What's New in Data Guard Broker?

This section describes new features of Oracle9i Data Guard broker release 2 (9.2) and provides pointers to additional information.

Oracle9i Release 2 (9.2) New Features in Data Guard Broker

Oracle9i Data Guard Release 2 (9.2) provides several new features that enhance your ability to centrally control, manage, and monitor a broker configuration. In particular, release 2 introduces support for logical standby databases as well as providing significant enhancements to the existing support for physical standby databases and Data Guard broker components.

This release provides the following new features:

• Support for logical standby databases

  The Data Guard broker configures, controls, manages, and monitors a logical standby database in much the same way as is done for a physical standby database.

• Support for multiple standby sites

  A supported broker configuration in release 1 (9.0.1) supported a primary site and a single physical standby site. Now, there is support for up to nine standby sites for each broker configuration. Furthermore, support includes a mix of standby databases (both physical and logical standby databases) in a single broker configuration.

  Note: This release of Data Guard broker does not support Real Application Clusters environments. Data Guard broker cannot be enabled if the database instance is part of a Real Application Clusters configuration.

• Support for switchover and failover operations

  The Data Guard broker makes it very easy to switchover or failover the role of the primary site and database to one of the standby sites. The new Switchover and Failover wizards in Data Guard Manager and the new SWITCHOVER and FAILOVER commands available with the Data Guard command-line interface essentially reduce these complex tasks to push-button operations.

• Support for data protection modes

  You can dynamically tune the configuration to balance data protection levels and application performance to maximize data protection, maximize availability, or maximize performance.

• Support for the following monitorable database properties:

  InconsistentLogXptProps (Inconsistent Log Transport Properties)

  InconsistentProperties (Inconsistent Database Properties)

  LogXptStatus (Log Transport Status)

  LsbyFailedTxnInfo (Logical Standby Failed Transaction Information)

  LsbyParameters (Logical Standby Parameters)

  LsbySkipTable (Logical Standby Skip Table)

  LsbySkipTxnTable (Logical Standby Skip Transaction Table)

  SbyLogQueue (Standby Log Queue)

  SendQEntries (Send Queue Entries)

• Support for the following configurable database properties:

  Alternate

  ApplyNext

  ApplyNoDelay

  ApplyParallel

  ArchiveLagTarget

  AsyncBlocks

  Binding

  DbFileNameConvert

  DelayMins

  Dependency

  LogArchiveFormat

  LogArchiveMaxProcesses

  LogArchiveMinSucceedDest

  LogArchiveTrace

  LogFileNameConvert

  LogShipping

  LogXptMode

  LsbyASkipCfgPr

  LsbyASkipErrorCfgPr

  LsbyASkipTxnCfgPr

  LsbyDSkipCfgPr

  LsbyDSkipErrorCfgPr

  LsbyDSkipTxnCfgPr

  LsbyMaxEventsRecorded

  LsbyMaxSga

  LsbyMaxServers

  LsbyRecordAppliedDdl

  LsbyRecordSkipDdl

  LsbyRecordSkipErrors

  LsbyTxnConsistency

  MaxFailure

  ReopenSecs

  StandbyArchiveDest

  StandbyFileManagement

• Data Guard configuration file enhancements

In release 1, the Data Guard configuration file was named automatically for you using the operating system default name. Beginning with release 2, you can override the default name by setting the DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILEn (where n is number 1 or 2) initialization parameters:

DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE1
DG_BROKER_CONFIG_FILE2

See Also: Section 1.6.2, "Configuration Management"

• Data Guard Manager enhancements
  • Support for all of the new features for this release, including logical standby support, support for multiple standby sites, support for switchover and failover operations, support for new and changed database properties.
  • New wizards to add a site, perform switchover operations, and to perform failover operations.
  • View Log--The Data Guard Manager View Log feature allows remote viewing of database alert logs and Data Guard broker configuration logs.
  • Performance monitoring and testing capabilities--A new Performance Chart page shows a graphical summary of how far behind and how much redo data is being generated and applied to the standby databases in the broker configuration. You can choose to display bar, line, grid, and pie charts.

    Note: You must upgrade to Oracle Enterprise Manager Release 9.2 to manage a broker configuration running Oracle9i Data Guard Release 2 (9.2): Oracle9i Data Guard Release 2 (9.2) is incompatible with Data Guard Manager and the Data Guard command-line interface Release 1 (9.0.1). Oracle9i Data Guard Release 1 (9.0.1) is incompatible with Data Guard Manager and the Data Guard command-line interface Release 2 (9.2).

• CLI enhancements
  • Support for logical standby databases, multiple standby sites, switchover and failover operations, new and changed database properties.
  • New SWITCHOVER and FAILOVER commands for the Data Guard command-line interface.
  • Detects unfinished command lines and prompts you for more input. For example, the following command requires a semicolon to end the command:

    DGMGRL> ALTER SITE 'Primary' SET STATE=OFFLINE
    >;
    

This release provides the following changed or removed features:

• Renamed the ArchiveDestDependency property to Dependency property.
• Removed the FAL_SERVER and FAL_CLIENT properties; these are managed automatically by Data Guard broker.
• Renamed the DRS_START initialization parameter to DG_BROKER_START.
• Requires that you must use the persistent server initialization parameter file (SPFILE) to control static and dynamic initialization parameters.
• Removed the distinction between critical and noncritical properties.