HP Serviceguard Extension for RAC (SGeRAC) SGeRAC Toolkit for Oracle RAC 10g or later, Background

4 SGeRAC Toolkit for Oracle RAC 10g or later

Introduction

This chapter discusses how Serviceguard Extension for RAC Toolkit enables a new framework for the integration of Oracle 10g Release 2 (10.2.0.1) or later version of Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC1) with HP Serviceguard Extension for Real Application Clusters A.11.17 or later (SGeRAC2).

SGeRAC Toolkit leverages the multi-node package and simple package dependency features introduced by HP Serviceguard (SG) A.11.17 to provide a uniform, easy-to-manage and intuitive method for coordinating the operation of the combined software stack across the full range of storage management options supported by SGeRAC.

As background to the discussion of the Toolkit, the following is reviewed:

•The coordination issues, pertaining to the combined stack, that the toolkit addresses.

•The features in SGeRAC that enable the framework.

The discussion of SGeRAC begins with the reasons why the Toolkit uses the SG/SGeRAC multi-node package and simple package dependency features. Next, there is an outline of the flow of control during startup and shutdown of the combined stack using SGeRAC. This is followed by a description of how the Toolkit interacts both with Oracle RAC and with the storage management subsystems. Then, the SGeRAC internal file structure is discussed. Lastly, the SGeRAC benefits are listed.

HP recommends to use SGeRAC toolkit for the following reasons:

The SGeRAC Toolkit ensures the following:

•RAC database will not run unless the Oracle CRS is running.

•CRS package will not try to come up before it's required dependency package like SG CFS mount point and disk group packages comes up. That is how SGeRAC toolkit enforces the proper dependencies.

•The storage needed for the operation of Oracle Clusterware is activated before Oracle Clusterware processes are started.

•The storage needed for the operation of a RAC database instance is activated before the RAC database instance is started.

•Oracle Clusterware and the RAC database instance are halted before deactivating the storage needed by these two entities, while halting these packages or SGeRAC nodes.

Background

Coordinating the Oracle RAC/Serviceguard Extension for RAC stack

The Oracle 10g and later database server offers a built-in feature called Oracle Clusterware which builds highly available RAC and single instance databases in clustered configurations. Since the release of Oracle 10g, HP has recommended a combined SGeRAC/Oracle Clusterware configuration for RAC deployments on HP-UX 11i.3 In this combined environment, the responsibilities of SGeRAC include the following:

•Provide cluster membership information to the Oracle Clusterware CSS (Cluster Synchronization Service) daemon.

•Provide clustered storage to meet the needs of Oracle Clusterware and RAC database instances.

•The Oracle Clusterware quorum voting and registry devices can be configured as shared raw logical volumes managed by SGeRAC using Shared Logical Volume Manager (SLVM) or Cluster Volume Manager (CVM) or, beginning with SGeRAC A.11.17, as shared files managed by SGeRAC using the Cluster File System (CFS). Beginning with Oracle 11gR2 release, Oracle

80 SGeRAC Toolkit for Oracle RAC 10g or later