Install Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Database software using Oracle Universal Installer (OUI), and create your database with Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA). This ensures that your Oracle RAC environment has the optimal network configuration, database structure, and parameter settings for the environment that you selected. As a database administrator, after installation your tasks are to administer your Oracle RAC environment at three levels:
Instance Administration
Database Administration
Cluster Administration
Understanding Compatibility in Oracle Real Application Clusters Environments
To run Oracle RAC in configurations with different versions of the database in the same cluster, you must also install clusterware. For example, to run Oracle9i and Oracle 10g in the same cluster:
For Oracle RAC nodes running the Oracle9i database, you must install an Oracle9i cluster:
oFor UNIX the cluster can be HACMP, Serviceguard, Sun Cluster, or Veritas SF
oFor Windows and Linux, the cluster is Oracle Cluster Manager
If you want to install Oracle RAC running Oracle Database 10g or later releases, you must also install Oracle Clusterware. See your platform-specific Oracle Clusterware Installation guide and the Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide for more information.
If you are running Oracle RAC 10g and Oracle RAC 11g in the same cluster, you must be running Oracle Clusterware 11g (only)
Oracle requires that you install the Oracle9i RAC software first if you are going to run it in a cluster with Oracle RAC 10g or Oracle RAC 11g.
Overview of Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation and Database Creation
Once you have installed Oracle Clusterware and it is operational, run OUI to install the Oracle database software with Oracle RAC components.
During the installation, OUI runs DBCA to create your Oracle RAC database according to the options that you select. DBCA also runs the Net Configuration Assistant (NETCA) to configure the network for your Oracle RAC environment.
Oracle RAC software is distributed as part of the Oracle Database installation media. By default, the standard Oracle Database software installation process installs the Oracle RAC option when it recognizes that you are performing the installation on a cluster. The OUI installs Oracle RAC into a directory structure, which can be referred to as the Oracle home, which is separate from other Oracle software running on the system. Because OUI is cluster aware, it installs Oracle RAC software on all of the nodes that you defined to be part of the cluster.
Oracle recommends that you select ASM during the installation to simplify storage management; ASM automatically manages the storage of all database files within disk groups. You can also configure services during installation, depending on your processing requirements. If you are using Oracle Database Standard Edition, then you must use ASM to store all of the database files.
By default, Oracle creates one service for your environment and the service is for the database. (The default database service is typically identified using the combination of the DB_NAME and DB_DOMAIN initialization parameters: db_name.db_domain.) The default service is available on all instances in an Oracle RAC environment, unless the database is in restricted mode.
Overview of Extending Oracle ASM and Oracle Real Application Clusters Software
You can extend Oracle ASM and Oracle RAC in grid environments to additional nodes by copying cloned images of the ASM and Oracle RAC database homes to other nodes in the cluster. Oracle cloning copies images of the software to other nodes that have similar hardware and software. Cloning is best suited to a scenario where you need to quickly extend your Oracle RAC environment to several nodes of the same configuration.
Oracle provides the following methods of extending Oracle Clusterware environments:
Oracle cloning procedure using cloning scripts
Oracle Enterprise Manager cloning
The addNode.sh script and OUI cloning
For new installations or if you have to install only one Oracle RAC database, you should use the traditional automated and interactive installation methods, such as OUI, or the Provisioning Pack feature of Oracle Enterprise Manager. If your goal is to add or delete Oracle RAC from nodes in the cluster, you can use the addNode.sh and rootdelete.sh scripts.
The cloning process assumes that you successfully installed an Oracle Clusterware home and an Oracle home with Oracle RAC on at least one node. In addition, all root scripts must have run successfully on the node from which you are extending your cluster database.
At a high level, Oracle cloning involves the following main tasks:
Clone the Oracle Clusterware home.
Clone the Oracle home with the Oracle RAC software.
The process for cloning the Oracle home onto new nodes is similar to the process for cloning the Oracle Clusterware home.
Run NETCA on each new node to create a listener.
If you have not already created a database, then run the DBCA to create one.
