Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start GuideStep-by-step instructions for installing Microsoft Cluster Server, installing Oracle Fail Safe and configuring a database. Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe...........................................................................1 Quick Start Guide ...................................................................................................................1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................1 Part 1: Hardware Configuration and Set-Up .............................................................................1 Certified Hardware.......................................................................................................... 1 Disk Configuration.......................................................................................................... 1 Configure Network Cards ............................................................................................... 2 Part 2: Installing Microsoft Cluster Server ................................................................................5 Installing MSCS on the First Node ................................................................................. 5 Adding Additional Nodes ............................................................................................... 9 Using Cluster Administrator ......................................................................................... 10 Part 3: Installing Oracle Fail Safe.......................................................................................... 11 Match Home Names on All Nodes ............................................................................... 11 Oracle Services for MSCS Security Setup .................................................................... 12 Completing the Fail Safe Configuration....................................................................... 13 Making the Database Fail Safe ..................................................................................... 14 Creating the Database ................................................................................................... 15 Verifying the Standalone Database Configuration ....................................................... 16 Creating a Group ........................................................................................................... 17 Adding the Database to a Group ................................................................................... 22 Therefore. Format all of the shared drives as NTFS volumes and assign the drive letters as appropriate. Install Oracle Fail Safe Part 1: Hardware Configuration and Set-Up Certified Hardware Oracle does not specifically certify hardware for Oracle Fail Safe. no matter how many partitions are on it. You will find the HCL at: http://www. this will give you better performance. you must ensure that the hardware is on the Microsoft Cluster Server Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) that is available from Microsoft? . it normally makes sense to simply create one partition on each Physical Disk. Here is an overview of the steps required to install MSCS: 1.com/hcl/ Disk Configuration Disks need only be configured from one node. Avoid creating software volumes—any striping or RAID configuration should be done at the hardware level. Part Two provide you the step-by-step instructions for installing Microsoft Cluster Server (MCS). Hardware Configuration and Set-Up ? Confirm Hardware is Certified for MSCS ? ? Configure Shared Disks ? ? Select Disk to be Quorum Disk ? ? Configure Network Cards ? ? Obtain IP Address and Network Name for Cluster Group and Register in ? DNS or HOSTS file 2. Part One provides you the hardware configuration. 1 . in the example below that we have labeled volumes as either Shared or Private. Instead. Note. Choose a node from which to configure the disks. Part 3 gives you the step-by-step instructions for installing Oracle Fail Safe and configuring a database.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Introduction This paper is divided into two parts. Do not attempt to write to the disks from multiple nodes until the clustering software has been installed. so the entire disk must always move together. Install Cluster Server on First Node and on Second/Additional Nodes 3. prior to configuring the disks in the Disk Management console. but MSCS sees the entire Physical Disk as a single resource. and open the Disk Management Console Partitioning a single physical disk into multiple partitions can be done.microsoft. Decide which shared disk you want to be the quorum disk. therefore you may want the quorum disk to be a RAID volume of some type. Or. The quorum disk is critical to resolving ownership of resources should the interconnect go down. The quorum disk does not require much space. Keep in mind that if the quorum disk fails. Additionally. so you should choose the smallest drive possible.