2 Database and Environment Preconfiguration

This chapter describes database and network environment preconfiguration required by the Oracle Business Intelligence enterprise topology, as well as recommendations for shared storage and directory structure.

Important:

Oracle strongly recommends that you read Oracle Fusion Middleware Release Notes for any additional installation and deployment considerations before starting the setup process.

This chapter contains the following topics:

2.1 Database Environment Preconfiguration

You must install a database and then load the Oracle Business Intelligence schemas into it before you can configure the Oracle Fusion Middleware components. You load the Oracle Business Intelligence schemas using the Repository Creation Utility (RCU).

For the enterprise topology, an Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) database is highly recommended to achieve a highly available data tier. When you install Oracle Business Intelligence, the installer prompts you to enter the information for connecting to the database that contains the required schemas.

This section covers the following topics:

2.1.1 Setting Up the Database

Before loading the Oracle Business Intelligence schemas into your database, ensure that the database meets the requirements described in the following sections:

2.1.1.1 Database Host Requirements

On the hosts CUSTDBHOST1 and CUSTDBHOST2 in the data tier, note the following requirements:

  • Oracle Clusterware

    For 11g Release 1 (11.1) for Linux, refer to Oracle Clusterware Installation Guide for Linux.

  • Oracle Real Application Clusters

    For 11g Release 1 (11.1) for Linux, refer to Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide for Linux and UNIX. For 10g Release 2 (10.2) for Linux, refer to Oracle Database Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide for Linux.

  • Automatic Storage Management (optional)

    ASM is installed for the node as a whole. It is recommended that you install it in a separate Oracle home from the Oracle Database Oracle home. You can select this option when running the runInstaller. In the Select Configuration page, select the Configure Automatic Storage Management option to create a separate Oracle home for ASM.

2.1.1.2 Supported Database Versions

Oracle Business Intelligence requires the presence of a supported database and schemas. To check if your database is certified or to see all certified databases, refer to the "Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g Release 1 (11.1.1.x)" product area on the Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations page on the Oracle Technology Network at:

http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/products/ias/files/fusion_certification.html

To check the release of your database, you can query the PRODUCT_COMPONENT_VERSION view as follows:

Example 2-1

SQL> SELECT VERSION FROM SYS.PRODUCT_COMPONENT_VERSION WHERE PRODUCT LIKE '%Oracle%';

Note:

The database you use as the Oracle Business Intelligence supporting database (either Oracle Database 10g or 11g) must support the AL32UTF8 character set. Check the database documentation for information on choosing a character set for the database.

2.1.1.3 Database Services

Oracle recommends using the Oracle Enterprise Manager Cluster Managed Services Page to create database services that client applications can use to connect to the database. For complete instructions on creating database services, see the chapter on workload management in the Oracle Database Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment Guide.

You can also use SQL*Plus to configure the database services, as follows:

  1. Use the CREATE_SERVICE subprogram to create the biedg.mycompany.com database service. Log onto SQL*Plus as the SYSDBA user and run the following command:

    SQL> EXECUTE DBMS_SERVICE.CREATE_SERVICE (SERVICE_NAME => 'biedg.mycompany.com', NETWORK_NAME => 'biedg.mycompany.com');
    
  2. Add the service to the database and assign it to the instances using srvctl:

    prompt> srvctl add service -d custdb -s biedg -r custdb1,custdb2
    
  3. Start the service using srvctl:

    prompt> srvctl start service -d custdb -s biedg
    

Note:

For more information about the SRVCTL command, see Oracle Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment Guide.

Oracle recommends that a specific database service be used for a product suite even when they share the same database. It is also recommended that the database service used is different than the default database service. In this case, the database is custdb.mycompany.com and the default service is one with the same name. The Oracle Business Intelligence installer is configured to use the service biedg.mycompany.com.

