RE: Migrating from ONAMES to OID

If you want to try and remove a single point-of-failure, you'll want to look into using replication with OiD. We tried to use version 9.0.1. "tried" being the operative word. Granted, in retrospect, I think some of our problems were due to us trying this on Linux. When we placed TARs, the OiD team for Oracle Support didn't even have a Linux box to install it on. To their credit, they did get an install on a Linux box in an attempt to resolve our issues, but were never able to duplicate our scenario.

We were never successful in getting OiD replication working reliably. I've included a previous post of some of my OiD experiences. Remember that this was version 9.0.1. Enjoy!

Rich

OiD! After several weeks of pain, here's what I've learned:

1. Create your database(s) manually. The GUI creates the traditional "the least we need to get it going without a real DBA" database. Note 159031.1 on Metalink will guide you thru the basic create.
2. If you intend on using replication (a good idea), study up on Oracle ASR, but realize that OiD doesn't use ASR in the traditional way, at least according to Oracle Support. In other words, if OiD has problems replicating, it's an OiD problem and not an ASR problem, as far as Oracle Support is concerned.
3. According to Oracle Support, you cannot use hot backups as a reliable means of backup/recovery for OiD in a replicated environment. While I agree with their reasoning in theory, I believe that a good DBA (and me, too!) can still use it, but with care on the recovery. For more info, see the OiD Admin Guide.
4. Speaking of the OiD Admin Guide: Read it, learn it, study it, know it. All 688 pages of it. The concepts in there are KEY! The one that burned me is the concept of a Remote Definition Site (RDS). You're "primary" server is the MDS (Master Definition Site). We tried to treat our second "backup" OiD server as a read-only. Don't do it. Treat all other replication nodes as RDSs. It will save you tons of headaches.
5. Why isn't "RDS" mentioned specifically in the OiD Admin Guide? Because of a lack of coherent documentation. Lookup all the articles you can on Metalink regarding OiD. Some haven't been updated for v3, but they're still good.
6. Do not use any version below 3.0.1 of OiD, which requires (and comes with) Oracle 9i. We had too many bugs, especially in the OiD Administrator program with v2.x.
7. Use Linux. There are some nasty little gotchas in NT/2000 that I really despise (keep reading).
8. Only use an Oracle Certified platform and version of the OS. Oracle Support will have a cow udderwise.

9+) Use scripts to startup and shutdown OiD. If you try and do it manually and shut the oidmon down before the LDAP and replication daemons, the daemons won't shutdown. On Linux, you can restart the oidmon, and the daemons should shutdown, but on NT/2000 they will hang there forever until you re-freaking-boot. Who writes this crap? There's no rebooting on Linux/Unix! I haven't tried OiD on Unix (I think OiD v3's available on HP/Solaris), so I can't say what'll happen there. As an aside, many OiD tools are Unix/Linux shell script, which are not directly available on Windohs. Just another reason to avoid Windows for OiD.

1. I just started to test moving from ONames to OiD. Apparently there's no way to create the "OracleContext" LDAP tree manually, so you've got to use the Oracle Net Config Assist ("netca"). I'm trying to determine if the "update" it does to the OiD DBs schwanzes up the rest of OiD first before continuing.

I intend to make my creation of a replicated OiD setup on RedHat 7.1 available on my website, but I just haven't had the time yet, and my PC and Alpha/Linux box are sitting on a concrete slab at home while I redo my basement. :(

HTH! GL! I'll let you know when I get that page up. :)

Rich Jesse                           System/Database Administrator
Rich.Jesse_at_qtiworld.com              Quad/Tech International, Sussex, WI USA

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ponnusamy Rangasamy [mailto:ponnu_at_kyocera-wireless.com]
> Sent: Friday, September 19, 2003 7:25 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L
> Subject: Migrating from ONAMES to OID
>
>
> Folks,
>
> We are in the process of evaluating - migration from Oracle
> Names to 9i OID
> and will be glad to know
> your experiences.. I understand that clients should be 8i. we
> have Oracle
> Ver. 7 thru 9i.
> Listed below is an overview of the procedures..
>
> a) Installing 9i OID on the database server
> b) Directory Services on LDAP
> c) Installing ldap clients for all existing oracle clients.
> d) Schema for OID in a database.

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Author: Jesse, Rich
  INET: Rich.Jesse_at_qtiworld.com

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