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Figure 1: Screenshot of the Computer ManagementConsole Quorum Disk MSCS requires that one of your shared disks be assigned as the quorum disk. If there are only two nodes in the cluster. Configure Network Cards It is likely that you will have at least two network cards in each node of the cluster. Microsoft recommends a minimum drive size of 500MB. you can go through a hub if you have more than two nodes. Oracle and Microsoft recommend that the quorum disk be kept separate from any other resource disks. while the second network card is generally reserved for cluster communications. to place Oracle datafiles on the same drive as the quorum disk. The quorum disk assists in handling certain clustering functions. It is possible in some versions. the cluster fails. It is possible to have the cluster communications go through the public network. One network card is generally used for public communication with network clients and servers. these cards can be connected directly to each other via a crossover cable. it provides an area of physical storage that all nodes can access. but this is not recommended because the cluster communication involves polling of 2 . it may incorrectly resolve that host name to the private IP address which means incoming connections from clients will fail. it is important to ensure that the bindings are set up correctly. Thus. particularly when nodes are communicating with each other. if a listener is configured to listen on a host name. it is better to have a dedicated network for the resource polling. Right-click My Network Places and choose Properties. but a network glitch could be incorrectly interpreted as a resource failure which could result in a restart or failover of a healthy resource. If the binding order is incorrect. 3. 3 .Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide resources on a regular basis. This is critical in ensuring the name resolution works correctly. Any public cards which will be communicating with client machines should always be bound first. Not only can this polling result in a large amount of traffic. Follow the same steps on both nodes. and a second card dedicated to the public network. choose Advanced Settings. 2. Thus. leaving the network card for the interconnect bound last of all. Look in the Adapters and Bindings tab and ensure that the card with your public IP address is first in the list. From the Advanced drop-down menu. you may see that a ping of the public host name resolves to the private IP address. Binding Order With a network card dedicated to the interconnect. If it is not listed as the first entry move it up. How to Check the Binding Order 1. Additionally. and select Properties again for the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Use DNS or HOSTS for Name Resolution Finally. you may want 4 . 1. Be sure to include the IP addresses and host names for groups that you intend to create for the cluster itself as well as any Fail Safe groups. 2. 3. make sure that all public IP and host name combinations have been registered in DNS.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Figure 2: Screenshot of the Adapters and Bindings Window Disabling WINS on Interconnect You also want to ensure that the WINS address is left empty for the private card. Choose the Advanced button and select the WINS tab. Right-click the private network connection in Network and Dial-up Connections. Choose Properties. remove it otherwise the Cluster Service will become confused when attempting to communicate with the Domain Controller (all cluster nodes must be members of a domain). If there is a WINS address defined. Part 2: Installing Microsoft Cluster Server Once you have all of the hardware properly set-up and configured: your disks are partitioned such that you have enough physical drives to support the appropriate number of groups.10. This convention indicates clearly that this hostname is on its own subnet. and use that as the host name assigned to the private card.1 10.10. and a ping of the private name returns the private IP address: C:\>ping rmntofs1 Pinging rmntofs1.1.1.10.2 192.10.1.2 192. Since these cards usually are not going to be connected to a DNS server.1. ping each node from itself. You will be prompted for the Windows 2000 Advanced Server CD.3 192.1.SAN" to the end of the actual node name.san Pinging RMNTOFS1.ORACLE.1. and then the Cluster Configuration Wizard will be started.10.1.1.SAN RMNTOFS2. 3. and choose Add/Remove Programs. If you have two nodes called RMNTOFS1 and RMNTOFS2. you have all of the necessary host names and IP addresses registered in DNS or in the HOSTS file. using the private interconnect. you are now ready to install Microsoft Cluster Server. and you have confirmed that your network cards are configured appropriately.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide to assign a network name to the cards on the private interconnect. You can find the hosts file in the \WINNT\System32\drivers\etc directory. Installing MSCS on the First Node 1.1] with 32 bytes of data: Reply from 10. your host file entries might look like so: 10..SAN [10.1 192..1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128 . 2. Verify that a ping of the public name always returns the public IP address. you should add entries into the hosts file.10.1.SAN RMNTOFS1 RMNTOFS2 RMNTCLUSER RMNT_FAIL-1 #PRIVATE CONNECTION for Node1 #PRIVATE CONNECTION for Node2 #PUBLIC Connection for Node1 #PUBLIC Connection for Node2 #MSCS Cluster Group IP #Fail Safe Group IP Double-check the setup by pinging the public and private names of all nodes in the cluster.1] with 32 bytes of data: Reply from 192. Choose Add/Remove Windows Components from the dialog window.US. Open up the Windows 2000 Control Panel on one of your cluster nodes. A popular naming convention is to append ".10. C:\>ping rmntofs1.4 RMNTOFS1.1. 5 . Place a check box next to Cluster Service and choose Next.COM [192.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128 .10.1.1. Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide 4. Indicate this is the first note in the cluster. you will be prompted for a username under which the Cluster Service will run. Type in the correct username and password and continue on to the next screen. If not. this step will fail. Figure 3: Screenshot of the Cluster Name Dialog Window User Account Set-up for Running Cluster Service 8. under the Managed Disks column. Input the network name that you have chosen for the Cluster Group. Choose Next on the welcome screen to display a link to the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). 