Follow the post-cloning procedures to complete the extension of your Oracle RAC environment onto the new nodes.
For more details on Installing Oracle Real Application you can view on ORACLE DBA SUPPORT
Instance Administration
Database Administration
Cluster Administration
Understanding Compatibility in Oracle Real Application Clusters Environments
To run Oracle RAC in configurations with different versions of the database in the same cluster, you must also install clusterware. For example, to run Oracle9i and Oracle 10g in the same cluster:
For Oracle RAC nodes running the Oracle9i database, you must install an Oracle9i cluster:
oFor UNIX the cluster can be HACMP, Serviceguard, Sun Cluster, or Veritas SF
oFor Windows and Linux, the cluster is Oracle Cluster Manager
If you want to install Oracle RAC running Oracle Database 10g or later releases, you must also install Oracle Clusterware. See your platform-specific Oracle Clusterware Installation guide and the Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide for more information.
If you are running Oracle RAC 10g and Oracle RAC 11g in the same cluster, you must be running Oracle Clusterware 11g (only)
Oracle requires that you install the Oracle9i RAC software first if you are going to run it in a cluster with Oracle RAC 10g or Oracle RAC 11g.
Overview of Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation and Database Creation
Once you have installed Oracle Clusterware and it is operational, run OUI to install the Oracle database software with Oracle RAC components.
During the installation, OUI runs DBCA to create your Oracle RAC database according to the options that you select. DBCA also runs the Net Configuration Assistant (NETCA) to configure the network for your Oracle RAC environment.
Oracle RAC software is distributed as part of the Oracle Database installation media. By default, the standard Oracle Database software installation process installs the Oracle RAC option when it recognizes that you are performing the installation on a cluster. The OUI installs Oracle RAC into a directory structure, which can be referred to as the Oracle home, which is separate from other Oracle software running on the system. Because OUI is cluster aware, it installs Oracle RAC software on all of the nodes that you defined to be part of the cluster.
Oracle recommends that you select ASM during the installation to simplify storage management; ASM automatically manages the storage of all database files within disk groups. You can also configure services during installation, depending on your processing requirements. If you are using Oracle Database Standard Edition, then you must use ASM to store all of the database files.
By default, Oracle creates one service for your environment and the service is for the database. (The default database service is typically identified using the combination of the DB_NAME and DB_DOMAIN initialization parameters: db_name.db_domain.) The default service is available on all instances in an Oracle RAC environment, unless the database is in restricted mode.
Overview of Extending Oracle ASM and Oracle Real Application Clusters Software
You can extend Oracle ASM and Oracle RAC in grid environments to additional nodes by copying cloned images of the ASM and Oracle RAC database homes to other nodes in the cluster. Oracle cloning copies images of the software to other nodes that have similar hardware and software. Cloning is best suited to a scenario where you need to quickly extend your Oracle RAC environment to several nodes of the same configuration.
Oracle provides the following methods of extending Oracle Clusterware environments:
Oracle cloning procedure using cloning scripts
Oracle Enterprise Manager cloning
The addNode.sh script and OUI cloning
For new installations or if you have to install only one Oracle RAC database, you should use the traditional automated and interactive installation methods, such as OUI, or the Provisioning Pack feature of Oracle Enterprise Manager. If your goal is to add or delete Oracle RAC from nodes in the cluster, you can use the addNode.sh and rootdelete.sh scripts.
The cloning process assumes that you successfully installed an Oracle Clusterware home and an Oracle home with Oracle RAC on at least one node. In addition, all root scripts must have run successfully on the node from which you are extending your cluster database.
At a high level, Oracle cloning involves the following main tasks:
Clone the Oracle Clusterware home.
Clone the Oracle home with the Oracle RAC software.
The process for cloning the Oracle home onto new nodes is similar to the process for cloning the Oracle Clusterware home.
Run NETCA on each new node to create a listener.
If you have not already created a database, then run the DBCA to create one.
Follow the post-cloning procedures to complete the extension of your Oracle RAC environment onto the new nodes.
For more details on Installing Oracle Real Application you can view on ORACLE DBA SUPPORT