2.1.2 Loading the Oracle Business Intelligence Schemas in the Oracle RAC Database

Perform these steps to load the Oracle Business Intelligence schemas into your database:

  1. Insert the Repository Creation Utility (RCU) DVD, and then start RCU from the bin directory in the RCU home directory.

    prompt> cd RCU_HOME/bin
    prompt> ./rcu
    
  2. In the Welcome screen, click Next.

  3. In the Create Repository screen, select Create to load component schemas into a database. Click Next.

  4. In the Database Connection Details screen, enter connect information for your database:

    • Database Type: Select Oracle Database.

    • Host Name: Specify the name of the node on which the database resides. For the Oracle RAC database, specify the VIP name or one of the node names as the host name: CUSTDBHOST1-VIP.

    • Port: Specify the listen port number for the database: 1521.

    • Service Name: Specify the service name of the database (biedg.mycompany.com).

    • Username: Specify the name of the user with DBA or SYSDBA privileges: SYS.

    • Password: Enter the password for the SYS user.

    • Role: Select the database user's role from the list: SYSDBA (required by the SYS user).

    Click Next.

  5. In the Select Components screen, do the following:

    • Select Create a new Prefix, and then enter a prefix to use for the database schemas (for example, DEV or PROD). You can specify up to six characters as a prefix. Prefixes are used to create logical groupings of multiple repositories in a database. For more information, see Oracle Fusion Middleware Repository Creation Utility User's Guide.

      Tip:

      Note the name of the schema, because the upcoming steps require this information.
    • Select the following components:

      • AS Common Schemas: Metadata Services (automatically selected)

      • Oracle Business Intelligence: Business Intelligence Platform

    Click Next.

    Figure 2-1 shows the Select Components screen.

    Figure 2-1 Repository Creation Utility Select Components Screen

    Description of Figure 2-1 follows
    Description of "Figure 2-1 Repository Creation Utility Select Components Screen"

  6. In the Schema Passwords screen, enter passwords for the main schema users, and click Next.

    You can choose either Use same passwords for all schemas or Specify different passwords for all schemas, depending on your requirements.

    Do not select Use main schema passwords for auxiliary schemas. The auxiliary passwords are derived from the passwords of the main schema users.

    Tip:

    Note the names of the schema passwords, because the upcoming steps require this information.
  7. In the Map Tablespaces screen, choose the tablespaces for the selected components, and click Next.

  8. In the Summary screen, click Create.

  9. In the Completion Summary screen, click Close.

Note:

Oracle recommends using the database used for identity management (see Chapter 9, "Integrating with Oracle Identity Management") to store the Oracle WSM policies. It is therefore expected that you will use the identity management database information for the OWSM MDS schemas, which will be different from the one used for the rest of the BI schemas. To create the required schemas in the identity management database, repeat the preceding steps using the identity management database information, but select only "AS Common Schemas: Metadata Services" in the Select Components screen (step 5).

2.1.3 Backing Up the Database

After you have loaded the Oracle Business Intelligence schemas in your database, you should make a backup.

Backing up the database enables you to quickly recover from any issues that may occur in subsequent steps. You can choose to use your database backup strategy for this purpose, or you can simply make a backup using operating system tools or Oracle Recovery Manager (RMAN). It is recommended that you use RMAN for the database, particularly if the database was created using Oracle ASM. If possible, you can also perform a cold backup using operating system tools such as tar.

2.2 Network Environment Preconfiguration

You must ensure that every computer where you plan to run Oracle Business Intelligence can access (ping) the primary host computer of your cluster using its fully qualified domain name. For the installation to succeed, every computer on which you scale out your installation must be able to support bidirectional communication with the Administration Server on the cluster's primary host.

This section contains the following topics:

2.2.1 Virtual Server Names

The BI enterprise topology uses the following virtual server names:

  • bi.mycompany.com

  • admin.mycompany.com

  • biinternal.mycompany.com

Ensure that the virtual server names are associated with IP addresses and are part of your DNS. The nodes running Oracle Fusion Middleware must be able to resolve these virtual server names.

