30 Using Oracle Site Guard

User Interface for Creating Oracle Site Guard Configuration

You can use the Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Console user interface to perform the following tasks:

• Define Sites

• Associate Credentials for Site

• Associate Pre-Scripts and Post-Scripts

• Associate Storage Scripts

For more information, see "Configuring Oracle Site Guard".

Preferred Credential Support

In this release, you can use named credentials or preferred credentials to run an operation plan.

Preferred credentials are used to simplify access to managed targets by storing target login credentials in the Management Repository. With preferred credentials set, users can access an Enterprise Manager target that recognizes those credentials, without being prompted to log in to the target. Preferred credentials are set on a per-user basis, thus ensuring the security of the managed enterprise environment.

• Default Credentials: Default credentials can be set for a particular target type, and will be available for all the targets of the target type. It will be overridden by target preferred credentials.

• Target Credentials: Target credentials are preferred credentials set for a particular target. They could be used by applications such as the job system, notifications, or patching. For example, if the user chooses to use preferred credentials while submitting a job, then the preferred credentials set for the target (target credentials) will be used. If the target credentials are not present, the default credentials (for the target type) will be used. If the default credentials are not present, the job will fail. If not specified, by default, preferred credentials refer to preferred target credentials.

For more information about setting up preferred credentials, see "Setting Preferred Credential Using EMCLI Commands".

Re-Order Execution Order

For more information, see "Changing Execution Orders".

Benefits of Oracle Site Guard

Oracle Site Guard provides the following benefits:

Reduction of Errors Due to Prepared Responses

Oracle Site Guard helps in reducing the possibility of human error in case of disasters. The recovery strategies are mapped out, tested, and rehearsed in prepared responses within the application. After starting an Oracle Site Guard operation for disaster recovery, human intervention is not required.

Storage Integration

Oracle Site Guard provides an easy mechanism to integrate with any storage. It integrates with storage appliances to perform switchover or failover, by using callouts to any user-specified storage role reversal scripts in the operation workflow.

Target Dependencies

Oracle Site Guard automatically handles dependencies between the targets while starting or stopping a site.

End-to-End Disaster Recovery Automation

Oracle Site Guard provides an end-to-end orchestration of the Oracle Site Guard operations by loosely integrating with storage appliances, to perform storage role reversals. It simultaneously integrates with Oracle Data Guard Broker to perform database role reversals. Oracle Site Guard then shuts down the primary site before performing disaster recovery operations like switchover or failover and brings up the standby site after the Oracle Site Guard operation is completed.

After Oracle Site Guard is configured, it manages all components in an application during an operation such as failover and switchover, and ensures that these operations are complete.

Oracle Site Guard Operations

Oracle Site Guard ensures high availability, data protection, and disaster recovery for Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g. It automates the following Oracle Site Guard operations:

• Stopping a site

• Starting a site

• Site Switchover

• Site Failover

Site Representation in Enterprise Manager Cloud Control

A site is a collection of related targets in a data center. Oracle Site Guard performs operations like start-site, stop-site, switchover, and failover, on the site. It is required to run a group of applications simultaneously. For example, a site could consist of Oracle Fusion Middleware instances, databases, and storage devices. Oracle Site Guard uses the Enterprise Manager Cloud Control generic system target to represent a site. Every site, whether primary or standby, is represented as a generic system, which is a collection of other target types, such as Oracle Database and Oracle Fusion Middleware Domain. Oracle Site Guard only supports Enterprise Manager deployments where both primary and standby sites are managed by a single Enterprise Manager Cloud Control instance.

Figure 30-1 shows an overview of an Oracle Fusion Middleware Disaster Recovery topology managed by a single Enterprise Manager Cloud Control instance.

Figure 30-1 Primary and Standby Site for Oracle Fusion Middleware Disaster Recovery Topology Managed by Enterprise Manager Cloud Control

Description of "Figure 30-1 Primary and Standby Site for Oracle Fusion Middleware Disaster Recovery Topology Managed by Enterprise Manager Cloud Control"

The following are the key aspects of the topology in Figure 30-1:

• A single Enterprise Manager Cloud Control instance monitors the primary site and the standby site.

