Install guide

Chapter 3. Software Installation and Configuration
A Cluster is a complex arrangement of bits and pieces that, once combined with the software
configuration, produces a highly available platform for mission critical Oracle databases. We probably
can’t repeat that often enough, but complexity is public enemy #1. Clusters, by definition, are complex.
When clusters are poorly configured, they completely defeat the purpose for which they were originally
sought: high availability.
The software components of a cluster combine with a particular set of hardware components to often
produce a unique platform that could fail because it was not fully tested in this specific configuration.
This is the just the reality of the modern enterprise. Under abnormal operation conditions (when you
most want the cluster most to work), it is safe to say that no two clusters are alike in their ability to
produce conditions that might cause instability. Do not assume that your unique combination of hardware
and software has ever existed, let alone been tested in some mythical, multi-vendor testing lab. T orture it
before you put it into production.
The steps outlined in this chapter assume one node at a time, and most of the process simply replicates
to each node.
3.1. RHEL Server Base
Some customers install every last package onto an Oracle database server, because that simplifies their
process. Some Oracle customers have been known to hand build kernels and delete every non-
essential package, with everybody else in between.
For our sanity (and we hope, yours), we install the minimum set of RPM groups that are necessary to run
Red Hat Cluster Suite and Oracle Enterprise Edition.
The following shows the kickstart file for:
HP Proliant server, with iLO, Storageworks controller, outboard e1000, and Qlogic 2300 series FCP
HBA.
You should take the following into account when considering what sofware components to install.
This example is an NFS-based install. As always, no two kickstart files are the same.
Customers often use auto-allocation, which creates a single logical volume to create partitions. It is
not necessary to separate the root directories into separate mounts. A 6GB root partition is probably
overkill for an Oracle node. In either install configuration, ORACLE_HOME must be installed on an
external LUN. ORA_CRS_HOME (Oracle Clusterware for RAC/GFS) must be installed on a local
partition on each node. T he example below is from our RAC/GFS node.
Only the groups listed below are required. All other packages and groups are included at the
customer’s discretion.
SELINUX must be disabled for all releases of Oracle, except 11gR2.
Firewalls are disabled, and not required (customer discretion).
Deadline I/O scheduling is generally recommended, but some warehouse workloads might benefit
from other algorithms.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Configuration Example - Oracle HA on Cluster Suite
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