2.2.1.1 bi.mycompany.com

bi.mycompany.com is a virtual server name that acts as the access point for all HTTP traffic to the run-time Oracle BI components. Traffic to SSL is configured. Clients access this service using the address bi.mycompany.com:443. This virtual server is defined on the load balancer.

2.2.1.2 admin.mycompany.com

admin.mycompany.com is a virtual server name that acts as the access point for all internal HTTP traffic that is directed to administration services such as Oracle WebLogic Administration Server Console and Oracle Enterprise Manager.

The incoming traffic from clients is not SSL-enabled. Clients access this service using the address admin.mycompany.com:80 and the requests are forwarded to port 7777 on WEBHOST1 and WEBHOST2. This virtual server is defined on the load balancer.

2.2.1.3 biinternal.mycompany.com

biinternal.mycompany.com is a virtual server name used for internal invocation of BI services. This URL is not exposed to the internet and is only accessible from the intranet.

The incoming traffic from clients is not SSL-enabled. Clients access this service using the address biinternal.mycompany.com:80 and the requests are forwarded to port 7777 on WEBHOST1 and WEBHOST2. This virtual server is defined on the load balancer.

2.2.2 Load Balancers

This enterprise topology uses an external load balancer. For more information on load balancers, see Chapter 4, "Configuring the Web Tier."

Note:

The Oracle Technology Network (http://www.oracle.com/technology) provides a list of validated load balancers and their configuration at:

http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/ias/hi_av/Tested_LBR_FW_SSLAccel.html

Configuring the Load Balancer

Perform these steps to configure the load balancer:

  1. Create a pool of servers. You will assign this pool to virtual servers.

  2. Add the addresses of the Oracle HTTP Server hosts to the pool. For example:

    • WEBHOST1:7777

    • WEBHOST2:7777

  3. Configure a virtual server in the load balancer for bi.mycompany.com:443.

    • For this virtual server, use your system's frontend address as the virtual server address (for example, bi.mycompany.com). The frontend address is the externally facing host name used by your system and that will be exposed in the Internet.

    • Configure this virtual server with port 80 and port 443. Any request that goes to port 80 should be redirected to port 443.

    • Specify HTTP as the protocol.

    • Enable address and port translation.

    • Enable reset of connections when services and/or nodes are down.

    • Assign the pool created in step 1 to the virtual server.

    • Create rules to filter out access to /console and /em on this virtual server.

  4. Configure a virtual server in the load balancer for admin.mycompany.com:80.

    • For this virtual server, use your internal administration address as the virtual server address (for example, admin.mycompany.com). This address is typically not externalized.

    • Specify HTTP as the protocol.

    • Enable address and port translation.

    • Enable reset of connections when services and/or nodes are down.

    • Optionally, create rules to allow access only to /console and /em on this virtual server.

    • Assign the pool created in step 1 to the virtual server.

  5. Configure a virtual server in the load balancer for biinternal.mycompany.com:80.

    • For this virtual server, use your internal administration address as the virtual server address (for example, biinternal.mycompany.com). This address is typically not externalized.

    • Specify HTTP as the protocol.

    • Enable address and port translation.

    • Enable reset of connections when services and/or nodes are down.

    • Assign the pool created in step 1 to the virtual server.

    • Optionally, create rules to filter out access to /console and /em on this virtual server.

  6. Configure monitors for the Oracle HTTP Server nodes to detect failures in these nodes.

    • Set up a monitor to regularly ping the "/" URL context.

      Tip:

      Use GET /\n\n instead if the Oracle HTTP Server's document root does not include index.htm and Oracle WebLogic Server returns a 404 error for "/".
    • For the ping interval, specify a value that does not overload your system. You can try 5 seconds as a starting point.

    • For the timeout period, specify a value that can account for the longest response time that you can expect from your BI system, that is, specify a value greater than the longest period of time any of your requests to HTTP servers can take.