• Oracle Management Agent (EM Agent) is installed on all hosts in the primary site and the standby site. For example:

  • OPMN managed system components (WEBHOST1 and WEBHOST2)

  • Oracle Fusion Middleware Applications (APPHOST1 and APPHOST2)

  • Oracle RAC Database (DBHOST1 and DBHOST2)

  Oracle Management Agent (EM Agent) is one of the core components of Enterprise Manager Cloud Control that enables you to convert an unmanaged host to a managed host in the Enterprise Manager system. The Management Agent works in conjunction with the plug-ins to manage the targets running on that managed host.

• When there is a failure or planned outage of the primary site, Oracle Site Guard automates the following steps to enable the standby site to assume the production role in the topology:

  1. Stops services and applications running on the primary site, and unmounts the storage on the primary site.

  2. Stops the replication from the primary site to the standby site (when a failure occurs, replication stops due to the failure), and performs storage role reversal.

  3. Performs a failover or switchover of the Oracle Databases using Oracle Data Guard Broker.

  4. Mounts the storage on the standby site.

  5. Starts the services and applications on the standby site, and assumes the production role.

  Note:

  If continuous replication is not configured, Oracle recommends that you create a final replication between the primary and the standby sites, before the storage switchover.

Task Overview

Figure 30-2 shows a flow chart of the tasks that you need to perform while using Oracle Site Guard for switchover or failover operations.

Figure 30-2 Task Overview of Oracle Site Guard

Task Roadmap

Table 30-1 describes each of the steps in the task-overview flow chart, which is shown in Figure 30-2. The table also provides pointers for to get more information about each of the task in the process.

Discovering Targets on the Primary Site and the Standby Site

For information about discovering targets on the primary site, see "Adding Targets" in the Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Administrator's Guide.

Oracle Site Guard supports discovery of the following target types:

• Oracle Fusion Middleware farm

• Oracle Fusion Middleware managed system components, such as Oracle HTTP Server and Oracle Internet Directory (part of the Oracle Fusion Middleware farm)

• Real Application Cluster (RAC) databases

• Single instance database

For a two-site deployment, the targets in the primary site should be discovered first, followed by the targets in the standby site.

A site should be up for its targets to be discovered. For a two-site deployment, you must first discover the targets in the primary site. Once you discover the targets in the primary site, you must manually perform a switchover operation, so that the standby site takes over the production role, as described in "Performing a Switchover" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Disaster Recovery Guide

After performing a switchover, you can discover the targets for the standby site by completing the steps described in "Adding Targets" in the Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Administrator's Guide.

Creating Generic Systems for the Primary and Standby Sites

You must create a generic system for the primary site and the standby site. Each generic system must include all targets, Oracle Fusion Middleware farms and Databases, pertaining to the site that it represents.

Create the generic system using one of the following options:

• Using Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Console to Create a Generic System

• Using EMCLI Commands to Create a Generic System

emcli create_system
      -name="name"
      -type=system
      -add_members="name1:type1;name2:type2;..."]...
      -timezone_region="actual_timezone_region"

Creating Credentials

Create the credentials for the following targets associated with Oracle Site Guard, using Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Console:

• Host (for normal user)

• Host (users with root privileges)

• Oracle WebLogic Server

• Oracle Database

Oracle Site Guard supports the following credentials:

• Named Credentials

• Preferred Credentials

  For more information, see "Preferred Credentials" in the Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Administrator's Guide.

Creating Named Credentials Using Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Console

To create a named credentials using Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Console, complete the following steps:

1. Log in to Enterprise Manager as an EM_CLOUD_ADMINISTRATOR user.

2. From the Setup menu, select Security, then select Named Credentials.

   The Named Credentials page is displayed.

3. Click Create.

   The Create Credential page is displayed.

4. In the General Properties section, specify the following:

   • Credential name: Enter a name for the credential.

   • Credential description: Enter the credential description.