9. where you will choose which drive will be the quorum disk. Remember. this network name and cluster IP combination should have already been registered in DNS or in the hosts file.) 5. 6 . 7. This is a Domain Administrator Account. (You will be prompted for the IP address later on in the install. 6. Continue to the next screen. Ensure that all of the drives that you intend to use are listed on the right-hand side. Notice the disclaimer states that hardware not on the HCL is not supported.. On the Add or Remove Managed Disks window you should see the listing of shared drives that you previously configured in the Disk Management Console. On the next screen. and the domain name that the cluster node is a member of should show up in the bottom box. Click the I Understand button and choose Next. After selecting the quorum disk. assuming that both networks are functioning. you will be prompted to enter the IP address that you have reserved for the virtual Cluster Group. you want to ensure that you select the radio button to enable the network for Internal Cluster Communications Only. Be sure that the Private network is first. to provide a certain amount of redundancy. 12. As previously mentioned. this IP 7 . If you have more than two cards in each node. so that as long as it is functional. For the public network. configure the networks according to which order you want cluster communications to fall back in the event of a failure. On the next screen. again providing additional redundancy. so that a second private network can be defined for the interconnect. 11. the public network will be configured only as a fallback. For the "Private" network.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Figure 4: Screenshot of the Cluster Name Dialog Window Defining Networks 10. For the final step. you will determine which network should be used first for cluster communications. you will be presented with a screen on which you will define the networks. you should probably select All Communications. we recommend that you keep it simple and call them "Public" and "Private". It is also fairly common for some sites to have three or four network cards in each node. You can name them whatever you choose— generally. be sure to click Finish to complete the cluster installation.144. and the IP Address is 138. Figure 5: Screenshot of the Cluster IP Address Window 8 .Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide address is the same that was registered in DNS or the HOSTS file with the cluster’s Network name that was specified at the outset of the MSCS install.1. the cluster name is RMNTCLUSER. Type in the IP and ensure that the correct network is chosen. In our example.117. On the final screen. Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Adding Additional Nodes The process of adding an additional node to the cluster is much quicker. password. On the second node. and domain information as in the initial install. select the radio button for The Second Or Next Node In The Cluster. and then finish the cluster installation on the second node. This node has now joined the cluster as an equal member. but this time. Figure 6: Screenshot of the Create or Join a Cluster Window 9 . start the install in the same fashion as before. Provide the same username. the Cluster Name. you will be able to run the Microsoft Cluster Administrator to view the nodes. the install of Fail Safe later on will add an Oracle Fail Safe Server into the Cluster Group. the disk resource associated will be removed from the temporary disk group and placed into the database group. Figure 7: Cluster Administrator Disk Groups In addition to the Cluster Group. and the quorum disk. ownership of the disk groups can still be transferred back and forth between the nodes. However. you will be able to delete the disk group. When a database with files residing on one of these disks is added to a new group. which contains as resources the Cluster IP Address. and resources in your cluster. The Figure below is an expanded view of Cluster Administrator. These Disk Groups are simply placeholders for the disk resources—they are not true virtual groups. you will have a group called "Cluster Group". At this time. However. You cannot add an Oracle database or other resources to this group—you must create a second group. We discuss this in the coming section on Fail Safe installation. groups. Initially. after a fresh install. This is the first virtual server group that has been created as part of your cluster. 1.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Using Cluster Administrator Once you installed Microsoft Cluster Server. as they do not have network names and IP addresses associated. if you so desire. you see in the Figure that you will have a Disk Group for each additional shared disk besides the quorum disk. 10 . Start Cluster Administrator by clicking Start | Programs | Administrative Tools | Cluster Administrator. and Fail Safe itself is installed in a home called OFSHome. you must make sure that the home names match identically for each of these products on all nodes in the cluster. Part 3: Installing Oracle Fail Safe As mentioned earlier. Oracle Fail Safe should be installed into its own Oracle home. When highlighted. Choosing a Typical install will give you the components necessary to make the database highly available.