IPv6, or both types of

Internet protocol addresses. However, be aware of the following:

•Configuring public VIPs: During installation, you can configure VIPs for a given

public network as IPv4 or IPv6 types of addresses. You can configure an IPv6

cluster by selecting VIP and SCAN names that resolve to addresses in an IPv6

subnet for the cluster, and selecting that subnet as public during installation. After

installation, you can also configure cluster member nodes with a mixture of IPv4

and IPv6 addresses.

Chapter 4

Network Interface Hardware Requirements

4-8

If you install using static virtual IP (VIP) addresses in an IPv4 cluster, then the VIP

names you supply during installation should resolve only to IPv4 addresses. If you

install using static IPv6 addresses, then the VIP names you supply during

installation should resolve only to IPv6 addresses.

During installation, you cannot configure the cluster with VIP and SCAN names

that resolve to both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. For example, you cannot configure

VIPs and SCANS on some cluster member nodes to resolve to IPv4 addresses,

and VIPs and SCANs on other cluster member nodes to resolve to IPv6

addresses. Oracle does not support this configuration.

•Configuring private IP interfaces (interconnects): You can configure a network

interface to use either the IPv4 protocol, or the IPv6 protocol on a given network

•Redundant network interfaces: If you configure redundant network interfaces for

a public or VIP node name, then configure both interfaces of a redundant pair to

the same address protocol. Also ensure that private IP interfaces use the same IP

protocol. Oracle does not support configuring one interface to support IPv4

addresses and the other to support IPv6 addresses. You must configure both

network interfaces of a redundant pair with the same IP protocol.

GNS or Multi-cluster addresses: Oracle Grid Infrastructure supports IPv4 DHCP

addresses, and IPv6 addresses configured with the Stateless Address

Autoconfiguration protocol, as described in RFC 2462. Run the

srvctl config

network

command to determine if DHCP or stateless address autoconfiguration is

being used.

Note:

Link-local and site-local IPv6 addresses as defined in RFC 1884 are not

supported

See Also:

•RFC 2732 for information about IPv6 notational representation

•RFC 3513 for information about proper IPv6 addressing

•RFC 2462 for information about IPv6 Stateless Address

Autoconfiguration protocol

•Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide for more

information about network communication and IP address protocol

options

4.3.5 Using Multiple Public Network Adapters

You can configure multiple network adapters for the public network interface.

Oracle recommends that you do not identify multiple public network connection names

during Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

Chapter 4

Network Interface Hardware Requirements

4-9

1. Use a third-party technology for your platform to aggregate the multiple public

network adapters before you start installation.

2. During installation, select the single network connection name for the combined

network adapters as the public interface.

If you configure two network adapters as public network adapters in the cluster without

using an aggregation technology, the failure of one public network adapter on a node

does not result in automatic VIP failover to the other public network adapter.

4.3.6 Network Configuration Tasks for Windows Server Deployments

Microsoft Windows Server has many unique networking features. Some of these

features require special configuration to enable Oracle software to run correctly on

Windows Server.

•Disabling Windows Media Sensing

Windows Media Sensing must be disabled for the private network adapters.

•Deconfigure DNS Registration for Public Network Adapter

To prevent Windows Server from potentially registering the wrong IP addresses for

the node in DNS after a server restart, you must deconfigure the "Register this

connection's addresses in DNS" option for the public network adapters.

•Manually Configure Automatic Metric Values

Automatic Metric feature automatically configures the metric for the local routes

that are based on link speed. To prevent OUI from selecting the wrong network

interface during installation, you must customize the metric values for the public

and private network interfaces.

•Setting UDP and TCP Dynamic Port Range for Oracle RAC Installations

For certain configurations of Oracle RAC in high load environments it is possible

for the system to exhaust the available number of sockets. To avoid this problem,

expand the dynamic port range for both UDP and TCP.

4.3.6.1 Disabling Windows Media Sensing

Windows Media Sensing must be disabled for the private network adapters.

To disable Windows Media Sensing for TCP/IP, you must set the value of the

DisableDHCPMediaSense

parameter to 1 on each node. Because you must 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.

1. Backup the Windows registry.

2. Use Registry Editor to view the following key in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters

3. Add a new DWORD value to the Parameters subkey:

Value Name: DisableDHCPMediaSense

Value: 1

4. Exit the Registry Editor and restart the computer.

5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 on each node in your cluster.

Chapter 4

Network Interface Hardware Requirements

4-10

4.3.6.2 Deconfigure DNS Registration for Public Network Adapter

To prevent Windows Server from potentially registering the wrong IP addresses for the

node in DNS after a server restart, you must deconfigure the "Register this

connection's addresses in DNS" option for the public network adapters.

Due to a change in functionality in the Windows Server 2008 operating system, the

DNS client service registers all of the network connections of a computer in DNS. In

earlier versions of Windows Server, the DNS client service registered only the primary,

or first, network adapter IP address in DNS.

1. Start the Windows Server Manager application.

2. Select View Network Connections.

3. Right-click the network adapter that provides the Public network interface and

select Properties.

4. Select the Networking tab, and then select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/

IPv4).

Note:

If you configure this setting in IPv4, then Windows automatically

configures the same setting for IPv6

5. Click Properties.

6. On the General tab, click Advanced.

7. Select the DNS tab.

8. Deselect Register this connection's addresses in DNS.

See Also:

"Best Practices Analyzer for Domain Name System: Configuration" on

Microsoft Technet, specifically DNS Best Practices

4.3.6.3 Manually Configure Automatic Metric Values

Automatic Metric feature automatically configures the metric for the local routes that

are based on link speed. To prevent OUI from selecting the wrong network interface

during installation, you must customize the metric values for the public and private

network interfaces.

The Automatic Metric feature is enabled by default, and it can also be manually

configured to assign a specific metric. The public and private network interface for

IPv4 use the Automatic Metric feature of Windows. When the Automatic Metric feature

is enabled and using the default values, it can sometimes cause OUI to select the

private network interface as the default public host name for the server when installing

Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

1. In Control Panel, double-click Network Connections.

Chapter 4

Network Interface Hardware Requirements

4-11

2. Right-click a network interface, and then click Properties.

3. Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.

4. On the General tab, click Advanced.

5. To specify a metric, on the IP Settings tab, click to clear the Automatic metric

check box.

6. In the Interface Metric field, set the public network interface metric to a lower value

than the private network interface.

For example, you might set the public network interface metric to 100 and the

private network interface metric to 300.

4.3.6.4 Setting UDP and TCP Dynamic Port Range for Oracle RAC Installations

For certain configurations of Oracle RAC in high load environments it is possible for

the system to exhaust the available number of sockets. To avoid this problem, expand

the dynamic port range for both UDP and TCP.

1. Open a command line window as an Administrator user.

2. Run the following commands to set the dynamic port range:

netsh int ipv4 set dynamicport udp start=9000 num=56000

netsh int ipv4 set dynamicport tcp start=9000 num=56000

3. Run the following commands to verify that the dynamic port range was set:

netsh int ipv4 show dynamicport udp

netsh int ipv4 show dynamicport tcp

For IPv6 network, replace IPv4 with IPv6 in the above examples.

4.3.7 Network Interface Configuration Options for Performance

The precise configuration you choose for your network depends on the size and use of

the cluster you want to configure, and the level of availability you require.

If you access Oracle ASM remotely, or a certified Network-attached Storage (NAS) is

used for Oracle RAC and this storage is connected through Ethernet-based networks,

then you must have a third network interface for data communications. Failing to

provide three separate network interfaces in this case can cause performance and

stability problems under heavy system loads.

4.4 Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address

Requirements

The Oracle Grid Naming Service (GNS) is used with large clusters to ease network

administration cost.

For small clusters, you can use a static configuration of IP addresses. For large

clusters, manually maintaining the large number of required IP addresses becomes

too cumbersome.

•About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Name Resolution Options

Before starting the installation, you must have at least two interfaces configured on

each node: One for the private IP address and one for the public IP address.

Chapter 4

Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements

4-12

•Cluster Name and SCAN Requirements

Review this information before you select the cluster name and SCAN.

•IP Name and Address Requirements For Grid Naming Service (GNS)

The network administration must configure the domain name server (DNS) to

delegate resolution requests for cluster names (any names in the subdomain

delegated to the cluster) to the GNS.

•IP Name and Address Requirements For Multi-Cluster GNS

Multi-cluster GNS differs from standard GNS in that Multi-cluster GNS provides a

single networking service across a set of clusters, rather than a networking service

for a single cluster.

•IP Address Requirements for Manual Configuration

If you do not enable GNS, then the public and VIP addresses for each node must

be static IP addresses. Public, VIP and SCAN addresses must be on the same

subnet.

•Confirming the DNS Configuration for SCAN

You can use the

nslookup

command to confirm that the DNS is correctly

associating the SCAN with the addresses.

•Grid Naming Service for a Traditional Cluster Configuration Example

To use GNS, you must specify a static IP address for the GNS VIP address, and

you must have a subdomain configured on your domain name servers (DNS) to

delegate resolution for that subdomain to the static GNS IP address.

•Domain Delegation to Grid Naming Service

If you are configuring Grid Naming Service (GNS) for a standard cluster, then

before installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure you must configure DNS to send to

GNS any name resolution requests for the subdomain served by GNS.

•Manual IP Address Configuration Example

If you choose not to use GNS, then before installation you must configure public,

virtual, and private IP addresses. Also, check that the default gateway can be

accessed by a

ping

command.

4.4.1 About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Name Resolution Options

Before starting the installation, you must have at least two interfaces configured on

each node: One for the private IP address and one for the public IP address.

You can configure IP addresses for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC with

one of the following options:

•Dynamic IP address assignment using Multi-cluster or standard Oracle Grid

Naming Service (GNS). If you select this option, then network administrators

delegate a subdomain to be resolved by GNS (standard or multicluster).

Requirements for GNS are different depending on whether you choose to

configure GNS with zone delegation (resolution of a domain delegated to GNS), or

without zone delegation (a GNS virtual IP address without domain delegation).

•For GNS with zone delegation:

–For IPv4, a DHCP service running on the public network the cluster uses

–For IPv6, an autoconfiguration service running on the public network the

cluster uses

Chapter 4

Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements

4-13

–Enough DHCP addresses to provide 1 IP address for each node, and 3 IP

addresses for the cluster used by the Single Client Access Name (SCAN) for

the cluster

•Use an existing GNS configuration. Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c

Release 1 (12.1), a single GNS instance can be used by multiple clusters. To use

GNS for multiple clusters, the DNS administrator must have delegated a zone for

use by GNS. Also, there must be an instance of GNS started somewhere on the

network and the GNS instance must be accessible (not blocked by a firewall). All

of the node names registered with the GNS instance must be unique.

•Static IP address assignment using DNS or host file resolution. If you select

this option, then network administrators assign a fixed IP address for each

physical host name in the cluster and for IPs for the Oracle Clusterware managed

VIPs. In addition, domain name system (DNS)-based static name resolution is

used for each node, or host files for both the clusters and clients have to be

updated, and SCAN functionality is limited. Selecting this option requires that you

request network administration updates when you modify the cluster.

Note:

•Oracle recommends that you use a static host name for all non-VIP

server node public host names.

•Public IP addresses and virtual IP addresses must be in the same

subnet.

•Oracle only supports DHCP-assigned networks for the default network,

not for any subsequent networks.

For clusters using single interfaces for private networks, each node's private interface

for interconnects must be on the same subnet, and that subnet must connect to every

node of the cluster. For example, if the private interfaces have a subnet mask of

255.255.255.0, then your private network is in the range 192.168.0.0--192.168.0.255,

and your private addresses must be in the range of 192.168.0.[0-255]. If the private

interfaces have a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0, then your private addresses can be in

the range of 192.168.[0-255].[0-255].

4.4.2 Cluster Name and SCAN Requirements

Review this information before you select the cluster name and SCAN.

Cluster Name and SCAN Requirements

Cluster Name must meet the following requirements:

•The cluster name is case-insensitive, must be unique across your enterprise, must

be at least one character long and no more than 15 characters in length, must be

alphanumeric and may contain hyphens (-). Underscore characters (_) are not

allowed.

•The SCAN and cluster name are entered in separate fields during installation, so

cluster name requirements do not apply to the name used for the SCAN, and the

SCAN can be longer than 15 characters. If you enter a domain with the SCAN

Chapter 4

Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements

4-14

name, and you want to use GNS with zone delegation, then the domain must be

the GNS domain.

Note:

Select your cluster name carefully. After installation, you can only change the

cluster name by reinstalling Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

4.4.3 IP Name and Address Requirements For Grid Naming Service

(GNS)

The network administration must configure the domain name server (DNS) to delegate

resolution requests for cluster names (any names in the subdomain delegated to the

cluster) to the GNS.

If you enable Grid Naming Service (GNS), then name resolution requests to the cluster

are delegated to the GNS, which listens on the GNS VIP address. When a request

comes to the domain, GNS processes the requests and responds with the appropriate

addresses for the name requested. To use GNS, you must specify a static IP address

for the GNS VIP address.

Note:

You cannot use GNS with another multicast DNS. To use GNS, disable any

third-party mDNS daemons on your system.

Related Topics

•Configuring DNS for Domain Delegation to Grid Naming Service

4.4.4 IP Name and Address Requirements For Multi-Cluster GNS

Multi-cluster GNS differs from standard GNS in that Multi-cluster GNS provides a

single networking service across a set of clusters, rather than a networking service for

a single cluster.

•About Multi-Cluster GNS Networks

The general requirements for multi-cluster GNS are similar to those for standard

GNS. Multi-cluster GNS differs from standard GNS in that multi-cluster GNS

provides a single networking service across a set of clusters, rather than a

networking service for a single cluster.

•Configuring GNS Server Clusters

Review these requirements to configure GNS server clusters.

•Configuring GNS Client Clusters

Review these requirements to configure GNS client clusters.

•Creating and Using a GNS Client Data File

Generate a GNS client data file and copy the file to the GNS client cluster member

node on which you are running the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

Chapter 4

Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements

4-15

4.4.4.1 About Multi-Cluster GNS Networks

The general requirements for multi-cluster GNS are similar to those for standard GNS.

Multi-cluster GNS differs from standard GNS in that multi-cluster GNS provides a

single networking service across a set of clusters, rather than a networking service for

a single cluster.

Requirements for Multi-Cluster GNS Networks

To provide networking service, multi-cluster Grid Naming Service (GNS) is configured

using DHCP addresses, and name advertisement and resolution is carried out with the

following components:

•The GNS server cluster performs address resolution for GNS client clusters. A

GNS server cluster is the cluster where multi-cluster GNS runs, and where name

resolution takes place for the subdomain delegated to the set of clusters.

•GNS client clusters receive address resolution from the GNS server cluster. A

GNS client cluster is a cluster that advertises its cluster member node names

using the GNS server cluster.

•If you choose to use GNS, then the GNS configured at the time of installation is

the primary. A secondary GNS for high availability can be configured at a later

time.

4.4.4.2 Configuring GNS Server Clusters

Review these requirements to configure GNS server clusters.

To use this option, your network administrators must have delegated a subdomain to

GNS for resolution.

1. Before installation, create a static IP address for the GNS VIP address.

2. Provide a subdomain that your DNS servers delegate to that static GNS IP

address for resolution.

4.4.4.3 Configuring GNS Client Clusters

Review these requirements to configure GNS client clusters.

•To configure a GNS Client cluster, check to ensure all of the following

requirements are completed:

–A GNS Server instance must be running on your network, and it must be

accessible (for example, not blocked by a firewall)

–All of the node names in the GNS domain must be unique; address ranges

and cluster names must be unique for both GNS Server and GNS Client

clusters.

–You must have a GNS Client data file that you generated on the GNS Server

cluster, so that the GNS Client cluster has the information needed to delegate

its name resolution to the GNS Server cluster, and you must have copied that

file to the GNS Client cluster member node on which you run the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure installation.

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Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements

4-16

4.4.4.4 Creating and Using a GNS Client Data File

Generate a GNS client data file and copy the file to the GNS client cluster member

node on which you are running the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

1. On a GNS Server cluster member, run the following command, where path_to_file

is the name and path location of the GNS Client data file you create:

srvctl export gns -clientdata path_to_file -role {client | secondary}

For example:

C:\> srvctl export gns -clientdata C:\Users\grid\gns_client_data -role client

2. Copy the GNS Client data file to a secure path on the GNS Client node where you

run the GNS Client cluster installation.

The Oracle Installation user must have permissions to access that file. Oracle

recommends that no other user is granted permissions to access the GNS Client

data file.

3. During installation, you are prompted to provide a path to that file.

4. After you have completed the GNS Client cluster installation, you must run the

following command on one of the GNS Server cluster members to start GNS

service, where path_to_file is the name and path location of the GNS Client data

file:

srvctl add gns -clientdata path_to_file

For example:

C:\> srvctl add gns -clientdata C:\Users\grid\gns_client_data

See Also:

Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide for more

information about GNS Server and GNS Client administration

4.4.5 IP Address Requirements for Manual Configuration

If you do not enable GNS, then the public and VIP addresses for each node must be

static IP addresses. Public, VIP and SCAN addresses must be on the same subnet.

IP addresses on the subnet you identify as private are assigned as private IP

addresses for cluster member nodes. Oracle Clusterware manages private IP

addresses in the private subnet. You do not have to configure these addresses

manually in a hosts file.

The cluster must have the following addresses configured:

•A public IP address for each node configured before installation, and resolvable to

that node before installation

•A VIP address for each node configured before installation, but not currently in use

Chapter 4

Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements

4-17

•Three static IP addresses configured on the domain name server (DNS) before

installation so that the three IP addresses are associated with the name provided

as the SCAN, and all three addresses are returned in random order by the DNS to

the requestor. These addresses must be configured before installation in the DNS

to resolve to addresses that are not currently in use. The SCAN name must meet

the requirements specified in "Cluster Name and SCAN Requirements"

•A private IP address for each node configured before installation, but on a

separate, private network, with its own subnet. The IP address should not be

resolvable except by other cluster member nodes.

•A set of one or more networks over which Oracle ASM serves its clients. The ASM

network does not have to be a physical network; it can be a virtual network. The

ASM network must use either a third NIC, or share a private network adapter. The

NIC can be a virtual NIC.

Note:

Oracle strongly recommends that you do not configure SCAN VIP addresses

in the hosts file. Use DNS resolution for SCAN VIPs. If you use the hosts file

to resolve SCANs, then you will only be able to resolve to one IP address

and you will have only one SCAN address.

Configuring SCANs in a DNS or a hosts file is the only supported

configuration. Configuring SCANs in a Network Information Service (NIS) is

not supported.

Related Topics

•Understanding Network Addresses

4.4.6 Confirming the DNS Configuration for SCAN

You can use the

nslookup

command to confirm that the DNS is correctly associating

the SCAN with the addresses.

After installation, when a client sends a request to the cluster, the Oracle Clusterware

SCAN listeners redirect client requests to servers in the cluster.

•At a command prompt, use the

nslookup

command and specify the name of the

SCAN for your cluster.

For example:

C:\> nslookup mycluster-scan

Server: dns3.example.com

Address: 192.0.2.001

Name: mycluster-scan.example.com

Address: 192.0.2.201

Name: mycluster-scan.example.com

Address: 192.0.2.202

Name: mycluster-scan.example.com

Address: 192.0.2.203

Chapter 4

Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements

4-18

4.4.7 Grid Naming Service for a Traditional Cluster Configuration

Example

To use GNS, you must specify a static IP address for the GNS VIP address, and you

must have a subdomain configured on your domain name servers (DNS) to delegate

resolution for that subdomain to the static GNS IP address.

As nodes are added to the cluster, your organization's DHCP server can provide

addresses for these nodes dynamically. These addresses are then registered

automatically in GNS, and GNS provides resolution within the subdomain to cluster

node addresses registered with GNS.

Because allocation and configuration of addresses is performed automatically with

GNS, no further configuration is required. Oracle Clusterware provides dynamic

network configuration as nodes are added to or removed from the cluster. The

following example is provided only for information.

With IPv6 networks, the IPv6 auto configuration feature assigns IP addresses and no

DHCP server is required.

Assuming a two node cluster where you have defined the GNS VIP, after installation

you might have a configuration similar to that shown in the following table. In this

configuration, the cluster name is

mycluster

, the GNS parent domain is

gns.example.com

, the subdomain is

cluster01.example.com

, the 192.0.2 portion of the IP

addresses represents the cluster public IP address subdomain, and 192.168.0

represents the private IP address subdomain.

Table 4-1 Example of a Grid Naming Service Network Configuration

Identity Home

Node

Host Node Given Name Type Address Address

Assigned

Resolve

d By

GNS

VIP

None Selected by

Oracle

Clusterware

mycluster-gns-

vip.example.com

Virtual 192.0.2.1 Fixed by

network

administrator

DNS

Node 1

Public

Node 1

node1 node1

11 Public 192.0.2.101 Fixed GNS

Node 1

VIP

Node 1 Selected by

Oracle

Clusterware

node1-vip

Virtual 192.0.2.104 DHCP GNS

Node 1

Private

Node 1

node1 node1-priv

Private 192.168.0.1 Fixed or

DHCP

GNS

Node 2

Public

Node 2

node2

node21Public 192.0.2.102 Fixed GNS

Node 2

VIP

Node 2 Selected by

Oracle

Clusterware

node2-vip

Virtual 192.0.2.105 DHCP GNS

Node 2

Private

Node 2

node2 node2-priv

Private 192.168.0.2 Fixed or

DHCP

GNS

SCAN

VIP 1

none Selected by

Oracle

Clusterware

mycluster-

scan.cluster01.example

.com

Virtual 192.0.2.201 DHCP GNS

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4-19

Table 4-1 (Cont.) Example of a Grid Naming Service Network Configuration

Identity Home

Node

Host Node Given Name Type Address Address

Assigned

Resolve

d By

SCAN

VIP 2

none Selected by

Oracle

Clusterware

mycluster-

scan.cluster01.example

.com

Virtual 192.0.2.202 DHCP GNS

SCAN

VIP 3

none Selected by

Oracle

Clusterware

mycluster-

scan.cluster01.example

.com

Virtual 192.0.2.203 DHCP GNS

1Node host names may resolve to multiple addresses, including VIP addresses currently running on that host.

4.4.8 Domain Delegation to Grid Naming Service

If you are configuring Grid Naming Service (GNS) for a standard cluster, then before

installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure you must configure DNS to send to GNS any name

resolution requests for the subdomain served by GNS.

The subdomain that GNS serves represents the cluster member nodes.

•Choosing a Subdomain Name for Use with Grid Naming Service

To implement GNS, your network administrator must configure the DNS to set up

a domain for the cluster, and delegate resolution of that domain to the GNS VIP.

You can use a separate domain, or you can create a subdomain of an existing

domain for the cluster.

•Configuring DNS for Domain Delegation to Grid Naming Service

You must configure the DNS to send GNS name resolution requests using DNS

forwarders.

4.4.8.1 Choosing a Subdomain Name for Use with Grid Naming Service

To implement GNS, your network administrator must configure the DNS to set up a

domain for the cluster, and delegate resolution of that domain to the GNS VIP. You

can use a separate domain, or you can create a subdomain of an existing domain for

the cluster.

The subdomain name, can be any supported DNS name such as

sales-

cluster.rac.com

Oracle recommends that the subdomain name be distinct from your corporate domain.

For example, if your corporate domain is

mycorp.example.com

, the subdomain for GNS

might be

rac-gns.com

If the subdomain is not distinct, then it should be for the exclusive use of GNS. For

example, if you delegate the subdomain

mydomain.example.com

to GNS, then there

should be no other domains that share it such as

lab1.mydomain.example.com

Chapter 4

Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements

4-20

See Also:

•Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide for more

information about GNS

•Cluster Name and SCAN Requirements for information about choosing

network identification names

4.4.8.2 Configuring DNS for Domain Delegation to Grid Naming Service

You must configure the DNS to send GNS name resolution requests using DNS

forwarders.

If the DNS server is running on a Windows server that you administer, then the

following steps must be performed to configure DNS:

1. Click Start, then select Programs. Select Administrative Tools and then click

DNS manager.

The DNS server configuration wizard starts automatically.

2. Use the wizard to create an entry for the GNS virtual IP address, where the

address is a valid DNS name.

For example, if the cluster name is

mycluster

, and the domain name is

example.com

, and the IP address is

192.0.2.1

, you could create an entry similar to

the following:

mycluster-gns-vip.example.com: 192.0.2.1

The address you provide must be routable.

Note:

The domain name may not contain underscores. Windows may allow the

use of underscore characters, but this practice violates the Internet

Engineering Task Force RFC 952 standard and is not supported by

Oracle.

3. To configure DNS forwarders, click Start, select Administrative Tools, and then

select DNS.

4. Right-click ServerName, where ServerName is the name of the server, and then

click the Forwarders tab.

5. Click New, then type the name of the DNS domain for which you want to forward

queries in the DNS domain box, for example,

clusterdomain.example.com

. Click OK.

6. In the selected domain's forwarder IP address box, type the GNS VIP address,

and then click Add.

7. Click OK to exit.

Chapter 4

Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements

4-21

Note:

Experienced DNS administrators may want to create a reverse lookup zone

to enable resolution of reverse lookups. A reverse lookup resolves an IP

address to a host name with a Pointer Resource (PTR) record. If you have

reverse DNS zones configured, then you can automatically create associated

reverse records when you create your original forward record.

See Also:

Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation Guide for your platform or your

operating system documentation for more information about configuring DNS

for domain delegation to GNS if the DNS server is running on a different

operating system.

4.4.9 Manual IP Address Configuration Example

If you choose not to use GNS, then before installation you must configure public,

virtual, and private IP addresses. Also, check that the default gateway can be

accessed by a

ping

command.

To find the default gateway, use the

ipconfig

command, as described in your

operating system's help utility.

For example, with a two node cluster where the cluster name is

mycluster

, and each

node has one public and one private interface, and you have defined a SCAN domain

address to resolve on your DNS to one of three IP addresses, you might have the

configuration shown in the following table for your network interfaces.

Table 4-2 Manual Network Configuration Example

Identity Home

Node

Host Node Given Name Type Address Address

Assigned

Resolved

Node 1

Public

Node 1

node1 node1

11 Public 192.0.2.101 Fixed DNS

Node 1 VIP Node 1 Selected by

Oracle

Clusterware

node1-vip

Virtual 192.0.2.104 Fixed DNS,

hosts file

Node 1

Private

Node 1

node1 node1-priv

Private 192.168.0.1 Fixed DNS,

hosts file,

or none

Node 2

Public

Node 2

node2 node2

1Public 192.0.2.102 Fixed DNS

Node 2 VIP Node 2 Selected by

Oracle

Clusterware

node2-vip

Virtual 192.0.2.105 Fixed DNS,

hosts file

Chapter 4

Oracle Grid Infrastructure IP Name and Address Requirements

4-22

Table 4-2 (Cont.) Manual Network Configuration Example

Identity Home

Node

Host Node Given Name Type Address Address

Assigned

Resolved

Node 2

Private

Node 2

node2 node2-priv

Private 192.168.0.2 Fixed DNS,

hosts file,

or none

SCAN VIP 1 none Selected by

Oracle

Clusterware

mycluster-scan

Virtual 192.0.2.201 Fixed DNS

SCAN VIP 2 none Selected by

Oracle

Clusterware

mycluster-scan

Virtual 192.0.2.202 Fixed DNS

SCAN VIP 3 none Selected by

Oracle

Clusterware

mycluster-scan

Virtual 192.0.2.203 Fixed DNS

1Node host names may resolve to multiple addresses.

You do not have to provide a private name for the interconnect. If you want name

resolution for the interconnect, then you can configure private IP names in the system

hosts

file or DNS. However, Oracle Clusterware assigns interconnect addresses on the

interface defined during installation as the private interface (

Local Area Connection 2

for example), and to the subnet used for the private subnet.

The addresses to which the SCAN resolves are assigned by Oracle Clusterware, so

they are not fixed to a particular node. To enable VIP failover, the configuration shown

in the previous table defines the SCAN addresses and the public and VIP addresses

of both nodes on the same subnet, 192.0.2.

Note:

All host names must conform to the Internet Engineering Task Force RFC

952 standard, which permits alphanumeric characters. Host names using

underscores ("_") are not allowed.

4.5 Intended Use of Network Adapters

During installation, you are asked to identify the planned use for each network adapter

(or network interface) that Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) detects on your cluster

node.

Each NIC performs only one of the following roles:

•Public

•Private

•Do Not Use

You must use the same private adapters for both Oracle Clusterware and Oracle RAC.

The precise configuration you choose for your network depends on the size and use of

Chapter 4

Intended Use of Network Adapters

4-23

the cluster you want to configure, and the level of availability you require. Network

interfaces must be at least 1 GbE, with 10 GbE recommended.

For network adapters that you plan to use for other purposes, for example, an adapter

dedicated to a non-Oracle network file system, you must identify those network

adapters as "do not use" adapters so that Oracle Clusterware ignores them.

If certified Network Attached Storage (NAS) is used for Oracle RAC and this storage is

connected through Ethernet-based networks, then you must have a third network

interface for NAS I/O. Failing to provide three separate interfaces in this case can

cause performance and stability problems under load.

Oracle Flex ASM can use either the same private networks as Oracle Clusterware, or

use its own dedicated private networks. If you plan to have other clusters (Oracle ASM

client clusters) access the storage in an Oracle Flex ASM cluster, then you should

configure a separate ASM network as a private network that connects the client

clusters to the Oracle Flex ASM cluster.

If you require high availability or load balancing for public adapters, then use a third-

party solution. Typically, bonding, trunking or similar technologies can be used for this

purpose.

4.6 Broadcast Requirements for Networks Used by Oracle

Grid Infrastructure

Broadcast communications address resolution protocol (ARP) and User Datagram

Protocol (UDP) must work properly across all the public and private interfaces

configured for use by Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

The broadcast must work across any configured VLANs as used by the public or

private interfaces.

When configuring public and private network interfaces for Oracle RAC, you must

enable ARP, which is necessary for VIP failover. Do not configure NOARP.

4.7 Multicast Requirements for Networks Used by Oracle

Grid Infrastructure

On each cluster member node the Oracle multicast DNS (mDNS) daemon uses

multicasting on all network interfaces to communicate with other nodes in the cluster.

Multicasting is required on the private interconnect. For this reason, at a minimum, you

must enable multicasting for the cluster for the following:

•Across the broadcast domain as defined for the private interconnect

•On the IP address subnet ranges 224.0.0.0/24 and 230.0.1.0/24

You do not need to enable multicast communications across routers.

Chapter 4

Broadcast Requirements for Networks Used by Oracle Grid Infrastructure

4-24

4.8 Configuring Multiple ASM Interconnects on Microsoft

Windows Platforms

When using multiple network interface cards for the Oracle Automatic Storage

Management (Oracle ASM) interconnect, you must enable the

weakhostsend

network

parameter.

Microsoft Windows versions prior to Windows Vista use the weak host send and

receive model. The TCP/IP stack in Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and later

Windows operating systems, supports the strong host send and receive model for

both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols by default. Oracle RAC nodes that use multiple network

interface cards (NICs) for the ASM interconnect must enable the weak host send by

specifically setting the

weakhostsend

parameter for all the private subnets.

If you do not enable the

weakhostsend

parameter, you might experience connection

issues on the ASM interconnects because the interconnect packets are being blocked

or discarded. It is not considered unsafe to enable

weakhostsend

because the

interconnect is on a private and isolated network. Enabling the

weakhostsend

parameter

allows all private NICs to send packets to multiple private subnets.

1. Open a CMD Prompt as Administrator window.

2. Use the following commands to configure the send behavior for both IPv4 and

IPv6, on a per-interface basis, where interface1 and interface2 represent the

names or interface indexes assigned to the NIC adapters on the Oracle RAC

nodes.

netsh interface [ipv4 | ipv6] set interface interface1 weakhostsend=enabled

netsh interface [ipv4 | ipv6] set interface interface2 weakhostsend=enabled

You can obtain the interface index of a NIC from the output of the command:

netsh interface [ipv4 | ipv6] show interface

3. Repeat the commands in Step 2 for all the private NICs, on each node in the

cluster.

You can choose multiple interconnects either during installation or after installation

using the

oifcfg setif

command.

Chapter 4

Configuring Multiple ASM Interconnects on Microsoft Windows Platforms

4-25

Configuring Users, Groups and

Environments for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

and Oracle RAC

You must configure certain users, groups, and environment settings used during

Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a Cluster and Oracle Real Application Clusters

installations.

•Creating Installation Groups and Users for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle

RAC

To install Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC, you must have an installation

user and optionally an Oracle Home User.

•Standard Administration and Job Role Separation User Groups

Oracle Grid Infrastructure uses various operating system groups. These operating

system groups are designated with the logical role of granting operating system

group authentication for administration system privilege for Oracle Clusterware

and Oracle ASM.

•Configuring User Accounts

When installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster, you run the installer

software as an Administrator user. During installation, you can specify an Oracle

Home user.

•Creating Oracle Software Directories

During installation, you are prompted to provide a path to a home directory to store

Oracle Grid Infrastructure software.

•Enabling Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)

Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) provides a set of common

interfaces to computer hardware and firmware that system administrators can use

to monitor system health and manage the system.

Related Topics

•User Environment Configuration Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Review the following environment checklist for all installations.

5.1 Creating Installation Groups and Users for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

To install Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC, you must have an installation

user and optionally an Oracle Home User.

5-1

Note:

During an Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation, both Oracle Clusterware

and Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) are installed. You

no longer can have separate Oracle Clusterware installation owners and

Oracle ASM installation owners.

•About the Oracle Installation User

The Oracle Installation User can be either a local user or a domain user.

•About the Oracle Home User for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation

During installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you can specify an optional

Oracle Home user associated with the Oracle Grid home.

•About the Oracle Home User for the Oracle RAC Installation

During installation of Oracle RAC, you can either use a Windows built-in account

or specify an optional, non-Administrator user that is a Windows domain user or a

Windows Group Managed Service Account (gMSA) to be the Oracle Home User

associated with the Oracle RAC home.

•When to Create an Oracle Home User

You must create an Oracle Home User in certain circumstances.

•Oracle Home User Configurations for Oracle Installations

When the Oracle software installation completes, you will have one of the following

configurations:

•Understanding the Oracle Inventory Directory and the Oracle Inventory Group

You must have a group whose members are given access to write to the Oracle

Inventory directory, which is the central inventory record of all Oracle software

installations on a server.

5.1.1 About the Oracle Installation User

The Oracle Installation User can be either a local user or a domain user.

To install the Oracle Grid Infrastructure or Oracle Database software, you must use

either a local or domain user. In either case, the Oracle Installation User must be an

explicit member of the Administrators group on all nodes of the cluster.

If you use a local user account for installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure or Oracle Real

Application Clusters (Oracle RAC), then:

•The user account must exist on all nodes in the cluster.

•The user name and password must be the same on all nodes.

•OUI displays a warning message.

If you use a domain user account for installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure or Oracle

Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC), then:

•The domain user must be explicitly declared as a member of the local

Administrators group on each node in the cluster. It is not sufficient if the domain

user has inherited membership from another group.

•The user performing the installation must be in the same domain on each node.

For example, you cannot have the

DBADMIN\dba1

user on the first node and the

RACDBA\dba1

user on the second node.

Chapter 5

Creating Installation Groups and Users for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

5-2

•A local user of the same name cannot exist on any of the nodes. For example if

you use

RACDBA\dba1

as the installation user, none of the nodes can have a local

NODE1\dba1

user account.

If you use different users to install Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC, then the

user that installs Oracle RAC must be a member of the ASMDBA and ASMADMIN

groups to access the Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) Disks.

5.1.2 About the Oracle Home User for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Installation

During installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you can specify an optional Oracle

Home user associated with the Oracle Grid home.

For example, assume that you use an Administrator user named OraSys to install the

software (Oracle Installation user), then you can specify the

ORADOMAIN\OraGrid

domain

user as the Oracle Home user for this installation. The specified Oracle Home domain

user must exist before you install the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software.

The Oracle Home user for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation can be either the

Windows built-in account (LocalSystem) or an existing user. If you specify an existing

user as the Oracle Home user, then the Windows User Account you specify must be a

domain user or Group Managed Service Account (gMSA) user. When you use an

Oracle Home User, a secure wallet in Oracle Cluster Registry (created automatically)

stores the Oracle Home User name and password information. If you decide not to

create an Oracle Home user, then the Windows built-in account is used as Oracle

Home User.

Note:

You cannot change the Oracle Home User after the installation is complete.

If you must change the Oracle Home User, then you must reinstall the Oracle

Grid Infrastructure software.

For Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 12.1.0.1, if you choose the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure Management Repository option during installation, then use of an Oracle

Home user is mandatory. Similarly, if you perform a software-only installation of Oracle

Grid Infrastructure, then you must choose a Windows Domain User account to

configure the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Management Repository after installation.

During installation, the installer creates the software services and configures the

Access Control Lists (ACLs) based on the information you provided about the Oracle

Home User.

When you specify an Oracle Home user, the installer configures that user as the

Oracle Service user for all software services that run from the Oracle home. The

Oracle Service user is the operating system user that the Oracle software services

run as, or the user from which the services inherit privileges.

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Creating Installation Groups and Users for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

5-3

See Also:

Oracle Database Platform Guide for Microsoft Windows for more information

about the Oracle Home User, ACLs, and how database services run in

Oracle Home User account

5.1.3 About the Oracle Home User for the Oracle RAC Installation

During installation of Oracle RAC, you can either use a Windows built-in account or

specify an optional, non-Administrator user that is a Windows domain user or a

Windows Group Managed Service Account (gMSA) to be the Oracle Home User

associated with the Oracle RAC home.

The Oracle Home User for Oracle RAC can be different from the Oracle Home User

you specified during the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation. If a Windows domain

user account or a gMSA is chosen, then it should be an existing domain user account

with no administration privileges.

For Oracle RAC installations, Oracle recommends that you use a Windows domain

user or a gMSA (instead of Windows built-in account) as the Oracle Home User for

enhanced security.

The services created for the Oracle RAC software run using the privileges of the

Oracle Home User for Oracle RAC, or the Local System built-in Windows account if

you did not specify an Oracle Home User during installation. Oracle Universal Installer

(OUI) creates multiple operating system groups, such as the

ORA_DBA

group, on all

nodes. The user performing the installation is automatically added to those groups

necessary for proper database administration.

For an administrator-managed database, you have the option of storing Oracle Home

User password in a secure wallet (stored in Oracle Cluster Registry). Use the following

CRSCTL command to create this secure wallet for storing the Windows operating

system user name and password:

crsctl add wallet -osuser -passwd

If the wallet (stored in Oracle Cluster Registry) exists, then Oracle administration tools

automatically use the password from the wallet without prompting the administrator to

enter the password of Oracle Home User for performing administrative operations.