   • Authenticating Target Type/ Credential type/ Scope: Enter the details as specified in the following table:

     Element	Host Details	Host (root-User Privileges) Details	Oracle WebLogic Server	Database Instance
     Authenticating Target Type	Host	Host	Oracle WebLogic Server	Database Instance
     Credential type	Host Credentials	Host Credentials	Oracle WebLogic Credentials	Database Credentials
     Scope	Global	Global	Global	Global

     
     

5. In the Credential Properties section, specify the following:

   • UserName: Enter the username.

   • Password: Enter the password.

   • Confirm Password: Enter the password again.

   • Run Privilege/ Role: Enter the details as specified in the following table:

     Element	Host	Host (Users with root privileges)	Oracle WebLogic Server	Database Instance
     Run Privilege	None	Select Sudo and enter values in the Run As fields	Oracle WebLogic Server Administration user credentials	Oracle Database SYS user credential
     Role	None	None	None	SYSDBA

     
     

6. Click Test and Save. To test credentials, select the appropriate Test Target Type from the drop-down menu for which you want to test the credentials, and specify Test Target Name.

Creating Named Credentials Using EMCLI Commands

You can create a named credential by running the following emcli commands in the command-line interface:

emcli create_named_credential
         -cred_name="cred_name"
         -auth_target_type="auth_target_type"
         -cred_type="cred_type"
         -attributes="p1:v1;p2:v2"

colname:colvalue;colname:colvalue

Setting Preferred Credential Using EMCLI Commands

You can set a named credential as a target-preferred credential by running the following emcli commands in the command-line interface:

emcli set_preferred_credential 
        -set_name="set_name"
        -target_name="target_name"
        -target_type="type"
        -credential_name="name"
        [-credential_owner ="owner]"

Example:

emcli set_preferred_credential 
        -set_name="HostCredsNormal"
        -target_name="test.example.com"
        -target_type="host"
        -credential_name="MyHostCredentials"
        -credential_owner="Admin"

Configuring the Software Library

Oracle Software Library (Software Library) is a repository that stores scripts required by Oracle Site Guard to execute the operation plan. To configure the storage location for the Oracle Software Library, complete the following steps:

1. Log in to Enterprise Manager as an EM_CLOUD_ADMINISTRATOR user.

2. From the Setup menu, select Provisioning and Patching, then select Software Library.

   The Software Library: Administration page is displayed.

3. Select OMS Shared Filesystem from the Storage Type drop-down box.

4. Click Add.

5. Specify a Name and Location that is accessible to all OMSs and click OK.

   Note:

   As the storage location for the Software Library must be accessible to all OMSs as local directories, in a multi-OMS scenario, you must set up a clustered filesystem using OCFS2 or NFS. For single OMS systems, any local directory is sufficient.

A job is executed to upload all the out-of-box content.

Configuring Sites Using Generic Systems

Configure the primary and standby sites using generic systems, and associate them with Oracle Site Guard.

You can add the configuration for the primary and standby sites using one of the following options:

• Configuring Sites Using Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Console

• Configuring Sites Using EMCLI Commands

emcli create_siteguard_configuration 
      -primary_system_name="system_name"
      -standby_system_name="system_name"

emcli get_siteguard_configuration
         -primary_system_name="system_name"
         -standby_system_name="system_name"

Associating Credentials

You must associate credentials created in "Creating Credentials" with the targets in each site.

Associate the credentials for the following targets:

• Host, where Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Database are installed and configured (for normal user and users with root privileges)

• Oracle WebLogic Administration Server

• Oracle Database

You can associate the credentials using one of the following options:

• Associating Credentials Using Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Console

• Associating Credentials Using EMCLI Commands

emcli create_siteguard_credential_association 
        -system_name="name"
        -credential_type="type"
        -credential_name="name" 
        -credential_owner="owner"
        –use_preferred_credential="true or false" 

Associating Pre-Scripts and Post-Scripts

You can associate pre-scripts or post-scripts (created in "Creating Pre-Scripts and Post-Scripts") for the Oracle Site Guard operation workflow.