2.2.3 IPs and Virtual IPs

Table 2-1 describes the various virtual hosts.

Table 2-1 Virtual Hosts

Virtual IP VIP Maps to... Description

VIP1

ADMINVHN

ADMINVHN is the virtual host name that is the listen address for the Administration Server and fails over with manual failover of the Administration Server. It is enabled on the node where the Administration Server process is running (APPHOST1 by default).

VIP2

APPHOST1VHN1

APPHOST1VHN1 is the virtual host name that maps to the listen address for bi_server1 and fails over with server migration of this Managed Server. It is enabled on the node where the bi_server1 process is running (APPHOST1 by default).

VIP3

APPHOST2VHN1

APPHOST2VHN1 is the virtual host name that maps to the listen address for bi_server2 and fails over with server migration of this Managed Server. It is enabled on the node where the bi_server2 process is running (APPHOST2 by default).


2.2.3.1 Enabling Virtual IPs for the Managed Servers

The BI domain uses virtual host names as the listen addresses for the Oracle Business Intelligence Managed Servers. You must enable the VIPs, mapping each of these host names on the two BI computers (VIP2 on APPHOST1 and VIP3 on APPHOST2), and they must correctly resolve to the virtual host names in the network system used by the topology (either by DNS Server or hosts resolution).

Before the Managed Servers can be configured to listen on a virtual IP Address, one of the network interface cards on the host running the Managed Server must be configured to listen on this virtual IP Address.

Perform the following steps once on each host to enable the appropriate virtual IP Address (VIP2 on APPHOST1 and VIP3 on APPHOST2). In an UNIX environment, the command must be run as the root user:

  1. On the appropriate host (APPHOST1 or APPHOST2), run the ifconfig command to get the value of the netmask. In a UNIX environment, run this command as the root user. For example, on APPHOST1:

    [root@APPHOST1 ~] # /sbin/ifconfig
    eth0     Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:11:43:D7:5B:06
         inet addr:139.185.140.51  Bcast:139.185.140.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
         inet6 addr: fe80::211:43ff:fed7:5b06/64 Scope:Link
         UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
         RX packets:10626133 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
         TX packets:10951629 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
         collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
         RX bytes:4036851474 (3.7 GiB)  TX bytes:2770209798 (2.5 GiB)
         Base address:0xecc0 Memory:dfae0000-dfb00000
    
  2. Bind the virtual IP Address to the network interface card using ifconfig. In a UNIX environment, run this command as the root user. Use a netmask value that was obtained in Step 1.

    The syntax and usage for the ifconfig command is as follows:

    /sbin/ifconfig networkCardInterface Virtual_IP_Address netmask netMask
    

    For example:

    /sbin/ifconfig eth0:1 100.200.140.206 netmask 255.255.255.0
    
  3. Update the routing table using arping. In a UNIX environment, run this command as the root user.

    /sbin/arping -q -U -c 3 -I networkCardInterface Virtual_IP_Address
    

    For example:

    /sbin/arping -q -U -c 3 -I eth0 100.200.140.206
    

See also Section 5.4.1, "Enabling ADMINVHN on APPHOST1" for information about enabling VIP1 for the Administration Server on APPHOST1.

2.2.4 Firewalls and Ports

Many Oracle Fusion Middleware components and services use ports. As an administrator, you must know the port numbers used by these services, and ensure that the same port number is not used by two services on a host.

Most port numbers are assigned during installation.

Table 2-2 lists the ports used in the Oracle BI topology, including the ports that you must open on the firewalls in the topology.

Firewall notation:

  • FW0 refers to the outermost firewall.

  • FW1 refers to the firewall between the Web tier and the application tier.

  • FW2 refers to the firewall between the application tier and the data tier.