A policy-managed database mandates the storage of Oracle Home User password in

the wallet (stored in Oracle Cluster Registry). When a policy-managed database is

created, DBCA automatically creates the wallet, if one does not exist.

Note:

If you choose to use an Oracle Home User for your Oracle RAC installation,

then the Windows User Account you specify must be a domain user or a

gMSA.

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Creating Installation Groups and Users for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

5-4

See Also:

Oracle Database Platform Guide for Microsoft Windows for more information

about the Oracle Home User implementation for Oracle Database.

5.1.4 When to Create an Oracle Home User

You must create an Oracle Home User in certain circumstances.

•If an Oracle Home User exists, but you want to use a different operating system

user, with different group membership, to give database administrative privileges

to those groups in a new Oracle Database installation

•If you have created an Oracle Home User for Oracle Grid Infrastructure, such as

grid

, and you want to create a separate Oracle Home User for Oracle Database

software, such as

oracle

•Restrictions and Guidelines for Oracle Home Users

Review the following restrictions and guidelines for Oracle Home Users for Oracle

software installations.

•Determining if an Oracle Home User Exists

You must decide to use an existing user, or create a new user.

•Creating an Oracle Home User

Use the Manage User Accounts window to create a new user.

•Using an Existing Oracle Software Owner User

If the user you have decided to use as an Oracle Home user exists, then you can

use this user as the Oracle Home user for a different installation.

5.1.4.1 Restrictions and Guidelines for Oracle Home Users

Review the following restrictions and guidelines for Oracle Home Users for Oracle

software installations.

•If you intend to use multiple Oracle Home Users for different Oracle Database

homes, then Oracle recommends that you create a separate Oracle Home User

for Oracle Grid Infrastructure software (Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM).

•If you plan to install Oracle Database or Oracle RAC, then Oracle recommends

that you create separate Oracle Home Users for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure and

the Oracle Database installations. If you use one Oracle Home User, then when

you want to perform administration tasks, you must select the utilities from the

Oracle home for the instance you want to administer, or change the default

%ORACLE_HOME%

value to the location of the Oracle Home from which the instance

runs. For Oracle ASM instances, you must use the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

home and for database instance use the Oracle Database home.

•If you try to administer an Oracle home or Grid home instance using

sqlplus

srvctl

lsnrctl

, or

asmcmd

commands while the environment variable

%ORACLE_HOME%

is set to a different Oracle home or Grid home path, then you encounter errors. For

example, when you start SRVCTL from a database home,

%ORACLE_HOME%

should be

set to that database home, or SRVCTL fails. The exception is when you are using

SRVCTL in the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home. In that case, SRVTCL ignores

%ORACLE_HOME%

, and the Oracle home environment variable does not affect SRVCTL

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5-5

commands. In all other cases, you must start the utilities from the Oracle home of

the instance that you want to administer.

If you need to set the user environment to use a specific Oracle home, then use

Oracle Universal Installer. On the landing page, click Installed Products. In the

Inventory window, click the Environment tab. Select the Oracle Home you want to

use, and deselect the other Oracle homes, then click Apply. You can then exit

Oracle Universal Installer. When you use Oracle Universal Installer to set the

Oracle Home, it updates the

ORACLE_HOME

environment variable and updates the

PATH

variable.

5.1.4.2 Determining if an Oracle Home User Exists

You must decide to use an existing user, or create a new user.

1. Open the Control Panel window.

2. Select User Accounts.

3. Select Manage User Accounts.

4. Scroll through the list of names until you find the ones you are looking for.

If the names do not appear in the list, then the user has not yet been created.

See one of the following sections for the next steps:

•Creating an Oracle Home User

•Using an Existing Oracle Software Owner User

5.1.4.3 Creating an Oracle Home User

Use the Manage User Accounts window to create a new user.

The user must not be a member of the Administrators group. If you are creating an

Oracle Home User for an Oracle RAC installation, then the user must be a Windows

domain user, and the user must be a member of the same domain on each node in the

cluster.

1. Open the Control Panel window

2. Select User Accounts.

3. Select Manage User Accounts.

4. Create the user using the interface.

See Also:

Oracle Database Platform Guide for Microsoft Windows for information about

the Oracle Home User Control utility

Chapter 5

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5-6

5.1.4.4 Using an Existing Oracle Software Owner User

If the user you have decided to use as an Oracle Home user exists, then you can use

this user as the Oracle Home user for a different installation.

Oracle does not support changing the ownership of an existing Oracle Database home

from one Oracle Home user to a different user.

•During the software installation, specify the existing user for the Oracle Home

user.

Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) creates the appropriate group memberships.

5.1.5 Oracle Home User Configurations for Oracle Installations

When the Oracle software installation completes, you will have one of the following

configurations:

Installation Type Oracle Home user configuration

Oracle Grid Infrastructure with a

domain user specified for the Oracle

Home User

The Oracle Home user owns the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure Management Repository service. The

other services are run under the built-in Administrator

account, except for the listeners, which run as

LocalService (a built-in Windows account).

Oracle Grid Infrastructure with the

Windows built-in Administrator

account as the Oracle Home User

The Oracle Grid Infrastructure services are run under

the built-in Administrator account, except for the

listeners, which run as LocalService.

Oracle RAC with specified Oracle

Home User

The Oracle Home User owns all the services run by the

Oracle Database software.

Oracle RAC with Built-in Oracle

Home user

The services run under the built-in LocalSystem

account.

Note:

You cannot change the Oracle Home User after installation to a different

Oracle Home User. Only out-of-place upgrade or move allows the Oracle

Home User to be changed to or from the built-in Windows account.

5.1.6 Understanding the Oracle Inventory Directory and the Oracle

Inventory Group

You must have a group whose members are given access to write to the Oracle

Inventory directory, which is the central inventory record of all Oracle software

installations on a server.

When you install Oracle software on the system for the first time, Oracle Universal

Installer (OUI) creates the directories for the Oracle central inventory. OUI also creates

the Oracle Inventory group,

ORA_INSTALL

. The

ORA_INSTALL

group contains all the Oracle

Home users for all Oracle homes on the server. The location of the Oracle central

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5-7

inventory on Windows is always %SYSTEM_DRIVE%\Program Files\Oracle

\Inventory.

Whether you are performing the first installation of Oracle software on this server, or

are performing an installation of additional Oracle software on the server, you do not

need to create the Oracle central inventory or the

ORA_INSTALL

group. You cannot

change the name of the Oracle Inventory group - it is always

ORA_INSTALL

Members of the Oracle Inventory group have write privileges to the Oracle central

inventory directory, and are also granted permissions for various Oracle Clusterware

resources, OCR keys, directories in the Oracle Clusterware home to which DBAs need

write access, and other necessary privileges. All Oracle software install users must be

members of the Oracle Inventory group. Members of this group can talk to Cluster

Synchronization Service (CSS).

Note:

If Oracle software is already installed on the system, then, when you install

new Oracle software, the existing Oracle Inventory group is used instead of

creating a new Inventory group.

5.2 Standard Administration and Job Role Separation User

Groups

Oracle Grid Infrastructure uses various operating system groups. These operating

system groups are designated with the logical role of granting operating system group

authentication for administration system privilege for Oracle Clusterware and Oracle

ASM.

•About Job Role Separation Operating System Privileges Groups and Users

Job role separation requires that you create different operating system groups for

each set of system privileges that you grant through operating system

authorization.

•Oracle Software Owner for Each Oracle Software Product

Oracle recommends that you use appropriate operating system groups and users

for all installations where you specify separate Oracle Home Users:

•Standard Oracle Database Groups for Database Administrators

The Oracle Database supports multiple operating system groups to provide

operating system authentication for database administration system privileges.

•Oracle ASM Groups for Job Role Separation

The SYSASM, SYSOPER for ASM, and SYSDBA for ASM system privileges

enables the separation of the Oracle ASM storage administration privileges from

SYSDBA.

•Extended Oracle Database Administration Groups for Job Role Separation

Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1) and later releases provide an extended set

of database groups to grant task-specific system privileges for database

administration.

•Operating System Groups Created During Installation

When you install either Oracle Grid Infrastructure or Oracle RAC, the user groups

listed in the following table are created, if they do not already exist.

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Standard Administration and Job Role Separation User Groups

5-8

•Example of Using Role-Allocated Groups and Users

You can use role-allocated groups and users that is compliant with an Optimal

Flexible Architecture (OFA) deployment.

5.2.1 About Job Role Separation Operating System Privileges Groups

and Users

Job role separation requires that you create different operating system groups for each

set of system privileges that you grant through operating system authorization.

With Oracle Grid Infrastructure job role separation, Oracle ASM has separate

operating system groups that provide operating system authentication for Oracle ASM

system privileges for storage tier administration. This operating system authentication

is separated from Oracle Database operating system authentication. In addition, the

Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation user provides operating system user

authentication for modifications to Oracle Grid Infrastructure binaries.

With Oracle Database job role separation, each Oracle Database installation has

separate operating system groups. The operating system groups provide authorization

for system privileges on that Oracle Database, so multiple databases can be installed

on the cluster without sharing operating system authentication for system privileges. In

addition, each Oracle software installation is associated with an Oracle Installation

user, to provide operating system user authorization for modifications to Oracle

Database binaries.

Note:

Any Oracle software owner can start and stop all databases and shared

Oracle Grid Infrastructure resources such as Oracle ASM or Virtual IP (VIP).

Job role separation configuration enables database security, and does not

restrict user roles in starting and stopping various Oracle Clusterware

resources.

During the Oracle Database installation, the installation creates the OSDBA,

OSOPER, OSBACKUPDBA, OSDGDBA, OSKMDBA, and OSRACDBA groups and

you can assign users to these groups. Members of these groups are granted operating

system authentication for the set of database system privileges each group authorizes.

Oracle recommends that you use different operating system groups for each set of

system privileges.

Note:

This configuration is optional, to restrict user access to Oracle software by

responsibility areas for different administrator users.

To configure users for installation that are on a network directory service such as

Network Information Services (NIS), refer to your directory service documentation.

If you do not want to use role allocation groups, then Oracle strongly recommends that

you use at least two groups:

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Standard Administration and Job Role Separation User Groups

5-9

•A system privileges group whose members are granted administrative system

privileges, including OSDBA, OSASM, and other system privileges groups.

•An installation owner group (the

ORA_INSTALL

group) whose members are granted

Oracle installation owner system privileges.

See Also:

•Oracle Database Administrator’s Guide for more information about

planning for system privileges authentication

•Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for more

information about Oracle ASM operating system authentication

5.2.2 Oracle Software Owner for Each Oracle Software Product

Oracle recommends that you use appropriate operating system groups and users for

all installations where you specify separate Oracle Home Users:

You can choose from the following operating system groups and users, as per your

configuration:

Separate Oracle Installation users for each Oracle software product (typically,

oracle

, for the Oracle Database software, and

grid

for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

software.

You must create at least one Oracle Installation user the first time you install Oracle

software on the system. This user owns the Oracle binaries of the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure software, and you can also use this same user as the Oracle Installation

user for the Oracle Database or Oracle RAC binaries.

The Oracle Installation user for Oracle Database software has full administrative

privileges for Oracle instances and is added to the

ORA_DBA

ORA_ASMDBA

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSBACKUP

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSDG

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSKM

, and

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSRAC

groups. Oracle Home users are added to the

ORA_HOMENAME_DBA

group for the Oracle home created during the installation. The

ORA_OPER

and

ORA_HOMENAME_OPER

groups are created, but no users are added to these groups during

installation.

See Also:

Oracle Database Security Guide for more information about the available

operating system groups and the privileges associated with each group

Chapter 5

Standard Administration and Job Role Separation User Groups

5-10

5.2.3 Standard Oracle Database Groups for Database Administrators

The Oracle Database supports multiple operating system groups to provide operating

system authentication for database administration system privileges.

OSDBA group (

ORA_DBA

)

When you install Oracle Database, a special Windows local group called

ORA_DBA

created (if it does not already exist from an earlier Oracle Database installation), and

the Oracle Installation user is automatically added to this group. Members of the

ORA_DBA

group automatically receive the SYSDBA privilege. Membership in the

ORA_DBA

group allows a user to:

•Connect to Oracle Database instances without a password

•Perform database administration procedures such as starting and shutting down

local databases

•Add additional Windows users to

ORA_DBA

, enabling them to have the SYSDBA

privilege

Membership in the

ORA_DBA

group grants full access to all databases on the server.

OSDBA group for a particular Oracle home (

ORA_HOMENAME_DBA

)

This group is created the first time you install Oracle Database software into a new

Oracle home. Membership in the

ORA_HOMENAME_DBA

group grants full access (SYSDBA

privileges) for all databases that run from the specific Oracle home.

Belonging to either the

ORA_DBA

ORA_HOMENAME_DBA

group does not grant any special

privileges for the user with respect to the Oracle ASM instance. Members of these

groups will not be able to connect to the Oracle ASM instance.

OSOPER group for Oracle Database (

ORA_OPER

)

This group is created the first time you install Oracle Database software into a new

Oracle home. This optional group identifies operating system user accounts that have

database administrative privileges (the SYSOPER system privilege) for the database

instances that run from any Oracle home. Assign users to this group if you want a

separate group of operating system users to have a limited set of database

administrative privileges for starting up and shutting down any Oracle database.

OSOPER group for a particular Oracle home (

ORA_HOMENAME_OPER

)

This group is created the first time you install Oracle Database software into a new

Oracle home. This optional group identifies operating system user accounts that have

database administrative privileges (the SYSOPER system privilege) for the database

instances that run from a specific Oracle home. Assign users to this group if you want

a separate group of operating system users to have a limited set of database

administrative privileges for starting up and shutting down any Oracle database

located in a specific Oracle home.

5.2.4 Oracle ASM Groups for Job Role Separation

The SYSASM, SYSOPER for ASM, and SYSDBA for ASM system privileges enables

the separation of the Oracle ASM storage administration privileges from SYSDBA.

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5-11

During installation, the following groups are created for Oracle ASM:

•OSASM Group for Oracle ASM Administration (

ORA_ASMADMIN

)

Use this separate group to have separate administration privilege groups for

Oracle ASM and Oracle Database administrators. Members of this group are

granted the SYSASM system privilege to administer Oracle ASM. In Oracle

documentation, the operating system group whose members are granted

privileges is called the OSASM group. During installation, the Oracle Installation

User for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Database Service IDs are

configured as members of this group. Membership in this group also grants

database access to the ASM disks.

Members of the OSASM group can use SQL to connect to an Oracle ASM

instance as SYSASM using operating system authentication. The SYSASM

system privilege permits mounting and dismounting disk groups, and other storage

administration tasks. SYSASM system privileges do not grant access privileges on

an Oracle Database instance.

•OSDBA for ASM Database Administrator group (

ORA_ASMDBA

)

This group grants access for the database to connect to Oracle ASM. During

installation, the Oracle Installation Users are configured as members of this group.

After you create an Oracle Database, this groups contains the Oracle Home Users

of those database homes.

•OSOPER for ASM Group for ASM Operators (

ORA_ASMOPER

)

This is an optional group. Use this group if you want a separate group of operating

system users to have a limited set of Oracle ASM instance administrative

privileges (the SYSOPER for ASM system privilege), including starting up and

stopping the Oracle ASM instance. By default, members of the OSASM group also

have all privileges granted by the SYSOPER for ASM system privilege.

To use the Oracle ASM Operator group to create an Oracle ASM administrator

with fewer privileges than those granted by the SYSASM system privilege you

must assign the user to this group after installation.

•Changes in Oracle ASM System Privileges When Upgrading to Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2)

When upgrading from Oracle Grid Infrastructure release 12.1.0.1 to release

12.1.0.2, the upgrade process automatically updates the group memberships and

the disk ACLs for Oracle ASM privileges.

5.2.4.1 Changes in Oracle ASM System Privileges When Upgrading to Oracle

Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1 (12.1.0.2)

When upgrading from Oracle Grid Infrastructure release 12.1.0.1 to release 12.1.0.2,

the upgrade process automatically updates the group memberships and the disk ACLs

for Oracle ASM privileges.

•The disk ACLs are updated to add

ORA_ASMADMIN

and remove

ORA_ASMDBA

•The database service SIDs are added to both

ORA_ASMADMIN

and

ORA_ASMDBA

•The Oracle Service user (typically the Oracle Home user) is added to

ORA_ASMDBA

These updates ensure that databases using either Oracle Database release 12.1.0.1

or release 12.1.0.2 can use Oracle ASM after the upgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

release 12.1.0.2.

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5-12

If Oracle ASM is freshly installed as part of Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1

(12.1.0.2), then only the 12.1.0.2 version of the privileges are configured:

•The database service SIDs are added to

ORA_ASMADMIN

•The Oracle Service user (typically the Oracle Home user) is added to

ORA_ASMDBA

•The disk ACLs are updated to include

ORA_ASMADMIN

Before you install Oracle Database 12c release 12.1.0.1 software on a system with a

new installation (not an upgraded installation) of Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c

Release 1 (12.1.0.2), you must apply a patch to ensure the proper privileges are

configured when you create an Oracle Database 12c release 12.1.0.1 database.

5.2.5 Extended Oracle Database Administration Groups for Job Role

Separation

Oracle Database 12c Release 1 (12.1) and later releases provide an extended set of

database groups to grant task-specific system privileges for database administration.

The extended set of Oracle Database system privileges groups are task-specific and

less privileged than the ORA_DBA/SYSDBA system privileges. They are designed to

provide privileges to carry out everyday database operations. Users granted these

system privileges are also authorized through operating system group membership.

The installer automatically creates operating system groups whose members are

granted these system privileges. The subset of OSDBA job role separation privileges

and groups consist of the following:

•OSBACKUPDBA group for Oracle Database (

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSBACKUP

)

Assign users to this group if you want a separate group of operating system users

to have a limited set of database backup- and recovery-related administrative

privileges (the SYSBACKUP privilege).

•OSDGDBA group for Oracle Data Guard (

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSDG

)

Assign users to this group if you want a separate group of operating system users

to have a limited set of privileges to administer and monitor Oracle Data Guard

(the SYSDG privilege). To use this privilege, add the Oracle Database installation

owners as members of this group.

•OSKMDBA group for encryption key management (

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSKM

)

Assign users to this group if you want a separate group of operating system users

to have a limited set of privileges for encryption key management such as Oracle

Wallet Manager management (the SYSKM privilege). To use this privilege, add the

Oracle Database installation owners as members of this group.

•OSRACDBA group for Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration

(typically,

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSRAC

)

Assign users to this group if you want a separate group of operating system users

to have a limited set of Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) administrative

privileges (the SYSRAC privilege). To use this privilege, add the Oracle Database

installation owners as members of this group.

You cannot change the name of these operating system groups. These groups do not

have any members after database creation, but an Administrator user can assign

users to these groups after installation. Each operating system group identifies a group

of operating system users that are granted the associated set of database privileges.

Chapter 5

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5-13

See Also:

•Oracle Database Administrator’s Guide for more information about the

OSDBA, OSASM, OSOPER, OSBACKUPDBA, OSDGDBA, OSKMDBA,

and OSRACDBA groups, and the SYSDBA, SYSASM, SYSOPER,

SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, SYSKM, and SYSRAC privileges

•The "Managing Administrative Privileges" section in Oracle Database

Security Guide

5.2.6 Operating System Groups Created During Installation

When you install either Oracle Grid Infrastructure or Oracle RAC, the user groups

listed in the following table are created, if they do not already exist.

Table 5-1 Operating System Groups Created During Installation

Operating System Group

Names

Database

Privileges

Description

ORA_ASMADMIN

SYSASM system

privileges for

Oracle ASM

administration

The OSASM group for the Oracle ASM instance.

Using this group and the SYSASM system privileges

enables the separation of SYSDBA database

administration privileges from Oracle ASM storage

administration privileges. Members of the OSASM group

are authorized to connect using the SYSASM privilege

and have full access to Oracle ASM, including

administrative access to all disk groups that the Oracle

ASM instance manages.

ORA_ASMDBA

SYSDBA system

privileges on the

Oracle ASM

instance

The OSDBA group for the Oracle ASM instance.

This group grants access for the database to connect to

Oracle ASM. During installation, the Oracle Installation

Users are configured as members of this group. After you

create an Oracle Database, this groups contains the

Oracle Home Users of those database homes.

ORA_ASMOPER

SYSOPER for

Oracle ASM

system privileges

The OSOPER group for the Oracle ASM instance.

Members of this group are granted SYSOPER system

privileges on the Oracle ASM instance, which permits a

user to perform operations such as startup, shutdown,

mount, dismount, and check disk group. This group has a

subset of the privileges of the OSASM group.

Similar to the

ORA_HOMENAME_OPER

group, this group does

not have any members after installation, but you can

manually add users to this group after the installation

completes.

ORA_GRIDHM_DBA

SYSDBA system

privileges for the

Oracle Grid

Infrastructure

Management

Repository

database

Members of this group are granted the SYSDBA system

privileges for managing the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Management Repository database, where GRIDHM is the

name of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home.

The default home name is OraGrid12Home1, so the

default group name is

ORA_OraGrid12Home1_DBA

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5-14

Table 5-1 (Cont.) Operating System Groups Created During Installation

Operating System Group

Names

Database

Privileges

Description

ORA_GRIDHM_OPER

SYSOPER system

privileges for the

Oracle Grid

Infrastructure

Management

Repository

database

Members of this group are granted the SYSOPER system

privileges for managing the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Management Repository database, where GRIDHM is the

name of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home.

If you use the default Grid home name of

OraGrid12Home1,then the default operating system group

name is

ORA_OraGrid12Home1_OPER

ORA_DBA

SYSDBA system

privileges for all

Oracle Database

installations on the

server

A special OSDBA group for the Windows operating

system.

Members of this group are granted SYSDBA system

privileges for all Oracle Databases installed on the server.

ORA_OPER

SYSOPER system

privileges for all

Oracle databases

installed on the

server

A special OSOPER group for the Windows operating

system.

Members of this group are granted SYSOPER system

privileges all Oracle Databases installed on the server.

This group does not have any members after installation,

but you can manually add users to this group after the

installation completes.

ORA_HOMENAME_DBA

SYSDBA system

privileges for all

database

instances that run

from the Oracle

home with the

name

HOMENAME

An OSDBA group for a specific Oracle Home with a name

of HOMENAME.

Members of this group can use operating system

authentication to gain SYSDBA system privileges for any

database that runs from the specific Oracle home. If you

specified an Oracle Home User during installation, the

user is added to this group during installation.

ORA_HOMENAME_OPER

SYSOPER system

privileges for all

database

instances that run

from the Oracle

home with the

name

HOMENAME

An OSDBA group for the Oracle Home with a name of

HOMENAME.

Members of this group can use operating system

authentication to gain SYSOPER system privileges for any

database that runs from the specific Oracle home. This

group does not have any members after installation, but

you can manually add users to this group after the

installation completes.

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSBACKUP

SYSBACKUP

system privileges

for all database

instances that run

from the Oracle

home with a name

of HOMENAME

OSBACKUPDBA group for a specific Oracle Home with a

name of HOMENAME.

Members of this group have privileges necessary for

performing database backup and recovery tasks on all

database instances that run from the specified Oracle

Home directory.

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSDG

SYSDG system

privileges for all

database

instances that run

from the Oracle

home with a name

of HOMENAME

OSDGDBA group for a specific Oracle Home with a name

of HOMENAME.

Members of this group have privileges necessary for

performing Data Guard administrative tasks on all

database instances that run from the specified Oracle

Home directory.

Chapter 5

Standard Administration and Job Role Separation User Groups

5-15

Table 5-1 (Cont.) Operating System Groups Created During Installation

Operating System Group

Names

Database

Privileges

Description

ORA_HOMENAME_SYSKM

SYSKM system

privileges for all

database

instances that run

from the Oracle

home with a name

of HOMENAME.

OSKMDBA group for a specific Oracle Home with a name

of HOMENAME.

Members of this group have privileges necessary for

performing encryption key management tasks on all

database instances that run from the specified Oracle

Home directory.

ORA_CRS_USERS

None Members of this group have privileges necessary for file

system permissions on the Grid Infrastructure Oracle Base

directory.

When you configure a CRS wallet of type OSUSER, for a

user using the crsctl add wallet command, that

user is automatically added to this group. This process

enables CRS to start user-defined resources as the user

that was added to this group.

Refer to the Oracle Clusterware Administration and

Deployment Guide for details about adding users to a

wallet.

ORA_RAC

SYSRAC

privileges for all

Oracle Database

installations on the

server.

The OSRACDBA group for the Windows Operating

System. Members of this group have SYSRAC privileges

for all Oracle Databases installed on the server.

ORA_CLIENT_LISTENERS

None This group is created with service-specific SIDs for

Listeners in the Client home.

ORA_HOMENAME_SVCSIDS

None This group is created with service-specific SIDs for all

Services in the DB Client home.

ORA_GRID_LISTENERS

None This group is created with Service specific SIDs for all Grid

Home Listeners on the system.

ORA_INSTALL

None This group is created with Oracle Home Users for all

Oracle homes on the system .

Virtual accounts for databases and listeners for all virtual

account-based homes are added to this group.

During installation, the

gridconfig.bat

script creates the services and groups on each

node of the cluster. The installed files and permissions are owned by the Oracle

Installation user, and require the Administrator privilege.

Oracle creates and populates the groups listed in this table during installation to

ensure proper operation of Oracle products. You can manually add other users to

these groups to assign these database privileges to other Windows users.

Members of the

ORA_DBA

group can use operating system authentication to administer

all Oracle databases installed on the server. Members of the

ORA_HOMENAME_DBA

, where

HOMENAME is the name of a specific Oracle installation, can use operating system

authentication to manage only the databases that run from that Oracle home.

Related Topics

•Standard Administration and Job Role Separation User Groups

Chapter 5

Standard Administration and Job Role Separation User Groups

5-16

5.2.7 Example of Using Role-Allocated Groups and Users

You can use role-allocated groups and users that is compliant with an Optimal Flexible

Architecture (OFA) deployment.

Assumptions:

•The user installing the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software is named RACDOMAIN

\grid. This user was created before starting the installation.

The option to use the Windows Built-in Account was selected for the Oracle Home

user for Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

•The name of the home directory for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation is

OraGrid12c

•The user installing the Oracle RAC software is named

oracle

. This user was

created before starting the installation.

During installation of Oracle RAC, an Oracle Home user named RACDOMAIN

\oradba1 is specified. The

oradba1

user is a Windows domain user that was

created before the installation was started.

The name of the Oracle home for the Oracle RAC installation is

OraRAC12c_home1

•You have a second, Oracle Database installation (not Oracle RAC) on this server.

The installation was performed by the

oracle

user. The Oracle Home user is

oradba2

, and this user was not created before starting the installation.

The Oracle Home name is

OraDB12c_home1

•Both the Oracle databases and Oracle Clusterware are configured to use Oracle

ASM for data storage.

After installing the Oracle software, you have the following groups and users:

Operating System Group Name Type of Group Members

ORA_DBA

OSDBA group

oracle

RACDOMAIN\grid

, and the

Local System built-in Windows

account

ORA_OraRAC12c_home1_DBA

OSDBA group for the Oracle

RAC home directory

RACDOMAIN\oradba1

ORA_OraDB12c_home1_DBA

OSDBA group for the Oracle

Database home directory

oradba2

ORA_OPER

OSOPER group none

ORA_OraRAC12c_home1_OPER

OSOPER group for the Oracle

RAC home directory

none

ORA_OraDB12c_home1_OPER

OSOPER group for the Oracle

Database home directory

none

ORA_ASMADMIN

OSASM group

RACDOMAIN\grid

and the Local

System built-in Windows account,

and the database service IDs

ORA_ASMOPER

OSOPER for ASM group

Chapter 5

Standard Administration and Job Role Separation User Groups

5-17

Operating System Group Name Type of Group Members

ORA_ASMDBA

OSDBA for ASM group for

Oracle ASM clients

RACDOMAIN\grid

oracle

, the Local

System built-in Windows account,

and Oracle Home Users of database

homes

ORA_RAC12c_home1_SYSBACKUP

ORA_RAC12c_home1_SYSDG

, and

ORA_RAC12c_home1_SYSKM

Specialized role groups that

authorize users with the

SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and

SYSKM system privileges.

none

ORA_DB12c_home1_SYSBACKUP

ORA_DB12c_home1_SYSDG

, and

ORA_DB12c_home1_SYSKM

Specialized role groups that

authorize users with the

SYSBACKUP, SYSDG, and

SYSKM system privileges.

none

If there are no users listed for an operating system group, then that means the group

has no members after installation.

5.3 Configuring User Accounts

When installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster, you run the installer software

as an Administrator user. During installation, you can specify an Oracle Home user.

Before starting the installation, there are a few checks you need to perform for the

Oracle Installation users, to ensure the installation will succeed.

•Configuring Environment Variables for the Oracle Installation User

The installer uses environment variables set for the Oracle Installation User.

•Verifying User Privileges to Update Remote Nodes

You must insure that operations that are performed on multiple nodes can be

performed during installation of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software.

•Managing User Accounts with User Account Control

To ensure that only trusted applications run on your computer, Windows Server

provides User Account Control.

5.3.1 Configuring Environment Variables for the Oracle Installation

User

The installer uses environment variables set for the Oracle Installation User.

•Before starting the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation, ensure the

%TEMP%

environment variable is set correctly.

Related Topics

•Checking the Available TEMP Disk Space

Chapter 5

Configuring User Accounts

5-18

5.3.2 Verifying User Privileges to Update Remote Nodes

You must insure that operations that are performed on multiple nodes can be

performed during installation of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software.

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. You must explicitly grant membership

in the local Administrators group to the installation user on all of the nodes in your

cluster.

1. Determine if User Account Control (UAC) remote restrictions have been disabled

for the local installation user. If you are using a domain user for installation, then

skip this step.

Check the value of the

LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy

registry entry for the registry

key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows

\CurrentVersion\Policies\System. The value should be set to 1. If this

registry entry does not exist, then, do the following:

a. Click Start, click Run, type

regedit

, and then press Enter.

b. Navigate to the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft

\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System.

c. On the Edit menu, select New, and then click DWORD Value.

d. Type

LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy

and then press Enter.

e. Right-click

LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy

, then click Modify.

f. In the Value data box, type 1, then click OK.

g. Exit the registry editor.

By setting the value of

LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy

to 1, a user who is a

member of the local administrators group on the target remote computer

establishes a remote administrative connection with an elevated token, enabling

the user to perform administrative tasks. If you do not disable the UAC remote

restrictions for administrative users, then when installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure

on multiple nodes you might encounter the following error:

INS-40937 The following hostnames are invalid

2. Before running OUI, from the node where you intend to run the installer, verify that

the user account you are using for the installation is configured as a member of

the Administrators group on each node in the cluster.

Enter the following command for each node that is a part of the cluster where

nodename is the node name:

net use \\nodename\C$

3. If you will be using other disk drives in addition to the

drive, then repeat the

net

use

command for every node in the cluster, substituting the drive letter for each

drive you plan to use.

4. Verify the installation user is configured to update the Windows registry on each

node in the cluster.

a. Run

regedit

from the Run menu or the command prompt.

b. From the File menu select Connect Network Registry.

Chapter 5

Configuring User Accounts

5-19

c. In the 'Enter the object name…' edit box enter the name of a remote node in

the cluster, then click OK.

d. Wait for the node to appear in the registry tree.

If the remote node does not appear in the registry tree or you are prompted to fill in a

username and password, then you must resolve the permissions issue at the

operating system level before proceeding with the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installation.

5.3.3 Managing User Accounts with User Account Control

To ensure that only trusted applications run on your computer, Windows Server

provides User Account Control.

If you have enabled the User Account Control security feature, then depending on how

you have it configured, OUI prompts you for either your consent or your credentials

when installing Oracle Database. Provide either the consent or your Windows

Administrator credentials as appropriate.

You must have Administrator privileges to run some Oracle tools, such as DBCA,

NETCA, and OPatch, or to run any tool or application that writes to any directory within

the Oracle home. If User Account Control is enabled and you are logged in as the local

Administrator, then you can successfully run each of these commands. However, if

you are logged in as "a member of the Administrators group," then you must explicitly

run these tools with Windows Administrator privileges.

All of the Oracle shortcuts that require Administrator privileges are automatically run as

an "Administrator" user when you click the shortcuts. However, if you run the

previously mentioned tools from a Windows command prompt, then you must run

them from an Administrator command prompt.

OPatch does not have a shortcut and must be run from an Administrator command

prompt.

5.4 Creating Oracle Software Directories

During installation, you are prompted to provide a path to a home directory to store

Oracle Grid Infrastructure software.

You also need to provide a home directory when installing Oracle RAC. Each directory

has certain requirements that must be met for the software to work correctly.

Oracle Universal Installer creates the directories during installation if they do not exist.

•About the Directories Used During Installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure

OUI uses several directories during installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

•Requirements for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Home Directory

Review directory path requirements for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Home directory.

•About Creating the Oracle Base Directory Path

The Oracle base directory for the Oracle Installation User for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure is the location where diagnostic and administrative logs, and other

logs associated with Oracle ASM and Oracle Clusterware are stored.

Chapter 5

Creating Oracle Software Directories

5-20

5.4.1 About the Directories Used During Installation of Oracle Grid

Infrastructure

OUI uses several directories during installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

Note:

The base directory for Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c and the base directory

for Oracle RAC 12c must be different from the directories used by the Oracle

RAC 11g Release 2 installation.

•Temporary Directories

To install properly across all nodes, OUI uses the temporary folders defined within

Microsoft Windows.

•Oracle Base Directory for the Grid User

During installation, you are prompted to specify an Oracle base location, which is

owned by the user performing the installation.

•Grid Home Directory

When installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you must determine the location of the

Oracle home for Oracle Grid Infrastructure software (Grid home).

•Oracle Inventory Directory

The Oracle Inventory directory is the central inventory location for all Oracle

software installed on a server.

5.4.1.1 Temporary Directories

To install properly across all nodes, OUI uses the temporary folders defined within

Microsoft Windows.

The TEMP and TMP environment variables should point to the same local directory on

all nodes in the cluster.

By default, these settings are defined as %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp

and %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Tmp in the Environment Settings of My

Computer. It is recommended to explicitly redefine these as %WINDIR%\temp and

%WINDIR%\tmp.

For example, if Windows is installed on the C drive, then the temporary directories

would be defined as C:\Windows\temp or C:\Windows\tmp for all nodes.

5.4.1.2 Oracle Base Directory for the Grid User

During installation, you are prompted to specify an Oracle base location, which is

owned by the user performing the installation.

The Oracle base directory for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation is the location

where diagnostic and administrative logs, and other logs associated with Oracle ASM

and Oracle Clusterware are stored. For Oracle installations other than Oracle Grid

Infrastructure for a cluster, it is also the location under which an Oracle home is

placed. However, for an Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation, you must create a

Chapter 5

Creating Oracle Software Directories

5-21

different path for the Grid home, so that the path for Oracle base remains available for

other Oracle installations.

Multiple Oracle Database installations can use the same Oracle base directory. The

Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation uses a different directory path, one outside of

Oracle base. If you use different operating system users to perform the Oracle

software installations, then each user will have a different default Oracle base location.

Caution:

After installing Oracle Database 12c release 1 (12.1) (or later) release with a

Windows User Account as Oracle Home User, do not install older releases of

Oracle Database that share the same Oracle Base Directory. During

installation of the software for older releases, the ACLs are reset and Oracle

Database 12c release 1 (12.1) (or later) services may not be able to access

the Oracle Base directory and files.

In a default Windows installation, the Oracle base directory appears as follows, where

X represents a disk drive and username is the name of the currently logged in user,

which is also the name of the software installation owner:

X:\app\username

Because you can have only one Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation on a cluster,

and because all upgrades are out-of-place upgrades, Oracle recommends that you

have an Oracle base for the Oracle Installation user for Oracle Grid Infrastructure (for

example, C:\app\grid). You should also use a Grid home for the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure binaries using the release number of that installation (for example, C:

\app\12.2.0\grid).

During installation, ownership of the path to the Grid home is changed to the

LocalSystem or Oracle Home user, if specified. Using separate paths for the Oracle

base directory for the

grid

user and the Grid home directory means the path for Oracle

base remains available for other Oracle software installations by the

grid

user. If you

do not create a unique path to the Grid home, then after the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installation, you might encounter permission errors for other installations, including any

existing installations under the same path.

Chapter 5

Creating Oracle Software Directories

5-22

Caution:

For Oracle Grid Infrastructure (for a cluster) installations, note the following

restrictions for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home (the Grid home directory

for Oracle Grid Infrastructure):

•It must not be placed under one of the Oracle base directories, including

the Oracle base directory of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation

owner.

•It must not be placed in the home directory of an installation owner.

These requirements are specific to Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster

installations. Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server (Oracle

Restart) can be installed under the Oracle base for the Oracle Database

installation.

Note:

Placing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster binaries on a cluster file

system is not supported.

Oracle recommends that you install Oracle Grid Infrastructure locally, on

each cluster member node. Using a shared Grid home prevents rolling

upgrades, and creates a single point of failure for the cluster.

5.4.1.3 Grid Home Directory

When installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you must determine the location of the

Oracle home for Oracle Grid Infrastructure software (Grid home).

The Oracle Home directory that Oracle Grid Infrastructure is installed in is the Grid

home. Oracle ASM is also installed in this home directory.

If you plan to install Oracle RAC, you must choose a different directory in which to

install the Oracle Database software. The location of the Oracle RAC installation is the

Oracle home.

The Grid home should be located in a path that is different from the Oracle home

directory paths for any other Oracle software. The Optimal Flexible Architecture

guideline for a Grid home is to create a path in the form \path\version\user,

where \path is a string constant (

C:\

), \version is the version of the software (

12.2.0

and \user is the installation owner of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software (

grid

During Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster installation, permissions on the path of

the Grid home are changed to the LocalSystem user, so any other users are unable to

read, write, or execute commands in that path.

C:\12.2.0\grid

If you do not create a unique path to the Grid home, then after installing Oracle Grid

Infrastructure, you can encounter permission errors for other installations by the

grid

user, including any existing installations under the same path. For example, if the Grid

home is C:\app\12.2.0\grid, then the entire directory path, including C:\ and C:

Chapter 5

Creating Oracle Software Directories

5-23

\app have restricted access. You would not be able to create an Oracle home with the

path C:\app\oracle\product\12.2.0\db_home1 for the Oracle Database

installation. To avoid permission problems, you can create and select paths such as

the following for the Grid home:

C:\12.2.0\grid

Note:

For Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster installations, note the following

restrictions for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure binary home (Grid home):

•It must not be placed under one of the Oracle base directories, including

the Oracle base directory of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation

owner.

