Categories: Database

Dummies Notes – How to Setup Oracle Data Guard

This article represents instructions which could be used to set up oracle data guard on a primary and one or more physical standby database. The article presumes that you have a basic understanding of what is Oracle Data guard and why it needs to be set up.

Following are key aspects which are discussed later in this article:

Primary Database Setup
Physical Standby Database Setup

Following is details on primary and physical standby database setup:

Primary Database Setup: Configure the primary database appropriately including doing some of the following:
- Enable force logging
- Alter the database parameters such as following. This is one time activity and does not needed to be done during the addition of new physical standby databases.
  - REMOTE_LOGIN_PASSWORDFILE
  - LOG_ARCHIVE_FORMAT
  - LOG_ARCHIVE_MAX_PROCESSES
  - FAL_CLIENT
  - FAL_SERVER
  - STANDBY_FILE_MANAGEMENT
- Configure the destination parameters for each new physical standby added. Following parameters are configured each time a new physical database is added:
  - LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG
  - LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_<NUMBER>
  - LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_<NUMBER>
- Create PFile
- Configure the primary database to receive the redo logs
- Modify the tnsnames.ora file by adding an entry for physical standby database. Add an entry into this file for each new addition of physical standby database.
- Create the following files to be copied to physical standby database:
  - Standby control files
  - Orapassword file generated using orapwd utility
  - Custom init<SID>.ora file
  - Database & archivelog backup
Physical Standby Database Setup: Configure the standby database appropriately including doing some of the following:
- Copy following files to staging area such as /tmp
  - Standby control file
  - Orapassword file of the format orapw<ORACLE_SID>
  - Custom init<SID>.ora file
  - Database backup files
- Place the standby control file to following two different places:
  - $ORACLE_BASE/oradata/<ORACLE_SID>
  - $ORACLE_BASE/fast_recovery_area/<ORACLE_SID>
- Place the orapw<ORACLE_SID> file to $ORACLE_HOME/dbs location
- Move the backup the database to appropriate location, If it is FRA, move it to folder such as $ORACLE_BASE/fast_recovery_area/<ORACLE_SID>
- Create SPFile from PFile
- Start the listener
- Restore the database
- Prepare the standby database to receive the redo logs
- Start the log apply process

Start the apply process

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