Table 2-2 Ports Used

Type Firewall Port and Port Range Protocol / Application Inbound / Outbound Other Considerations and Timeout Guidelines

Browser request

FW0

80

HTTP / Load Balancer

Inbound

Timeout depends on all HTML content and the type of process model used for BI.

Browser request

FW0

443

HTTPS / Load Balancer

Inbound

Timeout depends on all HTML content and the type of process model used for BI.

Load balancer to Oracle HTTP Server

n/a

7777

HTTP

n/a

See Section 2.2.2, "Load Balancers."

Oracle HTTP Server registration with Administration Server

FW1

7001

HTTP/t3

Inbound

Set the timeout to a short period (5-10 seconds).

Oracle HTTP Server management by Administration Server

FW1

OPMN port (6701) and Oracle HTTP Server Admin Port (7779)

TCP and HTTP, respectively

Outbound

Set the timeout to a short period (5-10 seconds).

BI Server access

FW1

9704

HTTP/bi_servern

Inbound

Timeout varies based on the type of process model used for BI.

Communication between BI Cluster members

n/a

9704

TCP/IP Unicast

n/a

By default, this communication uses the same port as the server's listen address.

Session replication within a WebLogic Server cluster

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

By default, this communication uses the same port as the server's listen address.

Oracle WebLogic Server Administration Console access

FW1

7001

HTTP / Administration Server and Enterprise Manager

Both

You should tune this timeout based on the type of access to the Administration Console (whether you plan to use the Administration Console from application tier clients, or from clients external to the application tier).

Node Manager

n/a

9556

TCP/IP

n/a

n/a

For actual values, see "Firewalls and Ports" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Enterprise Deployment Guide for Oracle Identity Management.

Access Server access

FW1

6021

OAP

Inbound

For actual values, see "Firewalls and Ports" in Oracle Fusion Middleware Enterprise Deployment Guide for Oracle Identity Management.

Identity Server access

FW1

6022

OAP

Inbound

 

Database access

FW2

1521

SQL*Net

Both

Timeout depends on all database content and on the type of process model used for BI.

Oracle Internet Directory access

FW2

389

LDAP

Inbound

You should tune the directory server's parameters based on load balancer, and not the other way around.

Oracle Internet Directory access

FW2

636

LDAP SSL

Inbound

You should tune the directory server's parameters based on load balancer, and not the other way around.

JOC for OWSM

n/a

9991

TCP/IP

n/a

n/a


Note:

The firewall ports depend on the definition of TCP/IP ports.

2.3 Shared Storage and Recommended Directory Structure

This section details the directories and directory structure that Oracle recommends for the reference enterprise deployment topology in this guide. Other directory layouts are possible and supported, but the model adopted in this guide was chosen for maximum availability and provides the best isolation of components and symmetry in the configuration, as well as facilitating backup and disaster recovery. The rest of the document uses this directory structure and directory terminology.

This section contains the following topics:

2.3.1 Terminology for Directories and Directory Environment Variables

This enterprise deployment guide uses the following references to directory locations:

  • ORACLE_BASE: This environment variable and related directory path refers to the base directory under which Oracle products are installed.

  • MW_HOME: This environment variable and related directory path refers to the location where Oracle Fusion Middleware resides.

  • WL_HOME: This environment variable and related directory path contains installed files necessary to host an Oracle WebLogic Server.

  • ORACLE_HOME: This environment variable and related directory path refers to the directory where the binaries required to run Oracle Business Intelligence are installed.

  • ORACLE_COMMON_HOME: This environment variable and related directory path refers to the Oracle home that contains the binary and library files required for Oracle Enterprise Manager Fusion Middleware Control and Java Required Files (JRF).

  • Domain directory: This directory path refers to the location where the Oracle WebLogic domain information (configuration artifacts) is stored. Different WLS Servers can use different domain directories even when in the same node.

  • ORACLE_INSTANCE: An Oracle instance directory contains configuration files, log files, and temporary files for one or more Oracle system components (such as Oracle BI Server, Oracle BI Presentation Services, Oracle HTTP Server, and so on).