•It must not be placed in the home directory of an installation owner.

These requirements are specific to Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a

cluster installations.

Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server (Oracle Restart) can be

installed under the Oracle base for the Oracle Database installation.

5.4.1.4 Oracle Inventory Directory

The Oracle Inventory directory is the central inventory location for all Oracle

software installed on a server.

The first time you install Oracle software on a system, the installer checks to see if an

Oracle Inventory directory exists. The location of the Oracle Inventory directory is

determined by the Windows Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE

\Oracle\inst_loc. If an Oracle Inventory directory does not exist, then the installer

creates one in the default location of C:\Program Files\Oracle\Inventory.

The central inventory is created on all cluster nodes.

Note:

Changing the value for inst_loc in the Windows registry is not supported.

The Oracle Inventory directory is not installed under the Oracle base directory for the

Oracle Installation user. This is because all Oracle software installations share a

common Oracle Inventory, so there is only one Oracle Inventory for all users, whereas

there is a separate Oracle Base directory for each user.

The Oracle Inventory directory contains the following:

•A registry of the Oracle home directories (Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle

Database) on the system

•Installation logs and trace files from installations of Oracle software. These files

are also copied to the respective Oracle homes for future reference.

Chapter 5

Creating Oracle Software Directories

5-24

•Other metadata inventory information regarding Oracle installations are stored in

the individual Oracle home inventory directories, and are separate from the central

inventory.

5.4.2 Requirements for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Home Directory

Review directory path requirements for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Home directory.

•It is located in a path outside existing Oracle homes, including Oracle Clusterware

homes.

•It is not located in a user home directory.

•You create the path before installation, and then the installer for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure creates the directories in the path.

Oracle recommends that you install Oracle Grid Infrastructure on local homes, rather

than using a shared home on shared storage.

For installations with Oracle Grid Infrastructure only, Oracle recommends that you

create a path compliant with Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) guidelines, so

that Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) can select that directory during installation.

Note:

Oracle Grid Infrastructure homes can be placed in a local directory on

servers, even if your existing Oracle Clusterware home from a prior release

is in a shared location.

If you are installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a database (Oracle

Restart), then the home directory for Oracle Restart can be under the Oracle

base directory for the Oracle Installation user for Oracle Database.

See Also:

•Optimal Flexible Architecture File Path Examples

•Installing and Configuring Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a Standalone

Server (Oracle Restart) for more information about installing Oracle Grid

Infrastructure on a standalone server (Oracle Restart)

5.4.3 About Creating the Oracle Base Directory Path

The Oracle base directory for the Oracle Installation User for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

is the location where diagnostic and administrative logs, and other logs associated

with Oracle ASM and Oracle Clusterware are stored.

If the directory or path you specify during installation for the Grid home does not exist,

then OUI creates the directory.

Chapter 5

Creating Oracle Software Directories

5-25

Note:

•Placing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster binaries on a cluster file

system is not supported.

•The base directory for Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c and the base

directory for Oracle RAC 12c must be different from the directories used

by the Oracle RAC 11g release 2 installation.

Related Topics

•Oracle Base Directory Naming Convention

5.5 Enabling Intelligent Platform Management Interface

(IPMI)

Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) provides a set of common interfaces

to computer hardware and firmware that system administrators can use to monitor

system health and manage the system.

Oracle Clusterware can integrate IPMI to provide failure isolation support and to

ensure cluster integrity. You can configure node-termination with IPMI during

installation by selecting a node-termination protocol, such as IPMI. You can also

configure IPMI after installation with

crsctl

commands.

•Requirements for Enabling IPMI

Review these hardware and software requirements for enabling cluster nodes to

be managed with Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI).

•Configuring the IPMI Management Network

You can configure the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) for Dynamic

Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), or for static IP addresses.

•Configuring the IPMI Driver

For Oracle Clusterware to communicate with the BMC, the IPMI driver must be

installed permanently on each node, so that it is available on system restarts.

See Also:

Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide for information

about how to configure IPMI after installation

5.5.1 Requirements for Enabling IPMI

Review these hardware and software requirements for enabling cluster nodes to be

managed with Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI).

•For this release, Oracle Grid Infrastructure supports IPMI version 1.5.

Chapter 5

Enabling Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)

5-26

•Each cluster member node requires a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC)

running firmware compatible with IPMI version 1.5, which supports IPMI over local

area networks (LANs), and configured for remote control using LAN.

•Each cluster member node requires an IPMI driver installed on each node.

•The cluster requires a management network for IPMI. This can be a shared

network, but Oracle recommends that you configure a dedicated network.

•Each cluster member node's Ethernet port used by BMC must be connected to the

IPMI management network.

•Each cluster member must be connected to the management network.

•Some server platforms put their network interfaces into a power saving mode

when they are powered off. In this case, they may operate only at a lower link

speed (for example, 100 megabyte (MB), instead of 1 GB). For these platforms,

the network switch port to which the BMC is connected must be able to auto-

negotiate down to the lower speed, or IPMI will not function properly.

Note:

IPMI operates on the physical hardware platform through the network

interface of the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC). Depending on

your system configuration, an IPMI-initiated restart of a server can affect all

virtual environments hosted on the server. Contact your hardware and OS

vendor for more information.

5.5.2 Configuring the IPMI Management Network

You can configure the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) for Dynamic Host

Configuration Protocol (DHCP), or for static IP addresses.

Oracle recommends that you configure the BMC for dynamic IP address assignment

using DHCP. To use this option, you must have a DHCP server configured to assign

the BMC IP addresses.

Note:

If you configure Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI), and you

use Grid Naming Services (GNS), then you still must configure separate

addresses for the IPMI interfaces. Because the IPMI adapter is not seen

directly by the host, the IPMI adapter is not visible to GNS as an address on

the host.

5.5.3 Configuring the IPMI Driver

For Oracle Clusterware to communicate with the BMC, the IPMI driver must be

installed permanently on each node, so that it is available on system restarts.

On Windows systems, the implementation assumes the Microsoft IPMI driver

(

ipmidrv.sys

) is installed, which is included with the Windows Server 2012 and later

versions of the Windows operating system. The driver is included as part of the

Chapter 5

Enabling Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)

5-27

Hardware Management feature, which includes the driver and the Windows

Management Interface (WMI).

Note:

An alternate driver (

imbdrv.sys

) is available from Intel as part of Intel Server

Control, but this driver has not been tested with Oracle Clusterware.

•Configuring the Hardware Management Component

Hardware management is installed using the Add/Remove Windows Components

Wizard.

5.5.3.1 Configuring the Hardware Management Component

Hardware management is installed using the Add/Remove Windows Components

Wizard.

1. Press Start, then select Control Panel.

2. Select Add or Remove Programs.

3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.

4. Select (but do not check) Management and Monitoring Tools and click the

Details button to display the detailed components selection window.

5. Select the Hardware Management option.

If a BMC is detected through the system management BIOS (SMBIOS) Table

Type 38h, then a dialog box will be displayed instructing you to remove any third-

party drivers. If no third-party IPMI drivers are installed or they have been removed

from the system, then click OK to continue.

Note:

The Microsoft driver is incompatible with other drivers. Any third-party

drivers must be removed

6. Click OK to select the Hardware Management Component, and then click Next.

Hardware Management (including Windows Remote Management, or WinRM) will

be installed.

After the driver and hardware management have been installed, the BMC should be

visible in the Windows Device Manager under System devices with the label "Microsoft

Generic IPMI Compliant Device". If the BMC is not automatically detected by the plug

and play system, then the device must be created manually.

To create the IPMI device, run the following command:

rundll32 ipmisetp.dll,AddTheDevice

Chapter 5

Enabling Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)

5-28

Configuring Shared Storage for Oracle

Database and Grid Infrastructure

Review supported storage options and perform prerequisite tasks as part of your

installation planning process.

Note:

If you are currently using OCFS for Windows as your shared storage, then

you must migrate to using Oracle ASM before the upgrade of Oracle

Database and Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

•Supported Storage Options for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

Both Oracle Clusterware and the Oracle RAC database use files that must be

available to all the nodes in the cluster. The following table shows the storage

options supported for storing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle RAC files.

•Oracle ACFS and Oracle ADVM

Oracle Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System (Oracle ACFS) is a

multi-platform, scalable file system, and storage management technology that

extends Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) functionality to

support all file types.

•Storage Considerations for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

For all installations, you must choose the storage option to use for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure (Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM), and Oracle Real Application

Clusters (Oracle RAC) databases.

•Guidelines for Choosing a Shared Storage Option

You can choose any combination of the supported shared storage options for each

file type if you satisfy all requirements listed for the chosen storage option.

•About Migrating Existing Oracle ASM Instances

You can use Oracle Automatic Storage Management Configuration Assistant

(ASMCA) to upgrade the existing Oracle ASM instance to Oracle ASM 12c release

1 (12.1) or higher.

•Preliminary Shared Disk Preparation

When using shared storage on a Windows platform, there are additional

preinstallation tasks to complete.

•Configuring Disk Partitions on Shared Storage

Use the disk administration tools provided by the operating system or third-party

vendors to create disk partitions.

6-1

6.1 Supported Storage Options for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

and Oracle RAC

Both Oracle Clusterware and the Oracle RAC database use files that must be

available to all the nodes in the cluster. The following table shows the storage options

supported for storing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle RAC files.

Table 6-1 Supported Storage Options for Oracle Clusterware and Oracle RAC Files and Home

Directories

Storage Option OCR and Voting

Files

Oracle Grid

Infrastructure

Home

Oracle RAC

Home

Oracle RAC

Database Files

Oracle

Recovery

Files

Oracle Automatic Storage

Management (Oracle

ASM)

Yes No No Yes Yes

Oracle Automatic Storage

Management Cluster File

System (Oracle ACFS)

No No Yes Yes (Oracle

Database 12c

Release 12.1.0.2

and later)

Yes (Oracle

Database

12c Release

12.1.0.2 and

later)

Direct NFS Client access

to a certified network

attached storage (NAS)

filer

Note: NFS or Direct NFS

Client cannot be used for

Oracle Clusterware files.

No No No Yes Yes

Direct-attached storage

(DAS)

No No Yes Yes Yes

Shared disk partitions

(raw devices)

No No No No No

Local file system (NTFS

formatted disk)

No Yes Yes No No

Guidelines for Storage Options

Use the following guidelines when choosing storage options:

•You can choose any combination of the supported storage options for each file

type provided that you satisfy all requirements listed for the chosen storage

options.

•You can only use Oracle ASM to store Oracle Clusterware files.

•Direct use of raw or block devices is not supported. You can only use raw or block

devices with Oracle ASM.

Chapter 6

Supported Storage Options for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

6-2

See Also:

Oracle Database Upgrade Guide for information about how to prepare for

upgrading an existing database.

6.2 Oracle ACFS and Oracle ADVM

Oracle Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System (Oracle ACFS) is a multi-

platform, scalable file system, and storage management technology that extends

Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) functionality to support all file

types.

Oracle ACFS and Oracle ADVM are supported on Windows Server 2012 x64,

Windows Server 2012 R2 x64, and Windows 2016 x64.

Oracle ACFS extends Oracle ASM technology to support of all of your application data

in both single instance and cluster configurations. Oracle ADVM provides volume

management services and a standard disk device driver interface to clients. Oracle

Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System communicates with Oracle ASM

through the Oracle Automatic Storage Management Dynamic Volume Manager

interface.

Oracle ACFS can provide optimized storage for all Oracle files, including Oracle

Database binaries. Files supported by Oracle ACFS include application executable

files, data files, and application reports. Other supported files are video, audio, text,

images, engineering drawings, and other general-purpose application file data.

You can place the Oracle home for Oracle Database 12c release 1 (12.1) or later

software on Oracle ACFS, but you cannot place Oracle Clusterware binaries or Oracle

Clusterware files on Oracle ACFS.

Restrictions and Guidelines for Oracle ACFS

Review these guidelines and restrictions as part of your storage plan for using Oracle

ACFS for single instance and cluster configurations.

•Oracle Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System (Oracle ACFS)

provides a general purpose file system.

•You can only use Oracle ACFS when Oracle ASM is configured.

•You must use a domain user when installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure if you plan

to use Oracle ACFS.

•When creating Oracle ACFS file systems on Windows, log on as a Windows

domain user. Also, when creating files in an Oracle ACFS file system on Windows,

you should be logged in as a Windows domain user to ensure that the files are

accessible by all nodes.

When using a file system across cluster nodes, the best practice is to mount the

file system using a domain user, to ensure that the security identifier is the same

across cluster nodes. Windows security identifiers, which are used in defining

access rights to files and directories, use information which identifies the user.

Local users are only known in the context of the local node. Oracle ACFS uses

this information during the first file system mount to set the default access rights to

the file system.

Chapter 6

Oracle ACFS and Oracle ADVM

6-3

Note the following general guidelines and restrictions for placing Oracle Database and

Oracle Grid Infrastructure files on Oracle ACFS:

•Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1 (12.1) for a cluster, you can

place Oracle Database binaries, data files, and administrative files (for example,

trace files) on Oracle ACFS.

•Oracle ACFS does not support replication or encryption with Oracle Database data

files, tablespace files, control files, and redo logs.

•You can place Oracle Database homes on Oracle ACFS only if the database

release is Oracle Database 11g release 2 or later. You cannot install earlier

releases of Oracle Database on Oracle ACFS.

•For installations of Oracle Clusterware, you cannot place Oracle Clusterware files

on Oracle ACFS.

•For policy-managed Oracle Flex Cluster databases, Oracle ACFS can run on Hub

Nodes, but cannot run on Leaf Nodes. For this reason, Oracle RAC binaries

cannot be placed on Oracle ACFS located on Leaf Nodes.

The following restrictions apply if you run Oracle ACFS in an Oracle Restart

configuration:

•Starting with Oracle Database 18c, configuration assistants do not allow the

creation of Oracle Database homes on Oracle ACFS in an Oracle Restart

configuration.

•Oracle Restart does not support Oracle ACFS resources on all platforms.

•Starting with Oracle Database 12c, Oracle Restart configurations do not support

the Oracle ACFS registry.

•You must manually load Oracle ACFS drivers after a system restart.

•You must manually mount an Oracle ACFS file system, and unmount it after the

Oracle ASM instance has finished running.

•Creating Oracle data files on an Oracle ACFS file system is not supported in

Oracle Restart configurations. Creating Oracle data files on an Oracle ACFS file

system is supported on Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster configurations.

See Also:

•My Oracle Support Note 1369107.1 for more information about platforms

and releases that support Oracle ACFS and Oracle ADVM: https://

support.oracle.com/rs?type=doc&id=1369107.1

•My Oracle Support Note 854428.1, Patch Set Updates for Oracle

Products, for current release and support information: https://

support.oracle.com/epmos/faces/DocumentDisplay?id=854428.1

•Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for more

information about Oracle ACFS and Oracle ADVM

Chapter 6

Oracle ACFS and Oracle ADVM

6-4

6.3 Storage Considerations for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

and Oracle RAC

For all installations, you must choose the storage option to use for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure (Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM), and Oracle Real Application

Clusters (Oracle RAC) databases.

Storage Considerations for Oracle Clusterware

Oracle Clusterware voting files are used to monitor cluster node status, and Oracle

Cluster Registry (OCR) files contain configuration information about the cluster. You

must store Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR) and voting files in Oracle ASM disk groups.

You can also store a backup of the OCR file in a disk group. Storage must be shared;

any node that does not have access to an absolute majority of voting files (more than

half) is restarted.

If you use Oracle ASM disk groups created on Network File System (NFS) for storage,

then ensure that you follow the recommendations for mounting NFS described in the

topic Guidelines for Configuring Oracle ASM Disk Groups on NFS.

Storage Considerations for Oracle RAC

Oracle ASM is a supported storage option for database and recovery files. For all

installations, Oracle recommends that you create at least two separate Oracle ASM

disk groups: One for Oracle Database data files, and one for recovery files. Oracle

recommends that you place the Oracle Database disk group and the recovery files

disk group in separate failure groups.

•If you do not use Oracle ASM for database files, then Oracle recommends that you

place the data files and the Fast Recovery Area in shared storage located outside

of the Oracle home, in separate locations, so that a hardware failure does not

affect availability.

•You can choose any combination of the supported storage options for each file

type provided that you satisfy all requirements listed for the chosen storage

options.

•If you plan to install an Oracle RAC home on a shared OCFS2 location, then you

must upgrade OCFS2 to at least version 1.4.1, which supports shared writable

mmaps.

•To use Oracle ASM with Oracle RAC, and if you are configuring a new Oracle

ASM instance, then your system must meet the following conditions:

–All nodes on the cluster have Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM 12c

Release 2 (12.2) installed as part of an Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster

installation.

–Any existing Oracle ASM instance on any node in the cluster is shut down.

–To provide voting file redundancy, one Oracle ASM disk group is sufficient.

The Oracle ASM disk group provides three or five copies.

You can use NFS, with or without Direct NFS, to store Oracle Database data files. You

cannot use NFS as storage for Oracle Clusterware files.

Chapter 6

Storage Considerations for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

6-5

6.4 Guidelines for Choosing a Shared Storage Option

You can choose any combination of the supported shared storage options for each file

type if you satisfy all requirements listed for the chosen storage option.

•Guidelines for Using Oracle ASM Disk Groups for Storage

Plan how you want to configure Oracle ASM disk groups for deployment.

•Guidelines for Using Direct Network File System (NFS) with Oracle RAC

Network-attached storage (NAS) systems use a network file system (NFS) to

access data. You can store Oracle RAC data files and recovery files on a

supported NAS server using Direct NFS Client.

6.4.1 Guidelines for Using Oracle ASM Disk Groups for Storage

Plan how you want to configure Oracle ASM disk groups for deployment.

During Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation, you can create one or two Oracle ASM

disk groups. After the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation, you can create additional

disk groups using Oracle Automatic Storage Management Configuration Assistant

(ASMCA), SQL*Plus, or Automatic Storage Management Command-Line Utility

(ASMCMD).

Choose to create a second disk group during Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installation. The first disk group stores the Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR), voting files,

and the Oracle ASM password file. The second disk group stores the Grid

Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) data files and Oracle Cluster Registry

(OCR) backup files. Oracle strongly recommends that you store the OCR backup files

in a different disk group from the disk group where you store OCR files. In addition,

having a second disk group for GIMR is advisable for performance, availability, sizing,

and manageability of storage.

Note:

•You must specify the Grid Infrastructure Management Repository

(GIMR) location at the time of installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure. You

cannot migrate the GIMR from one disk group to another later.

If you install Oracle Database or Oracle RAC after you install Oracle Grid

Infrastructure, then you can either use the same disk group for database files, OCR,

and voting files, or you can use different disk groups. If you create multiple disk groups

before installing Oracle RAC or before creating a database, then you can do one of the

following:

•Place the data files in the same disk group as the Oracle Clusterware files.

•Use the same Oracle ASM disk group for data files and recovery files.

•Use different disk groups for each file type.

If you create only one disk group for storage, then the OCR and voting files, database

files, and recovery files are contained in the one disk group. If you create multiple disk

groups for storage, then you can place files in different disk groups.

Chapter 6

Guidelines for Choosing a Shared Storage Option

6-6

With Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2) and later releases, Oracle Database

Configuration Assistant (DBCA) does not have the functionality to create disk groups

for Oracle ASM.

See Also:

Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for information

about creating disk groups

6.4.2 Guidelines for Using Direct Network File System (NFS) with

Oracle RAC

Network-attached storage (NAS) systems use a network file system (NFS) to access

data. You can store Oracle RAC data files and recovery files on a supported NAS

server using Direct NFS Client.

NFS file systems must be mounted and available over NFS mounts before you start

the Oracle RAC installation. See your vendor documentation for NFS configuration

and mounting information.

Note that the performance of Oracle Database software and the databases that use

NFS storage depend on the performance of the network connection between the

database server and the NAS device. For this reason, Oracle recommends that you

connect the database server (or cluster node) to the NAS device using a private,

dedicated, network connection, which should be Gigabit Ethernet or better.

6.5 About Migrating Existing Oracle ASM Instances

You can use Oracle Automatic Storage Management Configuration Assistant

(ASMCA) to upgrade the existing Oracle ASM instance to Oracle ASM 12c release 1

(12.1) or higher.

ASMCA is located in the path Grid_home\bin. You can also use ASMCA to

configure failure groups, Oracle ASM volumes, and Oracle ACFS.

Note:

You must first shut down all database instances and applications on the

node with the existing Oracle ASM instance before upgrading it.

During installation, if you chose to use Oracle ASM and ASMCA detects that there is a

prior Oracle ASM release installed in another Oracle ASM home, then after installing

the Oracle ASM 12c release 2 (12.2) software, you can start ASMCA to upgrade the

existing Oracle ASM instance. You can then configure an Oracle ACFS deployment by

creating Oracle ASM volumes and using the upgraded Oracle ASM to create the

Oracle ACFS.

On an existing Oracle Clusterware or Oracle RAC installation, if the prior release of

Oracle ASM instances on all nodes is Oracle ASM 11g release 1 or higher, then you

Chapter 6

About Migrating Existing Oracle ASM Instances

6-7

are provided with the option to perform a rolling upgrade of Oracle ASM instances. If

the prior release of Oracle ASM instances on an Oracle RAC installation are from an

Oracle ASM release prior to Oracle ASM 11g release 1, then rolling upgrades cannot

be performed. Oracle ASM is then upgraded on all nodes to 12c release 2 (12.2).

6.6 Preliminary Shared Disk Preparation

When using shared storage on a Windows platform, there are additional preinstallation

tasks to complete.

•Disabling Write Caching

You must disable write caching on all disks that will be used to share data

between the nodes in your cluster.

•Enabling Automounting for Windows

Even though the automount feature is enabled by default, you should verify that

automount is enabled.

6.6.1 Disabling Write Caching

You must disable write caching on all disks that will be used to share data between the

nodes in your cluster.

1. Click Start, then select Administrative Tools, then Computer Management,

then Device Manager, and then Disk drives

2. Expand the Disk drives and double-click the first drive that will be used by Oracle

software.

3. Under the Policies tab for the selected drive, uncheck the option that enables write

caching.

4. Double-click each of the other drives that will be used by Oracle Clusterware and

Oracle RAC and disable write caching as described in Step 3.

Note:

Any disks that you use to store files, including database files, that will be

shared between nodes, must have write caching disabled.

6.6.2 Enabling Automounting for Windows

Even though the automount feature is enabled by default, you should verify that

automount is enabled.

You must enable automounting when using:

•Raw partitions for Oracle ASM

•Oracle Clusterware

•Logical drives for Oracle ASM

Chapter 6

Preliminary Shared Disk Preparation

6-8

Note:

Raw partitions are supported only when upgrading an existing installation

using the configured partitions. On new installations, using raw partitions is

not supported by ASMCA or OUI, but is supported by the software if you

perform manual configuration

1. To determine if automatic mounting of new volumes is enabled, use the following

commands:

C:\> diskpart

DISKPART> automount

Automatic mounting of new volumes disabled.

2. To enable automounting:

a. Enter the following commands at a command prompt:

C:\> diskpart

DISKPART> automount enable

Automatic mounting of new volumes enabled.

b. Type

exit

to end the

diskpart

session.

c. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each node in the cluster.

Note:

All nodes in the cluster must have automatic mounting enabled to correctly

install Oracle RAC and Oracle Clusterware. Oracle recommends that you

enable automatic mounting before creating any logical partitions for use by

the database or Oracle ASM.

You must restart each node after enabling disk automounting.

After disk automounting is enabled and the node is restarted, automatic mounting

remains active until it is disabled.

6.7 Configuring Disk Partitions on Shared Storage

Use the disk administration tools provided by the operating system or third-party

vendors to create disk partitions.

You can create the disk partitions using either the Disk Management Interface or the

DiskPart utility, both of which are provided by the operating system.

•Creating Disk Partitions Using the Disk Management Interface

Use the graphical user interface Disk Management snap-in to manage disks.

•Creating Disk Partitions using the DiskPart Utility

You can also use the DiskPart utility to manage disks.

Chapter 6

Configuring Disk Partitions on Shared Storage

6-9

6.7.1 Creating Disk Partitions Using the Disk Management Interface

Use the graphical user interface Disk Management snap-in to manage disks.

1. To access the Disk Management snap-in, do one of the following:

•Type

diskmgmt.msc

at the command prompt

•From the Start menu, select Administrative Tools, then Computer

Management. Then select the Disk Management node in the Storage tree.

2. Create primary partitions and logical drives in extended partitions by selecting the

New Simple Volume option.

Use a basic disk with a Master Boot Record (MBR) partition style as an extended

partition for creating partitions. Do not use spanned volumes or striped volumes.

These options convert the volume to a dynamic disk. Oracle Automatic Storage

Management does not support dynamic disks.

a. In the Assign Drive Letter or Path window, select Do not assign a drive letter

or drive path

b. In the Format Partition window, select Do not format this volume to specify

raw partition.

3. On each node in the cluster, ensure that the partitions are visible.

In the Disk Management snap-in, from the Action menu, choose Rescan Disks.

4. If the disks appear with drive letters on the remote node, then remove the drive

letter.

a. In the Disk Management snap-in, select the disk that has an assigned drive

letter.

b. Right-click the selected disk and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths...

c. Select the drive letter and click Remove.

d. Repeat these steps for each shared disk partition that has an assigned drive

letter.

6.7.2 Creating Disk Partitions using the DiskPart Utility

You can also use the DiskPart utility to manage disks.

1. From an existing node in the cluster, run the DiskPart utility as follows:

C:\> diskpart

DISKPART>

2. List the available disks.

By specifying its disk number (n), select the disk on which you want to create a

partition.

DISKPART> list disk

DISKPART> select disk n

3. Create an extended partition:

DISKPART> create part ext

Chapter 6

Configuring Disk Partitions on Shared Storage

6-10

4. Create a logical drive of the desired size after the extended partition is created

using the following syntax:

DISKPART> create part log [size=n] [offset=n] [noerr]

5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for the second and any additional partitions. An optimal

configuration is one partition for the Oracle home and one partition for Oracle

Database files.

6. List the available volumes, and remove any drive letters from the logical drives you

plan to use.

DISKPART> list volume

DISKPART> select volume n

DISKPART> remove

7. On each node in the cluster, ensure that the partitions are visible.

In the Windows Disk Management snap-in, from the Action menu, choose Rescan

Disks.

8. If the disks appear with drive letters on the remote node, then remove the drive

letter.

a. In the Windows Disk Management snap-in, select the disk that has an

assigned drive letter.

b. Right-click the selected disk and choose Change Drive Letter and Paths...

c. Select the drive letter and click Remove.

d. Repeat these steps for each shared disk partition that has an assigned drive

letter.

Chapter 6

Configuring Disk Partitions on Shared Storage

6-11

Configuring Storage for Oracle Automatic

Storage Management

Identify storage requirements and Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle

ASM) disk group options.

When configuring disks for use with Oracle ASM, you can use the

asmtool

utility to

mark the disks prior to installation.

•Identifying Storage Requirements for Using Oracle ASM for Shared Storage

Before installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you must identify and determine how

many devices are available for use by Oracle ASM, the amount of free disk space

available on each disk, and the redundancy level to use with Oracle ASM.

•Oracle Clusterware Storage Space Requirements

Use this information to determine the minimum number of disks and the minimum

disk space requirements based on the redundancy type, for installing Oracle

Clusterware files, and installing the starter database, for various Oracle Cluster

deployments.

•About the Grid Infrastructure Management Repository

Every Oracle Standalone Cluster contains a Grid Infrastructure Management

Repository (GIMR), also known as the Management Database (MGMTDB).

•Restrictions for Disk Partitions Used By Oracle ASM

Be aware of the following restrictions when configuring disk partitions for use with

Oracle ASM:

•Preparing Your System to Use Oracle ASM for Shared Storage

To use Oracle ASM as the shared storage solution for Oracle Clusterware or

Oracle RAC files, you must perform certain tasks before you begin the software

installation.

•Marking Disk Partitions for Oracle ASM Before Installation

The only partitions that OUI displays for Windows systems are logical drives that

are on disks and have been marked (or stamped) with

asmtool

or by Oracle

Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) Filter Driver.

•Configuring Oracle Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System

If you want to install Oracle RAC on Oracle ACFS, you must first create the Oracle

home directory in Oracle ACFS.

7-1

7.1 Identifying Storage Requirements for Using Oracle ASM

for Shared Storage

Before installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you must identify and determine how many

devices are available for use by Oracle ASM, the amount of free disk space available

on each disk, and the redundancy level to use with Oracle ASM.

When Oracle ASM provides redundancy, you must have sufficient capacity in each

disk group to manage a re-creation of data that is lost after a failure of one or two

failure groups.

Tip:

As you progress through the following steps, make a list of the raw device

names you intend to use to create the Oracle ASM disk groups and have this

information available during the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation or

when creating your Oracle RAC database.

1. Plan your Oracle ASM disk groups requirement. If you choose to store the Grid

Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) on separate Oracle ASM disk

group, then you require two separate Oracle ASM disk groups, one for OCR and

voting files and the other for the GIMR.

2. Determine whether you want to use Oracle ASM for Oracle Database files,

recovery files, or all file types. Oracle Database files include data files, control files,

redo log files, the server parameter file, and the password file.

Note:

•You do not have to use the same storage mechanism for Oracle

Database files and recovery files. You can use a shared file system

for one file type and Oracle ASM for the other.

•There are two types of Oracle Clusterware files: OCR files and

voting files. You must use Oracle ASM to store OCR and voting files.

3. Choose the Oracle ASM redundancy level to use for the Oracle ASM disk group.

The redundancy level that you choose for the Oracle ASM disk group determines

how Oracle ASM mirrors files in the disk group, and determines the number of

disks and amount of disk space that you require. Except when using external

redundancy, Oracle ASM mirrors all Oracle Clusterware files in separate failure

groups within a disk group. A quorum failure group, a special type of failure group,

contains mirror copies of voting files when voting files are stored in normal or high

redundancy disk groups. The disk groups that contain Oracle Clusterware files

(OCR and voting files) have a higher minimum number of failure groups than other

disk groups because the voting files are stored in quorum failure groups in the

Oracle ASM disk group.

A quorum failure group is a special type of failure group that stores the Oracle

Clusterware voting files. The quorum failure group ensures that a quorum of the

Chapter 7

Identifying Storage Requirements for Using Oracle ASM for Shared Storage

7-2

specified failure groups are available. When Oracle ASM mounts a disk group that

contains Oracle Clusterware files, the quorum failure group determines if the disk

group can be mounted in the event of the loss of one or more failure groups. Disks

in the quorum failure group do not contain user data, therefore a quorum failure

group is not considered when determining redundancy requirements in respect to

storing user data.

The redundancy levels are as follows:

•High redundancy

In a high redundancy disk group, Oracle ASM uses three-way mirroring to

increase performance and provide the highest level of reliability. A high

redundancy disk group requires a minimum of three disk devices (or three

failure groups). The effective disk space in a high redundancy disk group is

one-third the sum of the disk space in all of its devices.

For Oracle Clusterware files, a high redundancy disk group requires a

minimum of five disk devices and provides five voting files and one OCR (one

primary and two secondary copies). For example, your deployment may

consist of three regular failure groups and two quorum failure groups. Note

that not all failure groups can be quorum failure groups, even though voting

files need all five disks. With high redundancy, the cluster can survive the loss

of two failure groups.

While high redundancy disk groups provide a high level of data protection, you

should consider the greater cost of additional storage devices before deciding

to select high redundancy disk groups.

•Normal redundancy

In a normal redundancy disk group, to increase performance and reliability,

Oracle ASM by default uses two-way mirroring. A normal redundancy disk

group requires a minimum of two disk devices (or two failure groups). The

effective disk space in a normal redundancy disk group is half the sum of the

disk space in all of its devices.

For Oracle Clusterware files, a normal redundancy disk group requires a

minimum of three disk devices and provides three voting files and one OCR

(one primary and one secondary copy). For example, your deployment may

consist of two regular failure groups and one quorum failure group. With

normal redundancy, the cluster can survive the loss of one failure group.

If you are not using a storage array providing independent protection against

data loss for storage, then Oracle recommends that you select normal

redundancy.

•External redundancy

An external redundancy disk group requires a minimum of one disk device.

The effective disk space in an external redundancy disk group is the sum of

the disk space in all of its devices.

Because Oracle ASM does not mirror data in an external redundancy disk

group, Oracle recommends that you use external redundancy with storage

devices such as RAID, or other similar devices that provide their own data

protection mechanisms.

•Flex redundancy

A flex redundancy disk group is a type of redundancy disk group with features

such as flexible file redundancy, mirror splitting, and redundancy change. A

Chapter 7

Identifying Storage Requirements for Using Oracle ASM for Shared Storage

7-3

flex disk group can consolidate files with different redundancy requirements

into a single disk group. It also provides the capability for databases to change

the redundancy of its files. A disk group is a collection of file groups, each

associated with one database. A quota group defines the maximum storage

space or quota limit of a group of databases within a disk group.

In a flex redundancy disk group, Oracle ASM uses three-way mirroring of

Oracle ASM metadata to increase performance and provide reliability. For

database data, you can choose no mirroring (unprotected), two-way mirroring

(mirrored), or three-way mirroring (high). A flex redundancy disk group

requires a minimum of three disk devices (or three failure groups).

Note:

You can alter the redundancy level of the disk group after a disk group is

created. For example, you can convert a normal or high redundancy disk

group to a flex redundancy disk group. Within a flex redundancy disk

group, file redundancy can change among three possible values:

unprotected, mirrored, or high.

4. Determine the total amount of disk space that you require for the Oracle

Clusterware files using Oracle ASM for shared storage.

If an Oracle ASM instance is running on the system, then you can use an existing

disk group to meet these storage requirements. If necessary, you can add disks to

an existing disk group during the database installation.

5. Determine an allocation unit size.

Every Oracle ASM disk is divided into allocation units (AU). An allocation unit is

the fundamental unit of allocation within a disk group. You can select the AU Size

value from 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 or 64 MB, depending on the specific disk group

compatibility level. For flex disk groups, the default value for AU size is set to 4

MB. For external, normal, and high redundancy disk groups, the default AU size is

1 MB.

6. For Oracle Clusterware installations, you must also add additional disk space for

the Oracle ASM metadata. You can use the following formula to calculate the disk

space requirements (in MB) for OCR and voting files, and the Oracle ASM

metadata:

total = [2 * ausize * disks] + [redundancy * (ausize * (all_client_instances +

nodes + disks + 32) +

(64 * nodes) + clients + 543)]

redundancy = Number of mirrors: external = 1, normal = 2, high = 3, flex = 3

ausize = Metadata AU size in megabytes

nodes = Number of nodes in cluster

clients - Number of database instances for each node

disks - Number of disks in disk group

For example, for a four-node Oracle RAC installation, using three disks in a normal

redundancy disk group, you require an additional 5293 MB of space: [2 * 4 * 3] +

[2 * (4 * (4 * (4 + 1)+ 30)+ (64 * 4)+ 533)] = 5293 MB

7. Optionally, identify failure groups for the Oracle ASM disk group devices.

Chapter 7

Identifying Storage Requirements for Using Oracle ASM for Shared Storage

7-4

Note:

You only have to complete this step if you plan to use an installation

method that includes configuring Oracle ASM disk groups before

installing Oracle RAC, or creating an Oracle RAC database.

If you intend to use a normal or high redundancy disk group, then you can further

protect your database against hardware failure by associating a set of disk devices

in a custom failure group. Failure groups define Oracle ASM disks that share a

common potential failure mechanism. By default, each device comprises its own

failure group.

If two disk devices in a normal redundancy disk group are attached to the same

Host Bus Adapter (HBA), then the disk group becomes unavailable if the controller

fails. The HBA in this example is a single point of failure. To protect against

failures of this type, you could use two HBA fabric paths, each with two disks, and

define a failure group for the disks attached to each HBA. This configuration

enables the disk group to tolerate the failure of one HBA fabric path.

Note:

You can define custom failure groups during installation of Oracle Grid

Infrastructure. You can also define failure groups after installation of

Oracle Grid Infrastructure using the GUI tool ASMCA, the command-line

tool

asmcmd

, or SQL commands. If you define custom failure groups, then

you must specify a minimum of two failure groups for normal redundancy

disk groups and three failure groups for high redundancy disk groups.

8. If you are sure that a suitable disk group does not exist on the system, then install

or identify appropriate disk devices to add to a new disk group. Use the following

guidelines when identifying appropriate disk devices:

•The disk devices must be owned by the user performing the grid installation.

•All the devices in an Oracle ASM disk group must be the same size and have

the same performance characteristics.

•Do not specify multiple partitions on a single physical disk as a disk group

device. Oracle ASM expects each disk group device to be on a separate

physical disk.

•Although you can specify a logical volume as a device in an Oracle ASM disk

group, Oracle does not recommend their use because it adds a layer of

complexity that is unnecessary with Oracle ASM. Oracle recommends that if

you choose to use a logical volume manager, then use the logical volume

manager to represent a single logical unit number (LUN) without striping or

mirroring, so that you can minimize the effect on storage performance of the

additional storage layer.

Related Topics

•About Oracle Extended Clusters

An Oracle Extended Cluster consists of nodes that are located in multiple locations

called sites.

Chapter 7

Identifying Storage Requirements for Using Oracle ASM for Shared Storage

7-5

See Also:

•Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for more

information about Oracle ASM file, quota, and failure groups

•Storage Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

•Oracle Clusterware Storage Space Requirements to determine the

minimum number of disks and the minimum disk space requirements for

installing Oracle Clusterware files, and installing the starter database,

where you have voting files in a separate disk group.

7.2 Oracle Clusterware Storage Space Requirements

Use this information to determine the minimum number of disks and the minimum disk

space requirements based on the redundancy type, for installing Oracle Clusterware

files, and installing the starter database, for various Oracle Cluster deployments.

Total Storage Space for Database Files Required by Redundancy Type

The following tables list the space requirements for Oracle RAC Database data files

for multitenant and non-CDB deployments.

Table 7-1 Oracle ASM Disk Space Requirements for a Multitenant Container Database (CDB)

with One Pluggable Database (PDB)

Redundancy Level Minimum number of

disks

Data Files Recovery Files Both File Types

External 1 4.5 GB 12.9 GB 17.4 GB

Normal 2 8.6 GB 25.8 GB 34.4 GB

High 3 12.9 GB 38.7 GB 51.6 GB

Flex 3 12.9 GB 38.7 GB 51.6 GB

Table 7-2 Oracle ASM Disk Space Requirements for Oracle Database (non-CDB)

Redundancy Level Minimum number of

disks

Data Files Recovery Files Both File Types

External 1 2.7 GB 7.8 GB 10.5 GB

Normal 2 5.2 GB 15.6 GB 20.8 GB

High 3 7.8 GB 23.4 GB 31.2 GB

Flex 3 7.8 GB 23.4 GB 31.2 GB

Total Oracle Clusterware Storage Space Required by Oracle Cluster Deployment

Type

If you create a disk group as part of the installation to install the OCR and voting files,

then the installer requires that you create these files on a disk group with at least 2 GB

of available space.