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Resources and Resource Types Refer again to the Figure 7 the Cluster Administrator. If you are. We also recommend that you match the directory names and orders of install on all nodes when possible. the Cluster Service must be running. Thus. Determine which nodes should be able to run the database and which nodes should be able to run the application software. home names. this will list each of the resource types and the Resource DLL used to monitor that type of resource. under Cluster Configuration you should see a Resource Types folder. or 9iAs) and Oracle Fail Safe itself. comprising different tiers. you must determine which nodes in the cluster are meant to run which software. and plan accordingly. As such.select Oracle Fail Safe. Once you have decided on the Oracle product choices. you will be prompted to select either Oracle Fail Safe or Real Application Cluster Guard. it will list all cluster resources. planning an architecture with three or four nodes. After selecting the home name and directory. if you are installing Fail Safe 3. separate from other Oracle products.2 (the first release to be certified with Oracle9i). This includes the database software. you will be cautioned that a reboot is required after the installation completes. Again. Once Oracle is installed and configured. the group in which each resource resides. You will also see a folder called Resources. In addition. and the current owning node. When this is highlighted. you may not want or need all of the software on all of the nodes in the cluster. respectively. you are ready to begin the actual install of the product. Prior to the actual beginning of the installation. the install must be performed as a user account with Local Administrator privileges on each node. We recommend that you install the Fail Safe software last. First. In addition. 11 . are identical on each node. Though this is not strictly required. you must ensure that you have enough space available on the private drives of all nodes in the cluster. on Node1 if the database software is installed in a home called OraHome90. it prevents confusion and simplifies administration. any Oracle application software (such as Forms. this also requires proper planning prior to embarking on the installation. Oracle software must be installed on the private drive on each node of the cluster. This is primarily a consideration in clusters with multiple nodes. Reports. in fact. you should see a resource type of Oracle Database listed here. Match Home Names on All Nodes It is required that the Oracle home names for the database software and the Fail Safe software. . and directories. Second. During the install of Fail Safe. and password combination. In addition.1. At the end of the installation. The Security setup will configure the OracleMSCSServices service to be started and run as the user that you specify.1 for more details on this problem. See MetaLink Document ID 155317. This is normally empty. or to update the security. the security setup will configure DCOM access by calling the configuration tool and adding the local SYSTEM account to the default access permissions list for Distributed COM security. you will be prompted for another domain name. the default access permissions were left untouched. Any post-installation changes that you make with this tool will not take effect until after the OracleMSCSServices service is restarted. and must also have Local Administrator privileges on all nodes of the cluster. repeat the preceding steps on each node of the cluster. This can be the same account information that you provided earlier for the MS Cluster Server installation. If default permissions are modified. nullifying any default permissions. Wait until the reboot completes and the node has rejoined the cluster prior to beginning the install on the second node. this service was named the Oracle Fail Safe service. so starting with the 3. Running the Security Setup Post Install Should the need arise to change passwords after an install. this service is named OracleMSCSServices. You should use the same account for all nodes. an Oracle key is created under the 12 . rebooting each node after the Fail Safe install completes. it must be rebooted.2 release. the Oracle Services for MSCS Security Setup has been modified to always add the SYSTEM account. Registry Keys Updated The Oracle Fail Safe install will add a Registry key as a subkey of the normal Oracle key. This is the account that will be used to run the OracleMSCSServices. username. at HKLM\Software\Oracle\Fail Safe.x and lower. the service created by the Fail Safe install was called the Oracle Fail Safe Service.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Oracle Services for MSCS Security Setup In Fail Safe releases 3. in prior releases. Then. and thus the SYSTEM and INTERACTIVE accounts are assumed to have privileges. you may experience a hang when running the Verify Cluster tool unless SYSTEM is explicitly added to the default access permissions. but it does not have to be. Reboot Each Node Independently after Install After Fail Safe has been installed on the first node. You can view this by running dcomcnfg at a command prompt and choosing Default Security and editing Default Access Permissions. However. the Oracle Services for MSCS Security Setup can be run after the install by choosing Start | Programs | Oracle – <OFS Homename> | Oracle Services for MSCS Security Setup.2. In earlier releases of Oracle Fail Safe. The account that you specify must be a Domain User on the same domain as MSCS uses. some third-party applications may add user accounts to the default access list. Again. Starting with release 3. DCOM Security In addition to configuring the service logon. In addition. Logging in to Fail Safe Manager Fail Safe Manager is the interface provided by Oracle to interact with the cluster. the install of Oracle Fail Safe creates a service called OracleMSCSServices. It can be used to monitor the location and ownership of resources. Last. which was created when you initially installed Microsoft Cluster Server. This is the process