A Server Control Utility Reference

Use the Server Control Utility (SRVCTL) to manage Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC) configuration information.

Note:

SRVCTL commands specific to Oracle Grid Infrastructure administration operations are documented in Oracle Clusterware Administration and Deployment Guide

SRVCTL Usage Information

SRVCTL is installed on every cluster node and must be run with the version from the Oracle home managing the target object. Commands are case-sensitive, must not run concurrently against the same object, and require comma-delimited values without spaces; Windows lists must be quoted. Successful commands may produce no output, with return codes of 0 for success, 1 for failure, and 2 for warnings. The -eval option can simulate supported database and service operations without changing the system.

Specifying Command Parameters as Keywords Instead of Single Letters

Single-letter SRVCTL parameters are deprecated, and Oracle recommends using full keyword forms such as -multicastport and -subdomain. Mixed use remains supported for backward compatibility, including newly introduced keyword parameters alongside legacy letters. Use -compatible with -help to display applicable single-letter equivalents.

Character Set and Case Sensitivity of SRVCTL Object Values

SRVCTL object names have type-specific character, case, uniqueness, and length restrictions. Database domains, unique names, PDBs, disk groups, instances, listeners, nodes, SCAN names, services, and volumes each support defined character sets and maximum lengths; most names are case-insensitive, while instance and listener sensitivity can depend on the platform and disk group names are converted to uppercase.

Summary of Tasks for Which SRVCTL Is Used

SRVCTL manages cluster database configurations, instances, services, databases, Oracle ASM instances and disk groups, listeners, VIPs, node applications, and related clusterware resources. It supports adding, modifying, removing, enabling, disabling, starting, stopping, relocating, configuring environments, and obtaining status for database and node-level resources.

Using SRVCTL Help

Use srvctl -help to view all commands, or srvctl command object -help to display syntax and parameters for a specific operation. Help shows full keyword parameters by default, while adding -compatible displays available legacy single-letter forms. Use srvctl -version to display the installed SRVCTL version.

SRVCTL Privileges and Security

Run SRVCTL as the software owner of the Oracle home managing the target resource: database owners manage databases, and Grid Infrastructure owners manage Oracle ASM. OSDBA members can start and stop databases, while OSASM members are required for Oracle ASM operations. Creating or registering objects requires the owning Oracle home account, and some commands require root on Linux or UNIX or Administrator privileges on Windows; root-required commands should be run from the secured Grid Infrastructure home.

Additional SRVCTL Topics

Use SRVCTL for Oracle-supplied resources such as listeners, instances, disk groups, and networks, and use CRSCTL for Oracle Clusterware resources rather than directly manipulating resources whose names begin with ora. Do not cancel running SRVCTL commands with Control-C, because interruption can corrupt configuration data.

Deprecated SRVCTL Subprograms or Commands

SRVCTL continues to accept deprecated single-character parameters and several legacy commands for compatibility, but scripts should be updated to use full keywords. Deprecated functionality includes numerous one-letter aliases, selected database, instance, ASM, GNS, service, and OC4J options, the oc4j noun, service PRECONNECT TAF usage, and the service -failovermethod option. Older scripts, especially those from Oracle Database 12.2 and earlier, should be reviewed and modernized.

SRVCTL Command Reference

SRVCTL uses the syntax srvctl command object [parameters], where commands are verbs, objects identify resources, and parameters refine operations. Names and parameters are case-sensitive, although database, instance, listener, and service names preserve case while comparing case-insensitively. The reference covers database, disk group, home, instance, listener, network, node applications, ONS, PDB, SCAN, SCAN listener, service, VIP, and volume objects, including configuration, lifecycle, status, relocation, and prediction operations.

Database Commands

Database-object commands manage Oracle RAC and related database resources throughout their lifecycle. They add, configure, convert, enable, disable, start, stop, relocate, remove, upgrade, downgrade, update, predict, and report database status while supporting Oracle RAC, RAC One Node, single-instance deployments, Data Guard roles, startup and shutdown options, policies, concurrency, disk groups, ACFS dependencies, environment variables, memory limits, listeners, and candidate nodes. Commands such as srvctl add database, modify database, start database, stop database, status database, and remove database provide the principal configuration and operational controls.

Diskgroup Commands

Oracle ASM disk groups are managed with SRVCTL commands using the diskgroup keyword. Available operations include enabling or disabling disk groups on specified Clusterware nodes, predicting failure consequences, starting and stopping resources, displaying detailed or verbose status, and removing disk group resources with optional dependency checks bypassed by -force.

Home Commands

SRVCTL home commands manage all Oracle Restart- or Oracle Clusterware-managed resources associated with an Oracle home. Administrators can start, stop, and check resource status by specifying the Oracle home, state file, and—when using Clusterware—the hosting node; stop operations also support database shutdown options and forced execution.

Instance Commands

SRVCTL instance commands manage Oracle RAC database instances, including adding, modifying node assignments, enabling, disabling, starting, stopping, transferring between Oracle homes, updating startup or ASM target settings, checking status, and removing configurations. Most operations require Oracle Clusterware and RAC, support node or instance lists, and provide controls for startup, shutdown, service draining, failover, force, and detailed output.

