Managing Oracle RAC with the asnodename option

Answer

In prior releases of the Data Protection for Oracle, it was required to set specific values in multiple options files to support an Oracle RAC environment. For example, in order for Data Protection for Oracle to communicate with the Tivoli Storage Manager Server from multiple hosts, Data Protection for Oracle had to be installed and configured on one of the hosts and then the same settings had to be duplicated on the other hosts. This duplication required setting and managing options in the Data Protection for Oracle options file, the Tivoli Storage Manager API options file, and password files. Managing multiple options files and settings increased the potential for problems to occur, such as when passwords expired on the Tivoli Storage Manager Server. In such a situation, the password had to be updated on the failing node and the user was required to be proactive in remembering that this password update had to be performed on all other Data Protection for Oracle nodes in this shared environment.

There are two Tivoli Storage Manager technologies that will help alleviate the issues stated above and allow users to more easily support these environments: Tivoli Storage Manager asnodename and passwordaccess generate. Detailed information regarding the asnodename option is available online in the Tivoli Information Center. See "Chapter 4: Understanding interoperability: Backup with client node proxy support" in the IBM Tivoli Storage Manager: Using the Application Program Interface 7.1 publication. Detailed information regarding passwordaccess generate support is available online in the Tivoli Information Center. See "Chapter 3: Configuring Data Protection for Oracle" in the IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for Databases: Data Protection for Oracle for UNIX and Linux Installation and User's Guide 7.1 publication.

It is assumed (for purposes of this document) that these suggestions are applied to all future tasks and is not intended to be used as a guide for data already backed up using older option settings or methods.

This configuration requires a minimum of three defined Tivoli Storage Manager node names: one is a symbolic Tivoli Storage Manager node defined as the asnodename and two (or more) real Data Protection for Oracle nodes. By configuring Data Protection for Oracle in this manner, the Data Protection for Oracle nodes can access the data backed up with the node name defined as the asnodename. Note that in this situation, the TDPO_FS option must be set with identical values for all Data Protection for Oracle nodes involved in the Tivoli Storage Manager asnodename environment.

One of the most significant advantages of using the asnodename option is that each Data Protection for Oracle node manages its own password independent of the other nodes. This is especially important in an Oracle RAC environment where the RMAN backups are typically issued from one designated Oracle target database and the other Oracle target database is only used for failover purposes.

In order to make use of this setup, add the 'asnodename' option to the Data Protection for Oracle server stanza in the dsm.opt (on Windows) or dsm.sys (on UNIX and Linux) file and configure Data Protection for Oracle to use 'passwordaccess generate'.

The following is an example of the configuration and options files:

Node names used:
DPOracle_ASNODE - the symbolic Tivoli Storage Manager client node
DPOracle_HOSTA - a Data Protection for Oracle node with proxy authority to DPOracle_ASNODE
DPOracle_HOSTB - another Data Protection for Oracle node with proxy authority to DPOracle_ASNODE

Tivoli Storage Manager Server configuration
* register the nodes
register DPOracle_ASNODE asnodePswd
register DPOracle_HOSTA hostaPswd
register DPOracle_HOSTB hostbPswd
* define the nodes to have proxy agent authority
grant proxynode target=DPOracle_ASNODE agent=DPOracle_HOSTA
grant proxynode target=DPOracle_ASNODE agent=DPOracle_HOSTB

HOST A configuration
tdpo.opt
*********************************************************************
* IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for Databases
* Data Protection for Oracle
*********************************************************************
DSMI_ORC_CONFIG /usr/tivoli/tsm/client/oracle/bin64/dsm.opt
DSMI_LOG /home/oracle10g
TDPO_FS orc10_db

dsm.opt
*********************************************************************
* IBM Tivoli Storage Manager
* Application Program Interface dsm.opt
*********************************************************************
Servername MyFavoriteTSMServer

dsm.sys
*********************************************************************
* IBM Tivoli Storage Manager dsm.sys
*********************************************************************
Servername MyFavoriteTSMServer
COMMMethod TCPip
TCPPort 1500
TCPServeraddress my.favorite.tsm.server.com
passwordaccess generate
nodename DPOracle_HOSTA
passworddir /home/oracle10g
asnodename DPOracle_ASNODE


HOST B configuration
tdpo.opt
*********************************************************************
* IBM Tivoli Storage Manager for Databases
* Data Protection for Oracle
*********************************************************************
DSMI_ORC_CONFIG /usr/tivoli/tsm/client/oracle/bin64/dsm.opt
DSMI_LOG /home/oracle10g
TDPO_FS orc10_db

dsm.opt
*********************************************************************
* IBM Tivoli Storage Manager
* Application Program Interface dsm.opt
*********************************************************************
Servername MyFavoriteTSMServer

dsm.sys
*********************************************************************
* IBM Tivoli Storage Manager dsm.sys
*********************************************************************
Servername MyFavoriteTSMServer
COMMMethod TCPip
TCPPort 1500
TCPServeraddress my.favorite.tsm.server.com
passwordaccess generate
nodename DPOracle_HOSTB
passworddir /home/oracle10g
asnodename DPOracle_ASNODE