that Fail Safe Manager attaches to when it is run. When logging in to Fail Safe Manager. Fail Safe Manager must be used to add an Oracle database or other supported Oracle resources into a Fail Safe group. This is the only Oracle resource that should be added to the Cluster Group. you should uninstall it if possible. and so on. Fail Safe Manager duplicates some of the things that you see in Cluster Administrator. change dependencies and failover policies. once the Oracle Database and Oracle TNS Listener resource types are registered. This can be accomplished by rerunning Verify Cluster. so that the resource types are unregistered and removed from the Registry. The Cluster name and Domain name are. so failure of this service will lead to a failure when logging on to Fail Safe Manager. Uninstalling Cluster Server will remove the HKLM\Cluster key. Fail Safe Manager provides invaluable troubleshooting tools to verify the cluster setup and resource configuration prior to adding resources to a group. the same as specified when installing the cluster: 13 . This service is a resource that gets added to the Cluster Group. forcing you to reregister the Fail Safe resource types after you reinstall Fail Safe. of course. Though the service exists on each node.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide cluster key at HKLM\Cluster\Oracle. and to verify the integrity of a group after it has been created. Completing the Fail Safe Configuration As noted previously. it will be actively running only on the node that owns the Cluster Group. If you ever need to remove Fail Safe from a cluster. discussed in the next section. you will be able to view this under HKLM\Cluster\Resource Types. you must provide an operating system account that is a member of the cluster’s domain. and it can be used to create new virtual groups. However. and the install will do this for you. All of these operations can be done through Cluster Administrator as well. and that also has local administrative privileges. the Fail Safe Manager can be used to manage clusters running Fail Safe version 3. Simply ensure that you have the latest version of Fail Safe Manager on your desktop.e.2.1. However. beginning with the 3. Running Verify Cluster Run OFSM by choosing Start | Programs | Oracle – <OFS Homename> | Oracle Fail Safe Manager. Making the Database Fail Safe Once Fail Safe has been successfully installed and the cluster setup has been verified. you are now ready to create the Fail Safe group and add a database. However. Verify Cluster is the first of the "Verify xxx" operations provided by Fail Safe Manager to assist in configuration and assurance of the integrity of the database. Thus.x clusters. The first time that it is run on a new cluster.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Figure 8: Connect to Cluster Login Fail Safe Manager can be installed on a client machine to allow you remote management access to the cluster. Essentially.2 release of OFS. in addition to doing this. You should also pay close attention to any errors reporting a mismatch in the names of the ORACLE_HOMEs on the respective nodes. and also to confirm that the Oracle install was done properly (i.x clusters and 3. you will need to reinstall in order to get Fail Safe to work properly. you will be given the choice to run the Verify Cluster tool or exit. a condition that may lead to name resolution problems and resource failures down the road.1. the home names and products installed match on each node). Refer to the earlier section on cluster configuration to resolve these problems. and then rerun the Verify Cluster operation.. these are the steps that you will follow: 14 . Heed Warnings in Verify Cluster Because Verify Cluster must complete in order to register the Resource DLL. you may get warnings. Some errors/warnings are only informative in nature. you will not get an absolute failure message—you will almost always read that the operation completed successfully. However. Verify Cluster checks the cluster configuration to make sure that all of the networking components are properly configured. This tool must be run to register the Oracle Resource DLL and Oracle Resource Types for use by the cluster. indicating that certain software components are not installed. you should be able to see the Oracle Database and Oracle TNS Listener resource types listed in Cluster Administrator. Once the Verify Cluster operation completes. You should save the output from the clusterwide operation to a text file and check this file closely for any errors. Previous releases of Oracle Fail Safe required that the Fail Safe Manager client be the same version as the Fail Safe Server running on the cluster. and it will work with the 3. this is an indication that the binding order of your cards is incorrect. in an environment with multiple clusters.1 or later. However. you do not have to upgrade all at once. nor do you need to sacrifice the manageability of using Fail Safe Manager to manage multiple clusters. if you see errors indicating an IP address mismatch. If you mistakenly name the Fail Safe home or the database home incorrectly on one of the nodes. which you can create through Fail Safe Manager itself. placed on the private drive of each node. Note: If using an SPFILE. You should create the database on one node only. To do this. This includes control files. choose Create Sample Database from the Resource menu in Fail Safe Manager. if you have an Active/Active configuration. Place the parameter file accordingly. so that they are all owned by the same node. However. datafiles. Creating the Database If you have not yet created the database. So while you can use this to quickly create a database to show the concept works. and what resources would be available to the database on