Planning Required Software

This section helps you to adapt the configuration of your Oracle Solaris Cluster software for the installation of Geographic Edition software. This section also helps you to plan the installation of your data replication software.

Geographic Edition software must be installed on a cluster that is running the Oracle Solaris Operating System and the Oracle Solaris Cluster software. You can install Geographic Edition software at the same time that you install Oracle Solaris Cluster software or at any time afterwards. The Geographic Edition software configuration is identical to the Oracle Solaris Cluster software configuration.

Planning the Data Replication Software

A cluster that is using Geographic Edition software with a data replication product is subject to the standard configuration rules of a cluster that is running the data replication product with Oracle Solaris Cluster software. Partner clusters must have compatible software configurations to support data replication between the clusters.

The Geographic Edition product supports the following data replication products:

• The Availability Suite feature of Oracle Solaris.

• EMC Symmetrix Remote Data Facility software.

• Oracle Data Guard software, in configurations that use Oracle Database software.

• MySQL software.

• Sun ZFS Storage Appliance software from Oracle.

• Geographic Edition script-based plug-ins.

The Availability Suite feature of Oracle Solaris software is a host-based replication method. This method consists of software installed on a host that controls replication from one server to a secondary server.

EMC Symmetrix Remote Data Facility replication uses a storage-based method. This method uses replication that is built into the storage hardware. If you use EMC Symmetrix Remote Data Facility software, you must install the software on each node of the cluster.

Oracle Data Guard functionality is part of the Oracle Database software and so does not require you to install additional software onto your system. The Geographic Edition module for Oracle Data Guard can only be used with Oracle databases.

MySQL database software offers a built-in replication protocol. Configuring the Geographic Edition MySQL replication module enables you to control replication between MySQL instances on each site.

Sun ZFS Storage Appliance replication uses a storage-based method. This method uses replication that is built into the storage appliance. If you use Sun ZFS Storage Appliance software, you must install the client software on each node of the cluster.

The Geographic Edition script-based plug-in enables the user to develop replication modules to integrate additional replication protocols into Geographic Edition. The plug-in provides the interface to register custom replication control scripts with Geographic Edition.