Chapter 7

Oracle Clusterware Storage Space Requirements

7-6

Based on the cluster configuration you want to install, the Oracle Clusterware space

requirements vary for different redundancy levels. The following tables list the space

requirements for each cluster configuration.

Table 7-3 Minimum Space Requirements for Oracle Standalone Cluster

Cluster

Configuration

Redundancy Level Space Required for

DATA

Disk Group

containing Oracle

Clusterware Files

(OCR and Voting

Files)

Space Required for

MGMT

Disk Group

containing the GIMR

and Oracle

Clusterware Backup

Files

Total Storage

Two nodes, 4 MB

Allocation Unit (AU),

one Oracle ASM

disks

External 1.4 GB At least 37.6 GB for a

cluster with 4 nodes

or less. Additional 4.7

GB space required for

clusters with 5 or

more nodes.

39 GB

Two nodes, 4 MB

Allocation Unit (AU),

three Oracle ASM

disks

Normal 2.5 GB 75.5 GB 78 GB

Two nodes, 4 MB

Allocation Unit (AU),

five Oracle ASM

disks

High 3.6 GB 113.4 GB 117 GB

Two nodes, 4 MB

Allocation Unit (AU),

three Oracle ASM

disks

Flex 2.5 GB 75.5 GB 78 GB

Related Topics

•Storage Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Review the checklist for storage hardware and configuration requirements for

Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

7.3 About the Grid Infrastructure Management Repository

Every Oracle Standalone Cluster contains a Grid Infrastructure Management

Repository (GIMR), also known as the Management Database (MGMTDB).

The Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) is a multitenant database with

a pluggable database (PDB) for the GIMR of each cluster. The GIMR stores the

following information about the cluster:

•Real time performance data the Cluster Health Monitor collects

•Fault, diagnosis, and metric data the Cluster Health Advisor collects

•Cluster-wide events about all resources that Oracle Clusterware collects

•CPU architecture data for Quality of Service Management (QoS)

•Metadata required for Rapid Home Provisioning

The Oracle Standalone Cluster locally hosts the GIMR on an Oracle ASM disk group;

this GIMR is a multitenant database with a single pluggable database (PDB). You can

Chapter 7

About the Grid Infrastructure Management Repository

7-7

optionally choose to configure two separate Oracle ASM disk groups, one for storing

Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR) and voting files, and the other for the GIMR.

7.4 Restrictions for Disk Partitions Used By Oracle ASM

Be aware of the following restrictions when configuring disk partitions for use with

Oracle ASM:

•With x64 Windows, you can create up to 128 primary partitions for each disk.

•Oracle recommends that you limit the number of partitions you create on a single

disk to prevent disk contention. Therefore, you may prefer to use extended

partitions rather than primary partitions.

7.5 Preparing Your System to Use Oracle ASM for Shared

Storage

To use Oracle ASM as the shared storage solution for Oracle Clusterware or Oracle

RAC files, you must perform certain tasks before you begin the software installation.

•Identifying and Using Existing Oracle Database Disk Groups on Oracle ASM

Identify existing disk groups and determine the free disk space that they contain.

Optionally, identify failure groups for the Oracle ASM disk group devices.

•Selecting Disks to use with Oracle ASM Disk Groups

If you are sure that a suitable disk group does not exist on the system, then install

or identify appropriate disk devices to add to a new disk group.

•Specifying the Oracle ASM Disk Discovery String

When an Oracle ASM instance is initialized, Oracle ASM discovers and examines

the contents of all of the disks that are in the paths that you designated with values

in the

ASM_DISKSTRING

initialization parameter.

7.5.1 Identifying and Using Existing Oracle Database Disk Groups on

Oracle ASM

Identify existing disk groups and determine the free disk space that they contain.

Optionally, identify failure groups for the Oracle ASM disk group devices.

If you intend to use a normal or high redundancy disk group, then you can further

protect your database against hardware failure by associating a set of disk devices in

a custom failure group. By default, each device comprises its own failure group.

However, if two disk devices in a normal redundancy disk group are attached to the

same SCSI controller, then the disk group becomes unavailable if the controller fails.

The controller in this example is a single point of failure.

To protect against failures of this type, you could use two SCSI controllers, each with

two disks, and define a failure group for the disks attached to each controller. This

configuration would enable the disk group to tolerate the failure of one SCSI controller.

Chapter 7

Restrictions for Disk Partitions Used By Oracle ASM

7-8

Note:

If you define custom failure groups, then you must specify a minimum of two

failure groups for normal redundancy and three failure groups for high

redundancy.

See Also:

Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for information

about Oracle ASM disk discovery

7.5.2 Selecting Disks to use with Oracle ASM Disk Groups

If you are sure that a suitable disk group does not exist on the system, then install or

identify appropriate disk devices to add to a new disk group.

Use the following guidelines when identifying appropriate disk devices:

•All of the devices in an Oracle ASM disk group should be the same size and have

the same performance characteristics.

•Do not specify multiple partitions on a single physical disk as a disk group device.

Oracle ASM expects each disk group device to be on a separate physical disk.

•Nonshared logical partitions are not supported with Oracle RAC. To use logical

partitions for your Oracle RAC database, you must use shared logical volumes

created by a logical volume manager such as

diskpart.msc

•Although you can specify a logical volume as a device in an Oracle ASM disk

group, Oracle does not recommend their use because it adds a layer of complexity

that is unnecessary with Oracle ASM. In addition, Oracle RAC requires a cluster

logical volume manager in case you decide to use a logical volume with Oracle

ASM and Oracle RAC.

Related Topics

•Preliminary Shared Disk Preparation

•Configuring Disk Partitions on Shared Storage

7.5.3 Specifying the Oracle ASM Disk Discovery String

When an Oracle ASM instance is initialized, Oracle ASM discovers and examines the

contents of all of the disks that are in the paths that you designated with values in the

ASM_DISKSTRING

initialization parameter.

The value for the

ASM_DISKSTRING

initialization parameter is an operating system–

dependent value that Oracle ASM uses to limit the set of paths that the discovery

process uses to search for disks. The exact syntax of a discovery string depends on

the platform, ASMLib libraries, and whether Oracle Exadata disks are used. The path

names that an operating system accepts are always usable as discovery strings.

Chapter 7

Preparing Your System to Use Oracle ASM for Shared Storage

7-9

The default value of

ASM_DISKSTRING

might not find all disks in all situations. If your site

is using a third-party vendor ASMLib, then the vendor might have discovery string

conventions that you must use for

ASM_DISKSTRING

. In addition, if your installation uses

multipathing software, then the software might place pseudo-devices in a path that is

different from the operating system default.

See Also:

•Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for more

information about the initialization parameter

ASM_DISKSTRING

•See "Oracle ASM and Multipathing" in Oracle Automatic Storage

Management Administrator's Guide for information about configuring

Oracle ASM to work with multipathing, and consult your multipathing

vendor documentation for details.

7.6 Marking Disk Partitions for Oracle ASM Before

Installation

The only partitions that OUI displays for Windows systems are logical drives that are

on disks and have been marked (or stamped) with

asmtool

or by Oracle Automatic

Storage Management (Oracle ASM) Filter Driver.

If you chose not to use Oracle ASM Filter Driver (Oracle ASMFD) for configuring and

marking the disks to use with Oracle ASM, then you must create disk partitions and

use the

asmtool

utility to mark the disk partitions prior to installing Oracle Grid

Infrastructure.

If you are using ASMLIB, then you can configure the disks before installation either by

using

asmtoolg

(graphical user interface (GUI) version) or using

asmtool

(command line

version). You also have the option of using the

asmtoolg

utility during Oracle Grid

Infrastructure for a cluster installation.

All disk names created by

asmtoolg

asmtool

begin with the prefix

ORCLDISK

followed

by a user-defined prefix (the default is

DATA

), and by a disk number for identification

purposes. You can use them as raw devices in the Oracle ASM instance by specifying

a name \\.\ORCLDISKprefixn, where

prefixn

either can be DATA, or a value you

supply, and where n represents the disk number.

The

asmtoolg

and

asmtool

utilities only work on partitioned disks; you cannot use

Oracle ASM on unpartitioned disks. You can also use these tools to reconfigure the

disks after installation. These utilities are installed automatically as part of Oracle Grid

Infrastructure.

Note:

If user account control (UAC) is enabled, then running

asmtoolg

asmtool

requires administrator-level permissions.

Chapter 7

Marking Disk Partitions for Oracle ASM Before Installation

7-10

•Using asmtoolg (Graphical User Interface) to Mark Disks

Use

asmtoolg

(GUI version) to create device names; use

asmtoolg

to add, change,

delete, and examine the devices available for use in Oracle ASM.

•Using asmtoolg to Remove Disk Stamps

You can use

asmtoolg

(GUI version) to delete disk stamps.

•asmtool Command Line Reference

asmtool

is a command-line interface for marking (or stamping) disks to be used

with Oracle ASM.

7.6.1 Using asmtoolg (Graphical User Interface) to Mark Disks

Use

asmtoolg

(GUI version) to create device names; use

asmtoolg

to add, change,

delete, and examine the devices available for use in Oracle ASM.

1. In directory where you unzipped the Oracle Grid Infrastructure image files, go the

bin\asmtool

folder and double-click

asmtoolg

If user access control (UAC) is enabled, then you must create a desktop shortcut

to a command window. Right-click the shortcut, select Run as Administrator, and

launch

asmtoolg

2. Select the Add or change label option, and then click Next.

asmtoolg

shows the devices available on the system. Unrecognized disks have a

status of "Candidate device", stamped disks have a status of "Stamped ASM

device," and disks that have had their stamp deleted have a status of "Unstamped

ASM device." The tool also shows disks that are recognized by Windows as a file

system (such as NTFS). These disks are not available for use as Oracle ASM

disks, and cannot be selected. In addition, Microsoft Dynamic disks are not

available for use as Oracle ASM disks.

3. On the Stamp Disks window, select the disks to you want to use with Oracle ASM.

For ease of use, Oracle ASM can generate unique stamps for all of the devices

selected for a given prefix. The stamps are generated by concatenating a number

with the prefix specified. For example, if the prefix is

DATA

, then the first Oracle

ASM link name is

ORCLDISKDATA0

You can also specify the stamps of individual devices.

4. Optional: Select a disk to edit the individual stamp (Oracle ASM link name).

5. Click Next.

6. Click Finish.

See Also:

Configuring Disk Partitions on Shared Storage to create disk partitions for

use with the Oracle ASM instance.

7.6.2 Using asmtoolg to Remove Disk Stamps

You can use

asmtoolg

(GUI version) to delete disk stamps.

Chapter 7

Marking Disk Partitions for Oracle ASM Before Installation

7-11

1. In directory where you unzipped the Oracle Grid Infrastructure image files, go the

Grid_home\bin folder and double-click

asmtoolg

If user access control (UAC) is enabled, then you must create a desktop shortcut

to a command window. Open the command window using the Run as

Administrator, right-click the context menu, and launch

asmtoolg

2. Select the Delete labels option, then click Next.

The delete option is only available if disks exist with stamps. The delete screen

shows all stamped Oracle ASM disks.

3. On the Delete Stamps screen, select the disks to unstamp.

4. Click Next.

5. Click Finish.

7.6.3 asmtool Command Line Reference

asmtool

is a command-line interface for marking (or stamping) disks to be used with

Oracle ASM.

Option Description Example

-add

Adds or changes stamps. You must

specify the hard disk, partition, and

new stamp name. If the disk is a raw

device or has an existing Oracle

ASM stamp, then you must specify

the

-force

option.

asmtool -add [-force]

\Device\Harddisk1\Partition1 ORCLDISKASM0

\Device\Harddisk2\Partition1 ORCLDISKASM2

...

-addprefix

Adds or changes stamps using a

common prefix to generate stamps

automatically. The stamps are

generated by concatenating a

number with the prefix specified. If

the disk is a raw device or has an

existing Oracle ASM stamp, then

you must specify the

-force

option.

asmtool -addprefix ORCLDISKASM [-force]

\Device\Harddisk1\Partition1

\Device\Harddisk2\Partition1

...

-create

Creates an Oracle ASM disk device

from a file instead of a partition.

Note: Usage of this command is not

supported for production

environments.

asmtool -create \\server\share\file 1000

asmtool -create D:\asm\asmfile02.asm 240

-list

List available disks. The stamp,

windows device name, and disk size

in MB are shown.

asmtool -list

-delete

Removes existing stamps from

disks.

asmtool -delete ORCLDISKASM0 ORCLDISKASM1...

If user access control (UAC) is enabled, then you must create a desktop shortcut to a

command window. Open the command window using the Run as Administrator,

right-click the context menu, and launch

asmtool

Chapter 7

Marking Disk Partitions for Oracle ASM Before Installation

7-12

Note:

If you use

-add

-addprefix

, or

-delete

asmtool

notifies the Oracle ASM

instance on the local node and on other nodes in the cluster, if available, to

rescan the available disks.

Related Topics

•Configuring Disk Partitions on Shared Storage

7.7 Configuring Oracle Automatic Storage Management

Cluster File System

If you want to install Oracle RAC on Oracle ACFS, you must first create the Oracle

home directory in Oracle ACFS.

You can also create a General Purpose File System configuration of ACFS using

ASMCA. Oracle ACFS is installed as part of an Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation

(Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Automatic Storage Management).

The compatibility parameters

COMPATIBLE.ASM

and

COMPATIBLE.ADVM

must be set to 11.2

or higher for the disk group to contain an Oracle ADVM volume.

1. Install Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster (Oracle Clusterware and Oracle

ASM).

2. Go to the

bin

directory in the Grid home, for example:

C:\> cd app\12.2.0\grid\bin

3. Ensure that the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation owner has read and write

permissions on the storage mount point you want to use.

For example, to use the mount point E:\data\acfsmounts\

C:\..bin> dir /Q E:\data\acfsmounts

4. Start ASMCA as the Oracle Installation user for Oracle Grid Infrastructure, for

example:

C:\..\bin> asmca

The Configure ASM: Disk Groups page is displayed. The Configure ASM: ASM

Disk Groups page shows you the Oracle ASM disk group you created during

installation.

5. Click the ASM Cluster File Systems tab.

6. On the ASM Cluster File Systems page, right-click the Data disk, then select

Create ACFS for Database Use.

7. In the Create ACFS for Database window, enter the following information:

•Volume Name: Enter the name of the database home. The name must be

unique in your enterprise, for example:

racdb_01

•Mount Point: Enter the directory path or logical drive letter for the mount

point. For example: E:\data\acfsmounts\racdb_01

Make a note of this mount point for future reference.

Chapter 7

Configuring Oracle Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System

7-13

•Size (GB): Enter in gigabytes the size you want the database home to be.

•Owner Name: Enter the name of the Oracle Installation user you plan to use

to install the database. For example:

oracle1

Select Automatically run configuration commands to run ASMCA configuration

commands automatically. To use this option, you must provide the Administrator

user credentials on the ASMCA Settings page.

8. Click OK when you have entered the required information.

9. If you did not select to run configuration commands automatically, then run the

script generated by Oracle ASM Configuration Assistant as the Local Administrator

user.

On an Oracle Clusterware environment, the script registers ACFS as a resource

managed by Oracle Clusterware. Registering ACFS as a resource helps Oracle

Clusterware to mount the ACFS automatically in the proper order when ACFS is

used for an Oracle RAC database home.

10. During Oracle RAC installation, ensure that you or the database administrator who

installs Oracle RAC selects for the Oracle home the mount point you provided in

the Mount Point field (in the preceding example, this was E:\data\acfsmounts

\racdb_01).

See Also:

•Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for more

information about configuring and managing your storage with Oracle

ACFS

•Oracle ACFS and Oracle ADVM

Chapter 7

Configuring Oracle Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System

7-14

Configuring Direct NFS Client for Oracle

RAC Data Files

Direct NFS Client is an interface for NFS systems provided by Oracle.

•About Direct NFS Client Storage

Direct NFS Client integrates the NFS client functionality directly in the Oracle

software to optimize the I/O path between Oracle and the NFS server. This

integration can provide significant performance improvements.

•Creating an oranfstab File for Direct NFS Client

If you use Direct NFS Client, then you must create a configuration file,

oranfstab

to specify the options, attributes, and parameters that enable Oracle Database to

use Direct NFS Client.

•Configurable Attributes for the oranfstab File

You can configure various settings in the

oranfstab

file.

•Mounting NFS Storage Devices with Direct NFS Client

Direct NFS Client determines mount point settings for NFS storage devices based

on the configuration information in oranfstab. Direct NFS Client uses the first

matching entry as the mount point.

•Specifying Network Paths for a NFS Server

Direct NFS Client can use up to four network paths defined in the

oranfstab

file for

an NFS server.

•Enabling Direct NFS Client

To enable Direct NFS Client, you must add an

oranfstab

file to the Oracle_home

\dbs directory and modify the related DLL files used by the Oracle Database

software.

•Performing Basic File Operations Using the ORADNFS Utility

ORADNFS is a utility which enables the database administrators to perform basic

file operations over Direct NFS Client on Microsoft Windows platforms.

•Monitoring Direct NFS Client Usage

You use data dictionary view to monitor the Direct NFS client.

•Disabling Oracle Disk Management Control of NFS for Direct NFS Client

If you no longer want to use the Direct NFS client, you can disable it.

8.1 About Direct NFS Client Storage

Direct NFS Client integrates the NFS client functionality directly in the Oracle software

to optimize the I/O path between Oracle and the NFS server. This integration can

provide significant performance improvements.

Direct NFS Client supports NFSv3, NFSv4 and NFSv4.1 protocols to access the NFS

server. Direct NFS Client also simplifies, and in many cases automates, the

performance optimization of the NFS client configuration for database workloads.

Starting with Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2), Windows Direct NFS Client

8-1

supports all widely accepted NFS path formats including UNIX-style NFS paths and

NFS Version 4 protocol.

Starting with Oracle Database 12c release 2, when you enable Direct NFS, you can

also enable the Direct NFS dispatcher. The Direct NFS dispatcher consolidates the

number of TCP connections that are created from a database instance to the NFS

server. In large database deployments, using Direct NFS dispatcher improves

scalability and network performance. Parallel NFS deployments also require a large

number of connections. Hence, the Direct NFS dispatcher is recommended with

Parallel NFS deployments too.

Direct NFS Client tunes itself to make optimal use of available resources and enables

the storage of data files on supported NFS servers. Direct NFS Client obtains NFS

mount points from the oranfstab file.

Note:

Use NFS servers supported for Oracle RAC. Check My Oracle Support, as

described in olink:CWWIN-

GUID-1B481D17-3295-4140-885B-3D8C0CB1F175 for support information.

Direct NFS Client Requirements

•Direct NFS cannot provide service to NFS servers with write size values (

wtmax

)

less than 32768.

•The Oracle files resident on the NFS server that are accessed by Direct NFS

Client can also be accessed through a third-party NFS client. The volume must be

mounted through Common Internet File System (CIFS) or kernel NFS to enable

regular windows utilities and commands, such as copy, and so on, access the

database files in the remote location.

•Volumes mounted through CIFS can not be used for storing Oracle database files

without configuring Direct NFS Client. The atomic write requirements needed for

database writes are not guaranteed through the CIFS protocol, consequently CIFS

can only be used for OS level access, for example, for commands such as copy.

•To enable Oracle Database to use Direct NFS Client, the NFS file systems must

be mounted and available before you start installation. Direct NFS Client manages

settings after installation.

If Oracle Database cannot open an NFS server using Direct NFS Client, then an

informational message is logged into the Oracle alert log. A trace file is also

created, indicating that Direct NFS Client could not connect to an NFS server.

•Some NFS file servers require NFS clients to connect using reserved ports. If your

filer is running with reserved port checking, then you must disable it for Direct NFS

to operate. To disable reserved port checking, consult your NFS file server

documentation.

•For NFS servers that restrict port range, you can use the insecure option to enable

clients other than an Administrator user to connect to the NFS server.

Alternatively, you can disable Direct NFS Client.

•You can have only one active Direct NFS Client implementation for each instance.

Using Direct NFS Client on an instance will prevent another Direct NFS Client

implementation.

Chapter 8

About Direct NFS Client Storage

8-2

See Also:

•Oracle Database Reference for information on setting the

enable_dnfs_dispatcher parameter in the initialization parameter

file to enable Direct NFS dispatcher

•Oracle Database Administrator’s Guide for guidelines for managing

Oracle data files created with Direct NFS client.

•Oracle Database Performance Tuning Guide for performance benefits of

enabling Parallel NFS and Direct NFS dispatcher

•Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for

guidelines regarding managing Oracle Database data files created with

Direct NFS Client or kernel NFS

8.2 Creating an oranfstab File for Direct NFS Client

If you use Direct NFS Client, then you must create a configuration file,

oranfstab

, to

specify the options, attributes, and parameters that enable Oracle Database to use

Direct NFS Client.

Direct NFS Client looks for the mount point entries in

oranfstab

. It uses the first

matched entry as the mount point.

1. Create an

oranfstab

file and specify configurable attributes for each NFS server

that the Direct NFS Client accesses.

The mount point specified in the

oranfstab

file represents the local path where the

database files would reside normally, as if Direct NFS Client was not used. For

example, if the location for the data files is C:\app\oracle\oradata\orcl and

Direct NFS Client is not used, then specify C:\app\oracle\oradata\orcl as

NFS virtual mount point in the corresponding

oranfstab

file.

2. Save the file to the Oracle_home\dbs directory.

When the

oranfstab

file is placed in Oracle_home\dbs, the entries in the file are

specific to a single database.

3. If you have a nonshared Oracle home, copy the

oranfstab

file to the

Oracle_home\dbs directory on all nodes in the cluster.

All instances that use the shared Oracle home use the same Oracle_home\dbs

\oranfstab file.

For a nonshared Oracle home, you must keep the

oranfstab

file synchronized on all

the nodes.

Chapter 8

Creating an oranfstab File for Direct NFS Client

8-3

Note:

•Direct NFS Client ignores a

uid

gid

value of 0. The exported path from

the NFS server must be accessible for

read/write/execute

by the user

with the

uid

gid

specified in

oranfstab

. If neither

uid

nor

gid

is listed,

then the exported path must be accessible by the user with

uid:65534

and

gid:65534

•If you remove an NFS path from

oranfstab

, you must make the change in

all

oranfstab

files used by the Oracle RAC database. Then, you must

restart the database for the change to be effective. The mount point that

you use for the file system must be identical on each node.

The following examples show three possible NFS server entries in

oranfstab

. A single

oranfstab

can have multiple NFS server entries.

Example 8-1 oranfstab File Using Local and Path NFS Server Entries

The following example of an

oranfstab

file shows an NFS server entry, where the NFS

server,

MyDataServer1

, uses two network paths specified with IP addresses.

server: MyDataServer1

local: 192.0.2.0

path: 192.0.2.1

local: 192.0.100.0

path: 192.0.100.1

nfs_version: nfsv3

export: /vol/oradata1 mount: C:\APP\ORACLE\ORADATA\ORADATA1

Example 8-2 oranfstab File Using Network Names in Place of IP Addresses,

with Multiple Exports, management and community

The following example of an

oranfstab

file shows an NFS server entry, where the NFS

server,

MyDataServer2

, uses four network paths specified by the network interface to

use, or the network connection name. Multiple export paths are also used in this

example.

server: MyDataServer2

local: LocalInterface1

path: NfsPath1

local: LocalInterface2

path: NfsPath2

local: LocalInterface3

path: NfsPath3

local: LocalInterface4

path: NfsPath4

nfs_version: nfsv4

export: /vol/oradata2 mount: C:\APP\ORACLE\ORADATA\ORADATA2

export: /vol/oradata3 mount: C:\APP\ORACLE\ORADATA\ORADATA3

management: MgmtPath1

community: private

Example 8-3 oranfstab File Using Kerberos Authentication with Direct NFS

Export

In this example, when specified, the

security

parameter overrides the value of the

security_default

parameter.

Chapter 8

Creating an oranfstab File for Direct NFS Client

8-4

server: nfsserver

local: 198.51.100.02

path: 10.0.0.0

local: 198.51.100.03

path: 10.0.0.3

export: /private/oracle1/logs mount: C:\APP\ORACLE\ORADATA\logs security: krb5

export: /private/oracle1/data mount: C:\APP\ORACLE\ORADATA\data security: krb5p

export: /private/oracle1/archive mount: C:\APP\ORACLE\ORADATA\archive security: sys

export: /private/oracle1/data1 mount: C:\APP\ORACLE\ORADATA\data1

security_default: krb5i

Related Topics

•Enabling Direct NFS Client

To enable Direct NFS Client, you must add an

oranfstab

file to the Oracle_home

\dbs directory and modify the related DLL files used by the Oracle Database

software.

•Configurable Attributes for the oranfstab File

You can configure various settings in the

oranfstab

file.

8.3 Configurable Attributes for the oranfstab File

You can configure various settings in the

oranfstab

file.

Table 8-1 Configurable Attributes for the oranfstab File

Attribute Description

server

The NFS server name.

path

Up to four network paths to the NFS server, specified either by

internet protocol (IP) address, or by name, as displayed using the

ifconfig

command on the NFS server.

local

Up to 4 paths on the database host, specified by IP address or by

name, as displayed using the

ipconfig

command on the

database host.

export

The exported path from the NFS server. Use a UNIX-style path.

mount

The corresponding local mount point for the exported volume.

The path can use a Windows-style path, or the following path

formats:

•

nfs://server/export/path/file

•

server:/export/path/file

•

//server/export/path/file

mnt_timeout

(Optional) The time (in seconds) for which Direct NFS Client

should wait for a successful mount before timing out. The default

timeout is 10 minutes (600).

uid

(Optional) The UNIX user ID to be used by Direct NFS Client to

access all NFS servers listed in

oranfstab

. The default value is

uid:65534

, which corresponds to

user:nobody

on the NFS

server.

gid

(Optional) The UNIX group ID to be used by Direct NFS Client to

access all NFS servers listed in

oranfstab

. The default value is

gid:65534

, which corresponds to

group:nogroup

on the NFS

server.

Chapter 8

Configurable Attributes for the oranfstab File

8-5

Table 8-1 (Cont.) Configurable Attributes for the oranfstab File

Attribute Description

nfs_version

(Optional) The NFS protocol version used by the Direct NFS

Client. Possible values are NFSv3, NFSv4, and NFSv4.1, and

pNFS. The default version is NFSv3. To specify NFSv4.x, then

you must configure the

nfs_version

parameter accordingly in the

oranfstab

file. Specify

nfs_version

pNFS

, if you want to use

Direct NFS with Parallel NFS.

security_default

(Optional) The default security mode applicable for all the

exported NFS server paths for a server entry.

sys

is the default

value. See the description of the

security

parameter for the

supported security levels for the

security_default

parameter.

security

(Optional) The security level, if you want to enable security using

Kerberos authentication protocol with Direct NFS Client. This

parameter can be specified per export-mount pair. The supported

security levels for the

security_default

and

security

parameters are:

•

sys

: UNIX level security AUTH_UNIX authentication based

on user identifier (UID) and group identifier (GID) values.

This is the default value for security parameters.

•

krb5

: Direct NFS runs with plain Kerberos authentication.

Server is authenticated as the real server which it claims to

be.

•

krb5i

: Direct NFS runs with Kerberos authentication and

NFS integrity. Server is authenticated and each of the

message transfers is checked for integrity.

•

krb5p

: Direct NFS runs with Kerberos authentication and

NFS privacy. Server is authenticated, and all data is

completely encrypted.

The

security

parameter, if specified, takes precedence over the

security_default

parameter. If neither of these parameters are

specified, then

sys

is the default authentication.

For NFS server Kerberos security setup, review the relevant NFS

server documentation. For Kerberos client setup, review the

relevant operating system documentation.

management

Enables Direct NFS Client to use the management interface for

SNMP queries. You can use this parameter if SNMP is running

on separate management interfaces on the NFS server. The

default value is

server

community

The community string for use in SNMP queries. Default value is

public

Related Topics

•Creating an oranfstab File for Direct NFS Client

If you use Direct NFS Client, then you must create a configuration file,

oranfstab

to specify the options, attributes, and parameters that enable Oracle Database to

use Direct NFS Client.

Chapter 8

Configurable Attributes for the oranfstab File

8-6

See Also:

"Limiting Asynchronous I/O in NFS Server Environments" in Oracle

Database Performance Tuning Guide

8.4 Mounting NFS Storage Devices with Direct NFS Client

Direct NFS Client determines mount point settings for NFS storage devices based on

the configuration information in oranfstab. Direct NFS Client uses the first matching

entry as the mount point.

If Oracle Database cannot open an NFS server using Direct NFS Client, then an error

message is written into the Oracle alert and trace files indicating that Direct NFS Client

could not be established.

Note:

You can have only one active Direct NFS Client implementation for each

instance. Using Direct NFS Client on an instance will prevent another Direct

NFS Client implementation.

Direct NFS Client requires an NFS server supporting NFS read/write buffers of at least

16384 bytes.

Direct NFS Client issues writes at wtmax granularity to the NFS server. Direct NFS

Client does not serve an NFS server with a wtmax less than 16384. Oracle

recommends that you use the value 32768.

See Also:

"Supported Storage Options for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC"

for a list of the file types that are supported with Direct NFS Client.

8.5 Specifying Network Paths for a NFS Server

Direct NFS Client can use up to four network paths defined in the

oranfstab

file for an

NFS server.

Direct NFS Client performs load balancing across all specified paths. If a specified

path fails, then Direct NFS Client reissues all outstanding requests over any remaining

paths.

Chapter 8

Mounting NFS Storage Devices with Direct NFS Client

8-7

Note:

You can have only one active Direct NFS Client implementation for each

instance. Using Direct NFS Client on an instance prevents the use of another

Direct NFS Client implementation.

See Also:

Creating an oranfstab File for Direct NFS Client for examples of configuring

network paths for Direct NFS Client attributes in an

oranfstab

file.

8.6 Enabling Direct NFS Client

To enable Direct NFS Client, you must add an

oranfstab

file to the Oracle_home

\dbs directory and modify the related DLL files used by the Oracle Database

software.

1. Create an

oranfstab

file.

2. Replace the standard ODM library,

oraodm12.dll

, with the ODM NFS library

Oracle Database uses the ODM library,

oranfsodm12.dll

, to enable Direct NFS

Client. To replace the ODM library, complete the following steps:

a. Change directory to Oracle_home\bin.

b. Shut down the Oracle Database instance on a node using the Server Control

Utility (SRVCTL).

c. Enter the following commands:

copy oraodm12.dll oraodm12.dll.orig

copy /Y oranfsodm12.dll oraodm12.dll

d. Restart the Oracle Database instance using SRVCTL.

e. Repeat Step 2.a to Step 2.d for each node in the cluster.

Related Topics

•Creating an oranfstab File for Direct NFS Client

If you use Direct NFS Client, then you must create a configuration file,

oranfstab

to specify the options, attributes, and parameters that enable Oracle Database to

use Direct NFS Client.

8.7 Performing Basic File Operations Using the ORADNFS

Utility

ORADNFS is a utility which enables the database administrators to perform basic file

operations over Direct NFS Client on Microsoft Windows platforms.

ORADNFS is a multi-call binary, which is a single binary that acts like many utilities.

Chapter 8

Enabling Direct NFS Client

8-8

You must be a member of the local

ORA_DBA

group to use ORADNFS. A valid copy of

the

oranfstab

configuration file must be present in Oracle_home\dbs for ORADNFS

to operate.

•To execute commands using ORADNFS you issue the command as an argument

on the command line.

The following command prints a list of commands available with ORADNFS:

C:\> oradnfs help

To display the list of files in the NFS directory mounted as C:\ORACLE\ORADATA,

use the following command:

C:\> oradnfs ls C:\ORACLE\ORADATA\ORCL

8.8 Monitoring Direct NFS Client Usage

You use data dictionary view to monitor the Direct NFS client.

•Use the following global dynamic performance views for managing Direct NFS

Client usage with your Oracle RAC database:

–

GV$DNFS_SERVERS

: Lists the servers that are accessed using Direct NFS Client.

–

GV$DNFS_FILES

: Lists the files that are currently open using Direct NFS Client.

–

GV$DNFS_CHANNELS

: Lists the open network paths, or channels, to servers for

which Direct NFS Client is providing files.

–

GV$DNFS_STATS

: Lists performance statistics for Direct NFS Client.

8.9 Disabling Oracle Disk Management Control of NFS for

Direct NFS Client

If you no longer want to use the Direct NFS client, you can disable it.

1. Log in as the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software owner.

2. Restore the original

oraodm12.dll

file.

a. Change directory to Oracle_home\bin.

b. Shut down the Oracle Database instance on a node using the Server Control

Utility (SRVCTL).

c. Enter the following commands:

copy oraodm12.dll.orig oraodm12.dll

copy /Y oraodm12.dll oranfsodm12.dll

d. Restart the Oracle Database instance using SRVCTL.

e. Repeat Step 2.a to Step 2.d for each node in the cluster.

3. Remove the

oranfstab

file.

Chapter 8

Monitoring Direct NFS Client Usage

8-9

Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a

Cluster

Review this information for installation and deployment options for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure.

Oracle Grid Infrastructure consists of Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Automatic

Storage Management (Oracle ASM). If you plan afterward to install Oracle Database

with Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC), then this is phase one of a two-

phase installation.

Oracle Database and Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation software is available in

multiple media, and can be installed using several options. The Oracle Grid

Infrastructure software is available as an image, available for download from the

Oracle Technology Network website, or the Oracle Software Delivery Cloud portal. In

most cases, you use the graphical user interface (GUI) provided by Oracle Universal

Installer to install the software. You can also use Oracle Universal Installer to complete

silent mode installations, without using the GUI.

•About Image-Based Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation

Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2), installation and

configuration of Oracle Grid Infrastructure software is simplified with image-based

installation.

•Understanding Cluster Configuration Options

Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 introduced new cluster configuration

options.

•About Default File Permissions Set by Oracle Universal Installer

During Oracle Database installation, by default Oracle Universal Installer installs

software in the

ORACLE_HOME

directory. Oracle Universal Installer sets the

permissions for this directory, and for all files and directories under this directory.

•Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a New Cluster

Complete this procedure to install Oracle Grid Infrastructure (Oracle Clusterware

and Oracle ASM) on your cluster.

•Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure Using a Cluster Configuration File

During installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you have the option of either of

providing cluster configuration information manually, or of using a cluster

configuration file.

•Installing Only the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Software

This installation option requires manual postinstallation steps to enable the Oracle

Grid Infrastructure software.

•Confirming Oracle Clusterware Function

After installation, use the

crsctl

utility to verify Oracle Clusterware installation is

installed and running correctly.

•Confirming Oracle ASM Function for Oracle Clusterware Files

Confirm Oracle ASM is running after installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

9-1

•Understanding Offline Processes in Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Oracle Grid Infrastructure provides required resources for various Oracle products

and components. Some of those products and components are optional, so you

can install and enable them after installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

9.1 About Image-Based Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Installation

Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2), installation and

configuration of Oracle Grid Infrastructure software is simplified with image-based

installation.

To install Oracle Grid Infrastructure, create the new Grid home with the necessary

user group permissions, and then extract the image file into the newly-created Grid

home, and run the setup wizard to register the Oracle Grid Infrastructure product.

Using image-based installation, you can do the following:

•Install and upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure for cluster configurations.

•Install Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server (Oracle Restart).

•Install only Oracle Grid Infrastructure software, and register the software with

Oracle inventory.

•Add nodes to your existing cluster, if the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software is

already installed or configured.

This installation feature streamlines the installation process and supports automation

of large-scale custom deployments. You can also use this installation method for

deployment of customized images, after you patch the base-release software with the

necessary Patch Set Updates (PSUs) and patches.

Note:

You must extract the image software into the directory where you want your

Grid home to be located, and then run the

gridSetup.bat

script to start the

Grid Infrastructure setup wizard. Ensure that the Grid home directory path

you create is in compliance with the Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture

recommendations.

9.2 Understanding Cluster Configuration Options

Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 introduced new cluster configuration options.

•About Oracle Standalone Clusters

An Oracle Standalone Cluster hosts all Oracle Grid Infrastructure services and

Oracle ASM locally and requires direct access to shared storage.

•About Oracle Extended Clusters

An Oracle Extended Cluster consists of nodes that are located in multiple locations

called sites.

Chapter 9

About Image-Based Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation

9-2

9.2.1 About Oracle Standalone Clusters

An Oracle Standalone Cluster hosts all Oracle Grid Infrastructure services and Oracle

ASM locally and requires direct access to shared storage.

Oracle Standalone Clusters contain two types of nodes arranged in a hub and spoke

architecture: Hub Nodes and Leaf Nodes. The number of Hub Nodes in an Oracle

Standalone Cluster can be as many as 64. The number of Leaf Nodes can be many

more. Hub Nodes and Leaf Nodes can host different types of applications. Oracle

Standalone Cluster Hub Nodes are tightly connected, and have direct access to

shared storage. Leaf Nodes do not require direct access to shared storage. Hub

Nodes can run in an Oracle Standalone Cluster configuration without having any Leaf

Nodes as cluster member nodes, but Leaf Nodes must be members of a cluster with a

pool of Hub Nodes. Shared storage is locally mounted on each of the Hub Nodes, with

an Oracle ASM instance available to all Hub Nodes.

Oracle Standalone Clusters host Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR)

locally. The GIMR is a multitenant database, which stores information about the

cluster. This information includes the real time performance data the Cluster Health

Monitor collects, and includes metadata required for Rapid Home Provisioning.

When you deploy an Oracle Standalone Cluster, you can also choose to configure it

as an Oracle Extended cluster. An Oracle Extended Cluster consists of nodes that are

located in multiple locations or sites.

9.2.2 About Oracle Extended Clusters

An Oracle Extended Cluster consists of nodes that are located in multiple locations

called sites.

When you deploy an Oracle Standalone Cluster, you can also choose to configure the

cluster as an Oracle Extended Cluster. You can extend an Oracle RAC cluster across

two, or more, geographically separate sites, each equipped with its own storage. In the

event that one of the sites fails, the other site acts as an active standby.

Both Oracle ASM and the Oracle Database stack, in general, are designed to use

enterprise-class shared storage in a data center. Fibre Channel technology, however,

enables you to distribute compute and storage resources across two or more data

centers, and connect them through Ethernet cables and Fibre Channel, for compute

and storage needs, respectively.