You can associate pre-scripts and post-scripts using one of the following options:

• Associating Pre-Scripts and Post-Scripts Using Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Console

• Associating Pre-Scripts and Post-Scripts Using EMCLI Commands

emcli create_siteguard_script
        -system_name= "name"
        -operation="operation_name"
        -script_type="script_type"
        -host_name="name of the host"
        -path="path of the script"
        -all_hosts="true"
        –credential_type="type"
        -role="role"

Associating Storage Scripts

You can associate storage scripts (created in "Creating Storage Scripts") for the Oracle Site Guard operation workflow.

You can associate the storage scripts using one of the following options:

• Associating Storage Scripts Using Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Console

• Associating Storage Scripts Using EMCLI Commands

emcli create_siteguard_script
        -system_name="system_name"
        -operation="operation_name"
        -script_type="Mount"
        -host_name="name of the host"
        -path="path of the script"
        -all_hosts= "true"
        –credential_type="type" 

emcli create_siteguard_script
        -system_name="system_name"
        -operation="operation_name"
        -script_type= "UnMount"
        -host_name="name of the host"
        -path="path of the script"
        -all_hosts="true"
        –credential_type="type"

emcli create_siteguard_script
        -system_name="system_name"
        -operation="operation_name"
        -script_type="Storage-Switchover"
        -host_name="name of the host"
        -path="path of the script"
       -all_hosts="true"
       –credential_type="type"

emcli create_siteguard_script
        -system_name="system_name"
        -operation="operation_name"
        -script_type="Storage-Failover"
        -host_name="name of the host"
        -path="path of the script"
        -all_hosts="true"
        –credential_type="type"

Creating an Operation Plan

You can create an operation plan by running the following emcli commands in the command-line interface:

For switchover or failover operations:

emcli create_operation_plan
        -name="name"
        -primary_system_name="primary_system_name"
        -standby_system_name="standby_system_name"
        -operation_plan="operation_name"

For starting or stopping a site:

emcli create_operation_plan
        -name="name"
        -system_name="name"
        -operation_plan="operation_name"

For a sample of the emcli command for creating an operation plan using the command-line interface, see Example F-2 in Appendix F, "create_operation_plan".

Updating an Operation Plan

You can update an operation plan as follows:

• Changing Execution Orders

• Updating Execution Modes

• Disabling a Step

• Updating Error Modes

Changing Execution Orders

You can modify the order in which the steps are executed in an operation plan. For example, you can start the Oracle Identity Manager domain before starting any other Oracle WebLogic Server domain in a site or the order of an individual step in an operation plan, by running the following emcli command in the command-line interface:

emcli update_operation_plan
         -name="plan_name"
         -step_number="7"
         -move="Up"

Updating Execution Modes

The execution mode determines whether the steps pertaining to a target type in the site runs in parallel (executed simultaneously) or in serial mode. The execution mode can be either Serial or Parallel. You can update the execution mode by running the following emcli command in the command-line interface:

emcli update_operation_plan 
         –name=”plan_name” 
         –step_number=”2”  
         –execution_mode=”Parallel”

Disabling a Step

You can disable any step in the operation plan by running the following emcli command in the command-line interface:

emcli update_operation_plan 
         –name=”plan_name” 
         –step_number=”2”  
         –enabled=”false”

Updating Error Modes

For more information, see "Updating Error Modes in an Operation Plan".

Running Precheck Utility

Oracle Site Guard automatically runs the precheck utility before performing any operation. You can also run the precheck utility separately, before executing any Oracle Site Guard operations. Oracle Site Guard performs the following prechecks:

• Checks whether the Fusion Middleware Farms running on the primary is down before performing a failover operation.

• Checks the agent status on all hosts involved in the operation.

• Checks if any new targets are added to the generic system after the operation plan is created.

• Checks whether all targets involved in the operation plan exist in the Enterprise Manager repository.

• Detects if any targets are moved out or deleted from the generic system after the operation plan is created.

• Asserts the existence of all configured scripts (pre/post/mount/unmount/storage role reversal) on their respective target hosts.

