Cloning Oracle RAC databases

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After you share the FlashCopy® repository, configuration and binary files, an Oracle RAC database clone can be created from every node of the Oracle RAC cluster. IBM® Storage Protect Snapshot can operate on the clone from all RAC nodes, so that a clone created on one RAC node can be inquired, refreshed, or deleted from any other node within the RAC cluster.

Before you begin

For information about how to share the FlashCopy repository, configuration and binary files, see Preparing Oracle RAC.

About this task

There are multiple options for the clone system in an Oracle RAC multi-node architecture. While the production system is a multi-node RAC database, the installation options for the clone system include the following options:

  • A single-node non-RAC instance
  • A single-node RAC instance

To use one of the production system cluster nodes as a clone target system is not allowed. The ASM disk groups of the production system instance use the same names as the disk groups in the snapshots. This naming clash leads to a conflict.

Use the following procedure to clone Oracle RAC databases.

Procedure

  1. Choose to the preprocessing scripts for cloning when you are creating or refreshing a clone.
  2. Type in one of the following commands to clone the database:
    • -f create_clone if you are creating a clone.
    • -f refresh_clone if you are refreshing a clone.
  3. Type in one of the following commands to work with the clone:
    • -f inquire_clone if you are querying a clone.
    • -f delete_clone if you are deleting a clone.

What to do next

IBM Storage Protect Snapshot uses a PFILE for initialization on the single-node RAC clone target server. If you intend to extend the clone target server by more nodes, you must create a shared SPFILE for all nodes of the clone target RAC cluster.

Note, in an Oracle RAC cluster, all instances must use the same SPFILE. Each local init<ORACLE_SID>.ora file contains only one entry that points to a shared server parameter file. The following instance shows an example:

SPFILE='+disk_group_name/dbunique_name/spfiledbname.ora'

For more information about adding RAC nodes to the created clone database, see the Oracle information here http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E11882_01/rac.112/e41960/adddelunix.htm .