Some Best Practices in Configuring your RMAN Backup with Exadata

1-Do not use internal parameters _backup_ksfq_bufsz and _backup_ksfq_bufcnt if your database is newer than 11.2.0.2. These parameters are set automatically after this release

2-Try to use between 2 and 8 channels per instance while backing up your database

3-For incremental backups, use FILESPERSET 1. It will be better when restoring single files

4-Create a service to use in your backups. For example, BAKUP service_name.

Best Regards,
Paulo Portugal

12.1.2.3.0 Exadata - Quorum Disks - Increase the availability of your Voting and CRS Files

If you have a QH of EH and want to increase the availability of your voting and css files, you can do so by multiplexing them in DB Nodes using a new feature called QUORUM Disks.

All the steps necessary are described here:

https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E50790_01/doc/doc.121/e51951/db_server.htm#DBMMN22700


They are done using the quorumdiskmgr found at /opt/oracle.SupportTools

1. # /opt/oracle.SupportTools/quorumdiskmgr --create --config --owner=grid --group=oinstall --network-iface-list="ib0, ib1"

Best Regard,
Paulo Portugal

Thew db_performance_profile parameter - IORM Exadata 12.1.2.1.0 and above

The new PROFILE type of IORM on versions above 12.1.2.1.0 make things simple:

CellCLI> ALTER IORMPLAN DBPLAN=(
(name=dimond, share=10, limit=100, type=profile),
(name=gold, share=5, limit=60, type=profile),
(name=silver, share=1, limit=20, type=profile))


Go to your database and run this change:

SQL> alter system set db_performance_profile=gold scope=spfile;


With that we do not need to specify/change plan directives every time we create new databases.

Best Regards,
Paulo Portugal

Increasing your Capacity-on-Demand on Database Servers - Exadata

If you want to increase the number of licensed cores in your DB Servers you can use this command below:

resourceControl -capacity_on_demand {display | disable | enable}
[-cores number_of_cores] [-force]


Remember that you cannot decrease once you increase this number.

Best Regards,
Paulo Portugal

Exadata I/O Instance Capping

A great feature to use in newer versions of Exadata is I/O Latency Capping. Together with this configuration example "CellCLI> ALTER CELL iotimeoutthreshold = '5s'"  you can told your Exa to point to a block mirror that is in a faster disk. Do not set it before checking your I/O information in AWR and other tools/commands. Best Regards,


Paulo Portugal

Installing the Backup Module of ZDLRA is simple

1-Download the file at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/availability/oracle-zdlra-backup-module-2279224.html


2-Unzip and install using this command example that you can find in README.txt file

% java -jar ra_install.jar  -dbUser joe -dbPass Oracle
   -serviceName DBS.REGRESS.RDBMS.DEV.US.ORACLE.COM
   -host slc08uth.us.oracle.com
  -walletDir $ORACLE_HOME/dbs/ra_wallet  -libDir $ORACLE_HOME/lib/
  -proxyHost www-proxy.smallcompany.com
Recovery Appliance Install Tool, build 2014-08-07
Recovery Appliance credentials are valid.
Recovery Appliance wallet created in directory /orclhome/dbs/ra_wallet.
Recovery Appliance initialization file /orclhome/dbs/rat1.ora created.
Downloading Recovery Appliance Software Library from file ra_linux64.zip.
Download complete.
Extracted file /orclhome/lib/libra.so

That's it.

You finished this step.

Best Regards,
Paulo Portugal

The new restore control file restore from service

Now we can restore a control file from service using a simple command:

RMAN> RESTORE STANDBY CONTROLFILE FROM SERVICE SOURCEMASTER;

Best Regards,

Paulo Portugal