Tip:

You can simplify directory navigation by using environment variables as shortcuts to the locations in this section. For example, you could use an environment variable called $ORACLE_BASE in Linux to refer to /u01/app/oracle (that is, the recommended ORACLE_BASE location). In Windows, you would use %ORACLE_BASE% and use Windows-specific commands.

2.3.2 Recommended Locations for the Different Directories

Oracle Business Intelligence 11g supports the deployment and instantiation of multiple processes (such as Managed Servers, BI Servers, and Presentation Services servers) from a single binary installation. This capability simplifies lifecycle operations like patching, upgrade, and test-to-production, as well as scale-out operations for an Oracle Business Intelligence deployment. However, for maximum availability, Oracle recommends using redundant binary installations. In the EDG model, two Oracle Fusion Middleware homes (MW_HOME), each of which has a WL_HOME and an ORACLE_HOME for each product suite, are installed in a shared storage. Additional servers (when scaling out or up) of the same type can use either one of these two locations without requiring more installations. Ideally, users should use two different volumes (referred to as VOL1 and VOL2 below) for redundant binary location, thus isolating as much as possible the failures in each volume. For additional protection, Oracle recommends that these volumes are disk-mirrored. If multiple volumes are not available, Oracle recommends using mount points to simulate the same mount location in a different directory in the shared storage. Although this does not guarantee the protection that multiple volumes provide, it does allow protection from user deletions and individual file corruption.

When an ORACLE_HOME or a WL_HOME is shared by multiple servers on different computers, you should keep the Oracle Inventory (oraInventory) and Middleware home list on those computers up-to-date. Doing so ensures consistency when you perform future installations or apply patches. To update the oraInventory on a computer and "attach" an installation in a shared storage to it, use ORACLE_HOME/oui/bin/attachHome.sh. To update the Middleware home list to add or remove a WL_HOME, edit the user_home/bea/beahomelist file. This is required for any additional computers where Oracle Business Intelligence is installed, in addition to the two computers used in this EDG.

Oracle recommends also separating the domain directory used by the Administration Server from the domain directory used by the Managed Servers. This allows a symmetric configuration for the domain directories used by Managed Servers, and isolates the failover of the Administration Server. The domain directory for the Administration Server must reside in a shared storage to allow failover to another computer with the same configuration. The domain directories of the Managed Servers can reside in a local or shared storage.

You can use a shared domain directory for all Managed Servers on different computers, or use one domain directory for each computer. Sharing domain directories for Managed Servers facilitates the scale-out procedures. In this case, the deployment should conform to the requirements (if any) of the storage system to facilitate multiple computers mounting the same shared volume.

All procedures that apply to multiple local domains apply to a single shared domain. Hence, this enterprise deployment guide uses a model where one domain directory is used for each computer. The directory can be local or reside in shared storage. Based on the preceding assumptions, the following paragraphs describe the directories recommended. Wherever a shared storage location is directly specified, it is implied that shared storage is required for that directory. When using local disk or shared storage is optional, the mount specification is qualified with "if using a shared disk." The shared storage locations are examples and can be changed as long as the provided mount points are used. However, Oracle recommends this structure in the shared storage device for consistency and simplicity.

ORACLE_BASE:

/u01/app/oracle

MW_HOME (Application Tier):

ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw

  • Mount point: ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw

  • Shared storage location: ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw (VOL1 and VOL2)

  • Mounted from: Nodes alternatively mount VOL1 or VOL2 in such a way that at least half the nodes use an installation and the other half use the other one. In the EDG for Oracle Business Intelligence, APPHOST1 mounts VOL1 and APPHOST2 mounts VOL2. When only one volume is available, nodes mount two different directories in shared storage alternatively (that is, for example, APPHOST1 would use ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw1 as shared storage location and APPHOST2 would use ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw2 as shared storage location).