each node in event of a failure. Placement of Parameter File In addition to placement of trace files. log files. we detail each of these steps. depending on your needs and the available resources. since you do not have to be concerned with maintaining multiple copies of init. and create the database from that node. you should put the parameter file on the shared drive. you will have to determine which nodes the database will reside on. we recommend that you use the DBCA or your own scripts to create the true database. With an Active/Passive scenario. Move all drives where files will ultimately reside. you will have to have a normal init file with the line SPFILE=xxxx. depending on which node the database resides on.or four-node cluster. You cannot pass the SPFILE directly to Fail Safe when adding the database to a group. we strongly recommend it.ora on all nodes. Having the parameter file on the shared drive will ease administration. this reduces the flexibility to have differences in certain parameters. you must also determine if you are going to have the init file or spfile reside on the private drive or on the shared drive. In addition. Oracle Fail Safe provides a template for a sample database. While it is not required to have the background_dump_dest and the user_dump_dest on shared drives. As a general rule. you can do so via the Database Configuration Assistant or you can create a database manually. In a three. However. and any local archive destinations that you define in the init. 15 . you may need to consider having different parameter files.ora (or SPFILE). Having an alert log that is written to the private drive can lead to gaps in the log file if the group moves to another node in the cluster. but be sure when creating the database that all files associated with the database are on a shared drive.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide ?? Create the database ?? Verify the standalone database ?? Create the Virtual Group ?? Add the database to the group In this section. this is meant more for demonstration purposes than as a template for your production instance. An existing database will be discovered as a resource on the node where it resides. and then you should see a listing of Oracle resources on that machine that are supported in a Fail Safe environment. you should be able to discover it as a standalone resource on the node on which it was created. providing there is a service for the instance on that node (OracleService<sid>). Under Standalone Resources. and another folder for Standalone Resources.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Verifying the Standalone Database Configuration Once the database has been created. you will see a message that Fail Safe is "Discovering Standalone Resources" on the node. Expand the node on which the database exists.ORA entry on the node. using the HOST name or IP address of the node: Figure 9: Screenshot of Oracle Fail Safe Manager 16 . and there is a valid TNSNAMES. which connects to the same SID name or SERVICE_NAME. Fail Safe Manager will list the Nodes in the left-hand pane. and you will see a folder for Groups on that node. At this point. right-click it and choose Verify Standalone Database. Fail Safe will create a local OS group called ORA_<sidname>_DBA and add the accounts that were specified for the Cluster Service and the OracleMSCSServices. In addition. it need not match the hostname. Failures in parsing these sqlnet configuration files is one of the most common reasons that an operation to add the database to a group will fail. The Verify Standalone operation will also check to ensure that the services for the instance exist on only one node. parameter file location. In Fail Safe Manager. This allows members to connect only to this particular instance—Fail Safe will not automatically create the more generic ORA_DBA group. rightclick the Groups folder and choose Create. Creating a Group We reiterate here that you cannot add the database into the Cluster Group—you must create a separate group for the database. those features will be disabled. and whether you want to connect using OS Authentication or you want to provide a password. You will be prompted for a name for the group—this can be any name that you decide on. You will be prompted for the instance name. Even though you can use MS Cluster Administrator to create the group. and you must have a host name and IP address combination ready. because once in the group. If the database is configured for Automatic Startup or Shutdown. since the database is still a standalone database. If you choose OS authentication.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Once you identify your database. as it provides an interface to add a hostname and IP address into the group. in order to allow them to be parsed by Fail Safe when it comes time to add the database to a group. we recommend that you create it through Fail Safe Manager. Type in the name and an optional description and choose Next: 17 . you will be prompted for the correct node. so running Verify Standalone Database is an important step in ensuring these files are set up correctly and ready for the impending Add to Group operation. these files must be reconfigured on each node to account for the virtual server connect information.ora files and ensure that they are configured correctly. the services for the instance should not yet exist on the second node—if they do. because when the database is ultimately added to the group. This is critical. It will check that all drives being used by the database are shared drives. the Verify Standalone Database operation will check the tnsnames. the Cluster Service will be responsible for bringing the database offline and online.ora and listener. and the services will be deleted from the other node(s). Why Run Verify Standalone? The Verify Standalone Database will check the configuration of the database and prepare it to be added into a Fail Safe Group. but it will work if you manually add the accounts to this group instead of a group specific to your SID. Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Figure 10: Step 1 Creating a Group 18 . so you will not see Page 3 of the Create Group Wizard. and you must configure the server with that information. which is where the preferred node for the group is selected. how quickly? Should it happen immediately. If the group fails over to the other node. do you want this group to back to the original node automatically? If so. because the Failback is triggered when the preferred node rejoins the cluster. and the original node then comes back online. or should it happen only during specific hours? If you choose the Prevent Failback option. Adding Virtual Addresses to a Group Once the group is created. Choosing Prevent Failback on Page 2 implies that there is no preferred node. you will be immediately prompted to add a virtual address to the group. then the group will not fail back automatically— you will need to manually move the group back to the preferred node if so desired. A virtual address is simply an IP address and network name combination that will be assigned to the group that you have just created. In order to bring up a new server on your network. Think of this process as like adding an entirely new server to your network. Figure 11: Step 2 Creating a Group A Failback policy does not have any meaning if there is not a preferred node. if you chose to Failback Immediately. you will be prompted to define a Failback Policy for the group. Adding a virtual address to the group accomplishes the same thing for your virtual server. Accordingly. which is associated with your 19 . you must have an IP address and network name that are valid for your network. this Failback event will be triggered as soon as the preferred node comes back online.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Defining a Failback Policy and a Preferred Node On Page 2 of the Create Group Wizard. and the Add Resource Wizard will be initialized. this network name and IP address combination must be unique on your network. you could select the private cluster network. As an aside. and it is also possible to have these IPs be on different subnets. it is possible to have multiple IP address and network name combinations existing in a single group. even among other virtual address that already exist. though. Choose Yes in answer to the Add Virtual Address question. As such. Thus. if the only client is an application tier. which allows your clients to access the network.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide newly created group—the wizard configures the group with that address. This virtual address then becomes the means by which your clients connect to the virtual server and communicate with the rest of the resources that will ultimately be added to this group. which runs on one of the other cluster nodes. you will be choosing the public network. You will be prompted to select which network you want to add the virtual address from. and it must resolve successfully and be accessible by any clients that wish to access the database. In most cases. and then MSCS is responsible for registering that address with the gateway and directing all network communications to the appropriate owning node. having two IP addresses in a group that are on different subnets would 20 . Figure 12: Step 3 Creating a Group The network name and address that you supply must be valid on one of the subnets tied to a physical card. However. Theoretically. a virtual IP address must always be on the same subnet as at least one physical card within the cluster. to provide further redundancy and load balancing. each with an IP address on the respective subnets used by the virtual IP. 21 .Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide require two different physical network cards. Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Choose the appropriate network for the initial virtual IP.. choosing Add Resource to Group. and then put in the host name that you have predefined in DNS or your hosts file. and choose Add Resource to Group. of course. You can do this in a couple of ways—by right-clicking the database itself. the IP address should be filled in automatically. right-click the empty group. indicating that this network name is already in use. are not allowed. under Standalone Resources on the given node. The Add Resource Wizard will be initiated again. If not. this time selecting a new network name and IP address combination not currently in use anywhere on your network. If you do so. Another common error here is to put in the existing host name of the Cluster Group. but it will not have a virtual address assigned. you are ready to add your database into the group. the steps will be the same—be sure the appropriate Resource Type (Oracle Database) and group name are highlighted on the first page of the Add Resource to Group Wizard: : Figure 13: Step 1 Add a Resource Group 22 . you will get an error indicating that the host name does not resolve to an IP address. this will fail with an FS-11221 error. and then selecting Oracle Database for the Resource Type. creating and verifying a standalone database. However you start the process.. Adding the Database to a Group Once you have completed the steps of successfully verifying the cluster setup. or by right-clicking the newly created group. If this is set up correctly. and creating a group with a virtual IP address and host name combo... You must then go back to Fail Safe Manager. Duplicate network names. and you can choose