RE: Converting from physical to logical standby

From: Orr, Steve <sorr_at_rightnow.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 15:55:19 -0600
Message-ID: <D30BE1A2F9109A43BA989E2F51684056062CA3A9@pobox.corp.rightnow.com>

I know about the datatype "limitations" with LSBs but that's not a concern here. (I'm thinking the usage of NCLOB, LONG, LONG RAW, BFILE, and ROWID datatypes should be relatively rare.) Other than that what are some of the "many restrictions" to which you refer? If datatype failures aren't an issue what else could make LSB less dependable than PSB? I've had SPOFs with straight RMAN backups but I monitor them daily and resolve them so I figure I would do the same if there was a problem with an RMAN backup due to a standby DB failure.=20

I know that LSB uses LogMiner SQL Apply under the covers so it's not as efficient as straight PSB redo application but the overhead for a standby database seems to be so light that I can't imagine it would be much of an issue. Has anyone experienced standby database server performance problems with LSBs?=20

I'm getting ready to test LSBs and switchovers in my test environment. I have a Python script which automagically performs the switchover complete with error checking and it works great. Any suggestions for my testing?=20

Steve Orr
Bozeman, Montana

-----Original Message-----
From: oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org
[mailto:oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org] On Behalf Of Carel-Jan Engel Sent: Wednesday, September 29, 2004 1:51 PM To: Orr, Steve
Cc: DWILLIAMS_at_LIFETOUCH.COM; oracle-l_at_freelists.org Subject: RE: Converting from physical to logical standby

Hi Steve,
Creating LSB from scratch DOES need a coalesce of the primary. So, it is inaccessible for a couple of minutes.

My reply on your follow-up question: what version do you have in mind? I've worked with both PSB and LSB. One LSB in production, and that has been abandoned (it was a mixed setup: two LSB's for publishing web content and one PSB for the content management system. It was a newspaper). PSB on many sites, and quite succesfull. I notice a slight change in naming LSB by Oracle: It's called SQL Apply many times now. It might hint you to the fact that it isn't actually a Standby Solution. In my honest opinion it is not, at least not in 9iR2. Ita has many restrictions, and many failures/wrong datatypes/wrong SQL can stop it, leaving you with the job to resync the thing.

Doing RMAN backups on the standby is officially supported, I haven't done it though. One reason to create your backups on the primary might be that relying on the standby for backups is chaining the backup-process: when the standby fails your backup will fail likewise. I don't like SPOFs.

Best regards,

Carel-Jan Engel

=3D=3D=3D
If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. (Derek Bok) = =3D=3D=3D On
Wed, 2004-09-29 at 17:36, Orr, Steve wrote:

> Thanks.

>=20

> RE
> > converting PSB to LSB is not possible.
> What about creating LSB from scratch... Can it be done without making=20
> the primary inaccessible?

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> Follow up question... Anyone have much experience with LSB vs PSB? I=20
> know PSB performs better but is LSB just as dependable? If performance

> is okay with LSB is it otherwise just as good as PSB?

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> Performing a full export on the primary could impact performance but=20
> could be quite suitable on a standby. One possible advantage of LSB is

> that you don't have to toggle the recovery/database open status.

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> Other thoughts on PSB vs. LSB? Any reason whatsoever not to perform=20
> RMAN backups on the standby?

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> Standing by...
> Steve Orr

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> -----Original Message-----
> From: oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org=20
> [mailto:oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org] On Behalf Of Carel-Jan Engel
> Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 11:58 PM
> To: DWILLIAMS_at_LIFETOUCH.COM
> Cc: 'oracle-l_at_freelists.org '
> Subject: RE: Converting from physical to logical standby

>=20
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> Steve,
> For 9iR2 I attempted to extend my instatiate scripts for Physical=20
> Standby (PSB) with Logical Standby (LSB) capabilities. It actually=20
> worked, using vanilla hot backups.....4 out of 5 times. The quiesce=20
> database is still needed, although it didn't take too long. So, no=20
> major outage/standstill was needed. But, a real instantiation 'on the=20
> fly' is not possible. AFAIK converting PSB to LSB is not =
possible.=3D20
>=20
> Whenever the script failed, for no obvious reason the next run went OK

> most of the times. I haven't put too much effort into solving this,=20
> because of the instability and restrictions of LSB, and lack of demand

> for LSB. I'm a poor self-employed contractor ;-)

>=20

> Best regards,

>=20

> Carel-Jan Engel

>=20

> =3D3D=3D3D=3D3D
> If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. (Derek Bok) =3D=20
> =3D3D=3D3D=3D3D=3D20

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> On Tue, 2004-09-28 at 19:02, DENNIS WILLIAMS wrote:=3D20

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> Steve - In answer to question #2, Robert Freeman on page 417 of=20
> Oracle9i RMAN Backup & Recovery says "RMAN backups cannot be used to=20
> create a logical Standby database, because RMAN cannot quiesce a=20
> database". =3D20 Dennis Williams
> DBA
> Lifetouch, Inc.

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>=20

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Received on Wed Sep 29 2004 - 16:51:12 CDT