Chapter 3. Configuration File Blocks for Oracle

Chapter 3. Configuration File Blocks for Oracle
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Configuration parameters for Oracle must be specified in the configuration file /var/ha/ha.conf. The sections in this chapter describe each Oracle-specific block that must be added and the configuration parameters within each of those blocks. The sections are as follows:

The examples in this chapter show the Oracle configuration file blocks for the example discussed in the sections “Example Oracle Configuration” and “Configuration Parameters for Oracle” in Chapter 2.

Oracle Application-Class Block

Example 3-1 shows the application-class block in an Oracle configuration.

Example 3-1. Oracle Application-Class Block

application-class oracle
{
        server-node = xfs-ha2
        agent = /usr/etc/ha_orcl
}

The application-class oracle block contains these configuration parameters:

server-node		Lists a node that is a primary server for Oracle. In this example, just one node is listed because just one node is a primary node for Oracle. If both nodes are primary nodes for Oracle, server-node is listed twice.
agent		The full pathname of the database agent for Oracle. You should not change this parameter.

Oracle Blocks

IRIS FailSafe configuration files contain one oracle block for each Oracle database instance that is a highly available service. Example 3-2 shows an example oracle block.

Example 3-2. Oracle Block

oracle Oracle1
{
        master-db-fs = xfs-ha2fs
        unix-user = oracle
        release-dir = /usr/people/oracle
        instance-id = fs
        db-probe-time = 30
        db-timeout = 20
        db-avail = high
        start-monitor-time = 100
        db-retry-count = 1
        startup-script = /xfs-ha2fs/oracle/scripts/dbstart
        shutdown-script = /xfs-ha2fs/oracle/scripts/dbshut
        db-shutdown-timeout = 30
}

The configuration parameters used in oracle blocks are as follows:

master-db-vol		The value must match the label of a volume block. See the discussion below about master-db-vol and master-db-fs for information about which volume block label to use. This parameter or master-db-fs must be specified.
master-db-fs		The value must match the label of a filesystem block. See the discussion below about master-db-vol and master-db-fs for information about which filesystem block label to use. This parameter or master-db-vol must be specified.
unix-user		The IRIX login name that is the owner of the Oracle release directory.
release-dir		The Oracle release directory specified in the Oracle configuration. This value is also the value of the environment variable ORACLE_HOME. This parameter is required.
instance-id		The value of $ORACLE_SID for the Oracle instance that IRIS FailSafe is monitoring. This parameter is required.
db-probe-time		Defines the length of time (in seconds) between the completion of one probe of the database by the Oracle database agent and the beginning of the next probe. This parameter is required.
db-timeout		Defines the time the Oracle database agent waits for a response to its probe from the Oracle database instance in seconds. This parameter is required.
db-avail		The possible values are high and low. If the value is high, a database server failure forces a failover. If the value is low, a failure of the database server doesn't force a failover, but the failover is reported. The default value is high.
start-monitor-time		The amount of time that the Oracle database agent waits after receiving a message to start monitoring before it performs its first probe of the Oracle database instance. This wait ensures that the database instance has had time to start up.
db-retry-count		The number of monitoring retries by the database agent before a failure is declared. If db-retry-count isn't specified, its value defaults to 1.
startup-script		The pathname of a custom startup script that replaces the standard Oracle startup script. See the section “Customizing the Oracle Startup and Shutdown Scripts” in Chapter 2 for more information. This parameter is required.
shutdown-script		The pathname of a custom shutdown script that replaces the standard Oracle shutdown script. See the section “Customizing the Oracle Startup and Shutdown Scripts” in Chapter 2 for more information. This parameter is required.
db-shutdown-timeout		The timeout for the Oracle shutdown script specified by shutdown-script. If the shutdown script doesn't complete in this many seconds, IRIS FailSafe performs an abort shutdown of the Oracle instance.

The Oracle system tablespace files could reside in multiple filesystems and on multiple logical volumes. You must choose one of these filesystems or volumes to be the “master” and specify it as the value of master-db-fs or master-db-vol. The oracle blocks do not list all filesystems and volumes that are part of the database, just the filesystem or volume containing system tablespace files and designated as the master. However, the configuration file must list all volumes and filesystems used by each database in volume and filesystem blocks (see the sections “Volume Blocks” and “Filesystem Blocks” in Chapter 2 of the IRIS FailSafe Administrator's Guide for information on these blocks). The IRIS FailSafe system uses the volume and filesystem blocks as a specification of the shared storage that must be online prior to bringing up the database.

Figure 3-2 shows the monitoring frequency parameters in each oracle block. They control the monitoring of a database instance by the Oracle database agent.

Figure 3-1. Monitoring Frequency Configuration Parameters in Oracle Blocks

Table 3-1 lists each of these monitoring frequency parameters and their suggested, minimum, and maximum values. It also describes relationships between different parameters and the rounding that occurs for some parameter values.

Table 3-1. Values for Monitoring Frequency Configuration Parameter in Oracle Blocks

Parameter	Suggested Value	Maximum Value	Comments
start-monitor-time (oracle block)	100		Rounded to the nearest ten seconds.
db-probe-time	30		Rounded to the nearest ten seconds.
db-timeout	20		Rounded to the nearest ten seconds.
db-retry-count	1
db-shutdown-timeout	30	One half of the long-timeout value	Rounded to the nearest ten seconds.

Oracle Action and Action-Timer Blocks

Example 3-3 shows the action and action-timer blocks for Oracle. The action block specifies the pathnames of the local monitoring script and the action-timer block specifies monitoring timing and timeout values for the monitoring of the Oracle database agent by the application monitor.

Example 3-3. Oracle Action and Action-Timer Blocks

action oracle
{
        local-monitor = /var/ha/actions/ha_orcl_lmon
}

action-timer oracle
{
        start-monitor-time = 300
        lmon-probe-time = 60
        lmon-timeout = 30
        retry-count = 2
}

The parameters used in action and action-timer blocks for Oracle are as follows:

local-monitor		The pathname of the local monitoring script for Oracle. Do not change this value.
start-monitor-time		Specifies the amount of time that the application monitor waits before it starts using the local monitoring script to monitor the Oracle database agent. The value of this parameter should be greater than or equal to the largest value specified for start-monitor parameters in any of the oracle blocks and it should be greater than or equal to the value of long-timeout.
lmon-probe-time		Local monitoring of the Oracle agent is done this often (in seconds).
lmon-timeout		Local monitoring of the Oracle agent times out in this many seconds if no response is received.
retry-count		Specifies the number of times the local monitoring script retries its probes of the Oracle database agent. This values doesn't affect the lmon-timeout value.

Figure 3-2 shows the monitoring parameters in the “action-timer oracle” block. They control the monitoring of the Oracle database agent by the local monitoring script.

Figure 3-2. Monitoring Configuration Parameters in the Action-Timer Oracle Block

Table 3-2 lists each of these monitoring parameters and their suggested, minimum, and maximum values. It also describes relationships between different parameters and the rounding that occurs for some parameter values.

Table 3-2. Values for Monitoring Frequency Configuration Parameter in Oracle Action-Timer Blocks

Parameter	Suggested Value	Comments
start-monitor-time (action-timer block)	300	Should be greater than or equal to the value of long-timeout and greater than or equal to the largest of the values specified for start-monitor-time in any of the oracle blocks.
lmon-probe-time	60
lmon-timeout	30
retry-count	2	This value doesn't affect the lmon-timeout value.

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Chapter 2. Configuring IRIS FailSafe for Oracle		Appendix A. Messages About Configuration File Errors