Virtual Address from the list of available Resource Types. The group will still be created. ) The key thing to realize here is that if you do not use OS authentication. Next. continue on to the next screen.0 databases. the instance name. Figure 14: Step 2 Add a Resource Group The next page is the Database Authentication page. If you had done this during the Verify Standalone operation this group will already exist. If you previously ran the Verify Standalone Database procedure and specified that you wanted to use OS authentication at that time. Here. then it is assumed that you are doing so again when the database is actually added to the group. and the location of the parameter file that you wish to use. If you have not run Verify Standalone previously. or if you chose to use the SYS account for authentication. again. but you do not want to add certain OS users to the ORA_DBA group. and the logon accounts for both the Cluster Service and the OracleMSCSServices will be added to this group.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Once you have verified this information. then you must ensure that any changes to the password file are propagated to all nodes in the cluster. then you will be asked again.) If you choose OS authentication here. you will define the network service name. because the 3. The polling that is done by the Cluster Service uses 23 .2 release of Fail Safe Manager will support Oracle8i and Oracle 8. (Internal is still offered as an option for backward compatibility. an OS group called ORA_<sidname>_DBA will be created. This is recommended if you want to allow access via the password file. (Refer to Chapter 4 for more information on using a password file. you will still be asked if you want to maintain a password file on all nodes of the cluster. the database name (as defined by DB_NAME in the init file). ora. it will then actually bring the database online on that node.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide this information to connect. Figure 15: Adding Resources 24 . the group will be returned to reside on the preferred node. In addition. When this operation is complete.e. the entire group will be brought offline and moved to the other node(s) defined as possible owners. The service for your instance (i.. the process to add the database to the group will begin. or the database may not be able to come online at all. Behind the Scenes When Adding a DB to a Group Once you have answered the questions on database configuration and authentication.ora files on the subsequent node. and a second listener will be added to listener. This will cause a second listener service to be created on the current node. The listener name will be FSLxxxx. the polling may fail. OracleServicePROD90) will be set to manual start. if it is not already.ora and listener. Once these changes are made.ora file will be updated to reflect the virtual host information for the group. the database is now running in a Fail Safe environment. Fail Safe will create a service for the instance (OracleServicePROD90) and configure the tnsnames. or it will go back to the original node if a preferred node is not defined for the group. and if the password is wrong on one of the nodes. where xxxx is the virtual host name associated with the group. Once this is done. which will be set to manual start also. the tnsnames. to confirm that all is configured correctly. so that a failure of a test instance will not affect the entire group. The “Is Alive” interval is a more thorough check. 25 .NAME=’SYSTEM’. using information provided to it by the Oracle Database Resource DLL. By default. Fail Safe will attempt to stop and then restart the database on the same node. the entire group should be affected. Expand the group in Fail Safe Manager and select the recently added database. If this box is not checked. If the logon fails. If the restart fails three times. this is the interval at which the service for the instance is checked. Should the connect attempt fail. Note: If you are forced to run both production and test databases in the same group. due to a lack of disk resources or other limitations. it is directed to retry using a local bequeath connection. Once connected. If four attempts to log on and run the query have failed. then an error is logged in the Application Log in the Windows 2000 Event Viewer. An internal retry is executed three more times before the resource is officially considered to have failed. choose the Policies tab. you may want to consider removing the check from this box for your test database. By default. This is just a basic check to verify that the database is running. then once the resource has failed to restart the specified number of times. then a failover to another node is initiated because the defined Failover Policy has determined that if this resource fails. the following query is run: Select NAME from TS$ where TS$. The Cluster Service will actually log on to the database using a sqlnet connect string.Microsoft Cluster Server and Oracle Fail Safe Quick Start Guide Behind the Scenes with a Fail Safe Database Once a database has been made Fail Safe. On the right. to ensure that it is still running. every 60 seconds a login to the database is completed and a query is run. we can begin to explore some of the resource properties to determine just exactly what is going on. then the restart policy’ ‘Restart Policy’ should be left uppercasedefined for the database will kick in. These retries after an error are normally executed within 15 seconds or less—this interval is internal and not configurable. These checks are actually performed by the Microsoft Cluster Service. or the query fail. The Looks Alive interval is the shorter period of time. it will be marked as Failed and will be left alone.