Listener Commands

SRVCTL listener commands provide comprehensive management of database and Oracle ASM listeners registered with Oracle Restart or Oracle Clusterware. Operations include adding, configuring, modifying endpoints, Oracle homes, owners, networks, and environment variables; enabling, disabling, starting, stopping, checking status, predicting failures, exporting configuration, and removing listeners, with options for cluster nodes, secure protocols, forced actions, and privileged ownership changes.

Network Commands

SRVCTL network commands manage non-default Oracle Clusterware networks used for additional RAC interfaces and VIPs. Administrators can add, configure, modify, inspect, predict failure impact for, and remove networks, defining subnets, interfaces, IPv4 or IPv6 address types, static, DHCP, autoconfiguration, or mixed behavior, ping targets, and dependency handling; administrative privileges are required.

Nodeapps Commands

SRVCTL nodeapps commands manage node-level applications, including VIPs, Oracle Notification Service, Enterprise Manager ports, administrator helpers, remote servers, and security wallets. Operations cover adding, modifying, configuring, enabling, disabling, starting, stopping, checking status, removing, and managing environment variables, with support for static or DHCP subnets, VIP relocation, selective ONS or VIP actions, forced removal, and Clusterware-specific administration.

ONS Commands

SRVCTL ons commands manage Oracle Notification Service daemons exclusively in Oracle Restart environments. Administrators can add, configure, modify ports and remote servers, export credentials, enable, disable, start, stop, check status, and remove ONS instances, optionally targeting a client cluster associated with a shared SCAN listener and using verbose or force options where supported.

PDB Commands

Use the srvctl pdb keyword to manage Pluggable Databases in an Oracle RAC cluster, including adding, configuring, modifying, enabling, disabling, relocating, starting, stopping, removing, and checking status. srvctl add pdb registers a PDB with options for instance cardinality, CPU limits, application root, startup and stop modes, management policy, and imported JSON configuration; config displays its configuration; modify changes supported placement, CPU, rank, startup, stop, and policy attributes; enable and disable control Clusterware management; relocate moves a PDB between nodes with optional draining and force controls; start and stop manage the PDB and services with node, mode, draining, and force options; status reports one or all PDB states; and remove unregisters the PDB configuration. Management policies include AUTOMATIC, MANUAL, and RESTART, with RESTART requiring the CDB to use the RANK policy.

SCAN Commands

Use the srvctl scan keyword to manage SCAN VIP resources in Oracle Clusterware. srvctl add scan creates SCAN VIP resources for a fully qualified SCAN name and selected network, while config displays or exports configuration for all or selected SCAN VIPs. enable, disable, start, and stop control all SCAN VIPs or a selected VIP by ordinal number, with optional node and force controls; modify synchronizes the number of SCAN VIPs with DNS-resolved addresses, supports multiple SCAN names across subnets, and can skip reachability checks; relocate moves a selected SCAN VIP to a specified or automatically selected node; status reports current state with optional detailed output; predict simulates the consequences of a SCAN VIP failure; and remove deletes SCAN VIP resources, optionally forcing removal and suppressing prompts. These commands are available with Oracle Clusterware, and SCAN ordinals range from 1 through 3.

SCAN Listener Commands

Use the srvctl scan_listener keyword to manage SCAN listener resources associated with SCAN VIPs. srvctl add scan_listener creates listeners with configurable network, name prefix, protocol endpoints, registration-allowed nodes or subnets, and shared-client-cluster settings; config displays or exports listener configuration; enable, disable, start, and stop control all or selected listeners by network, ordinal number, or shared client cluster, with optional node and force controls; modify updates listener resources to match SCAN VIP counts or changes endpoints and registration restrictions; export saves shared-listener credential data; relocate moves a selected listener to a specified or automatically selected node; status reports listener state for selected networks, ordinals, client clusters, or all resources; predict simulates failure consequences; remove unregisters listener resources with optional force and no-prompt behavior; and update applies new listener endpoints without additional parameters. SCAN listener ordinals range from 1 through 3, and these operations require Oracle Clusterware.

Service Commands

Service commands use the service keyword to create, configure, inspect, enable, disable, start, stop, predict, relocate, and remove database services. The page documents comprehensive srvctl syntax and parameters for service placement, roles, policies, load balancing, failover and Application Continuity, session state, PDB and global services, draining, stopping, and criticality, with commands for configuration export, status inspection, failure prediction, relocation, and resource removal. It also explains preferred and available instance management, online modification behavior, service attribute dependencies, Oracle RAC and Clusterware restrictions, and examples for basic, TAF, Application Continuity, and Transparent Application Continuity services.

VIP Commands

VIP commands use the vip keyword to administer Oracle Clusterware virtual IP resources, including adding, configuring, enabling, disabling, starting, stopping, relocating, predicting failures, removing, and managing environment variables. The documented srvctl operations support IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, network and interface assignments, reachability checks, node targeting, dependency overrides, failover relocation, JSON configuration export, and environment variable inspection or updates. Commands are generally restricted to Oracle Clusterware and include controls for forced operations, prompts, verbose output, and stopping or relocating VIPs on specific nodes.

Volume Commands

Oracle ACFS volume commands use the volume keyword with SRVCTL to display configuration and status, enable or disable Clusterware management, start or stop volumes, and remove volumes. These commands are supported only on Oracle ACFS platforms, and most operations require Oracle Clusterware. Volumes can generally be identified by name and disk group or by device path; status and stop operations can target selected nodes, configuration can be exported in JSON, and removal supports a -force option for running volumes.