9 Preparing the Database for an Enterprise Deployment

Preparing the database for an enterprise deployment involves ensuring that the database meets specific requirements, creating database services, using SecureFiles for large objects in the database, and creating database backup strategies.

This chapter provides information about the database requirements, creating database services, and about the database backup strategies.

• Overview of Preparing the Database for an Enterprise Deployment
  It is important to understand how to configure a supported database as part of an Oracle Fusion Middleware enterprise deployment.
• About Database Requirements
  Before you configure the enterprise deployment topology, you have to verify that the database meets the requirements described in the following sections.
• Creating Database Services
  When multiple Oracle Fusion Middleware products are sharing the same database, each product should be configured to connect to a separate, dedicated database service. This service should be different from the default database service. Having a different service name from the default, allows you to create role based database services for Disaster Recovery and Multi-Datacenter topologies.
• Using SecureFiles for Large Objects (LOBs) in an Oracle Database
  SecureFiles is a new LOB storage architecture introduced in Oracle Database 11g Release 1. It is recommended to use SecureFiles for the Oracle Fusion Middleware schemas, in particular for the Oracle SOA Suite schemas.
• About Database Backup Strategies
  Performing a database backup at key points in the installation and configuration of an enterprise deployment enables you to recover quickly from any issue that might occur in the later configuration steps.

Overview of Preparing the Database for an Enterprise Deployment

It is important to understand how to configure a supported database as part of an Oracle Fusion Middleware enterprise deployment.

Most Oracle Fusion Middleware products require a specific set of schemas that must be installed in a supported database. The schemas are installed by using the Oracle Fusion Middleware Repository Creation Utility (RCU).

In an enterprise deployment, Oracle recommends a highly available Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) database for the Oracle Fusion Middleware product schemas.

About Database Requirements

Before you configure the enterprise deployment topology, you have to verify that the database meets the requirements described in the following sections.

• Supported Database Versions
  
• Additional Database Software Requirements
  
• Installing and Validating Oracle Text
  

Supported Database Versions

Use the following information to verify what databases are supported by each Oracle Fusion Middleware release and which version of the Oracle database you are currently running:

• For a list of all certified databases, refer to Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations.

• To check the release of your database, query the PRODUCT_COMPONENT_VERSION view:

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

Oracle Fusion Middleware requires that the database supports the AL32UTF8 character set. Check the database documentation for information on choosing a character set for the database.

For enterprise deployments, Oracle recommends that you use GridLink data sources to connect to Oracle RAC databases.

Note:

For more information about using GridLink data sources and SCAN, see Using Active GridLink Data Sources in Oracle Fusion Middleware Administering JDBC Data Sources for Oracle WebLogic Server.

Use of Active GridLink has specific licensing requirements, including a valid WebLogic Suite license. See Oracle Oracle WebLogic Server data sheet.

Additional Database Software Requirements

In the enterprise topology, there are two database host computers in the data tier that host the two instances of the RAC database. These hosts are referred to as DBHOST1 and DBHOST2.

Before you install or configure the enterprise topology, you must ensure that the following software is installed and available on DBHOST1 and DBHOST2:

• Oracle Clusterware

  See Installing Oracle Grid Infrastructure for a Cluster in Oracle Grid Infrastructure Installation Guide for Linux.

• Oracle Real Application Clusters

  See Installing Oracle RAC and Oracle RAC One Node in Oracle Real Application Clusters Installation Guide for Linux and UNIX.

• Time synchronization between Oracle RAC database instances

  The clocks of the database instances must be in sync if they are used by servers in a Fusion Middleware cluster configured with server migration.

• Automatic Storage Management (optional)

  See Introducing Oracle Automatic Storage Management in Oracle Automatic Storage Management Administrator's Guide.

Installing and Validating Oracle Text

Before you install or configure the WebCenter Content enterprise topology, you must be sure that Oracle Text is installed and available on DBHOST1 and DBHOST2.

For more information on installing Oracle Text, see the Oracle Database Installation Guide for Linux.

To make sure that the database used for WebCenter Content installation has Oracle Text enabled, run the following command:

SQL> select comp_name, status, substr(version,1,10) as version from dba_registry where comp_id = 'CONTEXT';

COMP_NAME STATUS VERSION
----------- ------- -------
Oracle Text VALID 12.1.0.1.0

Creating Database Services

When multiple Oracle Fusion Middleware products are sharing the same database, each product should be configured to connect to a separate, dedicated database service. This service should be different from the default database service. Having a different service name from the default, allows you to create role based database services for Disaster Recovery and Multi-Datacenter topologies.

Note:

The instructions in this section are for the Oracle Database 12c (12.1) release. If you are using another supported database, refer to the appropriate documentation library for more up-to-date and release-specific information.

For more information about connecting to Oracle databases using services, see Overview of Using Dynamic Database Services to Connect to Oracle Databases in Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment Guide.

In addition, the database service should be different from the default database service. For complete instructions on creating and managing database services for an Oracle Database 12c database, see Overview of Automatic Workload Management with Dynamic Database Services in Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment Guide.

Runtime connection load balancing requires configuring Oracle RAC Load Balancing Advisory with service-level goals for each service for which load balancing is enabled.