• Runs Oracle Data Guard Broker prechecks to ascertain whether the Database is ready for role reversal (for switchover/failover operation)

• Performs Database Role Checks

You must run the following emcli command in the command-line interface:

emcli run_prechecks
       -operation_plan="operation_plan_name"

You can also monitor the status of a precheck operation using Enterprise Manager Cloud Control.

Submitting an Operation Plan

You must submit an operation plan by running the following emcli command in the command-line interface:

emcli submit_operation_plan
        -name="operation plan_name" 
       [-run_prechecks={true|false}]

Monitoring an Operation Plan

To monitor an operation plan submitted for execution, complete the following steps:

1. Log in to Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Console as an EM_CLOUD_ADMINISTRATOR user.

2. Click Enterprise > Provisioning and Patching > Procedure Activity.

   The Provisioning page is displayed.

3. Click the Procedure Activity tab.

get_instance_status_instance="GUID"

emcli get_instances 
       -type="SiteGuard"

Error Modes

You can define the following error modes for individual targets in a step for any given operation plan:

• Stop Error Mode

• Continue Error Mode

Stop Error Mode

The execution flow stops if the step fails. The status of the step becomes Action Required. You must manually confirm this failure from Enterprise Manager Cloud Control console to restart the execution. The execution flow continues after the confirmation, but the failed step is not retried. The failed step can be retried at the job level from the console but the status of the retry operation is not reflected at the target level status or at the top-level step status. This is the default error mode. See Figure 30-3 and Figure 30-4.

Figure 30-3 Status Details

Description of "Figure 30-3 Status Details"

Figure 30-4 Stop Error Mode

Description of "Figure 30-4 Stop Error Mode"

Continue Error Mode

In this error mode, execution flow continues even if the step fails. The status of the step shows Failed, but the operation continues and the top-level step status shows Completed with Errors. Figure 30-5 shows an example of continue error mode.

Figure 30-5 Continue Error Mode

Description of "Figure 30-5 Continue Error Mode"

Updating Error Modes in an Operation Plan

You can update the error modes in an operation plan by running the following emcli command in the command-line interface:

emcli update_operation_plan
        -name="plan_name"
        -step_number={step number}
        -target_host={host name}
        -error_mode={error mode}

Figure 30-6 shows an example of a user-defined operation plan.

Figure 30-6 Updating Error Mode

Description of "Figure 30-6 Updating Error Mode"

Retrying a Failed Operation

To retry a failed operation, complete the following steps:

1. Log in to Enterprise Manager Cloud Control Console as an EM_CLOUD_ADMINISTRATOR user.

2. Click Enterprise > Provisioning and Patching > Procedure Activity.

   The Provisioning page is displayed.

3. Click the Procedure Activity tab.

4. Select the failed operation, and click Action Required.

5. In Embedded Procedure Step, click Action Required.

6. Select the failed operation, and click Failed.

7. In Target, select the failed operation, and click Failed.

8. Switch to Classic View.

9. Click Enterprise > Provisioning and Patching > Procedure Activity Credentials.

10. Click Procedure Activity.

11. Select the failed operation, and click Action Required.

12. In Embedded Procedure Step, click Action Required.

13. Select the failed operation, and click Action Required.

14. Click Confirm.

Stopping a Site

To stop a site, run the following emcli command in the command-line interface:

emcli submit_operation_plan 
              -name="stop-site1" 
              -run_prechecks="true"

Starting a Site

To start a site, run the following emcli command in the command-line interface:

emcli submit_operation_plan 
             -name="start-site1" 
             -run_prechecks="true"

Performing Site Switchover

To perform a site switchover, run the following emcli command in the command-line interface:

emcli submit_operation_plan 
        -name="switchover-site1"
        -run_prechecks="true" 

Performing Site Failover

To perform a site failover, run the following emcli command in the command-line interface:

emcli submit_operation_plan 
        -name="failover-site1"
        -run_prechecks="true" 

After performing a failover operation, you must manually reinstate the database manually. For more information, see "How to Reinstate a Database" in the Oracle Data Guard Broker.