You can configure an Oracle Extended Cluster when you install Oracle Grid

Infrastructure. You can also do so post installation using the

ConvertToExtended

script.

You manage your Oracle Extended Cluster using CRSCTL.

Oracle recommends that you deploy Oracle Extended Clusters with normal

redundancy disk groups. You can assign nodes and failure groups to sites. Sites

contain failure groups, and failure groups contain disks. For normal redundancy disk

groups, a disk group provides one level of failure protection, and can tolerate the

failure of either a site or a failure group.

The following conditions apply when you select redundancy levels for Oracle Extended

Clusters:

Chapter 9

Understanding Cluster Configuration Options

9-3

Table 9-1 Oracle ASM Disk Group Redundancy Levels for Oracle Extended

Clusters

Redundancy Level Number of OCR and Voting

Files Disk Groups

Number of OCR Backup and

GIMR Disk Groups

Normal redundancy 1 failure group per data site, 1

quorum failure group

1 failure group per data site

Flex redundancy 1 failure group per data site, 1

quorum failure group

Three failure groups, with 1

failure group per site

High redundancy Not supported Three failure groups, with 1

failure group per site

Related Topics

•Identifying Storage Requirements for Using Oracle ASM for Shared Storage

Before installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you must identify and determine how

many devices are available for use by Oracle ASM, the amount of free disk space

available on each disk, and the redundancy level to use with Oracle ASM.

See Also:

Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide

9.3 About Default File Permissions Set by Oracle Universal

Installer

During Oracle Database installation, by default Oracle Universal Installer installs

software in the

ORACLE_HOME

directory. Oracle Universal Installer sets the permissions

for this directory, and for all files and directories under this directory.

For the

ORACLE_HOME

of Oracle Grid Infrastructure, OUI grants the following permissions

to the groups and users:

•Full control - Administrators,

SYSTEM

ORA_GRID_LISTENERS

, Oracle Installation User,

Oracle Home User

•Read, Execute, and List Contents - Authenticated Users

See Also:

Oracle Database Platform Guide for Microsoft Windows

Chapter 9

About Default File Permissions Set by Oracle Universal Installer

9-4

9.4 Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a New Cluster

Complete this procedure to install Oracle Grid Infrastructure (Oracle Clusterware and

Oracle ASM) on your cluster.

At any time during installation, if you have a question about what you are being asked

to do, or what input you are required to provide during installation, then click the Help

button on the installer page.

You should have your network information, storage information, and operating system

users and groups available to you before you start installation.

1. Log in to Windows as the installation user for Oracle Grid Infrastructure, which

must be a member of the Administrators users group.

2. Create the Grid home directory.

For example:

mkdir D:\app\12.2.0\grid

Ensure that the Grid home directory path you create is in compliance with the

Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture recommendations.

3. Download the Oracle Grid Infrastructure image files and copy the files to the Grid

home.

For example:

cd D:\app\12.2.0\grid

unzip -q download_location\grid_home.zip

Unzip the installation image files only in this Grid home directory that you created.

Note:

Download and copy the Oracle Grid Infrastructure image files to the local

node only. During installation, the software is copied and installed on all

other nodes in the cluster.

4. Start the Oracle Grid Infrastructure wizard by running the following command:

Grid_home\gridSetup.bat

You can run this command from a Virtual Network Computing (VNC) session, or

Terminal Services in console mode.

5. Select one of the following configuration options:

•Configure Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a Cluster

Select this option to configure a new Oracle Flex Cluster deployment with Hub

and Leaf Nodes.

•Configure Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server (Oracle

Restart)

Chapter 9

Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a New Cluster

9-5

Select this option to install Oracle Grid Infrastructure in an Oracle Restart

configuration. Use this option for single servers supporting Oracle Database

and other applications.

•Upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Select this option to upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure (Oracle Clusterware

and Oracle ASM).

•Set Up Software Only

Select this option to configure Oracle Grid Infrastructure software and register

the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home with the central inventory

Note:

Oracle Clusterware must always be the later release, so you cannot

upgrade Oracle ASM to a release that is more recent than Oracle

Clusterware.

6. Choose the type of Oracle Flex Cluster from the following options:

•Configure a Flex Cluster: Select this option to configure an Oracle Real

Application Clusters deployment consisting of cluster member nodes

configured as two or more Hub Nodes (or HUB), and 0 to 1000 Leaf Node (or

LEAF).

•Configure an Extended Cluster: Select this option to configure a type of

Oracle Flex Cluster consisting of HUB nodes that are located in multiple

geographically-separated locations called sites.

Configure an Application Cluster: Select this option to configure an Oracle

ASM client cluster that can run non-database applications. This cluster

configuration enables high availability of any software application.

7. Respond to the installation screens that appear in response to your configuration

selection.

Installation screens vary depending on the installation option you select.

For cluster member node public and VIP network addresses, provide the

information required depending on the kind of cluster you are configuring:

•If you plan to use automatic cluster configuration with DHCP addresses

configured and resolved through GNS, then you only need to provide the GNS

VIP names as configured on your DNS.

The following is a list of additional information about node IP addresses:

•For the local node only, the installer automatically fills in public and VIP fields.

If your system uses vendor clusterware, then the installer may fill additional

fields.

•Host names and virtual host names are not domain-qualified. If you provide a

domain in the address field during installation, then the installer removes the

domain from the address.

•Interfaces identified as private for private IP addresses should not be

accessible as public interfaces. Using public interfaces for Cache Fusion can

cause performance problems.

Chapter 9

Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a New Cluster

9-6

When you enter the public node name, use the primary host name of each node.

In other words, use the name displayed by the

hostname

command.

8. Provide information and run scripts as prompted by the installer.

After the installation interview, you can click Details to see the log file.

9. After you have specified all the information needed for installation, the installer

installs the software on each node. The installer then runs Oracle Net

Configuration Assistant (NETCA), Oracle Private Interconnect Configuration

Assistant, and Cluster Verification Utility (CVU). These programs run without user

intervention.

10. During the installation, Oracle Automatic Storage Management Configuration

Assistant (

asmca

) configures Oracle ASM for storage.

When you have verified that your Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation has completed

successfully, you can either use Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM to maintain high

availability for other applications, or you can install Oracle Database and Oracle RAC

software.

You can manage Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Automatic Storage

Management (Oracle ASM) using Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control. To

that Oracle Management Agent is installed and running on all nodes of the cluster.

See Also:

•Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide for Microsoft

Windows x64 (64-Bit)

•Oracle Database Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows if you intend

to use Oracle Grid Infrastructure on a standalone server (an Oracle

Restart deployment)

•Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide for cloning

Oracle Grid Infrastructure

9.5 Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure Using a Cluster

Configuration File

During installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you have the option of either of

providing cluster configuration information manually, or of using a cluster configuration

file.

A cluster configuration file is a text file that you can create before starting

gridSetup.bat

, which provides the installer with cluster node addresses that it requires

to configure the cluster.

Oracle recommends that you consider using a cluster configuration file if you intend to

perform repeated installations on a test cluster, or if you intend to perform an

installation on many nodes. A sample cluster configuration file is available in the

directory Grid_home/install/response/sample.ccf.

Chapter 9

Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure Using a Cluster Configuration File

9-7

To create a cluster configuration file manually, start a text editor, and create a file that

provides the name of the public and virtual IP addresses for each cluster member

node, in the following format:

node1 node1-vip /node-role

node2 node2-vip /node-role

node-role

can have either HUB or LEAF as values. Specify the different nodes,

separating them with either spaces or colon (:).

For example:

mynode1 mynode1-vip /HUB

mynode2 mynode2-vip /LEAF

Or, for example:

mynode1:mynode1-vip:/HUB

mynode2:mynode2-vip:/LEAF

Example 9-1 Sample Cluster Configuration File

The following sample cluster configuration file is available in the directory

Grid_home/install/response/sample.ccf:

# Cluster nodes configuration specification file

# Format:

# node [vip] [role-identifier] [site-name]

# node - Node's public host name

# vip - Node's virtual host name

# role-identifier - Node's role with "/" prefix - should be "/HUB" or "/LEAF"

# site-name - Node's assigned site

# Specify details of one node per line.

# Lines starting with '#' will be skipped.

# (1) vip and role are not required for Oracle Grid Infrastructure software only

# installs # (2) vip should be specified as AUTO if Node Virtual host names are

Dynamically

# assigned

# (3) role-identifier can be specified as "/LEAF" only for "Oracle Standalone

Cluster"

# (4) site-name should be specified only when configuring Oracle Grid Infrastructure

with "Extended Cluster" option

# Examples:

# --------

# For installing GI software only on a cluster:

# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

# node1

# node2

# For Standalone Cluster:

# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

# node1 node1-vip /HUB

# node2 node2-vip /LEAF

Chapter 9

Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure Using a Cluster Configuration File

9-8

# For Standalone Extended Cluster:

# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

# node1 node1-vip /HUB sitea

# node2 node2-vip /LEAF siteb

9.6 Installing Only the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Software

This installation option requires manual postinstallation steps to enable the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure software.

If you use the Set Up Software Only option during installation, then Oracle Universal

Installer (OUI) installs the software binaries on multiple nodes. You can then perform

the additional steps of configuring Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM.

•Installing Software Binaries for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a Cluster

You can install Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster software on multiple nodes

at a time.

•Configuring the Software Binaries for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a Cluster

Configure the software binaries by starting Oracle Grid Infrastructure configuration

wizard in GUI mode.

•Configuring the Software Binaries Using a Response File

When you install or copy Oracle Grid Infrastructure software on any node, you can

defer configuration for a later time using the Grid Setup Wizard utility

(

gridSetup.bat

•Setting Ping Targets for Network Checks

Receive notification about the status of public networks by setting the

Ping_Targets

parameter during the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

See Also:

Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide for information

about cloning an Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation to other nodes that

were not included in the initial installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure, and

then adding them to the cluster

9.6.1 Installing Software Binaries for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a

Cluster

You can install Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster software on multiple nodes at a

time.

1. Log in to Windows as the installation user for Oracle Grid Infrastructure, which

must be a member of the Administrators users group.

2. Create the Grid home directory.

For example:

mkdir D:\app\12.2.0\grid

Chapter 9

Installing Only the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Software

9-9

Ensure that the Grid home directory path you create is in compliance with the

Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture recommendations.

3. Download the Oracle Grid Infrastructure image files and copy the files to the Grid

home.

For example:

cd D:\app\12.2.0\grid

unzip -q download_location\grid_home.zip

Unzip the installation image files only in the newly created Grid home directory.

Note:

Download and copy the Oracle Grid Infrastructure image files to the local

node only. During installation, the software is copied and installed on all

other nodes in the cluster.

4. Run the

gridSetup.bat

command from the newly created Grid home directory, and

select the Configuration Option as Set Up Software Only.

5. Complete installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure software on one or more nodes

by providing information in the installer screens in response to your configuration

selection. You can install Oracle Grid Infrastructure software on multiple nodes at

a time.

6. When the software is configured, run the

orainstRoot.bat

script on all nodes, if

prompted.

7. Ensure that you have completed all storage and server preinstallation

requirements.

8. Verify that all of the cluster nodes meet the installation requirements.

Use the command:

runcluvfy.bat stage -pre crsinst -n node_list

9. Configure the cluster using the Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) configuration

wizard or configure the cluster using a response file.

See Also:

•Configuring the Software Binaries for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a

Cluster

•Configuring the Software Binaries Using a Response File

Chapter 9

Installing Only the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Software

9-10

9.6.2 Configuring the Software Binaries for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

for a Cluster

Configure the software binaries by starting Oracle Grid Infrastructure configuration

wizard in GUI mode.

After you have installed the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software on at least the local

node, you can configure Oracle Grid Infrastructure on all the nodes in your cluster.

1. Log in to one of the cluster nodes as the Oracle Installation user, and change

directory to Grid_home.

2. Start the Oracle Grid Infrastructure configuration wizard:

C:\Grid_home> gridSetup.bat

The configuration script starts Oracle Universal Installer in Configuration Wizard

mode.

3. Provide information as needed for configuration.

The configuration wizard mode validates the information and configures the

installation on all cluster nodes.

4. Verify that the summary has the correct information for your cluster, and click

Install to start configuration of the local node.

When you complete providing information, OUI shows you the Summary page,

listing the information you have provided for the cluster.

When configuration of the local node is complete, OUI copies the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure configuration file to other cluster member nodes.

5. If prompted, run the

root

scripts.

6. When you confirm that all

root

scripts are run, OUI checks the cluster

configuration status, and starts other configuration tools as needed.

9.6.3 Configuring the Software Binaries Using a Response File

When you install or copy Oracle Grid Infrastructure software on any node, you can

defer configuration for a later time using the Grid Setup Wizard utility (

gridSetup.bat

Use this procedure to complete configuration after the software is installed or copied

on nodes.

1. As the Oracle Installation user for Oracle Grid Infrastructure (for example,

grid

start Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) in Oracle Grid Infrastructure Grid Setup

Wizard mode from the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software-only home. Use the

following syntax, where Grid_home is the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home, and

filename is the response file name:

Grid_home\gridSetup.bat [-debug] [-silent -responseFile filename]

For example:

C:\> cd Grid_home

C:\> gridSetup.bat -silent -responseFile C:\app\12.2.0\grid\response

\grid_setup.rsp

Chapter 9

Installing Only the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Software

9-11

The configuration script starts OUI in Grid Setup Wizard mode. Each page shows

the same user interface and performs the same validation checks that OUI

normally does. However, instead of running an installation, the Grid Setup Wizard

mode validates inputs and configures the installation on all cluster nodes.

When you complete inputs, OUI shows you the Summary page, listing all inputs

you have provided for the cluster.

2. Verify that the summary has the correct information for your cluster, and click

Install to start configuration of the local node.

When configuration of the local node is complete, OUI copies the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure configuration file to other cluster member nodes.

3. OUI checks the cluster configuration status, and starts other configuration tools as

needed.

See Also:

•Oracle Database Installation Guide for Microsoft Windows to configure

and activate a software-only Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation for a

standalone server

•Running Postinstallation Configuration Using Response File

9.6.4 Setting Ping Targets for Network Checks

Receive notification about the status of public networks by setting the

Ping_Targets

parameter during the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

In certain environments, for example, in a virtual machine, the network link status is

not correctly returned when the network cable is disconnected. You can receive

notification about public network status in these environments by setting the

Ping_Targets

parameter during the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation. You should

use this parameter for addresses outside the cluster, like a switch or router.

•Run the installer:

C:\..> gridSetup.bat oracle_install_crs_Ping_Targets=Host1|IP1,Host2|IP2

For example:

C:\..> gridSetup.bat oracle_install_crs_Ping_Targets=192.0.2.1,192.0.2.2

The

ping

utility contacts the comma-separated list of host names or IP addresses

Host1/IP1,Host2/IP2 to determine whether the public network is available. If none of

the hosts respond, then the network is considered to be offline.

9.7 Confirming Oracle Clusterware Function

After installation, use the

crsctl

utility to verify Oracle Clusterware installation is

installed and running correctly.

•Log in as a member of the Administrators group, and run the following command

from the

bin

directory in the Grid home:

Chapter 9

Confirming Oracle Clusterware Function

9-12

crsctl check cluster -all

Example 9-2 Checking the Status of Oracle Clusterware

C:\..\bin\> crsctl check cluster -all

$ crsctl check cluster -all

**************************************************************

node1:

CRS-4537: Cluster Ready Services is online

CRS-4529: Cluster Synchronization Services is online

CRS-4533: Event Manager is online

**************************************************************

node2:

CRS-4537: Cluster Ready Services is online

CRS-4529: Cluster Synchronization Services is online

CRS-4533: Event Manager is online

**************************************************************

node3:

CRS-4537: Cluster Ready Services is online

CRS-4529: Cluster Synchronization Services is online

CRS-4533: Event Manager is online

**************************************************************

9.8 Confirming Oracle ASM Function for Oracle Clusterware

Files

Confirm Oracle ASM is running after installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

After Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation, Oracle Clusterware files are stored on

Oracle ASM. Use the following command syntax as the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installation owner (

grid

) to confirm that your Oracle ASM installation is running:

srvctl status asm

For example:

srvctl status asm

ASM is running on node1,node2, node3, node4

Note:

To manage Oracle ASM or Oracle Net 11g Release 2 (11.2) or later

installations, use the

srvctl

binary in the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home for

a cluster (Grid home). If you have Oracle Real Application Clusters or Oracle

Database installed, then you cannot use the

srvctl

binary in the database

home to manage Oracle ASM or Oracle Net.

Chapter 9

Confirming Oracle ASM Function for Oracle Clusterware Files

9-13

9.9 Understanding Offline Processes in Oracle Grid

Infrastructure

Oracle Grid Infrastructure provides required resources for various Oracle products and

components. Some of those products and components are optional, so you can install

and enable them after installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

To simplify postinstallation additions, Oracle Grid Infrastructure preconfigures and

registers all required resources for all products available for these products and

components, but only activates them when you choose to add them. As a result, some

components may be listed as OFFLINE after the installation of Oracle Grid

Infrastructure.

Resources listed as TARGET:OFFLINE and STATE:OFFLINE do not need to be

monitored. They represent components that are registered, but not enabled, so they

do not use any system resources. If an Oracle product or component is installed on

the system, and it requires a particular resource to be online, then the software will

prompt you to activate the required offline resource.

Chapter 9

Understanding Offline Processes in Oracle Grid Infrastructure

9-14

Oracle Grid Infrastructure Postinstallation

Tasks

Complete the postinstallation tasks after you have installed the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure software.

You are required to complete some configuration tasks after Oracle Grid Infrastructure

is installed. In addition, Oracle recommends that you complete additional tasks

immediately after installation. You must also complete product-specific configuration

tasks before you use those products.

Note:

This chapter describes basic configuration only. Refer to product-specific

administration and tuning guides for more detailed configuration and tuning

information.

•Required Postinstallation Tasks

Certain postinstallation tasks are critical for your newly installed software.

•Recommended Postinstallation Tasks

Oracle recommends that you complete these tasks as needed after installing

Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

•Using Earlier Oracle Database Releases with Grid Infrastructure

Review the guidelines and restrictions for using earlier Oracle Database releases

with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) installations.

•Modifying Oracle Clusterware Binaries After Installation

After installation, if you must modify the software installed in your Grid home, then

you must first stop the Oracle Clusterware stack.

10.1 Required Postinstallation Tasks

Certain postinstallation tasks are critical for your newly installed software.

Note:

Backing up a voting file is no longer required.

•Download and Install Patch Updates

On a regular basis Oracle provides patch sets that include generic and port

specific fixes encountered by customers since the base product was released.

10-1

•Configure Exceptions for the Windows Firewall

If the Windows Firewall feature is enabled on one or more of the nodes in your

cluster, then virtually all transmission control protocol (TCP) network ports are

blocked to incoming connections.

10.1.1 Download and Install Patch Updates

On a regular basis Oracle provides patch sets that include generic and port specific

fixes encountered by customers since the base product was released.

Patch sets increment the 4th digit of the release number e.g. 12.1.0.1.0 to 12.1.0.2.0,

these patch sets are fully regression tested in the same way that the base release is

(for example, 12.1.0.1.0). Customers are encouraged to apply these fixes.

If a customer encounters a critical problem that requires a fix prior to the next patch set

becoming available, they can request that a one off fix is made available on top of the

latest patch set. This delivery mechanism is similar to the Microsoft Hot Fixes and is

known as an Oracle patch set exception (or interim patch). Unlike UNIX platforms,

these patch set exceptions are delivered in a patch set exception bundle (cumulative

patch bundle), which includes all fixes since the current patch set. Starting with Oracle

Database 11g release 2 (11.2.0.4), patch bundles are described as

software_version.n, where software_version is the patch set version (12.1.0.2) and n is

the bundle patch version (12.1.0.2.10). You should always apply the latest patch

bundle available for your release. Windows patch set exception bundles (bundled

patches) are applicable to both Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle Database

homes.

The patch set exception bundles also include the fixes for the CPU (Critical Patch

Update), DST (Daylight Saving Time), PSU (Patch Set Update) and Recommended

Patch Bundles. It is not required to have the previous security patches applied before

applying the patch set exception bundle. However, you must be on the stated patch

set level for a given product home before applying the patch set exception bundle for

that release.

•Refer to the My Oracle Support website for required patch updates for your

installation.

https://support.oracle.com

Note:

If you are not a My Oracle Support registered user, then click Register

for My Oracle Support and register.

See Also:

olink:CWWIN-GUID-DF76F201-3374-486F-9D19-06276764569F for

information about how to stop database processes in preparation for

installing patches

Chapter 10

Required Postinstallation Tasks

10-2

10.1.2 Configure Exceptions for the Windows Firewall

If the Windows Firewall feature is enabled on one or more of the nodes in your cluster,

then virtually all transmission control protocol (TCP) network ports are blocked to

incoming connections.

Any Oracle product that listens for incoming connections on a TCP port will not receive

any of those connection requests and the clients making those connections will report

errors unless you configure exceptions for the Windows Firewall. You must configure

exceptions for the Windows Firewall if your system meets all of the following

conditions:

•Oracle server-side components are installed on a computer running a supported

version of Microsoft Windows. The list of components includes the Oracle

Database, Oracle Grid Infrastructure, Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle

RAC), network listeners, or any web servers or services.

•The Windows computer in question accepts connections from other computers

over the network. If no other computers connect to the Windows computer to

access the Oracle software, then no post-installation configuration steps are

required and the Oracle software functions as expected.

•The Windows computer in question is configured to run the Windows Firewall. If

the Windows Firewall is not enabled, then no post-installation configuration steps

are required.

If all of the above conditions are met, then the Windows Firewall must be configured to

allow successful incoming connections to the Oracle software. To enable Oracle

software to accept connection requests, Windows Firewall must be configured by

either opening up specific static TCP ports in the firewall or by creating exceptions for

specific executable files so they can receive connection requests on any ports they

choose.

•Use one of the following methods to configure the firewall:

–Start the Windows Firewall application, select the Exceptions tab and then

click either Add Program or Add Port to create exceptions for the Oracle

software.

–From the command prompt, use the

netsh firewall add...

command.

–When Windows notifies you that a foreground application is attempting to

listen on a port, and gives you the opportunity to create an exception for that

executable file. If you choose the create the exception in this way, the effect is

the same as creating an exception for the executable file either through

Control Panel or from the command line.

The following sections list the Oracle Database 11g release 2 (11.2) executable files

that listen on TCP ports on Windows, along with a brief description of the executable

file. It is recommended that these executable files (if in use and accepting connections

from a remote, client computer) be added to the exceptions list for the Windows

Firewall to ensure correct operation. In addition, if multiple Oracle homes are in use,

firewall exceptions may have to be created for the same executable file, for example,

oracle.exe

, multiple times, once for each Oracle home from which that executable file

loads.

Chapter 10

Required Postinstallation Tasks

10-3

•Firewall Exceptions for Oracle Database

For basic database operation and connectivity from remote clients, such as

SQL*Plus, Oracle Call Interface (OCI), Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), and

so on, you must add executable files to the Windows Firewall exception list.

•Firewall Exceptions for Oracle Database Examples (or the Companion CD)

After installing the Oracle Database Companion CD, you must add executable files

to the Windows Firewall exception list.,

•Firewall Exceptions for Oracle Gateways

If your Oracle database interacts with non-Oracle software through a gateway,

then you must add the gateway executable file to the Windows Firewall exception

list. The following table lists the gateway executable files used to access non-

Oracle software.

•Firewall Exceptions for Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM

If you installed the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software on the nodes in your cluster,

then you can enable the Windows Firewall only after adding certain executable

files and ports to the Firewall exception list.

•Firewall Exceptions for Oracle RAC Database

After installing the Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC), you must add

executable files to the Windows Firewall exception list.

•Firewall Exceptions for Other Oracle Products

In additional to all the previously listed exceptions, if you use any of the Oracle

software listed in, then you must create an exception for Windows Firewall for the

associated executable file.

•Troubleshooting Windows Firewall Exceptions

If you cannot establish certain connections even after granting exceptions to the

executable files, then follow these steps to troubleshoot the installation.

10.1.2.1 Firewall Exceptions for Oracle Database

For basic database operation and connectivity from remote clients, such as SQL*Plus,

Oracle Call Interface (OCI), Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), and so on, you

must add executable files to the Windows Firewall exception list.

The following executable files must be added to the Windows Firewall exception list:

•Oracle_home\bin\oracle.exe - Oracle Database executable

•Oracle_home\bin\tnslsnr.exe - Oracle Listener

If you use remote monitoring capabilities for your database, the following executable

files must be added to the Windows Firewall exception list:

•Oracle_home\bin\emagent.exe - Oracle Enterprise Manager

•Oracle_home\jdk\bin\java.exe - Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for Oracle

Enterprise Manager

10.1.2.2 Firewall Exceptions for Oracle Database Examples (or the Companion

CD)

After installing the Oracle Database Companion CD, you must add executable files to

the Windows Firewall exception list.,

The following executable files must be added to the Windows Firewall exception list:

Chapter 10

Required Postinstallation Tasks

10-4

•Oracle_home\opmn\bin\opmn.exe - Oracle Process Manager

•Oracle_home\jdk\bin\java.exe - JVM

10.1.2.3 Firewall Exceptions for Oracle Gateways

If your Oracle database interacts with non-Oracle software through a gateway, then

you must add the gateway executable file to the Windows Firewall exception list. The

following table lists the gateway executable files used to access non-Oracle software.

Table 10-1 Oracle Executables Used to Access Non-Oracle Software

Executable Name Description

omtsreco.exe

Oracle Services for Microsoft Transaction Server

dg4sybs.exe

Oracle Database Gateway for Sybase

dg4tera.exe

Oracle Database Gateway for Teradata

dg4msql.exe

Oracle Database Gateway for SQL Server

dg4db2.exe

Oracle Database Gateway for Distributed Relational Database

Architecture (DRDA)

pg4arv.exe

Oracle Database Gateway for Advanced Program to Program

Communication (APPC)

pg4t4ic.exe

Oracle Database Gateway for APPC

dg4mqs.exe

Oracle Database Gateway for WebSphere MQ

dg4mqc.exe

Oracle Database Gateway for WebSphere MQ

dg4odbc.exe

Oracle Database Gateway for ODBC

10.1.2.4 Firewall Exceptions for Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM

If you installed the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software on the nodes in your cluster,

then you can enable the Windows Firewall only after adding certain executable files

and ports to the Firewall exception list.

The Firewall exception list must be updated on each node.

•Grid_home\bin\gpnpd.exe - Grid Plug and Play daemon

•Grid_home\bin\oracle.exe - Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle

ASM) executable file (if using Oracle ASM for storage)

•Grid_home\bin\racgvip.exe - Virtual Internet Protocol Configuration

Assistant

•Grid_home\bin\evmd.exe - OracleEVMService

•Grid_home\bin\crsd.exe - OracleCRService

•Grid_home\bin\ocssd.exe - OracleCSService

•Grid_home\bin\octssd.exe - Cluster Time Synchronization Service daemon

•Grid_home\bin\mDNSResponder.exe - multicast-domain name system (DNS)

Responder Daemon

•Grid_home\bin\gipcd.exe - Grid inter-process communication (IPC) daemon

•Grid_home\bin\gnsd.exe - Grid Naming Service (GNS) daemon

Chapter 10

Required Postinstallation Tasks

10-5

•Grid_home\bin\ohasd.exe - OracleOHService

•Grid_home\bin\TNSLSNR.EXE - single client access name (SCAN) listener and

local listener for Oracle RAC database and Oracle ASM

•Grid_home\opmn\bin\ons.exe - Oracle Notification Service (ONS)

•Grid_home\jdk\jre\bin\java.exe - JVM

10.1.2.5 Firewall Exceptions for Oracle RAC Database

After installing the Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC), you must add

executable files to the Windows Firewall exception list.

For the Oracle RAC database, the executable file that require exceptions are:

•Oracle_home\bin\oracle.exe - Oracle RAC database instance

•Oracle_home\bin\emagent.exe - Oracle Enterprise Manager agent

•Oracle_home\jdk\bin\java.exe - For the Oracle Enterprise Manager

Database Console

In addition, the following ports should be added to the Windows Firewall exception list:

•Microsoft file sharing system management bus (SMB)

–TCP ports from 135 through 139

•Direct-hosted SMB traffic without a network basic I/O system (NetBIOS)

–port 445 (TCP)

10.1.2.6 Firewall Exceptions for Other Oracle Products

In additional to all the previously listed exceptions, if you use any of the Oracle

software listed in, then you must create an exception for Windows Firewall for the

associated executable file.

Table 10-2 Other Oracle Software Products Requiring Windows Firewall

Exceptions

Oracle Software Product Executable Name

Data Guard Manager

dgmgrl.exe

Oracle Internet Directory lightweight directory access

protocol (LDAP) Server

oidldapd.exe

External Procedural Calls

extproc.exe

10.1.2.7 Troubleshooting Windows Firewall Exceptions

If you cannot establish certain connections even after granting exceptions to the

executable files, then follow these steps to troubleshoot the installation.

1. Examine Oracle configuration files (such as

*.conf

files), the Oracle key in the

Windows registry, and network configuration files in %ORACLE_HOME%\network

\admin.

Chapter 10

Required Postinstallation Tasks

10-6

2. Grant an exception in the Windows Firewall to any executable listed in

%ORACLE_HOME%\network\admin\listener.ora in a

PROGRAM=

clause.

Each of these executables must be granted an exception in the Windows Firewall

because a connection can be made through the TNS listener to that executable.

3. Examine Oracle trace files, log files, and other sources of diagnostic information

for details on failed connection attempts.

Log and trace files on the database client computer may contain useful error

codes or troubleshooting information for failed connection attempts. The Windows

Firewall log file on the server may contain useful information as well.

4. If the preceding troubleshooting steps do not resolve a specific configuration issue

on Windows, then provide the output from the following command to Oracle

Support for diagnosis and problem resolution:

netsh firewall show state verbose=enable

See Also:

•Configure Exceptions for the Windows Firewall

•Windows Firewall Configuration

10.2 Recommended Postinstallation Tasks

Oracle recommends that you complete these tasks as needed after installing Oracle

Grid Infrastructure.

•Downloading and Installing the ORAchk Health Check Tool

Download and install the ORAchk utility to perform proactive heath checks for the

Oracle software stack.

•Optimize Memory Usage for Programs

The Windows operating system should be optimized for Memory Usage of

'Programs' instead of 'System Caching'.

•Create a Fast Recovery Area Disk Group

You should create a separate disk group for the fast recovery area.

•Checking the SCAN Configuration

The SCAN is a name that provides service access for clients to the cluster. You

can use the command

cluvfy comp scan

(located in Grid_home\bin) to confirm

that the DNS is correctly associating the SCAN with the addresses.

10.2.1 Downloading and Installing the ORAchk Health Check Tool

Download and install the ORAchk utility to perform proactive heath checks for the

Oracle software stack.

ORAchk replaces the RACCheck utility. ORAchk extends health check coverage to the

entire Oracle software stack, and identifies and addresses top issues reported by

Oracle users. ORAchk proactively scans for known problems with Oracle products and

deployments, including the following:

Chapter 10

Recommended Postinstallation Tasks

10-7

•Standalone Oracle Database

•Oracle Grid Infrastructure

•Oracle Real Application Clusters

•Maximum Availability Architecture (MAA) Validation

•Upgrade Readiness Validations

•Oracle Golden Gate

Oracle is continuing to expand checks, based on customer requests.

ORAchk is supported on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2016 on a

Cygwin environment only.

Oracle recommends that you download and run the latest version of ORAchk from My

Oracle Support. For information about downloading, configuring and running ORAchk

utility, refer to My Oracle Support note 1268927.2:

https://support.oracle.com/epmos/faces/DocContentDisplay?

id=1268927.2&parent=DOCUMENTATION&sourceId=USERGUIDE

Related Topics

•Oracle ORAchk and EXAchk User’s Guide

10.2.2 Optimize Memory Usage for Programs

The Windows operating system should be optimized for Memory Usage of 'Programs'

instead of 'System Caching'.

1. From the Start Menu, select Control Panel, then System.

2. In the System Properties window, click the Advanced tab.

3. In the Performance section, click Settings.

4. In the Performance Options window, click the Advanced tab.

5. In the Memory Usage section, ensure Programs is selected.

10.2.3 Create a Fast Recovery Area Disk Group

You should create a separate disk group for the fast recovery area.

During installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure, if you select Oracle ASM for storage, a

single disk group is created to store the Oracle Clusterware files. If you plan to create

a single-instance database, an Oracle RAC database, or an Oracle RAC One Node

database, then this disk group can also be used to store the data files for the

database. However, Oracle recommends that you create a separate disk group for the

fast recovery area.

•About the Fast Recovery Area and the Fast Recovery Area Disk Group

The fast recovery area is a unified storage location for all Oracle Database files

related to recovery.

•Creating the Fast Recovery Area Disk Group

You can use ASMCA to create an Oracle ASM disk group for the fast recovery

area.

Chapter 10

Recommended Postinstallation Tasks

10-8

10.2.3.1 About the Fast Recovery Area and the Fast Recovery Area Disk

Group

The fast recovery area is a unified storage location for all Oracle Database files related

to recovery.

Database administrators can define the

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST

parameter to the path

for the fast recovery area to enable on-disk backups, and rapid recovery of data.

Enabling rapid backups for recent data can reduce requests to system administrators

to retrieve backup tapes for recovery operations.

When you enable the fast recovery area in the database initialization parameter file, all

RMAN backups, archive logs, control file automatic backups, and database copies are

written to the fast recovery area. RMAN automatically manages files in the fast

recovery area by deleting obsolete backups and archive files that are no longer

required for recovery.

To use a fast recovery area in Oracle RAC, you must place it on an Oracle ASM disk

group, a cluster file system, or on a shared directory that is configured through Direct

network file system (NFS) for each Oracle RAC instance. In other words, the fast

recovery area must be shared among all of the instances of an Oracle RAC database.

Oracle Clusterware files and Oracle Database files can be placed on the same disk

group as fast recovery area files. However, Oracle recommends that you create a

separate fast recovery area disk group to reduce storage device contention.

The fast recovery area is enabled by setting the parameter

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST

the same value on all instances. The size of the fast recovery area is set with the

parameter

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE

. As a general rule, the larger the fast recovery

area, the more useful it becomes. For ease of use, Oracle recommends that you

create a fast recovery area disk group on storage devices that can contain at least

three days of recovery information. Ideally, the fast recovery area should be large

enough to hold a copy of all of your data files and control files, the online redo logs,

and the archived redo log files needed to recover your database using the data file

backups kept under your retention policy.

Multiple databases can use the same fast recovery area. For example, assume you

have created one fast recovery area disk group on disks with 150 gigabyte (GB) of

storage, shared by three different databases. You can set the size of the fast recovery

area for each database depending on the importance of each database. For example,

test1

is your least important database, you might set

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE

30 GB. For the

products

database, which is of greater importance, you might set

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE

to 50 GB. For the

orders

, which has the greatest

importance, you might set

DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST_SIZE

to 70 GB.

See Also:

Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for information

on how to create a disk group for data and a disk group for the fast recovery

area

Chapter 10

Recommended Postinstallation Tasks

10-9

10.2.3.2 Creating the Fast Recovery Area Disk Group

You can use ASMCA to create an Oracle ASM disk group for the fast recovery area.

1. Navigate to the bin directory in the Grid home and start Oracle ASM Configuration

Assistant (ASMCA).

For example:

C:\> cd app\12.1.0\grid\bin

C:\> asmca

ASMCA opens at the Disk Groups tab.

2. Click Create to create a new disk group.

The Create Disk Groups window opens.

3. In the Create Disk Groups window, enter the following information, then click OK:

a. In the Disk Group Name field, enter a descriptive name for the fast recovery

area disk group, for example, FRA.

b. In the Redundancy section, select the level of redundancy you want to use.

c. In the Select Member Disks field, select eligible disks to be added to the fast

recovery area.

The Diskgroup Creation window opens to inform you when disk group creation is

complete.

4. Click OK to acknowledge the message, then click Exit to quit the application.

10.2.4 Checking the SCAN Configuration

The SCAN is a name that provides service access for clients to the cluster. You can

use the command

cluvfy comp scan

(located in Grid_home\bin) to confirm that the

DNS is correctly associating the SCAN with the addresses.

Because the SCAN is associated with the cluster as a whole, rather than to a

particular node, the SCAN makes it possible to add or remove nodes from the cluster

without needing to reconfigure clients. It also adds location independence for the

databases, so that client configuration does not have to depend on which nodes run a

particular database instance. Clients can continue to access the cluster in the same

way as with earlier releases, but Oracle recommends that clients accessing the cluster

use the SCAN.

After installation, when a client sends a request to the cluster, the Oracle Clusterware

SCAN listeners redirect client requests to servers in the cluster.

•Confirm that the DNS is correctly associating the SCAN with the specified

addresses.

cluvfy comp scan

Example 10-1 Using CLUVFY to Confirm DNS is Correctly Associating the

SCAN Addresses

This example shows the output from the

cluvfy comp scan

command for a cluster node

named

node1.example.com

Chapter 10

Recommended Postinstallation Tasks

10-10

C:\> cluvfy comp scan

Verifying scan

Checking Single Client Access Name (SCAN)...

Checking TCP connectivity to SCAN Listeners...

TCP connectivity to SCAN Listeners exists on all cluster nodes

Checking name resolution setup for "node1.example.com"...

Verification of SCAN VIP and Listener setup passed

Verification of scan was successful.

10.3 Using Earlier Oracle Database Releases with Grid

Infrastructure

Review the guidelines and restrictions for using earlier Oracle Database releases with

Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) installations.

•General Restrictions for Using Earlier Oracle Database Releases

You can use Oracle Database 12c Release 1 and Release 2 and Oracle Database

11g Release 2 with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2).

•Configuring Earlier Release Oracle Database on Oracle ACFS

Review this information to configure a 11.2 release Oracle Database on Oracle

Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System (Oracle ACFS).

•Using ASMCA to Administer Disk Groups for Earlier Database Releases

Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g Release 2, Oracle ASM is installed as

part of an Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation, with Oracle Clusterware.

•Using the Correct LSNRCTL Commands

Do not attempt to use the

lsnrctl

programs from Oracle home locations for earlier

releases because they cannot be used with the new release.

•Starting and Stopping Cluster Nodes or Oracle Clusterware Resources

Before shutting down Oracle Clusterware 12c Release 1 (12.1), if you have an

Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2) database registered with Oracle

Clusterware 12c, then you must perform additional steps to ensure the resources

are stopped.