    Note:

    When there is just one volume available in the shared storage, you can provide redundancy using different directories to protect from accidental file deletions and for patching purposes. Two MW_HOMEs would be available; at least one at ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw1, and another at ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw2. These MW_HOMEs are mounted on the same mount point in all nodes.

MW_HOME (Web tier):

ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw/web

  • Mount point: ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw

  • Shared storage location: ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw (VOL1 and VOL2)

  • Mounted from: For shared storage installations, nodes alternatively mount VOL1 or VOL2 in such a way that at least half the nodes use an installation and the other half use the other one. In the EDG for BI, WEBHOST1 would mount VOL1 and WEBHOST2 would mount VOL2. When only one volume is available, nodes mount the two suggested directories in shared storage alternatively (that is, for example, WEBHOST1 would use ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw1 as shared storage location and WEBHOST2 would use ORACLE_BASE/product/fmw2 as shared storage location).

    Note:

    Web tier installation is usually performed on local storage to the WEBHOST nodes. When using shared storage, appropriate security restrictions for access to the storage device across tiers must be considered.

WL_HOME:

MW_HOME/wlserver_10.3

ORACLE_HOME:

MW_HOME/Oracle_BI1

ORACLE_COMMON_HOME:

MW_HOME/oracle_common

ORACLE_INSTANCE:

ORACLE_BASE/admin/instance_name

  • If you are using a shared disk, the mount point on the system is ORACLE_BASE/admin/instance_name mounted to ORACLE_BASE/admin/instance_name (VOL1).

    Note:

    (VOL1) is optional; you could also use (VOL2).

Domain Directory for Admin Directory:

ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/aserver/domain_name (the last "domain_name" is added by the Configuration Assistant).

  • Mount point on system: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/aserver

  • Shared storage location: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name

  • Mounted from: Only the node where the Administration Server is running needs to mount this directory. When the Administration Server is relocated (failed over) to a different node, the node then mounts the same shared storage location on the same mount point. The remaining nodes in the topology do not need to mount this location.

Domain Directory for Managed Server:

ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/mserver/domain_name

  • If you are using a shared disk, the mount point on the system is ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/mserver mounted to ORACLE_BASE/admin /domain_name/Noden/mserver/ (each node uses a different domain directory for Managed Servers).

Note:

This procedure is really shared storage dependent. The above example is specific to NAS, but other storage types may provide this redundancy with different types of mappings.

Location for JMS file-based stores and Tlogs:

ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name/jms

ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name/tlogs

  • Mount point: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

  • Shared storage location: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

  • Mounted from: All nodes running BI components must mount this shared storage location so that transaction logs and JMS stores are available when server migration to another node takes place.

Location for Oracle BI Presentation Catalog:

ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name/catalog/customCatalog (where customCatalog is an example of the catalog name)

  • Mount point: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

  • Shared storage location: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

  • Mounted from: All nodes containing the instances of Presentation Services in the cluster mount this location (all nodes must have read and write access).

Note that the Oracle BI Presentation Catalog is called Presentation Service Repository in Fusion Middleware Control.

Location for Repository Publishing Directory:

ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name/ClusterRPD

  • Mount point: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

  • Shared storage location: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

  • Mounted from: All nodes containing the instances of BI Server in the cluster mount this location. The master BI Server must have read and write access to this directory. All other BI Servers must have read access.

Note that the repository publishing directory is identified as the Shared Location for the BI Server Repository in Fusion Middleware Control.

Location for BI Server Global Cache:

ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name/GlobalCache

  • Mount point: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

    Shared storage location: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

    Mounted from: All nodes containing the instances of BI Server in the cluster mount this location. The master BI Server must have read and write access to this directory. All other BI Servers must have read access.

Location for BI Publisher Configuration Folder:

ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name/bipublisher/config

  • Mount point: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

  • Shared storage location: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

  • Mounted from: All nodes containing the instances of BI Publisher in the cluster mount this location with read/write access.

