Setup ntpd for 11g RAC / Clusterware

Linux  :
------
Edit the followin file :/etc/sysconfig/ntpd

Add -x to the current option as follows:

# Drop root to id 'ntp:ntp' by default.
OPTIONS="-x -u ntp:ntp -p /var/run/ntpd.pid"

# Set to 'yes' to sync hw clock after successful ntpdate
SYNC_HWCLOCK=no

# Additional options for ntpdate
NTPDATE_OPTIONS=""

-------------------------
HP-UX :

Add export XNTPD_ARGS="-x" to /etc/rc.config.d/netdaemons


Restart:
/sbin/init.d/xntpd stop


--------------------------

Sun Solaris :
/sbin/init.d/xntpd start

Setup ISCSI Client (Linux) for 11g RAC

Follow the following Steps to setup iscsi-initiater on linux server as client of openfier.

[root@oracluster03 /]# cd /media/*/Server
[root@oracluster03 Server]# rpm -i iscsi-init*
warning: iscsi-initiator-utils-6.2.0.868-0.18.el5.x86_64.rpm: Header V3 DSA sign ature: NOKEY, key ID 1e5e0159


[root@oracluster03 ~]# service iscsid start
Turning off network shutdown. Starting iSCSI daemon: [ OK ]
[ OK ]
[root@oracluster03 ~]# chkconfig iscsid on
[root@oracluster03 ~]# chkconfig iscsi on
[root@oracluster03 ~]# service iscsid status
iscsid (pid 22651 22650) is running...

[root@oracluster03 ~]#
[root@oracluster03 ~]#

--- cut here start -------


iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p $STORAGE|awk '{print "iscsiadm -m node -T "$2"  -p $STORAGE -l"}'

----- cut here end ----------

Test your command and make sure you can see the expected storage.

# export STORAGE=192.168.1.200
# iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p $STORAGE


To manually log in to an iSCSI target, use the following command
iscsiadm -m node -T proper_target_name -p target_IP -l

As you need to do this each disk, it can be achieved by using simple AWK command to generate for all disks.

iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p $STORAGE|awk '{print "iscsiadm -m node -T "$2"  -p $STORAGE -l"}'

Now use the output to test your login to each disk.

iscsiadm -m node -T iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:tsn.ocrdisk3  -p $STORAGE -l
iscsiadm -m node -T iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:tsn.ocrdisk2  -p $STORAGE -l

iscsiadm -m node -T iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:tsn.ocrdisk1  -p $STORAGE -l

As We setting this up for Oracle RAC, so ideally we need automatic login on startup ( default behaviour ), As a safe side we setup the disk to auto login on startup by using "--op update -n node.startup -v automatic" option.

# iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p $STORAGE|awk '{print "iscsiadm -m node -T "$2"  -p $STORAGE --op update -n node.startup -v automatic"}'  

iscsiadm -m node -T iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:tsn.ocrdisk3  -p $STORAGE --op update -n node.startup -v automatic
iscsiadm -m node -T iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:tsn.ocrdisk2  -p $STORAGE --op update -n node.startup -v automatic
iscsiadm -m node -T iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:tsn.ocrdisk1  -p $STORAGE --op update -n node.startup -v automatic

# iscsiadm -m node -T iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:tsn.ocrdisk3  -p $STORAGE --op update -n node.startup -v automatic
# iscsiadm -m node -T iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:tsn.ocrdisk2  -p $STORAGE --op update -n node.startup -v automatic
# iscsiadm -m node -T iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:tsn.ocrdisk1  -p $STORAGE --op update -n node.startup -v automatic


Now create UDEV rules so all the disk have uniform name on startup.

Create openscsi Rules file

[root@oracluster03 ~]# vi /etc/udev/rules.d/55-openiscsi.rules
----------------------File start here ---------------------
KERNEL=="sd*", BUS=="scsi", PROGRAM="/etc/udev/scripts/iscsidev.sh %b",SYMLINK+="iscsi/%c/part%n"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[root@oracluster03 ~]# mkdir -p /etc/udev/scripts

[root@oracluster03 ~]# vi /etc/udev/scripts/iscsidev.sh

-------------------------------file start here --------------------


#!/bin/sh

# FILE: /etc/udev/scripts/iscsidev.sh

BUS=${1}
HOST=${BUS%%:*}

[ -e /sys/class/iscsi_host ] || exit 1

file="/sys/class/iscsi_host/host${HOST}/device/session*/iscsi_session*/targetname"

target_name=$(cat ${file})

# This is not an open-scsi drive
if [ -z "${target_name}" ]; then
exit 1
fi

echo "${target_name##*.}"

---------file ends here -------------------------

[root@oracluster03 ~]# chmod 755 /etc/udev/scripts/iscsidev.sh

[root@oracluster03 ~]# service iscsi stop

Logging out of session [sid: 1, target: iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:cluster03.gridcontrol01, portal: 192.168.2.5,3260]
Logout of [sid: 1, target: iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:cluster03.gridcontrol01, portal: 192.168.2.5,3260]: successful
Stopping iSCSI daemon: [ OK ]

[root@oracluster03 ~]# service iscsi start
iscsid dead but pid file exists
Turning off network shutdown. Starting iSCSI daemon: [ OK ]
[ OK ]
Setting up iSCSI targets: Logging in to [iface: default, target: iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:cluster03.gridcontrol01, portal: 192.168.2.5,3260]
Login to [iface: default, target: iqn.2006-01.com.openfiler:cluster03.gridcontrol01, portal: 192.168.2.5,3260]: successful

[ OK ]

Verify that, Disk are linked for logical link with local name.

[root@oracluster03 ~]# ls -lrt /dev/iscsi/*/


####Only on First node ##########


fdisk /dev/iscsi/disk01/part

fdisk /dev/iscsi/disk02/part


######### on all other nodes ########
partprobe


fdisk -l

Oracle Database Security

Oracle provides the following way of managing database security.

• Alerts
• System Privileges
• Object Privileges
• Users and Roles
• User and Tablespace Quotas
• Profiles and Resource Limits
• Password Management
• Connect Internal and Password Files
• O/S Authentication
• Auditing
• Event Triggers
• Fine Grained Access Control
• Oracle Label Security
• Database Vault
• Audit Vault
• Data Encryption
• Security Server

ORA-16069: Archive Log standby database activation identifier mismatch

I was Testing "Using a standby database for Read/Write for testing and Convert back to standby mode using Flasback"

Step followed :
Standby database :
1) alter database recover managed standby database finish ;
2) create restore point Before_DR_Test;
3) alter database commit to switchover to primary;
4) Startup force;
5) Create table , select data, etc
6) Complete any testing for read/write operation

Convert back to Standby :

7) startup mount force;
8) flashback database to restore point Before_DR_Test;
9) alter database convert to physical standby;
10) startup mount force;
11) alter database recover managed standby database disconnect;

All succeed and managed to convert the database in standby mode, but its failing to accept any new archive log generated at primary database. I am getting following error in standby database alert.log

RFS[10]: Activation ID mismatch: found 0x99d06db8 expected 0x99d0b54

ORA-16069: Archive Log standby database activation identifier mismatch

Configure SSH for RAC

update will be soon

Modify VIP Configuration

Update will be soon

Oracle DBA Questions

1. Database size is 500GB, what will be best possible backup solution/stratagy and why ?
2. CRS and ASM is 10.2.0.4 and DB is 10.1.0.4. Do you think there will any issues , If yes/No , why
3. At What stage you think RMAN Backup stratagy won't be enough? why

Regards
Krishan