10.3.1 General Restrictions for Using Earlier Oracle Database

Releases

You can use Oracle Database 12c Release 1 and Release 2 and Oracle Database

11g Release 2 with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2).

Do not use the versions of

srvctl

lsnrctl

, or other Oracle Grid infrastructure home

tools to administer earlier version databases. Only administer earlier Oracle Database

releases using the tools in the earlier Oracle Database homes. To ensure that the

versions of the tools you are using are the correct tools for those earlier release

databases, run the tools from the Oracle home of the database or object you are

managing.

Chapter 10

Using Earlier Oracle Database Releases with Grid Infrastructure

10-11

Oracle Database homes can only be stored on Oracle ASM Cluster File System

(Oracle ACFS) if the database release is Oracle Database 11g Release 2 or higher.

Earlier releases of Oracle Database cannot be installed on Oracle ACFS because

these releases were not designed to use Oracle ACFS.

When installing Oracle databases on a Flex ASM cluster, the Oracle ASM cardinality

must be set to

All

Note:

If you are installing Oracle Database 11g Release 2 with Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2), then before running the Oracle Universal

Installer (OUI) for Oracle Database, run the following command on the local

node only:

Grid_home\oui\bin\setup.exe -ignoreSysPrereqs -updateNodeList

ORACLE_HOME=Grid_home "CLUSTER_NODES={comma_separated_list_of_hub_nodes}"

CRS=true LOCAL_NODE=local_node [-cfs]

Use the

-cfs

option only if the Grid_home is on a shared location.

See Also:

•Download and Install Patch Updates

•Oracle Database 12c Release 2 Upgrade Companion (Doc ID

1670757.1) on My Oracle Support: https://support.oracle.com/rs?

type=doc&id=1670757.1

10.3.2 Configuring Earlier Release Oracle Database on Oracle ACFS

Review this information to configure a 11.2 release Oracle Database on Oracle

Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System (Oracle ACFS).

1. Install Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) as described in this guide.

2. Start Oracle ASM Configuration Assistant (ASMCA) as the grid installation owner.

For example:

asmca

Follow the steps in the configuration wizard to create Oracle ACFS storage for the

earlier release Oracle Database home.

3. Install Oracle Database 11g release 2 (11.2) software-only on the Oracle ACFS

file system you configured.

4. From the 11.2 Oracle Database home, run Oracle Database Configuration

Assistant (DBCA) and create the Oracle RAC Database, using Oracle ASM as

storage for the database data files.

dbca

Chapter 10

Using Earlier Oracle Database Releases with Grid Infrastructure

10-12

5. Modify the Oracle ACFS path dependency:

srvctl modify database -d my_112_db -j Oracle_ACFS_path

10.3.3 Using ASMCA to Administer Disk Groups for Earlier Database

Releases

Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g Release 2, Oracle ASM is installed as part

of an Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation, with Oracle Clusterware.

You can no longer use Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) to perform

administrative tasks on Oracle ASM.

•Use Oracle ASM Configuration Assistant (ASMCA) to create and modify disk

groups when you install earlier Oracle Database and Oracle RAC releases on

Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g installations.

See Also:

Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for details on

configuring disk group compatibility for databases using Oracle Database

11g Release 2 with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1 (12.1)

10.3.4 Using the Correct LSNRCTL Commands

Do not attempt to use the

lsnrctl

programs from Oracle home locations for earlier

releases because they cannot be used with the new release.

•Use the Listener Control utility,

lsnrctl

, located in the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

12c home to administer local and SCAN listeners for Oracle Clusterware and

Oracle ASM 11g Release 2.

10.3.5 Starting and Stopping Cluster Nodes or Oracle Clusterware

Resources

Before shutting down Oracle Clusterware 12c Release 1 (12.1), if you have an Oracle

Database 11g Release 2 (11.2) database registered with Oracle Clusterware 12c, then

you must perform additional steps to ensure the resources are stopped.

1. If you have an Oracle Database 11g Release 2 (11.2) database registered with

Oracle Clusterware 12c, then perform one of the following steps:

a. Stop the Oracle Database 11g Release 2 database instances first, then stop

the Oracle Clusterware stack

b. Use the

crsctl stop crs -f

command to shut down the Oracle Clusterware

stack and ignore any errors that are raised

2. If you need to shut down a cluster node that currently has Oracle Database and

Oracle Grid Infrastructure running on that node, then you must perform the

following steps to cleanly shutdown the cluster node:

a. Use the

crsctl stop crs

command to shut down the Oracle Clusterware stack

Chapter 10

Using Earlier Oracle Database Releases with Grid Infrastructure

10-13

b. After Oracle Clusterware has been stopped, you can shutdown the Windows

server using

shutdown -r

10.4 Modifying Oracle Clusterware Binaries After Installation

After installation, if you must modify the software installed in your Grid home, then you

must first stop the Oracle Clusterware stack.

For example, to apply a one-off patch, or modify any of the dynamic-link libraries

(DLLs) used by Oracle Clusterware or Oracle ASM, you must follow these steps to

stop and restart Oracle Clusterware.

Caution:

To put the changes you make to the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home into

effect, you must shut down all executable files that run in the Grid home

directory and then restart them. In addition, shut down any applications that

use Oracle shared libraries or DLL files in the Grid home.

1. Log in using a member of the Administrators group and go to the directory

Grid_home\bin, where Grid_home is the path to the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

home.

2. Shut down Oracle Clusterware using the following command:

C:\..\bin> crsctl stop crs -f

3. After Oracle Clusterware is completely shut down, perform the updates to the

software installed in the Grid home.

4. Use the following command to restart Oracle Clusterware:

C:\..\bin> crsctl start crs

5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 on each cluster member node.

Note:

Do not delete directories in the Grid home. For example, do not delete the

directory Grid_home/Opatch. If you delete the directory, then the Grid

infrastructure installation owner cannot use Opatch to patch the Grid home,

and Opatch displays the error message "checkdir error: cannot

create Grid_home/OPatch".

Chapter 10

Modifying Oracle Clusterware Binaries After Installation

10-14

Upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Oracle Grid Infrastructure upgrade consists of upgrade of Oracle Clusterware and

Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM).

Oracle Grid Infrastructure upgrades can be rolling upgrades, in which a subset of

nodes are brought down and upgraded while other nodes remain active. Starting with

Oracle ASM 11g Release 2 (11.2), Oracle ASM upgrades can be rolling upgrades.

You can also use Rapid Home Provisioning to upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a

cluster.

•Understanding Out-of-Place and Rolling Upgrades

You can use rolling upgrade or out-of-place upgrades to upgrade your Oracle Grid

Infrastructure software.

•About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrade and Downgrade

There are different methods you can use to upgrade the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

software.

•Options for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrades

Understand the upgrade options for Oracle Grid Infrastructure in this release.

When you upgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2), you

upgrade to an Oracle Flex Cluster configuration.

•Restrictions and Guidelines for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrades

Review the restrictions and changes for upgrades to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installations, which consists of Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Automatic Storage

Management (Oracle ASM).

•Preparing to Upgrade an Existing Oracle Clusterware Installation

If you have an existing Oracle Clusterware installation, then you upgrade your

existing cluster by performing an out-of-place upgrade. You cannot perform an in-

place upgrade.

•Understanding Rolling Upgrades Using Batches

Instead of shutting down all nodes when applying patches, you can shut down

some nodes while other nodes remaining running.

•Performing Rolling Upgrades of Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Review this information to perform rolling upgrade of Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

•Applying Patches to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

After you have upgraded Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2), you can

install individual software patches by downloading them from My Oracle Support.

•Updating Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Target Parameters

After upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure, upgrade the Enterprise Manager Cloud

Control target.

•Checking Cluster Health Monitor Repository Size After Upgrading

If you are upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure from a prior release using IPD/OS

to the current release, then review the Cluster Health Monitor repository size (the

CHM repository).

11-1

•Downgrading Oracle Clusterware After an Upgrade

After a successful or a failed upgrade, you can restore Oracle Clusterware to the

previous release.

•Completing Failed or Interrupted Installations and Upgrades

If Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) exits on the node from which you started the

installation or upgrade (the first node), or the node reboots before you confirm that

the

gridconfig.bat

script was run on all cluster nodes, then the upgrade or

installation remains incomplete.

Related Topics

•General Upgrade Best Practices

Be aware of these guidelines as a best practice before you perform an upgrade.

11.1 Understanding Out-of-Place and Rolling Upgrades

You can use rolling upgrade or out-of-place upgrades to upgrade your Oracle Grid

Infrastructure software.

If you have an existing Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation, then you upgrade your

existing cluster by performing an out-of-place upgrade. An in-place upgrade of Oracle

Grid Infrastructure is not supported. All upgrades are out-of-place upgrades, meaning

that the software binaries are placed in a different Grid home from the Grid home used

for the prior release. You can also perform the upgrade in a rolling manner, which

means there is always at least one cluster node operational during the upgrade.

Rolling Upgrades

You can upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure by upgrading individual nodes without

stopping Oracle Grid Infrastructure on other nodes in the cluster, which is called

performing a rolling upgrade. Rolling upgrades avoid downtime and ensure

continuous availability while the software is upgraded to a new release.

Note:

In contrast with releases prior to Oracle Clusterware 11g Release 2, Oracle

Universal Installer (OUI) always performs rolling upgrades, even if you select

all nodes for the upgrade.

Out-of-Place Upgrades

During an out-of-place upgrade, the installer installs the newer release in a separate

Grid home. Both the old and new releases of Oracle Grid Infrastructure exist on each

cluster member node, but only one release is active. By contrast, an in-place upgrade

overwrites the software in the current Oracle Grid Infrastructure home.

To perform an out-of-place upgrade, you must create new Oracle Grid Infrastructure

homes on each node. Then you can perform an out-of-place rolling upgrade, so that

some nodes run Oracle Grid Infrastructure from the original Grid home, and other

nodes run Oracle Grid Infrastructure from the new Grid home.

Related Topics

•Performing Rolling Upgrades of Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Review this information to perform rolling upgrade of Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

Chapter 11

Understanding Out-of-Place and Rolling Upgrades

11-2

11.2 About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrade and

Downgrade

There are different methods you can use to upgrade the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

software.

You can upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure in any of the following ways:

•Rolling Upgrade: Involves upgrading individual nodes without stopping Oracle Grid

Infrastructure on other nodes in the cluster

•Non-Rolling Upgrade: Involves bringing down all the nodes except one. A

complete cluster outage occurs while the root script stops the old Oracle

Clusterware stack and starts the new Oracle Clusterware stack on the node where

you initiate the upgrade. After upgrade is completed, the new Oracle Clusterware

is started on all the nodes.

Note that some services are disabled when one or more nodes are in the process of

being upgraded. All upgrades are out-of-place upgrades, meaning that the software

binaries are placed in a different Grid home from the Grid home used for the prior

release.

You can downgrade from Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2) to Oracle

Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1 (12.1) and Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g Release 2

(11.2). Be aware that if you downgrade to a prior release, then your cluster must

conform with the configuration requirements for that prior release, and the features

available for the cluster consist only of the features available for that prior release of

Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM.

You can perform out-of-place upgrades to an Oracle ASM instance using ASMCA. In

addition to running ASMCA using the graphical user interface, you can run ASMCA in

non-interactive (silent) mode.

Note:

If you are currently using OCFS for Windows as your shared storage, then

you must migrate to using Oracle ASM during the upgrade of Oracle

Database and Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

Note:

You must complete an upgrade before attempting to use cluster backup files.

You cannot use backups for a cluster that has not completed the upgrade.

See Also:

Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide for additional

information about upgrading existing Oracle ASM installations

Chapter 11

About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrade and Downgrade

11-3

11.3 Options for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrades

Understand the upgrade options for Oracle Grid Infrastructure in this release. When

you upgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2), you upgrade to an

Oracle Flex Cluster configuration.

Supported upgrade paths for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for this release are:

•Oracle Grid Infrastructure upgrade from releases 11.2.0.3 and 11.2.0.4 to Oracle

Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2).

•Oracle Grid Infrastructure upgrade from Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1

(12.1) to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2).

Upgrade options from Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g and Oracle Grid Infrastructure

12c Release 1 (12.1) to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2) include the

following:

•Oracle Grid Infrastructure rolling upgrade which involves upgrading individual

nodes without stopping Oracle Grid Infrastructure on other nodes in the cluster

•Oracle Grid Infrastructure non-rolling upgrade by bringing the cluster down and

upgrading the complete cluster

Note:

•When you upgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2),

you upgrade to an Oracle Standalone Cluster configuration.

•If storage for OCR and voting files is other than Oracle ASM, you need to

migrate OCR and voting files to Oracle ASM before upgrading to Oracle

Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2).

11.4 Restrictions and Guidelines for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure Upgrades

Review the restrictions and changes for upgrades to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installations, which consists of Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Automatic Storage

Management (Oracle ASM).

•Oracle Grid Infrastructure upgrades are always out-of-place upgrades. You cannot

perform an in-place upgrade of Oracle Grid Infrastructure to existing homes.

•You must use an Administrator user to perform the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c

release 2 (12.2)upgrade.

•Oracle ASM and Oracle Clusterware both run in the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

home.

•When you upgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2), you upgrade

to an Oracle Flex Cluster configuration.

•Do not delete directories in the Grid home. For example, do not delete

Grid_home\Opatch. If you delete the directory, then the Oracle Installation User

Chapter 11

Options for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrades

11-4

for Oracle Grid Infrastructure cannot use Opatch to patch the Grid home, and

Opatch displays the error "checkdir error: cannot create Grid_home

\OPatch"

•To upgrade existing Oracle Grid Infrastructure installations to Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2), you must first verify if you need to apply any

mandatory patches for upgrade to succeed. You can use CVU to perform this

check.

•To upgrade existing Oracle Grid Infrastructure installations to Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2), your current release must be greater than or

equal to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g release 2 (11.2.0.3).

•To upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure installations from 11.2.0.2 to a later release,

you must install the latest bundle for the cumulative patches for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure (Patch 11 bundle or higher).

•During a major release upgrade to Oracle Clusterware 12c release 2 (12.2), the

software in the Grid home for Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) is not

fully functional until the upgrade is completed. Running the Server Control Utility

(SRVCTL),

crsctl

, and other commands from the 12c release 2 (12.2) Grid home

is not supported until the upgrade is complete across all nodes.

To manage databases using earlier releases of Oracle Database software during

the Oracle Grid Infrastructure upgrade, use SRVCTL from the existing database

homes.

•To change a cluster member node role to Leaf, you must have completed the

upgrade on all Oracle Grid Infrastructure nodes so that the active version is Oracle

Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2(12.2) or later.

See Also:

Oracle Database Upgrade Guide

Storage Restrictions Related to Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrades

•If the Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR) and voting file locations for your current

installation are on raw devices or shared file systems, then you must migrate them

to Oracle ASM disk groups before upgrading to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c

release 2 (12.2).

•If you want to upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure releases before Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 11g release 2 (11.2), where the OCR and voting files are on raw or

block devices or shared file system, then you must upgrade to Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 11g release 2 (11.2). You must move the Oracle Cluster Registry

(OCR) and voting files to Oracle ASM before you upgrade to Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2).

Restrictions Related to Upgrading Shared Grid Homes

•You can perform upgrades on a shared Oracle Clusterware home.

•If the existing Oracle Clusterware home is a shared home, then you can use a

non-shared home for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster home for Oracle

Clusterware and Oracle ASM 12c release 2 (12.2).

Chapter 11

Restrictions and Guidelines for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrades

11-5

Single-Instance Oracle ASM Upgrade Restrictions

•During Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation or upgrade, if there is a single

instance Oracle ASM release on the local node, then it is converted to an Oracle

Flex ASM 12c release 2 (12.2) installation, and Oracle ASM runs in the Oracle

Grid Infrastructure home on all nodes.

•If a single instance (non-clustered) Oracle ASM installation is on a remote node,

which is a node other than the local node (the node on which the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure installation or upgrade is being performed), then it will remain a

single instance Oracle ASM installation. However, during the installation or

upgrade, when the OCR and voting files are placed on Oracle ASM, then an

Oracle Flex ASM installation is created on all nodes in the cluster. The single

instance Oracle ASM installation on the remote node becomes nonfunctional.

Related Topics

•Using CVU to Validate Readiness for Oracle Clusterware Upgrades

Oracle recommends that you use Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) to help to

ensure that your upgrade is successful.

•Example of Verifying System Upgrade Readiness for Grid Infrastructure

You can use the

runcluvfy.bat

command to check your system before upgrading.

•About the CVU Grid Upgrade Validation Command Options

You can use the Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) to validate your system

readiness before upgrading.

11.5 Preparing to Upgrade an Existing Oracle Clusterware

Installation

If you have an existing Oracle Clusterware installation, then you upgrade your existing

cluster by performing an out-of-place upgrade. You cannot perform an in-place

upgrade.

The following topics list the steps you can perform before you upgrade Oracle Grid

Infrastructure:

•Upgrade Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Review this checklist before upgrading an existing Oracle Grid Infrastructure. A

cluster is being upgraded until all cluster member nodes are running the new

installations, and the new clusterware becomes the active version.

•Tasks to Complete Before Upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Review the tasks before upgrading Oracle Clusterware.

•Create an Oracle ASM Password File

In certain situations, you must create an Oracle ASM password file before you can

upgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2.

•Running the Oracle ORAchk Upgrade Readiness Assessment

Download and run the ORAchk Upgrade Readiness Assessment before upgrading

Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

•Using CVU to Validate Readiness for Oracle Clusterware Upgrades

Oracle recommends that you use Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) to help to

ensure that your upgrade is successful.

Chapter 11

Preparing to Upgrade an Existing Oracle Clusterware Installation

11-6

11.5.1 Upgrade Checklist for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Review this checklist before upgrading an existing Oracle Grid Infrastructure. A cluster

is being upgraded until all cluster member nodes are running the new installations, and

the new clusterware becomes the active version.

If you intend to install or upgrade Oracle RAC, then you must first complete the

upgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) on all cluster nodes before

you install the Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2) release of Oracle RAC.

Check Task

Review the Oracle Database

Upgrade Guide for

deprecation and desupport

information that may affect

upgrade planning.

Oracle Database Upgrade Guide

Verify the current operating

system is supported for the

new release

Confirm that you are using a supported operating system,

patch release, and all required operating system packages for

the new Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

Upgrade to a later Oracle

release if required

On the Windows platform, to upgrade Oracle Clusterware from

releases 10.2.0.5 and 11.1.0.7 to release 12.1, you must

perform an interim upgrade to 11.2.0.4 for Oracle Clusterware.

Patch set (recommended) Install the latest patch set release for your existing installation.

Upgrades from some earlier patchset releases might not be

supported.

Move any files stored on

OCFS for Windows or raw

devices to a supported

storage mechanism

Migrate OCR files from raw devices to Oracle ASM. Direct use

of raw devices is not supported. OCFS on Windows is no

longer supported.

Confirm Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR) file integrity. If this

check fails, then repair the OCRs before proceeding.

Install user account Confirm that the installation user you plan to use is the same

as the installation user that was used to perform the installation

you want to upgrade.

Oracle Home user If the Oracle home from which you run the database upgrade

uses a Windows Domain User as the Oracle Home User, then

the Oracle Home User on the target version must use the same

Windows Domain User.

Create a Grid home Create a new Oracle Grid Infrastructure Oracle home (Grid

home) where you can extract the image files. All Oracle Grid

Infrastructure upgrades (upgrades of existing Oracle

Clusterware and Oracle ASM installations) are out-of-place

upgrades.

Chapter 11

Preparing to Upgrade an Existing Oracle Clusterware Installation

11-7

Check Task

Instance names for Oracle

ASM

Confirm that the Oracle Automatic Storage Management

(Oracle ASM) instances use standard Oracle ASM instance

names

The default ASM SID for a single-instance database is

+ASM

and the default SID for ASM on Oracle Real Application

Clusters nodes is

+ASMnode#

, where node# is the node number.

With Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11.2.0.1 and later, nondefault

Oracle ASM instance names are not supported.

If you have nondefault Oracle ASM instance names, then

before you upgrade your cluster, use your existing release

srvctl

to remove individual Oracle ASM instances with

nondefault names, and add Oracle ASM instances with default

names.

Network Addresses for

standard Oracle Grid

Infrastructure deployments

For standard Oracle Grid Infrastructure installations, confirm

the following network configuration:

•The private and public IP addresses are in unrelated,

separate subnets. The private subnet should be in a

dedicated private subnet.

•The public and virtual IP addresses, including SCAN

addresses, are in the same subnet (the range of

addresses permitted by the subnet mask for the subnet

network).

•Neither private nor public IP addresses use a link local

subnet (169.254.*.*).

CVU Upgrade Validation Use Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) to assist you with system

checks in preparation for starting an upgrade.

Unset Environment variables As the user that will be performing the upgrade, unset the

environment variables

%ORACLE_HOME%

and

%ORACLE_SID%

follows:

C:\> set ORACLE_BASE=

C:\> set ORACLE_HOME=

C:\> set ORACLE_SID=

Check that the

ORA_CRS_HOME

environment variable is not set.

Do not use

ORA_CRS_HOME

as an environment variable, except

under explicit direction from Oracle Support.

RACcheck Upgrade

Readiness Assessment

Download and run the RACcheck Upgrade Readiness

Assessment to obtain automated upgrade-specific health check

for upgrades to Oracle Grid Infrastructure. See My Oracle

Support note 1457357.1, which is available at the following

URL:

https://support.oracle.com/rs?type=doc&id=1457357.1

Back Up the Oracle Software

Before Upgrades

Before you make any changes to the Oracle software, Oracle

recommends that you create a backup of the Oracle software

and databases.

For Oracle software running on Windows operating systems,

you must also take a backup of the Windows registry.

Without a registry backup, you will not be able to restore the

Oracle software to a working state if the upgrade of Oracle Grid

Infrastructure or Oracle Database fails and you want to revert

to the previous software installation.

Chapter 11

Preparing to Upgrade an Existing Oracle Clusterware Installation

11-8

11.5.2 Tasks to Complete Before Upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Review the tasks before upgrading Oracle Clusterware.

Before upgrading, you must unset the following environment variables:

•

ORACLE_BASE

•

ORACLE_HOME

•

ORACLE_SID

•

ORA_NLS10

•

TNS_ADMIN

•

ORA_CRS_HOME

If you have set

ORA_CRS_HOME

as an environment variable, following instructions from

Oracle Support, then unset it before starting an installation or upgrade. You should

never use

ORA_CRS_HOME

as an environment variable except under explicit direction from

Oracle Support.

1. For each node, use the Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) to assist you with system

checks in preparation for patching or upgrading.

You can run CVU before starting the upgrade, however, the installer runs the

appropriate CVU checks automatically, and prompts you to fix problems before

proceeding with the upgrade.

2. Ensure that you have information you will need during installation, including the

following:

•An Oracle base location for Oracle Clusterware

•An Oracle Grid Infrastructure home location that is different from your existing

Grid home location

•SCAN name and addresses, and other network addresses

•Privileged user operating system groups

•Local Administrator user access, or access as the user who performed the

previous Oracle Clusterware installation

3. For the installation user running the installation, if you have environment variables

set for the existing installation, then unset the environment variables

%ORACLE_HOME%

and

%ORACLE_SID%

, because these environment variables are used during upgrade.

For example, as the

grid

user, run the following commands on the local node:

C:\> set ORACLE_HOME=

C:\> set ORACLE_BASE=

C:\> set ORACLE_SID=

4. If you have set

ORA_CRS_HOME

as an environment variable, following instructions

from Oracle Support, then unset it before starting an installation or upgrade.

You should never use

ORA_CRS_HOME

as an environment variable except under

explicit direction from Oracle Support.

5. If you have an existing installation on your system, and you are using the same

user account to upgrade this installation, then unset the following environment

variables:

Chapter 11

Preparing to Upgrade an Existing Oracle Clusterware Installation

11-9

ORA_CRS_HOME

ORACLE_HOME

ORA_NLS10

TNS_ADMIN

and any other environment

variable set for the Oracle installation user that is connected with Oracle software

homes.

6. Check to ensure that the user profile for the Oracle Installation User does not set

any of these environment variables.

Related Topics

•Configuring Users, Groups and Environments for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and

Oracle RAC

•Configuring Networks for Oracle Grid Infrastructure and Oracle RAC

11.5.3 Create an Oracle ASM Password File

In certain situations, you must create an Oracle ASM password file before you can

upgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2.

If you are upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure from release 11.2.0.4 to release

12.1.0.2, and then upgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2), you

must create an Oracle ASM password file before starting the upgrade to Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2).

On Windows platforms, this issue only exists when upgrading from Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 11.2.0.4 to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12.1.0.2 and then to Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 12.2. If you upgrade from Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11.2.0.4 directly to

Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12.2, or if you upgrade from Oracle Grid Infrastructure

12.1.0.2 to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12.2 directly, then this task is not required.

If you do not complete this task before starting the upgrade process, then you will get

a failed check during installation. If you choose to ignore the error and continue the

upgrade, then the

rootcrs

script fails to complete and generates the following error:

2016-06-28 20:20:33: Command output:

CLSRSC-661: The Oracle ASM password file does not exist at location

C:\app\12.1.0\grid\database\PWD+ASM.ora.

After upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure from release 11.2.0.4 to release 12.1.0.2,

complete the following steps to resolve this error before continue with the upgrade to

Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2:

1. Start the ASMCMD utility from the upgraded Oracle Grid Infrastructure home

directory.

Grid_home_12102\bin\asmcmd.bat

2. Set the Oracle ASM disk group compatibility to 12.1.0.0.0 or higher for the disk

group that stores the Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR).

ASMCMD> setattr -G disk_group_name compatible.asm 12.1.0.0.0

3. Create an Oracle ASM password file.

ASMCMD> pwcreate --asm +disk_group_name/orapwASM sys_password

4. Verify the password file was created.

ASMCMD> pwget --asm

+disk_group_name/orapwasm

Chapter 11

Preparing to Upgrade an Existing Oracle Clusterware Installation

11-10

11.5.4 Running the Oracle ORAchk Upgrade Readiness Assessment

Download and run the ORAchk Upgrade Readiness Assessment before upgrading

Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

ORAchk is an Oracle RAC configuration audit tool. ORAchk Upgrade Readiness

Assessment can be used to obtain an automated upgrade-specific health check for

upgrades to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11.2.0.3, 11.2.0.4, 12.1.0.1, 12.1.0.2, and 12.2.

You can run the ORAchk Upgrade Readiness Assessment tool and automate many of

the manual pre-upgrade and post-upgrade checks.

Oracle recommends that you download and run the latest version of ORAchk from My

Oracle Support. For information about downloading, configuring, and running ORAchk,

refer to My Oracle Support note 1457357.1.

See Also:

•https://support.oracle.com/rs?type=doc&id=1457357.1

•Oracle ORAchk and EXAchk User’s Guide

11.5.5 Using CVU to Validate Readiness for Oracle Clusterware

Upgrades

Oracle recommends that you use Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) to help to ensure

that your upgrade is successful.

You can use CVU to assist you with system checks in preparation for starting an

upgrade. CVU runs the appropriate system checks automatically, and either prompts

you to fix problems, or provides a fixup script to be run on all nodes in the cluster

before proceeding with the upgrade.

•About the CVU Grid Upgrade Validation Command Options

You can use the Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) to validate your system

readiness before upgrading.

•Example of Verifying System Upgrade Readiness for Grid Infrastructure

You can use the

runcluvfy.bat

command to check your system before upgrading.

Related Topics

•Restrictions and Guidelines for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrades

Review the restrictions and changes for upgrades to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installations, which consists of Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Automatic Storage

Management (Oracle ASM).

11.5.5.1 About the CVU Grid Upgrade Validation Command Options

You can use the Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) to validate your system readiness

before upgrading.

You can run upgrade validations in one of two ways:

Chapter 11

Preparing to Upgrade an Existing Oracle Clusterware Installation

11-11

•Run the installer, and allow the CVU validation built into the installer to perform

system checks

•Run the CVU manual script

cluvfy.bat

script to perform system checks

To use the installer to perform pre-install checks, run the installation as you normally

would. The installer starts CVU, and performs system checks as part of the installation

process. Selecting the installer to perform these checks is particularly appropriate if

you think you have completed preinstallation checks, and you want to confirm that

your system configuration meets minimum requirements for installation.

To use the

cluvfy.bat

command-line script for CVU, navigate to the new Grid home

where you extracted the image files for upgrade, that contains the

runcluvfy.bat

script,

and run the following command to check the readiness of your Oracle Clusterware

installation for upgrades:

runcluvfy.bat stage -pre crsinst -upgrade

Running

runcluvfy.bat

with the

-pre crsinst -upgrade

options performs system checks

to confirm if the cluster is in a correct state for upgrading from an existing clusterware

installation.

The

runcluvfy

command uses the following syntax, where variable content is indicated

by italics:

runcluvfy.bat stage -pre crsinst -upgrade [-rolling] -src_crshome src_Gridhome

-dest_crshome dest_Gridhome -dest_version dest_release

[-verbose]

The options are:

•

-rolling

Use this option to verify readiness for rolling upgrades.

•

-src_crshome src_Gridhome

Use this option to indicate the location of the source Oracle Clusterware or Grid

home that you are upgrading, where src_Gridhome is the path to the home to

upgrade.

•

-dest_crshome dest_Gridhome

Use this option to indicate the location of the upgrade Grid home, where

dest_Gridhome is the path to the Grid home.

•

-dest_version dest_release

Use the

dest_version

option to indicate the release number of the upgrade,

including any patchset. The release number must include the five digits

designating the release to the level of the platform-specific patch. For example:

12.1.0.1.0.

•

-verbose

Use the

-verbose

option to produce detailed output of individual checks

Related Topics

•Restrictions and Guidelines for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrades

Review the restrictions and changes for upgrades to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installations, which consists of Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Automatic Storage

Management (Oracle ASM).

Chapter 11

Preparing to Upgrade an Existing Oracle Clusterware Installation

11-12

11.5.5.2 Example of Verifying System Upgrade Readiness for Grid

Infrastructure

You can use the

runcluvfy.bat

command to check your system before upgrading.

Verify that the permissions required for installing Oracle Clusterware have been

configured by running the following command:

C:\> runcluvfy.bat stage -pre crsinst -upgrade -rolling

-src_crshome C:\app\11.2.0.3\grid -dest_crshome C:\app\12.2.0\grid

-dest_version 12.2.0.1.0 -verbose

Related Topics

•Restrictions and Guidelines for Oracle Grid Infrastructure Upgrades

Review the restrictions and changes for upgrades to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installations, which consists of Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Automatic Storage

Management (Oracle ASM).

11.6 Understanding Rolling Upgrades Using Batches

Instead of shutting down all nodes when applying patches, you can shut down some

nodes while other nodes remaining running.

When you upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure, you upgrade the entire cluster. You

cannot select or de-select individual nodes for upgrade. Oracle does not support

attempting to add additional nodes to a cluster during a rolling upgrade. Oracle

recommends that you leave Oracle RAC instances running when upgrading Oracle

Clusterware. When you start the upgrade process on each node, the upgrade scripts

shut down the database instances and then start the instances again.

When performing the upgrade, you can divide the nodes into groups, or batches, and

start upgrades of these node batches. Between batches, you can move services from

nodes running the earlier release to the upgraded nodes, so that services are not

affected by the upgrade.

Restrictions for Selecting Nodes for Batch Upgrades

The following restrictions apply when selecting nodes in batches for upgrade:

•You can pool nodes in batches for upgrade, up to a maximum of three batches.

•The local node, where Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) is running, must be

upgraded in batch one.

•Hub and Leaf Nodes cannot be upgraded in the same batch.

•All Hub Nodes must be upgraded before starting the upgrade of Leaf Nodes.

11.7 Performing Rolling Upgrades of Oracle Grid

Infrastructure

Review this information to perform rolling upgrade of Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

Chapter 11

Understanding Rolling Upgrades Using Batches

11-13

•Upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure from an Earlier Release

Complete this procedure to upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure (Oracle

Clusterware and Oracle Automatic Storage Management) from an earlier release.

•Completing an Oracle Clusterware Upgrade when Nodes Become Unreachable

If some nodes become unreachable in the middle of an upgrade, then you cannot

complete the upgrade without user intervention.

•Joining Inaccessible Nodes After Forcing an Upgrade

You can add inaccessible nodes to the cluster after a forced cluster upgrade.

•Changing the First Node for Install and Upgrade

If the first node becomes inaccessible, you can force another node to be the first

node for installation or upgrade.

Related Topics

•Understanding Out-of-Place and Rolling Upgrades

You can use rolling upgrade or out-of-place upgrades to upgrade your Oracle Grid

Infrastructure software.

11.7.1 Upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure from an Earlier Release

Complete this procedure to upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure (Oracle Clusterware

and Oracle Automatic Storage Management) from an earlier release.

If you previously attempted to upgrade to a higher release of Oracle Grid

Infrastructure, and that Grid home still exists, then instead of running the installer, run

the

config.bat

script in the Grid_home\crs\config directory of the higher version

Grid home. Select the Upgrade option to upgrade the existing Grid home to the later

release.

1. As the Grid installation user, download the Oracle Grid Infrastructure image files

and extract the files to the Grid home.

For example:

mkdir D:\app\12.2.0\grid

cd D:\app\12.2.0\grid

unzip -q download_location\grid_home.zip

where download_location\grid_home.zip is the path of the downloaded

Oracle Grid Infrastructure image file.

Note:

•You must extract the image software into the directory where you

want your Grid home to be located.

•Download and copy the Oracle Grid Infrastructure image files to the

local node only. During upgrade, the software is copied and installed

on all other nodes in the cluster.

2. If there are non-clustered, or single-instance, Oracle databases that use Oracle

ASM running on any of the nodes in the cluster, they must be shut down before

you start the upgrade.

Listeners associated with those databases do not have to be shut down.

Chapter 11

Performing Rolling Upgrades of Oracle Grid Infrastructure

11-14

Note:

Oracle recommends that you leave Oracle Real Application Clusters

(Oracle RAC) instances running during the Oracle Clusterware upgrade.

During the upgrade process, the database instances on the node being

upgraded are stopped and started automatically during the upgrade

process.

3. Start the Oracle Grid Infrastructure wizard in the new Grid home by running the

following command:

Grid_home\gridSetup.bat

4. Select the option Upgrade Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

This option upgrades Oracle Grid Infrastructure (Oracle Clusterware and Oracle

ASM).

5. On the node selection page, select all nodes.

6. Select installation options as prompted.

7. Confirm your selections, and then the upgrade scripts are run automatically.

8. Because the Oracle Grid Infrastructure home is in a different location than the

former Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM homes, update any scripts or

applications that use utilities or other files that reside in the Oracle Clusterware

and Oracle ASM homes.

Note:

•In Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2), the OCR and OCR

backup must be located in an Oracle ASM disk group. During the

upgrade, regardless of where the OCR backup location was in the

previous release, the OCR backup location is changed to an Oracle

ASM disk group.

•The backups in the old Oracle Clusterware home can be deleted

after the upgrade because upgrades of Oracle Clusterware are out-

of-place upgrades, and after the upgrade to Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) the OCR and OCR backup must

be located in an Oracle ASM disk group.

•If the cluster being upgraded has a single disk group that stores the

OCR, OCR backup, Oracle ASM password, Oracle ASM password

file backup, and the Grid Infrastructure Management Repository

(GIMR), then Oracle recommends that you create a separate disk

group or use another existing disk group and store the OCR backup,

the GIMR and Oracle ASM password file backup in that disk group.

Chapter 11

Performing Rolling Upgrades of Oracle Grid Infrastructure

11-15

See Also:

Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide for the

commands to create a disk group.

11.7.2 Completing an Oracle Clusterware Upgrade when Nodes

Become Unreachable

If some nodes become unreachable in the middle of an upgrade, then you cannot

complete the upgrade without user intervention.

Because the upgrade did not complete successfully on the unreachable nodes, the

upgrade is incomplete. Oracle Clusterware remains in the earlier release.

1. Confirm that the upgrade is incomplete by entering the following command:

crsctl query crs activeversion

2. To resolve the incomplete upgrade, run the

gridConfig.bat —upgrade

command

with the

-force

option on any of the nodes where the

gridConfig.bat

script has

already completed as follows:

Grid_home\crs\config\gridConfig.bat -upgrade -force

For example, as the Oracle Installation User for Oracle Grid Infrastructure, run the

following command:

C:\> C:\app\12.2.0\grid\crs\config\gridConfig.bat -upgrade -force

The force cluster upgrade has the following limitations:

•All active nodes must be upgraded to the newer release

•All inactive nodes (accessible or inaccessible) may be either upgraded or not

upgraded

•For inaccessible nodes, after patch set upgrades, you can delete the node

from the cluster. If the node becomes accessible later, and the patch version

upgrade path is supported, then you can upgrade it to the new patch version.

This command forces the upgrade to complete.

3. Verify that the upgrade has completed by using the command

crsctl query crs

activeversion

The active release should be the upgrade release.

11.7.3 Joining Inaccessible Nodes After Forcing an Upgrade

You can add inaccessible nodes to the cluster after a forced cluster upgrade.

Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 1 (12.1), after you complete a force

cluster upgrade command, you can join inaccessible nodes to the cluster as an

alternative to deleting the nodes, which was required in earlier releases.

To use this option, you must already have Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2

(12.2) software installed on the nodes.

1. Log in as an Administrator user on the nodes that you want to join to the cluster.

Chapter 11

Performing Rolling Upgrades of Oracle Grid Infrastructure

11-16

2. Change directory to the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) Grid_home

directory.

For example:

C:\> cd app\12.2.0\grid

3. Run the following command, where upgraded_node is the inaccessible or

unreachable node that you want to join to the cluster.

C:\..\grid\> rootcrs.bat -join -existingnode upgraded_node

11.7.4 Changing the First Node for Install and Upgrade

If the first node becomes inaccessible, you can force another node to be the first node

for installation or upgrade.

•Installation: If

gridonfig.bat

fails to complete on the first node, run the following

command on another node using the

-force

option:

Grid_home\crs\config\gridconfig.bat -force -first

•Upgrade: If

gridonfig.bat

fails to complete on the first node, run the following

command on another node using the

-force

option:

Grid_home\crs\config\gridconfig.bat -upgrade -force -first

11.8 Applying Patches to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

After you have upgraded Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2), you can

install individual software patches by downloading them from My Oracle Support.

•About Individual (One-Off) Oracle Grid Infrastructure Patches

Download Oracle ASM one-off patch and apply it to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

using the OPatch Utility.

•About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Software Patch Levels

Review this topic to understand how to apply patches for Oracle ASM and Oracle

Clusterware.

•Patching Oracle ASM to a Software Patch Level

Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1 (12.1), a new cluster state

called Rolling Patch is available.