You can configure the Oracle RAC Load Balancing Advisory for SERVICE_TIME or THROUGHPUT. Set the connection load-balancing goal to SHORT.

You create and modify Oracle Database services by using the srvctl utility.

To create and modify a database service:

1. Add the service to the database and assign it to the instances by using srvctl:

   srvctl add service -db wccdb -service wccedg.example.com -preferred wccdb1,wccdb2

   Note:

   For the Service Name of the Oracle RAC database, use lowercase letters, followed by the domain name. For example: wccedg.example.com

2. Start the service:

   srvctl start service –db wccdb –service wccedg.example.com

   Note:

   For complete instructions on creating and managing database services with SRVCTL, see Creating Services with SRVCTL in the Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment Guide.

3. Modify the service so that it uses the Load Balancing Advisory and the appropriate service-level goals for runtime connection load balancing.
   Use the following resources in the Oracle Database 12c Real Application Clusters Administration and Deployment Guide to set the SERVICE_TIME and THROUGHPUT service-level goals:

   • Overview of the Load Balancing Advisory

   • Configuring Your Environment to Use the Load Balancing Advisory

   For example:

   Check the default configuration of the service by using this command:

   srvctl config service -db wccdb -service wccedg.example.com

   Several parameters are shown. Check the following parameters:

   • Connection Load Balancing Goal: Long

   • Runtime Load Balancing Goal: NONE

   You can modify these parameters by using the following command:

   srvctl modify service -db wccdb -service wccedg.example.com -rlbgoal SERVICE_TIME -clbgoal SHORT

4. Restart the service:

   srvctl stop service -db wccdb -service wccedg.example.com
   srvctl start service -db wccdb -service wccedg.example.com

5. Verify the change in the configuration:

   srvctl config service -db wccdb -service wccedg.example.com
   Runtime Load Balancing Goal: SERVICE_TIME
     Service name: wccedg.example.com
     Service is enabled
     Server pool: wccdb_wccedg.example.com
     ...
     Connection Load Balancing Goal: SHORT
     Runtime Load Balancing Goal: SERVICE_TIME
     ...

Using SecureFiles for Large Objects (LOBs) in an Oracle Database

SecureFiles is a new LOB storage architecture introduced in Oracle Database 11g Release 1. It is recommended to use SecureFiles for the Oracle Fusion Middleware schemas, in particular for the Oracle SOA Suite schemas.

Beginning with Oracle Database 11g Release 1, Oracle introduced SecureFiles, a new LOB storage architecture. Oracle recommends that you use SecureFiles for the Oracle Fusion Middleware schemas, in particular for the Oracle SOA Suite schemas. See Using Oracle SecureFiles LOBs in the Oracle Database SecureFiles and Large Objects Developer's Guide.

In Oracle 12c Databases, the default setting for using SecureFiles is PREFERRED . This means that the database attempts to create a SecureFiles LOB unless a BasicFiles LOB is explicitly specified for the LOB or the parent LOB (if the LOB is in a partition or sub-partition). The Oracle Fusion Middleware schemas do not explicitly specify BasicFiles, which means that Oracle Fusion Middleware LOBs defaults to SecureFiles when installed in an Oracle 12c database.

For Oracle 11g databases, the db_securefile system parameter controls the SecureFiles usage policy. This parameter can be modified dynamically. The following options can be used for using SecureFiles:

• PERMITTED: Allows SecureFiles to be created (This is the default setting for db_securefile. The default storage method uses BasicFiles).

• FORCE: Creates all (new) LOBs as SecureFiles.

• ALWAYS: Tries to create LOBs as SecureFiles, but falls back to BasicFiles if not possible (if ASSM is disabled).

Other values for the db_securefile parameter are:

• IGNORE: Ignore attempts to create SecureFiles.

• NEVER: Disallow new SecureFiles creations.

For Oracle 11g Databases, Oracle recommends that you set the db_securefile parameter to FORCE before you create the Oracle Fusion Middleware schemas with the Repository Creation Utility (RCU).

Note that the SecureFiles segments require tablespaces managed with automatic segment space management (ASSM). This means that LOB creation on SecureFiles will fail if ASSM is not enabled. However, the Oracle Fusion Middleware tablespaces are created by default with ASSM enabled. As a result, with the default configuration, nothing needs to be changed to enable SecureFiles for the Oracle Fusion Middleware schemas.

About Database Backup Strategies

Performing a database backup at key points in the installation and configuration of an enterprise deployment enables you to recover quickly from any issue that might occur in the later configuration steps.

At key points in the installation and configuration of an enterprise deployment, this guide recommends that you back up your current environment. For example, after you install the product software and create the schemas for a particular Oracle Fusion Middleware product, you should perform a database backup. Performing a backup allows you to perform a quick recovery from any issue that might occur in the later configuration steps.

You can choose to use your own backup strategy for the database, or you can simply make a backup by using operating system tools or RMAN for this purpose.

Oracle recommends that you use Oracle Recovery Manager for the database, particularly if the database was created using Oracle Automatic Storage Management. If possible, you can also perform a cold backup by using operating system tools such as tar.