Location for BI Publisher Scheduler Temp Directory:

ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name/bipublisher/temp

  • Mount point: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

  • Shared storage location: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/cluster_name

  • Mounted from: All nodes containing the instances of BI Publisher in the cluster mount this location with read/write access.

Location for Application Directory for Administration Server:

ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/aserver/applications

  • Mount point: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/aserver/applications

  • Shared storage location: ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/aserver

Location for Application Directory for Managed Server:

ORACLE_BASE/admin/domain_name/mserver/applications

Note:

This directory is local in the context of the EDG for Oracle Business Intelligence.

Figure 2-2 shows the recommended directory structure.

Figure 2-2 EDG Directory Structure for Oracle Business Intelligence

Description of Figure 2-2 follows
Description of "Figure 2-2 EDG Directory Structure for Oracle Business Intelligence"

Note that the directory structure in Figure 2-2 does not show other required internal directories such as oracle_common. It also does not show shared component directories; see Section 2.3.3, "Shared Storage Configuration" for information about shared directories.

Table 2-3 explains what the various color-coded elements in Figure 2-2 mean.

Table 2-3 Directory Structure Elements

Element Explanation

Administration Server element

The Administration Server domain directories, applications, deployment plans, file adapter control directory, JMS and TX logs, and the entire MW_HOME are on a shared disk.

Managed Server element

The Managed Server domain directories can be on a local disk or a shared disk. To share the Managed Server domain directories on multiple computers, you must mount the same shared disk location across the computers. The instance_name directory for the Web tier can be on a local disk or a shared disk.

Fixed name element

Fixed name.

Installation-dependent names element

Installation-dependent name.


2.3.3 Shared Storage Configuration

The following steps show to create and mount shared storage locations so that APPHOST1 and APPHOST2 can see the same location for binary installation in two separate volumes.

"nasfiler" is the shared storage filer.

From APPHOST1:

APPHOST1> mount nasfiler:/vol/vol1/u01/app/oracle/product/fmw
/u01/app/oracle/product/fmw -t nfs

From APPHOST2:

APPHOST2> mount nasfiler:/vol/vol2/u01/app/oracle/product/fmw
/u01/app/oracle/product/fmw -t nfs

If only one volume is available, users can provide redundancy for the binaries by using two different directories in the shared storage and mounting them to the same dir in the APPHOST servers:

From APPHOST1:

APPHOST1> mount nasfiler:/vol/vol1/u01/app/oracle/product/fmw1
/u01/app/oracle/product/fmw -t nfs

From APPHOST2:

APPHOST2> mount nasfiler:/vol/vol2/u01/app/oracle/product/fmw2
/u01/app/oracle/product/fmw -t nfs

The following commands show how to share the BI TX logs location across different nodes:

APPHOST1> mount nasfiler:/vol/vol1/u01/app/oracle/stores/bifoundation_domain/
bi_cluster/tlogs /u01/app/oracle/stores/bifoundation_domain/
bi_cluster/tlogs -t nfs

APHOST2> mount nasfiler:/vol/vol1/u01/app/oracle/stores/bifoundatin_domain/
bi_cluster/tlogs /u01/app/oracle/stores/bifoundation_domain/
bi_cluster/tlogs -t nfs

Note:

The shared storage can be a NAS or SAN device. The following illustrates an example of creating storage for a NAS device from APPHOST1. The options may differ.
APPHOST1> mount nasfiler:/vol/vol1/fmw11shared ORACLE_BASE/wls -t 
nfs -o rw,bg,hard,nointr,tcp,vers=3,timeo=300,rsize=32768,wsize=32768

Contact your storage vendor and computer administrator for the correct options for your environment.

2.4 Clock Synchronization

The clocks of all servers participating in the cluster must be synchronized to within one second difference. To accomplish this, use a single network time server and then point each server to that network time server.

The procedure for pointing to the network time server is different on different operating systems. Refer to your operating system documentation for more information.