11.8.1 About Individual (One-Off) Oracle Grid Infrastructure Patches

Download Oracle ASM one-off patch and apply it to Oracle Grid Infrastructure using

the OPatch Utility.

Individual patches are called one-off patches. An Oracle ASM one-off patch is

available for a specific released release of Oracle ASM. If a patch you want is

available, then you can download the patch and apply it to Oracle ASM using the

OPatch Utility. The OPatch inventory keeps track of the patches you have installed for

your release of Oracle ASM. If there is a conflict between the patches you have

installed and patches you want to apply, then the OPatch Utility advises you of these

conflicts.

Chapter 11

Applying Patches to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

11-17

Related Topics

•Patching Oracle ASM to a Software Patch Level

Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1 (12.1), a new cluster state

called Rolling Patch is available.

11.8.2 About Oracle Grid Infrastructure Software Patch Levels

Review this topic to understand how to apply patches for Oracle ASM and Oracle

Clusterware.

The software patch level for Oracle Grid Infrastructure represents the set of all one-off

patches applied to the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software release, including Oracle

ASM. The release is the release number, in the format of major, minor, and patch set

release number. For example, with the release number 12.1.0.1, the major release is

12, the minor release is 1, and 0.0 is the patch set number. With one-off patches, the

major and minor release remains the same, though the patch levels change each time

you apply or roll back an interim patch.

As with standard upgrades to Oracle Grid Infrastructure, at any given point in time for

normal operation of the cluster, all the nodes in the cluster must have the same

software release and patch level. Because one-off patches can be applied as rolling

upgrades, all possible patch levels on a particular software release are compatible with

each other.

11.8.3 Patching Oracle ASM to a Software Patch Level

Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1 (12.1), a new cluster state

called Rolling Patch is available.

Rolling Patch mode is similar to the existing Rolling Upgrade mode in terms of the

Oracle ASM operations allowed in this quiesce state.

1. Download the patch you want to apply from My Oracle Support:

a. Go to https://support.oracle.com

b. Select the Patches and Updates tab to locate the patch.

To locate patch bundles, you can perform a Product or Family (Advanced)

search for your platform and software release.

Oracle recommends that you select Recommended Patch Advisor, and

enter the product group, release, and platform for your software. My Oracle

Support provides you with a list of the most recent patches and critical patch

updates (CPUs).

c. Place the patch in an accessible directory, such as C:\downloads.

2. Change directory to the

opatch

directory in the Grid home.

For example:

C:\> cd app\12.1.0\grid\opatch

3. Review the patch documentation for the patch you want to apply, and complete all

required steps before starting the patch upgrade.

4. Follow the instructions in the patch documentation to apply the patch.

Chapter 11

Applying Patches to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

11-18

Related Topics

•About Individual (One-Off) Oracle Grid Infrastructure Patches

Download Oracle ASM one-off patch and apply it to Oracle Grid Infrastructure

using the OPatch Utility.

11.9 Updating Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control

Target Parameters

After upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure, upgrade the Enterprise Manager Cloud

Control target.

Because Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2) is an out-of-place upgrade of

the Oracle Clusterware home in a new location (the Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a

cluster home, or Grid home), the path for the

CRS_HOME

parameter in some parameter

files must be changed. If you do not change the parameter, then you encounter errors

such as "cluster target broken" on Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control.

To resolve the issue, update the Enterprise Manager Cloud Control target, and then

update the Enterprise Manager Agent Base Directory on each cluster member node

running an agent.

•Updating the Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Target After Upgrades

After upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure, update the Enterprise Manager Target

with the new Grid home path.

•Updating the Enterprise Manager Agent Base Directory After Upgrades

After upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure, update the Enterprise Manager Agent

Base Directory on each cluster member node running an agent.

•Registering Resources with Oracle Enterprise Manager After Upgrades

After upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure, add the new resource targets to Oracle

Enterprise Manager Cloud Control.

11.9.1 Updating the Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Target After

Upgrades

After upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure, update the Enterprise Manager Target with

the new Grid home path.

1. Log in to Enterprise Manager Cloud Control.

2. Navigate to the Targets menu, and then to the Cluster page.

3. Click a cluster target that was upgraded.

4. Click Cluster, then Target Setup, and then Monitoring Configuration from the

menu.

5. Update the value for Oracle Home with the new Grid home path.

6. Save the updates.

Chapter 11

Updating Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Target Parameters

11-19

11.9.2 Updating the Enterprise Manager Agent Base Directory After

Upgrades

After upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure, update the Enterprise Manager Agent Base

Directory on each cluster member node running an agent.

The Agent Base Directory is a directory where the Management Agent home is

created. The Management Agent home is in the path Agent_Base_directory\core

\EMAgent_Version. For example, if the Agent Base Directory is C:\app\emagent,

then Oracle creates the Management Agent home as C:\app\emagent\core

\13.1.1.0.

1. Navigate to the

bin

directory in the Management Agent home.

2. In the C:\app\emagent\core\13.1.1.0\bin directory, open the file

emctl

with a text editor.

3. Locate the parameter

CRS_HOME

, and update the parameter to the new Grid home

path.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 on each node of the cluster with an Enterprise Manager agent.

11.9.3 Registering Resources with Oracle Enterprise Manager After

Upgrades

After upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure, add the new resource targets to Oracle

Enterprise Manager Cloud Control.

Discover and add new resource targets in Oracle Enterprise Manager after Oracle

Grid Infrastructure upgrade. The following procedure provides an example of

discovering an Oracle ASM listener target after upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure:

1. Log in to Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control.

2. From the Setup menu, select Add Target, and then select Add Targets

Manually.

The Add Targets Manually page is displayed.

3. In the Add Targets page, select the Add Using Guided Process option and

Target Type as Oracle Database, Listener and Automatic Storage

Management.

For any other resource to be added, select the appropriate Target Type in Oracle

Enterprise Manager discovery wizard.

4. Click Add Using Guided Process.

The Target Discover wizard is displayed.

5. For the Specify Host or Cluster field, click on the Search icon and search for

Target Types of Hosts, and select the corresponding Host.

6. Click Next.

7. In the Target Discovery: Results page, select the discovered Oracle ASM Listener

target, and click Configure.

8. In the Configure Listener dialog box, specify the listener properties and click OK.

Chapter 11

Updating Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Target Parameters

11-20

9. Click Next and complete the discovery process.

The listener target is discovered in Oracle Enterprise Manager with the status as

Down.

10. From the Targets menu, select the type of target.

11. Click the target name to navigate to the target home page.

12. From the host, database, middleware target, or application menu displayed on the

target home page, select Target Setup, then select Monitoring Configuration.

13. In the Monitoring Configuration page for the listener, specify the host name in the

Machine Name field and the password for the

ASMSNMP

user in the Password field.

14. Click OK.

Oracle ASM listener target is displayed with the correct status.

Similarly, you can add other clusterware resources to Oracle Enterprise Manager after

an Oracle Grid Infrastructure upgrade.

11.10 Checking Cluster Health Monitor Repository Size

After Upgrading

If you are upgrading Oracle Grid Infrastructure from a prior release using IPD/OS to

the current release, then review the Cluster Health Monitor repository size (the CHM

repository).

1. Review your CHM repository needs, and determine if you need to increase the

repository size to maintain a larger CHM repository.

Note:

Your previous IPD/OS repository is deleted when you install Oracle Grid

Infrastructure.

By default, the CHM repository size is a minimum of either 1GB or 3600 seconds

(1 hour), regardless of the size of the cluster.

2. To enlarge the CHM repository, use the following command syntax, where

RETENTION_TIME is the size of CHM repository in number of seconds:

oclumon manage -repos changeretentiontime RETENTION_TIME

For example, to set the repository size to four hours:

oclumon manage -repos changeretentiontime 14400

The value for RETENTION_TIME must be more than 3600 (one hour) and less

than 259200 (three days). If you enlarge the CHM repository size, then you must

ensure that there is local space available for the repository size you select on each

node of the cluster. If you do not have sufficient space available, then you can

move the repository to shared storage.

Chapter 11

Checking Cluster Health Monitor Repository Size After Upgrading

11-21

11.11 Downgrading Oracle Clusterware After an Upgrade

After a successful or a failed upgrade, you can restore Oracle Clusterware to the

previous release.

Downgrading Oracle Clusterware restores the Oracle Clusterware configuration to the

state it was in before the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2) upgrade. Any

configuration changes you performed during or after the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c

Release 2 (12.2) upgrade are removed and cannot be recovered.

To restore Oracle Clusterware to the previous release, use the downgrade procedure

for the release to which you want to downgrade.

Note:

Starting with Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 2 (12.2), you can

downgrade the cluster nodes in any sequence. You can downgrade all

cluster nodes except one, in parallel. You must downgrade the last node

after you downgrade all other nodes.

Note:

When downgrading after a failed upgrade, if the

rootcrs.sh

rootcrs.bat

file

does not exist on a node, then instead of the executing the script use the

command

perl rootcrs.pl

. Use the perl interpreter located in the Oracle

Home directory.

•Downgrading to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1 (12.1)

Use this procedure to downgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 1

(12.1).

•Downgrading to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g Release 2 (11.2)

Use this procedure to downgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g Release 2

(11.2).

11.11.1 Downgrading to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c Release 1

(12.1)

Use this procedure to downgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 1 (12.1).

1. Optional: Delete the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) Management

Database:

dbca -silent -deleteDatabase -sourceDB -MGMTDB

2. Use the command syntax

rootcrs.bat -downgrade

to downgrade Oracle Grid

Infrastructure on all nodes, in any sequence.

For example:

Chapter 11

Downgrading Oracle Clusterware After an Upgrade

11-22

C:\app\12.2.0\grid\crs\install\rootcrs.bat -downgrade

Run this command from a directory that has write permissions for the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure installation user. You can run the downgrade script in parallel on all

cluster nodes, but one.

3. Downgrade the last node after you downgrade all other nodes.

C:\app\12.2.0\grid\crs\install\rootcrs.bat -downgrade

4. Remove the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) Grid home as the

active Oracle Clusterware home:

a. On any of the cluster member nodes where the

rootcrs.bat -downgrade

command has run successfully, log in as the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installation owner.

b. Use the following command to start the installer, where

C:\app\12.2.0\grid

is the location of the new (upgraded) Grid home:

cd C:\app\12.2.0\grid\oui\bin

setup.exe -nowait -waitforcompletion -ignoreSysPrereqs -updateNodeList -

silent CRS=false

ORACLE_HOME=C:\app\12.2.0\grid "CLUSTER_NODES=node1,node2,node3"

LOCAL_NODE=local_node_running_the_command

-doNotUpdateNodeList

Add the flag

-cfs

if the Grid home is a shared home.

5. Set Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 1 (12.1) Grid home as the active Oracle

Clusterware home:

a. On any of the cluster member nodes where the

rootcrs.bat -downgrade

command has run successfully, log in as the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installation owner.

b. Use the following command to start the installer, where the path you provide

for

ORACLE_HOME

is the location of the home directory from the earlier Oracle

Clusterware installation.

cd C:\app\12.1.0\grid\oui\bin

setup.exe -nowait -waitforcompletion -ignoreSysPrereqs -updateNodeList -

silent CRS=true

ORACLE_HOME=C:\app\12.1.0\grid "CLUSTER_NODES=node1,node2,node3" -

doNotUpdateNodeList

6. Start the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 1 (12.1) clusterware stack from the

old Grid home on each node to complete the downgrade.

crsctl start crs

7. On any node, remove the MGMTDB resource as follows:

121_Grid_home\bin\srvctl remove mgmtdb

8. If you are downgrading to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 1 (12.1.0.2), run

the following commands to configure the Grid Infrastructure Management

Database:

a. Run DBCA in silent mode from the Oracle Database 12c release 1 (12.1.0.2)

home and create the Management Database container database (CDB) as

follows:

12102_Grid_home\bin\dbca -silent -createDatabase -createAsContainerDatabase

true

Chapter 11

Downgrading Oracle Clusterware After an Upgrade

11-23

-templateName MGMTSeed_Database.dbc -sid -MGMTDB -gdbName _mgmtdb

-storageType ASM -diskGroupName ASM_DG_NAME

-datafileJarLocation 12102_grid_home\assistants\dbca\templates

-characterset AL32UTF8 -autoGeneratePasswords -skipUserTemplateCheck

b. Run DBCA in silent mode from the Oracle Database 12c release 1 (12.1.0.2)

home and create the Management Database pluggable database (PDB) as

follows:

12102_Grid_home\bin\dbca -silent -createPluggableDatabase -sourceDB -MGMTDB

-pdbName cluster_name -createPDBFrom RMANBACKUP

-PDBBackUpfile 12102_Grid_home\assistants\dbca\templates\mgmtseed_pdb.dfb

-PDBMetadataFile 12102_Grid_home\assistants\dbca\templates\mgmtseed_pdb.xml

-createAsClone true -internalSkipGIHomeCheck

9. If you are downgrading to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 1 (12.1.0.1), run

DBCA in silent mode from the Oracle Database 12c release 1 (12.1.0.1) home and

create the Management Database as follows:

12101_Grid_home\bin\dbca -silent -createDatabase

-templateName MGMTSeen_Database.dbc -sid -MGMTDB -gdbName _mgmtdb

-storageType ASM -diskGroupName ASM_DG_NAME

-datafileJarLocation 12101_Grid_home\assistants\dbca\templates

-characterset AL32UTF8 -autoGeneratePasswords

10. Configure the Management Database by running the Configuration Assistant from

the location

121_Grid_home\bin\mgmtca

11.11.2 Downgrading to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g Release 2

(11.2)

Use this procedure to downgrade to Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g Release 2 (11.2).

1. Delete the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) Management Database:

dbca -silent -deleteDatabase -sourceDB -MGMTDB

2. As an Administrator user, use the command syntax

Grid_home\crs\install

\rootcrs.bat -downgrade

to stop the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2)

resources, and shut down the Oracle Grid Infrastructure stack.

Run this command from a directory that has write permissions for the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure installation user.

You can run the downgrade script in parallel on all but one of the cluster nodes.

You must downgrade the last node after you downgrade all other nodes.

3. Remove Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12c release 2 (12.2) Grid home as the active

Oracle Clusterware home:

a. On any of the cluster member nodes where the upgrade to Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 12c has completed successfully, log in as the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure installation owner.

b. Use the following command to start the installer, where C:\app

\12.2.0\grid is the location of the new (upgraded) Grid home:

cd C:\app\12.2.0\grid\oui\bin

setup.exe -nowait -updateNodeList -silent CRS=false

ORACLE_HOME=C:\app\12.2.0\grid

"CLUSTER_NODES=node1,node2,node3" LOCAL_NODE=local_node_running_the_command

-doNotUpdateNodeList

Chapter 11

Downgrading Oracle Clusterware After an Upgrade

11-24

Add the option

-cfs

if the Grid home is a shared home.

4. Set the Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g Release 2 (11.2) Grid home as the active

Oracle Clusterware home:

a. On any of the cluster member nodes where the upgrade to Oracle Grid

Infrastructure 12c has completed successfully, log in as the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure installation owner.

b. Use the following command to start the installer, where the path you provide

for

ORACLE_HOME

is the location of the home directory from the earlier Oracle

Clusterware installation.

cd C:\app\11.2.0\grid\oui\bin

setup.exe -nowait -updateNodeList -silent CRS=true

ORACLE_HOME=C:\app\11.2.0\grid -doNotUpdateNodeList

Add the option

-cfs

if the Grid home is a shared home.

5. Manually start the Oracle Clusterware stack for Oracle Grid Infrastructure 11g

Release 2 (11.2).

On each node, start Oracle Clusterware from the earlier release Oracle

Clusterware home using the command

crsctl start crs

. For example. if the

earlier release home is C:\app\11.2.0\grid, use the following command on

each node:

C:\app\11.2.0\grid\bin> crsctl start crs

11.12 Completing Failed or Interrupted Installations and

Upgrades

If Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) exits on the node from which you started the

installation or upgrade (the first node), or the node reboots before you confirm that the

gridconfig.bat

script was run on all cluster nodes, then the upgrade or installation

remains incomplete.

In an incomplete installation or upgrade, configuration assistants still need to run, and

the new Grid home still needs to be marked as active in the central Oracle inventory.

You must complete the installation or upgrade on the affected nodes manually.

•Completing Failed Installations and Upgrades

Understand how to join nodes to the cluster after installation or upgrade fails on

some nodes.

•Continuing Incomplete Upgrade of First Nodes

When the first node cannot be upgraded, use these steps to continue the upgrade

process.

•Continuing Incomplete Upgrades on Remote Nodes

For nodes other than the first node (the node on which you started the upgrade),

use these steps to continue the upgrade process.

•Continuing Incomplete Installations on First Nodes

To continue an incomplete installation, the first node must finish before the rest of

the clustered nodes.

•Continuing Incomplete Installation on Remote Nodes

For nodes other than the first node (the node on which you started the installation),

use these steps to continue the installation process.

Chapter 11

Completing Failed or Interrupted Installations and Upgrades

11-25

11.12.1 Completing Failed Installations and Upgrades

Understand how to join nodes to the cluster after installation or upgrade fails on some

nodes.

If installation or upgrade of Oracle Grid Infrastructure on some nodes fails, and you

click Ignore to continue the installation, then the installation or upgrade completes on

only some nodes in the cluster. Follow this procedure to add the failed nodes to the

cluster.

1. Remove the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software from the failed nodes:

Grid_home\deinstall\deinstall -local

2. As the installation user for Oracle Grid Infrastructure, from a node where Oracle

Clusterware is installed, delete the failed nodes from the cluster using the crsctl

delete node command:

Grid_home\bin\crsctl delete node -n node_name

where node_name is the node to be deleted.

3. Run the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation wizard.

Grid_home\gridSetup.bat

After the installation wizard starts, choose the option Add more nodes to the

cluster, then follow the steps in the wizard to add the nodes.

Alternatively, you can also add the nodes by running the addnode script and

specifying the nodes to add to the cluster:

Grid_home\addnode\addnode.bat

The failed nodes are added to the cluster.

11.12.2 Continuing Incomplete Upgrade of First Nodes

When the first node cannot be upgraded, use these steps to continue the upgrade

process.

1. If the OUI failure indicated a need to reboot by raising error message

CLSRSC-400, then reboot the first node (the node on which you started the

upgrade). Otherwise, manually fix or clear the error condition, as reported in the

error output.

2. Log in as an Administrator user on the first node.

3. Change directory to the new Grid home on the first node, and run the

gridconfig.bat —upgrade

command on that node again. For example:

C:\> cd app\12.2.0\grid\crs\config\

C:\..\grid> gridconfig.bat -upgrade

4. Complete the upgrade of all other nodes in the cluster.

C:\app\12.2.0\grid\crs\config> gridconfig.bat -upgrade

5. Configure a response file, and provide passwords required for the upgrade.

Chapter 11

Completing Failed or Interrupted Installations and Upgrades

11-26

6. To complete the upgrade, log in to the first node as the Oracle Installation user for

Oracle Grid Infrastructure and run the script

gridSetup.bat

, located in the

Grid_home, specifying the response file that you created.

For example, if the response file is named

gridinstall.rsp

C:\> cd Grid_home

C:\Grid_home> gridSetup.bat -executeConfigTools -responseFile Grid_home\install

\response\gridinstall.rsp

Related Topics

•Postinstallation Configuration Using the ConfigToolAllCommands Script

11.12.3 Continuing Incomplete Upgrades on Remote Nodes

For nodes other than the first node (the node on which you started the upgrade), use

these steps to continue the upgrade process.

1. If the OUI failure indicated a need to reboot, by raising error message

CLSRSC-400, then reboot the node with the error condition. Otherwise, manually

fix or clear the error condition that was reported in the error output.

2. On the first node, within OUI, click Retry.

This instructs OUI to retry the upgrade on the affected node.

3. Continue the upgrade from the OUI instance on the first node.

11.12.4 Continuing Incomplete Installations on First Nodes

To continue an incomplete installation, the first node must finish before the rest of the

clustered nodes.

1. If the OUI failure indicated a need to reboot, by raising error message

CLSRSC-400, then reboot the first node (the node where the installation was

started). Otherwise, manually fix or clear the error condition that was reported in

the error output.

2. If necessary, log in as the Oracle Installation user for Oracle Grid Infrastructure.

Change directory to the Grid home on the first node and run the

gridconfig.bat —

upgrade

command on that node again.

For example:

C:\> cd app\12.2.0\grid\crs\config\

C:\..\config> gridconfig.bat -upgrade

3. Complete the installation on all other nodes.

4. Configure a response file, and provide passwords for the installation.

5. To complete the installation, log in as the Oracle Installation user for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure, and run the script

configToolAllCommands

, located in the path

Grid_home\cfgtoollogs\configToolAllCommands, specifying the

response file that you created.

For example, if the response file is named

gridinstall.rsp

C:\> cd app\12.2.0\grid\cfgtoollogs

C:\..\cfgtoollogs> configToolAllCommands RESPONSE_FILE=gridinstall.rsp

Chapter 11

Completing Failed or Interrupted Installations and Upgrades

11-27

See Also:

Postinstallation Configuration Using the ConfigToolAllCommands Script for

information about how to create the response file

11.12.5 Continuing Incomplete Installation on Remote Nodes

For nodes other than the first node (the node on which you started the installation),

use these steps to continue the installation process.

1. If the OUI failure indicated a need to reboot, by raising error message

CLSRSC-400, then reboot the node with the error condition. Otherwise, manually

fix or clear the error condition that was reported in the error output.

2. On the first node, within OUI, click Retry.

3. Continue the installation from the OUI instance on the first node.

Chapter 11

Completing Failed or Interrupted Installations and Upgrades

11-28

Modifying or Deinstalling Oracle Grid

Infrastructure

You must follow a specific procedure when modifying or removing Oracle Clusterware

and Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) software.

•Deciding When to Deinstall Oracle Clusterware

There are certain situations in which you might be required to remove Oracle

software.

•Migrating Standalone Grid Infrastructure Servers to a Cluster

If you have an Oracle Database installation using Oracle Restart (an Oracle Grid

Infrastructure installation for a standalone server), you can reconfigure that server

as a cluster member node, then complete the following tasks.

•Changing the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Home Path

After installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster (Oracle Clusterware and

Oracle ASM configured for a cluster), you might need to change the location of the

Grid home.

•Unconfiguring Oracle Clusterware Without Removing the Software

By running

rootcrs.bat -deconfig -force

on nodes where you encounter an

installation error, you can unconfigure Oracle Clusterware on those nodes, correct

the cause of the error, and then run

rootcrs.bat

again to reconfigure Oracle

Clusterware.

•Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM Software

The

deinstall

command removes Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM from your

server.

See Also:

Product-specific documentation for requirements and restrictions to remove

an individual product

12.1 Deciding When to Deinstall Oracle Clusterware

There are certain situations in which you might be required to remove Oracle software.

Remove installed components in the following situations:

•You have successfully installed Oracle Clusterware, and you want to remove the

Oracle Clusterware installation, either in an educational environment, or a test

environment.

•You have encountered errors during or after installing or upgrading Oracle

Clusterware, and you want to reattempt an installation.

12-1

•Your installation or upgrade stopped because of a hardware or operating system

failure.

•You are advised by Oracle Support to reinstall Oracle Clusterware.

12.2 Migrating Standalone Grid Infrastructure Servers to a

Cluster

If you have an Oracle Database installation using Oracle Restart (an Oracle Grid

Infrastructure installation for a standalone server), you can reconfigure that server as a

cluster member node, then complete the following tasks.

1. Inspect the Oracle Restart configuration with the Server Control (SRVCTL) utility

using the following syntax, where db_unique_name is the unique name for the

database, and lsnrname is the name of the listener for the database:

srvctl config database -db db_unique_name

srvctl config service -db db_unique_name

srvctl config listener -listener lsnrname

Write down the configuration information for the server; you will need this

information in a later step.

2. Stop all of the databases, services, and listeners that you discovered in step 1.

3. If present, unmount all Oracle Automatic Storage Management Cluster File

System (Oracle ACFS) file systems.

4. Log in as an Administrator user and navigate to the directory Grid_home\crs

\install, where Grid_home is the location of your Oracle Grid Infrastructure

home (Grid home) directory, for example:

C:\> cd app\12.2.0\grid\crs\install

5. Unconfigure the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation for a standalone server

(Oracle Restart) using the following command:

C:\..\install> roothas.bat -deconfig -force

6. Prepare the server for Oracle Clusterware configuration, as described in Chapter 2

through Chapter 7 of this guide. In addition, choose to install Oracle Grid

Infrastructure for a cluster in the same location as Oracle Restart, or in a different

location:

Option Description

Installing in the Same Location as Oracle

Restart

Proceed to step 7.

Installing in a Different Location than Oracle

Restart

Set up Oracle Grid Infrastructure software in

the new Grid home software location, then

proceed to step 7.

7. Set the environment variables as follows:

export oracle_install_asm_UseExistingDG=true or false

export oracle_install_asm_DiskGroupName=disk_group_name

export oracle_install_asm_DiskDiscoveryString=asm_discovery_string

export oracle_install_asm_ConfigureGIMRDataDG=true or false

export oracle_install_asm_GIMRDataDGName=disk_group_name

Chapter 12

Migrating Standalone Grid Infrastructure Servers to a Cluster

12-2

8. As the Oracle Installation user for Oracle Grid Infrastructure, run the installer.

You can complete the installation interactively, or if you want to perform a silent

installation, then save and stage the response file. After saving the response file,

run the following command. For the

-responseFile

parameter, specify the full path

name where the response file was saved, for example:

C:\> Grid_home\gridSetup.bat -silent -responseFile C:\Users\dba1\scripts\GI.rsp

9. Mount the Oracle ASM disk group used by Oracle Restart.

10. If you used Oracle ACFS with Oracle Restart, then:

a. Start Oracle ASM Configuration Assistant (ASMCA). Run the

volenable

command to enable all Oracle Restart disk group volumes.

b. Mount all Oracle ACFS file systems manually.

11. Add back Oracle ACFS resources to the Oracle Clusterware home, using the

information you wrote down in step 1.

C:\> cd app\grid\product\12.2.0\grid\bin

C:\..bin> srvctl add filesystem -device \\.\ORCLDATADISK4

-diskgroup ORestartData -volume db1

-mountpointpath C:\app\grid\prodcut\12.2.0\dbhome1 -user grid

12. Add the Oracle Database for support by Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster,

using the configuration information you recorded in step 1. Use the following

command syntax, where db_unique_name is the unique name of the database on

the node, and nodename is the name of the node:

srvctl add database -db db_unique_name -spfile -pwfile -oraclehome %ORACLE_HOME%

-node

nodename

a. Verify that the

%ORACLE_HOME%

environment variable is set to the location of the

database home directory.

b. To add the database name

mydb

, enter the following command:

srvctl add database -db mydb -spfile -pwfile -oraclehome %ORACLE_HOME% -node

node1

c. Add each service to the database, using the command

srvctl add service

For example:

srvctl add service -db mydb -service myservice

13. Add nodes to your cluster, as required, using the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installer.

See Also:

•"Recording Response Files" for more information about saving the

response file.

•Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide for

information about adding notes to your cluster

Chapter 12

Migrating Standalone Grid Infrastructure Servers to a Cluster

12-3

12.3 Changing the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Home Path

After installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster (Oracle Clusterware and Oracle

ASM configured for a cluster), you might need to change the location of the Grid

home.

If you need to change the Grid home path, then use the following example as a guide

to detach the existing Grid home, and to attach a new Grid home.

Caution:

Before changing the Grid home, you must shut down all executables that run

in the Grid home directory that you are modifying. In addition, shut down all

applications that use Oracle shared libraries.

1. Login as an Administrator user or the Oracle Installation user for Oracle Grid

Infrastructure (for example,

grid

2. Change directory to Grid_home\bin and enter the command

crsctl stop crs

For example:

C:\> cd app\12.1.0\grid\BIN

C:\..\BIN> crsctl stop crs

3. Detach the existing Grid home.

Run a command similar to the following command, where

C:\app\12.2.0\grid

the existing Grid home location:

C:\> cd app\12.2.0\grid\oui\bin

C:\..\bin> gridSetup.bat -silent -detachHome ORACLE_HOME=

'C:\app\12.2.0\grid' -local

4. Move the installed files for Oracle Grid Infrastructure from the old Grid home to the

new Grid home.

For example, if the old Grid home is C:\app\12.2.0\grid and the new Grid

home is D:\app\12c\grid, use the following command:

C:\> xcopy C:\app\12.2.0\grid D:\app\12c\grid /E /I /H /K

5. Clone the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation.

For example:

C:\>perl clone.pl ORACLE_BASE=C:\app\grid ORACLE_HOME=C:\app\12.2.0\grid

ORACLE_HOME_NAME=OraHome1Grid ORACLE_HOME_USER=Oracle_home_user_name

"LOCAL_NODE=node1" "CLUSTER_NODES={node1,node2}" CRS=TRUE

When you navigate to the Grid_home\clone\bin directory and run the

clone.pl

script, provide values for the input parameters that provide the path information for

the new Grid home.

Chapter 12

Changing the Oracle Grid Infrastructure Home Path

12-4

Note:

You cannot specify a different Oracle Home user when changing the

Oracle Grid Infrastructure home path.

6. Start Oracle Clusterware in the new home location.

D:\> cd app\12c\grid\crs\install

D:\..install\> rootcrs.bat -move -dstcrshome D:\app\12c\grid

WARNING:

While cloning, ensure that you do not change the Oracle home base,

otherwise the move operation will fail.

7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 on each cluster member node.

Related Topics

•Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide

12.4 Unconfiguring Oracle Clusterware Without Removing

the Software

By running

rootcrs.bat -deconfig -force

on nodes where you encounter an

installation error, you can unconfigure Oracle Clusterware on those nodes, correct the

cause of the error, and then run

rootcrs.bat

again to reconfigure Oracle Clusterware.

Running the

rootcrs.bat

command with the options

-deconfig -force

enables you to

unconfigure Oracle Clusterware on one or more nodes without removing the installed

software. This feature is useful if you encounter an error on one or more cluster nodes

during installation, such as incorrectly configured shared storage.

Before unconfiguring Oracle Clusterware you must:

•Stop any databases, services, and listeners that may be installed and running

•Dismount ACFS file systems

•Disable ADVM volumes

Caution:

Commands used in this section remove the Oracle Grid infrastructure

installation for the entire cluster. To remove the installation from an individual

node, refer to Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide.

1. Log in using a member of the Administrators group on a node where you

encountered an error during installation.

2. Stop any databases, services, and listeners currently running from the Grid home.

Chapter 12

Unconfiguring Oracle Clusterware Without Removing the Software

12-5

3. If present, unmount all Oracle Automatic Storage Management Cluster File

System (Oracle ACFS) file systems.

4. Change directory to Grid_home\crs\install.

For example:

C:\> cd C:\app\12.1.0\grid\crs\install

5. Run

rootcrs.bat

with the

-deconfig -force

options.

For example:

C:\..\install> rootcrs.bat -deconfig -force

Note:

The

-force

option must be specified when running the

rootcrs.bat

script

if there exist running resources that depend on the resources started

from the Oracle Clusterware home you are deleting, such as databases,

services, or listeners. You must also use the

-force

option if you are

removing a partial, or failed installation.

6. Repeat Step 1 through Step 5 on other nodes as required.

7. If you are unconfiguring Oracle Clusterware on all nodes in the cluster, then on the

last node, enter the following command:

C:\..\install> rootcrs.bat -deconfig -force -lastnode

The

-lastnode

option completes the unconfiguring of the cluster, including the

Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR) and voting files.

Caution:

Run the

rootcrs.bat -deconfig -force -lastnode

command on a Hub

Node. Deconfigure all Leaf Nodes before you run the command with the

-lastnode

flag.

12.5 Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM

Software

The

deinstall

command removes Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM from your

server.

Caution:

You must use the deinstallation tool from the same release to remove Oracle

software. Do not run the deinstallation tool from a later release to remove

Oracle software from an earlier release. For example, do not run the

deinstallation tool from the 12.1.0.1 installation media to remove Oracle

software from an existing 11.2.0.4 Oracle home.

Chapter 12

Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM Software

12-6

•About the Deinstallation Tool

The deinstallation tool stops Oracle software, and removes Oracle software and

configuration files on the operating system.

•Files Deleted by the Deinstallation Tool

The deinstallation tool removes Oracle software and files from your system.

•Deinstallation Tool Command Reference

You can use the deinstallation tool to remove Oracle software. You can run this

command in standalone mode, from an Oracle home directory, or through the

installer.

•Using the Deinstallation Tool to Remove Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM

You can run the deinstallation tool in multiple ways.

12.5.1 About the Deinstallation Tool

The deinstallation tool stops Oracle software, and removes Oracle software and

configuration files on the operating system.

Starting with Oracle Database 12c, the deinstallation tool is integrated with the

database installation media. You can run the deinstallation tool using the

setup.exe

command with the

-deinstall

and

-home

options from the base directory of

the Oracle Database or Oracle Database Client installation media.

The deinstallation tool is also available as a separate command (

deinstall.bat

) in

Oracle home directories after installation. It is located in the %ORACLE_HOME%

\deinstall directory.

The deinstallation tool stops Oracle software, and removes Oracle software and

configuration files on the operating system for a specific Oracle home. If you run the

deinstallation tool to remove an Oracle Grid Infrastructure for Windows installation,

then the deinstaller automatically runs the appropriate scripts to deconfigure Oracle

Grid Infrastructure or Oracle Grid Infrastructure for standalone server.

The deinstallation tool uses the information you provide, plus information gathered

from the software home to create a response file. You can alternatively supply a

response file generated previously by the

deinstall.bat

command using the

checkonly

option and

-o

option. You can also edit a response file template to create a

response file.

Note:

You must run the deinstallation tool from the same release to remove Oracle

software. Do not run the deinstallation tool from a later release to remove

Oracle software from an earlier release. For example, do not run the

deinstallation tool from the Oracle Database 12.2 installation media to

remove Oracle software from an existing 11.2.0.4 Oracle home.

If the software in the Oracle home is not running (for example, after an unsuccessful

installation), then the deinstallation tool cannot determine the configuration and you

must provide all the configuration details either interactively or in a response file.

Chapter 12

Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM Software

12-7

12.5.2 Files Deleted by the Deinstallation Tool

The deinstallation tool removes Oracle software and files from your system.

When you run the deinstallation tool, if the central inventory (

Inventory

) contains no

other registered homes besides the home that you are deconfiguring and removing,

then the

deinstall

command removes the following files and directory contents in the

Oracle base directory of the Oracle Database installation owner:

•

admin

•

cfgtoollogs

•

checkpoints

•

diag

•

oradata

•

fast_recovery_area

Oracle strongly recommends that you configure your installations using an Optimal

Flexible Architecture (OFA) configuration, and that you reserve Oracle base and

Oracle home paths for exclusive use of Oracle software. If you have any user data in

these locations in the Oracle base that is owned by the user account that owns the

Oracle software, then the deinstallation tool deletes this data.

Caution:

The deinstallation tool deletes Oracle Database configuration files, user data,

and fast recovery area (FRA) files even if they are located outside of the

Oracle base directory path.

12.5.3 Deinstallation Tool Command Reference

You can use the deinstallation tool to remove Oracle software. You can run this

command in standalone mode, from an Oracle home directory, or through the installer.

Purpose

The deinstallation tool stops Oracle software, and removes Oracle software and

configuration files on the operating system.

File Path

%ORACLE_HOME%\deinstall\deinstall

Prerequisites

Before you run the deinstallation tool for Oracle Grid Infrastructure installations:

•Dismount Oracle Automatic Storage Management Cluster File System (Oracle

ACFS) and disable Oracle Automatic Storage Management Dynamic Volume

Manager (Oracle ADVM).

•If Grid Naming Service (GNS) is in use, then notify your DNS administrator to

delete the subdomain entry from the DNS.

Chapter 12

Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM Software

12-8

Syntax When Using the deinstall.bat Program

deinstall.bat [-silent] [-checkonly] [-local]

[-paramfile complete path of input response file]

[-params name1=value [name2=value . . .]]

[-o complete path of directory for saving files]

[-tmpdir complete path of temporary directory to use]

[-logdir complete path of log directory to use] [-skipLocalHomeDeletion] [-

skipRemoteHomeDeletion] [-help]

Options

Table 12-1 Options for the Deinstallation Tool

Command Option Description

home complete path of Oracle home

Specify this option to indicate the home path

of the Oracle home to check or deinstall. To

deinstall Oracle software using the

deinstall.bat

command located within the

Oracle home being removed, provide a

response file in a location outside the Oracle

home, and do not use the

-home

option.

If you run

deinstall.bat

from the

%ORACLE_HOME%\deinstall

path, then the

home

option is not required because the tool

knows from which home it is being run.

silent

Specify this option to run the deinstallation tool

in noninteractive mode. This option requires

one of the following:

•A working system that it can access to

determine the installation and

configuration information; the

-silent

option does not work with failed

installations.

•A response file that contains the

configuration values for the Oracle home

that is being deinstalled or deconfigured.

checkonly

Specify this option to check the status of the

Oracle software home configuration. Running

the

deinstall

command with the

-checkonly

option does not remove the Oracle

configuration. This option generates a

response file that you can use with the

deinstall.bat

command.

When you use the

-checkonly

option to

generate a response file, you are prompted to

provide information about your system. You

can accept the default value the tool has

obtained from your Oracle installation,

indicated inside brackets (

[]

), or you can

provide different values. To accept the

defaults, press Enter at each prompt.

Chapter 12

Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM Software

12-9

Table 12-1 (Cont.) Options for the Deinstallation Tool

Command Option Description

local

Specify this option on a multinode

environment to deconfigure Oracle software in

a cluster.

When you run

deinstall.bat

with this option,

it deconfigures and deinstalls the Oracle

software only on the local node (the node on

which you run

deinstall.bat

) for non-shared

Oracle home directories. The deinstallation

tool does not deinstall or deconfigure Oracle

software on remote nodes.

paramfile complete path of input

response file

(Optional) You can specify this option to run

deinstall.bat

with a response file in a

location other than the default. When you use

this option, provide the complete path where

the response file is located. If you run the

deinstall.bat

command from the Oracle

home that you plan to deinstall, then you do

not need to specify the

-paramfile

option.

The default location of the response file

depends on the location of the deinstallation

tool:

•From the installation media or stage

location: X:\staging_location

\deinstall\response

•After installation, from the installed Oracle

home: %ORACLE_HOME%\deinstall

\response.

params name1=value[ name2=value

name3=value...]

Use this option with a response file to override

one or more values in a response file that you

created.

o complete path of directory for saving

response files

Use this option to provide a path other than

the default location where the response file

(deinstall.rsp.tmpl) is saved.

The default location of the response file

depends on the invocation method of the

deinstallation tool:

•From the installation media or stage

location: stagelocation\response

•After installation, from the installed Oracle

home: %ORACLE_HOME%\deinstall

\response.

tmpdir complete path of temporary

directory to use

Specifies a non-default location where the

deinstallation tool writes the temporary files for

the deinstallation.

logdir complete path of log directory to

use

Specifies a non-default location where the

deinstallation tool writes the log files for the

deinstallation.

Chapter 12

Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM Software

12-10

Table 12-1 (Cont.) Options for the Deinstallation Tool

Command Option Description

skipLocalHomeDeletion

Specify this option in Oracle Grid

Infrastructure installations on a multinode

environment to deconfigure a local Grid home

without deleting the Grid home.

skipRemoteHomeDeletion

Specify this option in Oracle Grid

Infrastructure installations on a multinode

environment to deconfigure a remote

Grid home without deleting the Grid home.

help

Use the

-help

option to obtain additional

information about the deinstallation tool

options.

Location of Log Files for the Deinstallation Tool

If you use the

deinstall.bat

command located in an Oracle home, then the

deinstallation tool writes log files in the C:\Program Files\Oracle\Inventory

\logs directory.

If you are using the

deinstall.bat

command to remove the last Oracle home installed

on the server, then the log files are written to the current user’s home directory. For

example, if you are logged in as the domain user

RACDBA\dba1

, then the log files are

stored in the directory C:\Users\dba1.RACDBA\logs.

12.5.4 Using the Deinstallation Tool to Remove Oracle Clusterware

and Oracle ASM

You can run the deinstallation tool in multiple ways.

•Running the Deinstallation Tool From an Oracle Home

You can run the deinstallation tool from an Oracle home or from the software

installation media.

•Running the Deinstallation Tool Interactively From the Installer

You can run the deinstallation tool from an Oracle home or from the software

installation media.

•Running the Deinstallation Tool with a Response File

When running the deinstallation tool, you can use a response file instead of

responding to each prompt individually.

•Generating a Response File For Use With the Deinstallation Tool

To use a response file with the deinstallation tool you must first create the

response file.

12.5.4.1 Running the Deinstallation Tool From an Oracle Home

You can run the deinstallation tool from an Oracle home or from the software

installation media.

1. The default method for running the deinstallation tool is from the deinstall

directory in the Oracle home as the Oracle Installation user:

Chapter 12

Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM Software

12-11

C:\> %ORACLE_HOME%\deinstall\deinstall.bat

2. Provide information about your servers as prompted or accept the defaults.

The deinstallation tool stops Oracle software, and removes Oracle software and

configuration files on the operating system.

Example 12-1 Running

deinstall.bat

From Within the Oracle Home

The most common method of running the deinstallation tool is to use the version

installed in the Oracle home being removed. The deinstallation tool determines the

software configuration for the local Oracle home, and then provides default values at

each prompt. You can either accept the default value, or override it with a different

value. If the software in the Oracle home is not running (for example, after an

unsuccessful installation), then the deinstallation tool cannot determine the

configuration, and you must provide all the configuration details either interactively or

in a response file. To use the deinstallation tool located in the Oracle home directory,

issue the following command, where C:\app\12.2.0\grid is the location of Grid

home:

Use the following command while logged in as a member of the Administrators group

to remove the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation from your cluster:

C:\> app\12.2.0\grid\deinstall\deinstall.bat

Provide additional information as prompted.

Note:

When using the deinstallation tool from a location other than within the

Oracle home being removed, you must specify the

-home

option on the

command line.

12.5.4.2 Running the Deinstallation Tool Interactively From the Installer

You can run the deinstallation tool from an Oracle home or from the software

installation media.

1. Use the

setup.exe

command with the

-deinstall

option, followed by the

-home

option to specify the path of the Oracle home you want to remove.

For example:

setup.exe -deinstall -home C:\app\12.2.0\grid

2. Provide information about your servers as prompted or accept the defaults.

The deinstallation tool stops Oracle software, and removes Oracle software and

configuration files on the operating system.

Example 12-2 Running the Deinstallation Tool from the Software Installation

Media

If you run the deinstallation tool from the installer in the installation media, then when

the

deinstall.bat

command runs, it uses the information you provide to determine the

system configuration and then provides default values at each prompt. You can either

accept the default value, or override it with a different value. If the software in the

specified Oracle home is not running (for example, after an unsuccessful install

Chapter 12

Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM Software

12-12

attempt), then the deinstallation tool cannot determine the configuration, and you must

provide all the configuration details either interactively or in a response file.

In this example, the

setup.exe

command is in the path /directory_path, where

directory_path is the path to the database directory on the installation media, and

C:\app\12.2.0\grid is the path to the Grid home that you want to remove.

Use the following command while logged in as a member of the Administrators group

to remove the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation from your cluster:

C:\> cd directory_path

C:\..database> setup.exe -deinstall -home C:\app\12.2.0\grid

Provide additional information as prompted.

Note:

When using the deinstallation tool from a location other than within the

Oracle home being removed, you must specify the

-home

option on the

command line.

12.5.4.3 Running the Deinstallation Tool with a Response File

When running the deinstallation tool, you can use a response file instead of

responding to each prompt individually.

The deinstallation tool uses the information you provide, plus information gathered

from the software home to create a response file. You can alternatively supply a

response file generated previously by the

deinstall.bat

command using the

–

checkonly

option and

-o

option. You can also edit a response file template located at

Oracle_Home\deinstall\response\deinstall.rsp.tmpl to create a

response file.

•To run the

deinstall.bat

command located in an Oracle Grid Infrastructure home

and use a response file located at D:\Users\oracle\paramfile4.tmpl,

enter the following commands while logged in as a member of the Administrators

group:

C:\> cd %ORACLE_HOME%

C:\..grid> deinstall\deinstall.bat -paramfile D:\Users\oracle\paramfile4.tmpl

12.5.4.4 Generating a Response File For Use With the Deinstallation Tool

To use a response file with the deinstallation tool you must first create the response

file.

You can generate the a response file by running the

deinstall.bat

command with the

-checkonly

and

-o

options before you run the command to deinstall the Oracle home,

or you can use the response file template and manually edit it to create the response

file.

Alternatively, you can use the response file template located at %ORACLE_HOME%

\deinstall\response\deinstall.rsp.tmpl.

•To generate the response file deinstall_OraCrs12c_home1.rsp using the

deinstall.bat

command located in the Oracle home and the

-checkonly

option,

Chapter 12

Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM Software

12-13

enter a command similar to the following, where C:\app\12.2.0\grid is the

location of the Grid home and C:\Users\oracle is the directory in which the

generated response file is created:

C:\> app\12.2.0\grid\deinstall\deinstall.bat -checkonly -o C:\Users\oracle\

Chapter 12

Removing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle ASM Software

12-14

Installing and Configuring Oracle Grid

Infrastructure Using Response Files

You can install and configure Oracle Grid Infrastructure software using response files.

•How Response Files Work

Response files can assist you with installing an Oracle product multiple times on

multiple computers.

•Preparing Response Files

There are two methods you can use to prepare response files for silent mode or

response file mode installations.

•Running Oracle Universal Installer Using a Response File

After creating the response file, run Oracle Universal Installer at the command line,

specifying the response file you created, to perform the installation.

•Running Oracle Net Configuration Assistant Using Response Files

You can run Oracle Net Configuration Assistant (NETCA) in silent mode to

configure and start an Oracle Net listener on the system, configure naming

methods, and configure Oracle Net service names.

•Postinstallation Configuration Using Response File Created During Installation

Use response files to configure Oracle software after installation. You can use the

same response file created during installation to also complete postinstallation

configuration.

•Postinstallation Configuration Using the ConfigToolAllCommands Script

You can create and run a response file configuration after installing Oracle

software.

A.1 How Response Files Work

Response files can assist you with installing an Oracle product multiple times on

multiple computers.

When you start the installer, you can use a response file to automate the installation

and configuration of Oracle software, either fully or partially. The installer uses the

values contained in the response file to provide answers to some or all installation

prompts.

Typically, the installer runs in interactive mode, which means that it prompts you to

provide information in graphical user interface (GUI) screens. When you use response

files to provide this information, you run the installer from a command prompt using

either of the following modes:

•Silent mode

If you include responses for all of the prompts in the response file and specify the

silent

option when starting the installer, then it runs in silent mode. During a silent

mode installation, the installer does not display any screens. Instead, it displays

progress information in the terminal that you used to start it.

A-1

•Response file mode

If you include responses for some or all of the prompts in the response file and

omit the

-silent

option, then the installer runs in response file mode. During a

response file mode installation, the installer displays all the screens, screens for

which you specify information in the response file, and also screens for which you

did not specify the required information in the response file.

You define the settings for a silent or response file installation by entering values for

the variables listed in the response file. For example, to specify the Oracle home

name, supply the appropriate value for the

ORACLE_HOME

variable:

ORACLE_HOME=C:\app\oracle\product\12.2.0\dbhome_1

Another way of specifying the response file variable settings is to pass them as

command line arguments when you run the installer. For example:

-silent directory_path

In this command, directory_path is the path of the database directory on the DVD, or

the path of the directory on the hard drive.

Ensure that you enclose the variable and its setting in double-quotes.

•Deciding to Use Silent Mode or Response File Mode

There are several reasons for running the installer in silent mode or response file

mode.

•Using Response Files

Use these general steps for installing and configuring Oracle products using the

installer in silent or response file mode.

See Also:

Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) User’s Guide for more information about

response files

A.1.1 Deciding to Use Silent Mode or Response File Mode

There are several reasons for running the installer in silent mode or response file

mode.

Appendix A

How Response Files Work

A-2

Table A-1 Reasons for Using Silent Mode or Response File Mode

Mode Reasons to Use

Silent Use silent mode for the following installations:

•To complete an unattended installation, which

you schedule using operating system utilities

•To complete several similar installations on

multiple systems without user interaction

•Install the software on a system that cannot

display the Oracle Universal Installer (OUI)

graphical user interface

OUI displays progress information on the terminal that

you used to start it, but it does not display any of the

installer screens.

Response file Use response file mode to complete similar Oracle

software installations on more than one system,

providing default answers to some, but not all the

installer prompts.

If you do not specify information required for a

particular OUI screen in the response file, then the

installer displays that screen. OUI suppresses

screens for which you have provided all of the

required information.

A.1.2 Using Response Files

Use these general steps for installing and configuring Oracle products using the

installer in silent or response file mode.

Note:

You must complete all required preinstallation tasks on a system before

running the installer in silent or response file mode.

1. Verify the Windows Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Oracle

exists and that the value for

inst_loc

is the location of the Oracle Inventory

directory on the local node.

Note:

Changing the value for

inst_loc

in the Windows registry is not supported

after the installation of Oracle software

2. Prepare a response file.

3. Run the installer in silent or response file mode.

4. If you completed a software-only installation, then perform the steps necessary to

configure the Oracle product.

Appendix A

How Response Files Work

A-3

A.2 Preparing Response Files

There are two methods you can use to prepare response files for silent mode or

response file mode installations.

•About Response File Templates

Oracle provides response file templates for each product and installation type and

for each configuration tool.

•Editing a Response File Template

You can copy and modify a response file template for each product and installation

type and for each configuration tool.

•Recording Response Files

You can use the installer in interactive mode to record response files, which you

can then edit and use to complete silent mode or response file mode installations.

A.2.1 About Response File Templates

Oracle provides response file templates for each product and installation type and for

each configuration tool.

For Oracle Database, the response file templates are located in the database

\response directory on the installation media and in the Oracle_home\inventory

\response directory. For Oracle Grid Infrastructure, the response file templates are

located in the Grid_home\install\response directory after the software is

installed.

Note:

If you copied the installation media to a directory on a local disk (referred to

as the staging_dir directory), then the response files are located in the

directory staging_dir\database\response.

All response file templates contain comment entries, sample formats, examples, and

other useful instructions. Read the response file instructions to understand how to

specify values for the response file variables, so that you can customize your

installation.

The following response files are provided with this software:

Table A-2 Response Files for Oracle Database and Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Response File Used For

db_install.rsp

Silent installation of Oracle Database

dbca.rsp

Silent creation and configuration of an Oracle Database

using Oracle Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA)

netca.rsp

Silent configuration of Oracle Net using NETCA

grid_install.rsp

Silent configuration of Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installations

Appendix A

Preparing Response Files

A-4

Caution:

When you modify a response file template and save a file for use, the

response file may contain plain text passwords. Ownership of the response

file must be given to the Oracle software installation owner only, and access

restricted to the response file. Oracle strongly recommends that database

administrators or other administrators delete or secure response files when

they are not in use.

A.2.2 Editing a Response File Template

You can copy and modify a response file template for each product and installation

type and for each configuration tool.

To copy and modify a response file, perform the following steps:

1. Copy the response file from the response file directory to a directory on your

system.

copy Oracle_home\install\response\product_timestamp.rsp local_directory

2. Open the response file in a text editor.

3. Follow the instructions in the file to edit it.

Note:

The installer or configuration assistant fails if you do not correctly

configure the response file. Also, ensure that your response file name

has the

.rsp

suffix.

4. Secure the response file.

Ensure that only the user that installed the Oracle software can view or modify

response files. Consider deleting the modified response file after the installation

succeeds.

Note:

A fully specified response file for an Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation

or an Oracle Database installation can contain the passwords for:

•Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) administrative

accounts

•Database administrative accounts

•A user who is a member of the operating system group

ORA_DBA

(required for automated backups)

Appendix A

Preparing Response Files

A-5

See Also:

Oracle Universal Installer (OUI) User’s Guide for detailed information

about creating response files

A.2.3 Recording Response Files

You can use the installer in interactive mode to record response files, which you can

then edit and use to complete silent mode or response file mode installations.

This method is useful for Advanced or software-only installations. You can save all the

installation steps into a response file during installation by clicking Save Response

File on the Summary page. You can use the generated response file for a silent

installation later.

When you record the response file, you can either complete the installation, or you can

exit from the installer on the Summary page, before the installer starts to copy the

software to the local disk.

If you use record mode during a response file mode installation, then the installer

records the variable values that were specified in the original source response file into

the new response file.

Note:

You cannot save passwords while recording the response file.

1. Complete preinstallation tasks as for a standard installation.

When you use run the installer to record a response file, it checks the system to

verify that it meets the requirements to install the software. For this reason, Oracle

recommends that you complete all of the required preinstallation tasks and record

the response file while completing an installation.

2. Log in as the Oracle Installation User. Ensure that the Oracle Installation User has

permissions to create or write to the Grid home path that you specify during

installation.

3. Start the installer. On each installation screen, specify the required information.

4. When the installer displays the Summary screen, perform the following steps:

a. Click Save Response File. In the pop up window, specify a file name and

location to save the values for the response file, then click Save.

b. Click Finish to continue with the installation.

Click Cancel if you do not want to continue with the installation. The

installation stops, but the recorded response file is retained.

Note:

Your response file name must end with the

.rsp

suffix.

Appendix A

Preparing Response Files

A-6

5. Before you use the saved response file on another system, edit the file and make

any required changes. Use the instructions in the file as a guide when editing it.

A.3 Running Oracle Universal Installer Using a Response

File

After creating the response file, run Oracle Universal Installer at the command line,

specifying the response file you created, to perform the installation.

Run Oracle Universal Installer at the command line, specifying the response file you

created. The Oracle Universal Installer executables,

setup.exe

and

gridSetup.bat

provide several options. For help information on the full set of these options, run the

gridSetup.bat

setup.exe

command with the

-help

option. For example:

•For Oracle Database:

C:\..\bin> setup.exe -help

•For Oracle Grid Infrastructure:

C:\..\bin> gridSetup.bat -help

The help information appears in your session window after a short period of time.

To run the installer using a response file, perform the following steps:

1. Complete the preinstallation tasks for a normal installation.

2. Log in as an Administrator user or the user that installed the software.

3. To start the installer in silent or response file mode, enter a command similar to

the following:

•For Oracle Database:

C:\> directory_path\setup.exe [-silent] [-noconfig] \

-responseFile response_filename

•For Oracle Grid Infrastructure:

C:\> directory_path\gridSetup.bat [-silent] [-noconfig] \

-responseFile response_filename

Note:

Do not specify a relative path to the response file. If you specify a

relative path, then the installer fails.

In this example:

•

directory_path

is the path of the DVD or the path of the directory on the hard

drive where you have copied the installation software.

•

-silent

runs the installer in silent mode.

•

-noconfig

suppresses running the configuration assistants during installation,

and a software-only installation is performed instead.

•

response_filename

is the full path and file name of the installation response file

that you configured.

Appendix A

Running Oracle Universal Installer Using a Response File

A-7

A.4 Running Oracle Net Configuration Assistant Using

Response Files

You can run Oracle Net Configuration Assistant (NETCA) in silent mode to configure

and start an Oracle Net listener on the system, configure naming methods, and

configure Oracle Net service names.

Oracle provides a response file template named

netca.rsp

in the

response

subdirectory

of:

•The Oracle_home\database\inventory\response directory after a

software-only installation

•The database\response directory on the installation media or staging area

To run NETCA in silent mode, you must copy and edit a response file template.

1. Copy the

netca.rsp

response file template from the response file directory to a

directory on your system.

If the software is staged on a hard drive, or has already been installed, then you

can edit the file in the

response

directory located on the local disk instead.

2. Open the response file in a text editor.

3. Follow the instructions in the file to edit it.

Note:

NETCA fails if you do not correctly configure the response file.

4. Log in as an Administrator user and set the

%ORACLE_HOME%

environment variable to

specify the correct Oracle home directory.

5. Enter a command similar to the following to run NETCA in silent mode:

C:\> Oracle_home\bin\netca -silent -responsefile X:\local_dir\netca.rsp

In this command:

•The

-silent

option runs NETCA in silent mode.

•X:\local_dir is the full path of the directory where you copied the

netca.rsp

response file template, where X represents the drive on which the file is

located, and local_dir the path on that drive.

A.5 Postinstallation Configuration Using Response File

Created During Installation

Use response files to configure Oracle software after installation. You can use the

same response file created during installation to also complete postinstallation

configuration.

Appendix A

Running Oracle Net Configuration Assistant Using Response Files

A-8

•Using the Installation Response File for Postinstallation Configuration

Starting with Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2), you can use the response file

created during installation to also complete postinstallation configuration.

•Running Postinstallation Configuration Using Response File

Complete this procedure to run configuration assistants configuration with the

executeConfigTools

command.

A.5.1 Using the Installation Response File for Postinstallation

Configuration

Starting with Oracle Database 12c release 2 (12.2), you can use the response file

created during installation to also complete postinstallation configuration.

Run the installer with the

-executeConfigTools

option to configure configuration

assistants after installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure or Oracle Database. You can use

the response file located at Oracle_home\install\response

\product_timestamp.rsp to obtain the passwords required to run the

configuration tools. You must update the response file with the required passwords

before running the

-executeConfigTools

command.

Oracle strongly recommends that you maintain security with a password response file.

The owner of the response file must be the installation owner user.

Example A-1 Response File Passwords for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

oracle.install.crs.config.ipmi.bmcPassword=password

oracle.install.asm.SYSASMPassword=password

oracle.install.asm.monitorPassword=password

oracle.install.config.emAdminPassword=password

oracle.install.OracleHomeUserPassword=password

If you do not have a BMC card, or you do not want to enable IPMI, then leave the

ipmi.bmcPassword

input field blank.

If you do not want to enable Oracle Enterprise Manager for management, then leave

the

emAdminPassword

password field blank.

If you did not specify an Oracle Home user for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure

installation, then leave the

OracleHomeUserPassword

field blank.

Example A-2 Response File Passwords for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a

Standalone Server (Oracle Restart)

oracle.install.asm.SYSASMPassword=password

oracle.install.asm.monitorPassword=password

oracle.install.config.emAdminPassword=password

oracle.install.OracleHomeUserPassword=password

If you do not want to enable Oracle Enterprise Manager for management, then leave

the

emAdminPassword

password field blank.

If you did not specify an Oracle Home user for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a

Standalone Server (Oracle Restart) installation, then leave the

OracleHomeUserPassword

field blank.

Appendix A

Postinstallation Configuration Using Response File Created During Installation

A-9

Example A-3 Response File Passwords for Oracle Database

This example illustrates the passwords to specify for use with the database

configuration assistants.

oracle.install.db.config.starterdb.password.SYS=password

oracle.install.db.config.starterdb.password.SYSTEM=password

oracle.install.db.config.starterdb.password.DBSNMP=password

oracle.install.db.config.starterdb.password.PDBADMIN=password

oracle.install.db.config.starterdb.emAdminPassword=password

oracle.install.db.config.asm.ASMSNMPPassword=password

oracle.install.OracleHomeUserPassword=password

You can also specify

oracle.install.db.config.starterdb.password.ALL=password

use the same password for all database users.

Oracle Database configuration assistants require the SYS, SYSTEM, and DBSNMP

passwords for use with Oracle Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). Specify the

following passwords, depending on your system configuration:

•If the database uses Oracle ASM for storage, then you must specify a password

for the

ASMSNMPPassword

variable. If you are not using Oracle ASM, then leave the

value for this password variable blank.

•If you create a multitenant container database (CDB) with one or more pluggable

databases (PDBs), then you must specify a password for the

PDBADMIN

variable. If

you are not using Oracle ASM, then leave the value for this password variable

blank.

•If you did not specify an Oracle Home user for the Oracle Database installation,

then leave the

OracleHomeUserPassword

field blank.

A.5.2 Running Postinstallation Configuration Using Response File

Complete this procedure to run configuration assistants configuration with the

executeConfigTools

command.

1. Edit the response file and specify the required passwords for your configuration.

You can use the response file created during installation, located at

Oracle_home\install\response\product_timestamp.rsp. For example,

for Oracle Grid Infrastructure:

oracle.install.asm.SYSASMPassword=password

oracle.install.config.emAdminPassword=password

2. Change directory to the Oracle home containing the installation software. For

example, for Oracle Grid Infrastructure:

cd Grid_home

3. Run the configuration script using the following syntax:

For Oracle Grid Infrastructure:

gridSetup.bat -executeConfigTools -responsfile Grid_home\install\response

\product_timestamp.rsp

For Oracle Database:

setup.exe -executeConfigTools -responseFile Oracle_home\install\response

\product_timestamp.rsp

Appendix A

Postinstallation Configuration Using Response File Created During Installation

A-10

For Oracle Database, you can also edit and use the response file located in the

directory Oracle_home\inventory\response\:

setup.exe -executeConfigTools -responseFile Oracle_home\inventory\response

\db_install.rsp

The postinstallation configuration tool runs the installer in the graphical user

interface mode, displaying the progress of the postinstallation configuration.

Specify the

[-silent]

option to run the postinstallation configuration in the silent

mode.

For example, for Oracle Grid Infrastructure:

gridSetup.bat -executeConfigTools -responseFile Grid_home\install\response

\grid_2016-09-09_01-03-36PM.rsp [-silent]

For Oracle Database:

setup.exe -executeConfigTools -responseFile Oracle_home\inventory\response

\db_2016-09-09_01-03-36PM.rsp [-silent]

A.6 Postinstallation Configuration Using the

ConfigToolAllCommands Script

You can create and run a response file configuration after installing Oracle software.

The

configToolAllCommands

script requires users to create a second response file, of a

different format than the one used for installing the product. Starting with Oracle

Database 12c Release 2 (12.2), the

configToolAllCommands

script is deprecated and

may be desupported in a future release.

•About the Postinstallation Configuration File

The configuration assistants are started with a script called

configToolAllCommands

•Creating a Password Response File

Use these steps to create a password response file for use with the

configToolAllCommands

script..

•Running Postinstallation Configuration Using a Script and Response Files

You can run the postinstallation configuration assistants with the

configToolAllCommands

script.

See Also:

"Postinstallation Configuration Using Response File Created During

Installation" for an alternate method of postinstallation configuration of Oracle

software using the same response file created at the time of installation.

A.6.1 About the Postinstallation Configuration File

The configuration assistants are started with a script called

configToolAllCommands

Appendix A

Postinstallation Configuration Using the ConfigToolAllCommands Script

A-11

When you perform an installation using silent mode or response file mode, you provide

information about your servers in a response file that you otherwise provide manually

using a graphical user interface. However, the response file does not contain

passwords for user accounts that configuration assistants require after software

installation is complete. To run the configuration assistants after the installation

completes in silent mode, you must run the

configToolAllCommands

script and provide

the passwords used by the assistants in a password file.

You can run the

configToolAllCommands

script in silent mode by using a password

response file. The script uses the passwords in the file to run the configuration tools in

succession to complete the software configuration. If you keep the password file to use

when cloning installations, then Oracle strongly recommends that you store the

password file in a secure location.

You can also use the password file to restart a failed installation. If you stop an

installation to fix an error, then you can rerun the configuration assistants using

configToolAllCommands

and a password response file.

The

configToolAllCommands

password response file has the following options:

•

oracle.crs

for Oracle Grid Infrastructure components or

oracle.server

for Oracle

Database components that the configuration assistants configure

•variable_name is the name of the configuration file variable.

•value is the desired value to use for configuration.

The command syntax is as follows:

internal_component_name|variable_name=value

For example, to set the password for the SYS user of Oracle ASM:

oracle.crs|S_ASMPASSWORD=myPassWord

A.6.2 Creating a Password Response File

Use these steps to create a password response file for use with the

configToolAllCommands

script..

1. Create a response file that has a name of the format

filename.properties

2. Open the file with a text editor, and cut and paste the sample password file

contents, as shown in the example below, modifying as needed.

3. If the file is stored on a volume formatted for Windows New Technology File

System (NTFS), then modify the security permissions to secure the file.

Example A-4 Sample Password response file for Oracle Grid Infrastructure

Installation

Oracle Grid Infrastructure requires passwords for Oracle Automatic Storage

Management Configuration Assistant (ASMCA), and for Intelligent Platform

Management Interface Configuration Assistant (IPMICA) if you have a baseboard

management controller (BMC) card and you want to enable this feature. Also, if you

specified an Oracle Home user for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation, you must

specify the password as the Windows Service user password. Provide the following

response file:

oracle.crs|S_ASMPASSWORD=password

oracle.crs|S_OMSPASSWORD=password

Appendix A

Postinstallation Configuration Using the ConfigToolAllCommands Script

A-12

oracle.crs|S_ASMMONITORPASSWORD=password

oracle.crs|S_BMCPASSWORD=password

oracle.crs|S_WINSERVICEUSERPASSWORD=password

If you do not have a BMC card, or you do not want to enable Intelligent Platform

Management Interface (IPMI), then leave the

S_BMCPASSWORD

input field blank.

Note:

If you are upgrading Oracle ASM 11g Release 1 or earlier releases, then you

only need to provide the input field for

oracle.assistants.asm|

S_ASMMONITORPASSWORD

Example A-5 Sample Password response file for Oracle Real Application

Clusters

Oracle Database configuration requires the SYS, SYSTEM, and DBSNMP passwords

for use with Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). The

S_ASMSNMPPASSWORD

response is necessary only if the database is using Oracle ASM for storage. Similarly,

the

S_PDBADMINPASSWORD

password is necessary only if you create a multitenant

container database (CDB) with one or more pluggable databases (PDBs). Also, if you

selected to configure Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control, then you must provide

the password for the Oracle software installation owner for

S_EMADMINPASSWORD

, similar

to the following example, where the phrase password represents the password string:

oracle.server|S_SYSPASSWORD=password

oracle.server|S_SYSTEMPASSWORD=password

oracle.server|S_DBSNMPPASSWORD=password

oracle.server|S_PDBADMINPASSWORD=password

oracle.server|S_EMADMINPASSWORD=password

oracle.server|S_ASMSNMPPASSWORD=password

oracle.server|S_WINSERVICEUSERPASSWORD=password

If you do not want to enable Oracle Enterprise Manager for Oracle ASM, then leave

those password fields blank.

A.6.3 Running Postinstallation Configuration Using a Script and

Response Files

You can run the postinstallation configuration assistants with the

configToolAllCommands

script.

1. Create a password response file using the format filename.properties for the file

name, as described in Creating a Password Response File.

2. Change directory to

Oracle_home\cfgtoollogs

, and run the configuration script

using the following syntax:

configToolAllCommands RESPONSE_FILE=\path\filename.properties

For example:

C:\..\cfgtoollogs> configToolAllCommands RESPONSE_FILE=C:\users\oracle\grid

\cfgrsp.properties

Appendix A

Postinstallation Configuration Using the ConfigToolAllCommands Script

A-13

Optimal Flexible Architecture

Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) rules are a set of configuration guidelines

created to ensure well-organized Oracle installations, which simplifies administration,

support and maintenance.

•About the Optimal Flexible Architecture Standard

Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) rules help you to organize database

software and configure databases to allow multiple databases, of different

versions, owned by different users to coexist.

•About Multiple Oracle Homes Support

Oracle Database supports multiple Oracle homes. You can install this release or

earlier releases of the software more than once on the same system, in different

Oracle home directories.

•Oracle Base Directory Naming Convention

This section describes what the Oracle base is, and how it functions.

•Oracle Home Directory Naming Convention

By default, Oracle Universal Installer configures Oracle home directories using

these Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture conventions.

•Optimal Flexible Architecture File Path Examples

This topic shows examples of hierarchical file mappings of an Optimal Flexible

Architecture-compliant installation.

B.1 About the Optimal Flexible Architecture Standard

Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) rules help you to organize database

software and configure databases to allow multiple databases, of different versions,

owned by different users to coexist.

In earlier Oracle Database releases, the OFA rules provided optimal system

performance by isolating fragmentation and minimizing contention. In current releases,

OFA rules provide consistency in database management and support, and simplifies

expanding or adding databases, or adding additional hardware.

By default, Oracle Universal Installer places Oracle Database components in directory

locations and with permissions in compliance with OFA rules. Oracle recommends that

you configure all Oracle components on the installation media in accordance with OFA

guidelines.

Oracle recommends that you accept the OFA default. Following OFA rules is

especially of value if the database is large, or if you plan to have multiple databases.

Note:

OFA assists in identification of an ORACLE_BASE with its Automatic

Diagnostic Repository (ADR) diagnostic data to properly collect incidents.

B-1

B.2 About Multiple Oracle Homes Support

Oracle Database supports multiple Oracle homes. You can install this release or

earlier releases of the software more than once on the same system, in different

Oracle home directories.

Careful selection of mount point names can make Oracle software easier to

administer. Configuring multiple Oracle homes in compliance with Optimal Flexible

Architecture (OFA) rules provides the following advantages:

•You can install this release, or earlier releases of the software, more than once on

the same system, in different Oracle home directories. However, you cannot install

products from one release of Oracle Database into an Oracle home directory of a

different release. For example, you cannot install Oracle Database 12c software

into an existing Oracle 11g Oracle home directory.

•Multiple databases, of different versions, owned by different users can coexist

concurrently.

•You must install a new Oracle Database release in a new Oracle home that is

separate from earlier releases of Oracle Database.

You cannot install multiple releases in one Oracle home. Oracle recommends that

you create a separate Oracle Database Oracle home for each release, in

accordance with the Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) guidelines.

•In production, the Oracle Database server software release must be the same as

the Oracle Database dictionary release through the first four digits (the major,

maintenance, and patch release number).

•Later Oracle Database releases can access earlier Oracle Database releases.

However, this access is only for upgrades. For example, Oracle Database 12c

release 2 can access an Oracle Database 11g release 2 (11.2.0.4) database if the

11.2.0.4 database is started up in upgrade mode.

•Oracle Database Client can be installed in the same Oracle Database home if both

products are at the same release level. For example, you can install Oracle

Database Client 12.2.0.1 into an existing Oracle Database 12.2.0.1 home but you

cannot install Oracle Database Client 12.2.0.1 into an existing Oracle Database

12.1.0.2 home. If you apply a patch set before installing the client, then you must

apply the patch set again.

•Structured organization of directories and files, and consistent naming for

database files simplify database administration.

•Login home directories are not at risk when database administrators add, move, or

delete Oracle home directories.

•You can test software upgrades in an Oracle home in a separate directory from

the Oracle home where your production database is located.

B.3 Oracle Base Directory Naming Convention

This section describes what the Oracle base is, and how it functions.

The Oracle Base directory is the database home directory for Oracle Database

installation owners and the log file location for Oracle Grid Infrastructure owners. You

should name Oracle base directories using the syntax \pm\h\u, where pm is a string

Appendix B

About Multiple Oracle Homes Support

B-2

mount point name, h is selected from a small set of standard directory names, and u is

the name of the owner of the directory.

You can use the same Oracle base directory for multiple installations. If different

operating system users install Oracle software on the same system, then you must

create a separate Oracle base directory for each installation owner. For ease of

administration, Oracle recommends that you create a unique owner for each Oracle

software installation owner, to separate log files.

Because all Oracle installation owners write to the central Oracle inventory file, and

that file mount point is in the same mount point path as the initial Oracle installation,

Oracle recommends that you use the same \pm\h path for all Oracle installation

owners.

Table B-1 Examples of OFA-Compliant Oracle Base Directory Names

Example Description

C:\app\oracle

Oracle base directory for Oracle Database , where the Oracle Database

software installation owner name is

oracle

. The Oracle Database binary

home is located underneath the Oracle base path.

C:\app\grid

Oracle base directory for Oracle Grid Infrastructure, where the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure software installation owner name is

grid

Caution:

The Oracle Grid Infrastructure Oracle base

should not contain the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure binaries for an Oracle Grid

Infrastructure for a cluster installation.

Permissions for the file path to the Oracle Grid

Infrastructure binary home is changed to

LocalSystem

or the Oracle Home User, if

specified, during installation.

B.4 Oracle Home Directory Naming Convention

By default, Oracle Universal Installer configures Oracle home directories using these

Oracle Optimal Flexible Architecture conventions.

The directory pattern syntax for Oracle homes is \pm\s\u\product\v\type_[n].

The following table describes the variables used in this syntax:

Variable Description

pm A mount point name.

sA standard directory name.

uThe name of the owner of the directory.

vThe version of the software.

Appendix B

Oracle Home Directory Naming Convention

B-3

Variable Description

type The type of installation. For example: Database (

dbhome

), Client (

client

or Oracle Grid Infrastructure (

grid

)

nAn optional counter, which enables you to install the same product more

than once in the same Oracle base directory. For example: Database 1 and

Database 2 (

dbhome_1

dbhome_2

)

For example, the following path is typical for the first installation of Oracle Database on

this system:

C:\app\oracle\product\12.2.0\dbhome_1

B.5 Optimal Flexible Architecture File Path Examples

This topic shows examples of hierarchical file mappings of an Optimal Flexible

Architecture-compliant installation.

D:\E:\F:\

Note:

•The Grid homes are examples of Grid homes used for an Oracle Grid

Infrastructure for a standalone server deployment (Oracle Restart), or a

Grid home used for an Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster

deployment (Oracle Clusterware). You can have either an Oracle Restart

deployment, or an Oracle Clusterware deployment. You cannot have

both options deployed at the same time.

•Oracle Automatic Storage Management (Oracle ASM) is included as part

of an Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation. Oracle recommends that you

use Oracle ASM to provide greater redundancy and throughput.

Table B-2 Optimal Flexible Architecture Hierarchical File Path Examples

Directory Description

C:\

System directory

C:\app\

Subtree for application software

C:\app\oraInventory

Central OraInventory directory, which maintains information about Oracle installations

on a server. Members of the group designated as the OINSTALL group have

permissions to write to the central inventory. All Oracle software installation owners

must have the OINSTALL group as their primary group, and be able to write to this

group.

Appendix B

Optimal Flexible Architecture File Path Examples

B-4

Table B-2 (Cont.) Optimal Flexible Architecture Hierarchical File Path Examples

Directory Description

C:\app\oracle\

Oracle base directory for user

oracle

. There can be many Oracle Database

installations on a server, and many Oracle Database software installation owners.

Oracle software homes that an Oracle installation owner owns should be located in

the Oracle base directory for the Oracle software installation owner, unless that

Oracle software is Oracle Grid Infrastructure deployed for a cluster.

C:\app\grid\username

Oracle base directory for the Oracle Grid Infrastructure software, where username is

the name of the user that performed the software installation. The Oracle home (Grid

home) for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster installation is located outside of the

Grid user. There can be only one Grid home on a server, and only one Grid software

installation owner.

The Grid home contains log files and other administrative files.

C:\app\oracle\admin\

Subtree for database administration files

C:\app\oracle\admin\TAR

Subtree for support log files

C:\app\oracle\admin

\db_sales\

admin subtree for database named “sales”

C:\app\oracle\admin

\db_dwh\

admin subtree for database named “dwh”

C:\app\oracle

\fast_recovery_area\

Subtree for recovery files

C:\app\oracle

\fast_recovery_area

\db_sales

Recovery files for database named “sales”

C:\app\oracle

\fast_recovery_area

\db_dwh

Recovery files for database named “dwh”

D:\app\oracle\oradata

E:\app\oracle\oradata

F:\app\oracle\oradata

Oracle data file directories

C:\app\oracle\product\

Common path for Oracle software products other than Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a

cluster

C:\app\oracle\product

\12.2.0\dbhome_1

Oracle home directory for Oracle Database 1, owned by Oracle Database installation

owner account

oracle

C:\app\oracle\product

\12.2.0\dbhome_2

Oracle home directory for Oracle Database 2, owned by Oracle Database installation

owner account

oracle

Appendix B

Optimal Flexible Architecture File Path Examples

B-5

Table B-2 (Cont.) Optimal Flexible Architecture Hierarchical File Path Examples

Directory Description

C:\app\oradbowner

\product\12.2.0\dbhome_2

Oracle home directory for Oracle Database 2, owned by Oracle Database installation

owner account

oradbowner

C:\app\oracle\product

\12.2.0\grid

Oracle home directory for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a standalone server, owned

by Oracle Database and Oracle Grid Infrastructure installation owner

oracle

C:\app\12.2.0\grid

Oracle home directory for Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a cluster (Grid home), owned

by user

grid

before installation, and owned by

root

after installation

C:\app\grid\username

\diag\crs\hostname\crs

\trace

Oracle Clusterware log files

Appendix B

Optimal Flexible Architecture File Path Examples

B-6

Index

Numerics

32-bit and 64-bit

software versions in the same cluster not

supported, 2-4

access control

support for Oracle ASM, xxii

Access Control Lists, 5-3, 5-4

adding Oracle ASM listener, 11-20

address resolution protocol, 4-24

Administrators group, 5-2, 5-19, 5-20

ARP

See address resolution protocol

ASM, 7-2

OSASM or ASM administrator, 5-11

OSDBA for ASM group, 5-11

OSOPER for ASM group, 5-11

Installation And Upgrade Guide RAC 12 PDF 122 GRIDInstallation Windows

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