Database Rolling Upgrade Using Transient Logical Standby

Database Rolling Upgrade Using
Transient Logical Standby:

Oracle Data Guard 11g
Oracle Maximum Availability Architecture White Paper
May 2012
Maximum
Availability
Architecture
Oracle Best Practices for High Availability
Maximum Availability Architecture
Database Rolling Upgrade Using Transient Logical Standby:

Executive Summary ........................................................................................... 2

Overview: Rolling Database Upgrade with Transient Logical Standby ..... 3
General Restrictions .......................................................................................... 5
Rolling Upgrades Using a Transient Logical Standby .................................. 6
Confirm Data Type Support ........................................................................ 6
Conventions ................................................................................................... 8
Preparation Steps ........................................................................................... 8
Conversion to Logical Standby Steps .......................................................12
Create an Archived Redo Log Repository ...............................................13
Perform Patch Apply or Upgrade Steps ..................................................13
Create an Archived Redo Log Repository ...............................................15
Switchover ....................................................................................................15
Retransformation Into a Physical Standby Database .............................15
Switchback steps ..........................................................................................17
Cleanup steps ...............................................................................................18
Multiple Standby Database Considerations .................................................19
Fallback Best Practices ....................................................................................22
Backups .........................................................................................................24
Flashback Database .....................................................................................24
Downgrade ...................................................................................................25
Transient Logical Standby Fallback Considerations...............................25
Appendix A- Cloning the ORACLE_HOME to Apply a Patch set ........26
Appendix B- Using EDS with a Transient Logical Standby......................27
Preparing EDS .............................................................................................27
Configuring EDS Logging Table Triggers...............................................28
Removing EDS ............................................................................................28
References .........................................................................................................29
Change Record .................................................................................................30
MAA - Database Rolling Upgrade Using Transient Logical Standby: Oracle Data Guard 11g Page 1
Database Rolling Upgrade with Transient Logical Standby:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Oracle Maximum Availability Architecture (MAA) [1] is Oracle's best practices blueprint for
implementing Oracle high-availability technologies. This MAA white paper provides best
practices for utilizing a physical standby database to perform a rolling upgrade with minimal
downtime using the new Data Guard 11g feature, Transient Logical Standby.
Applications have reduced downtime Rolling upgrades eliminates downtime associated with the conventional database upgrade,
for a database upgrade by 96% using including PL/SQL recompilation. Additionally, once the standby database has been
SQL Apply rolling upgrade compared
to the conventional upgrade. upgraded, it can be used to evaluate performance and stability of the new release before
there is any impact to production. The only database downtime required by the entire
upgrade process is the time it takes to perform a Data Guard switchover (seconds).
A rolling upgrade using Transient Logical Standby:
1. Temporarily converts an existing physical standby to a logical standby database.
2. Executes a rolling upgrade.
3. Returns the standby back to its original status as a physical standby database once
the upgrade is complete.
This process allows physical standby users to obtain the same benefits of using logical
standby for rolling database upgrades, without requiring a second set of storage and
maintenance for an extra logical standby database. Transient Logical Standby is supported
for upgrades beginning with Oracle Database 11g.
Since the initial publication of this paper the rolling upgrade using Transient Logical Standby
has been simplified even further with the creation of a Bourne shell script developed by
Oracle to automate database rolling upgrades to new Oracle patch sets or full database
releases beginning with Oracle Database 11g Release 1 and higher. This simplified process is
documented in the “Database Rolling Upgrades Made Easy” MAA best practice paper.
Rolling database upgrades are also supported with Oracle Database 10g Release 2 when
using the standard rolling upgrade procedure described in the white paper, “Rolling Database
Upgrades Using Data Guard SQL Apply ”. The standard rolling upgrade process is different
from Transient Logical Standby in that the upgrade process concludes with the standby
remaining a logical standby database.
OVERVIEW: ROLLING DATABASE UPGRADE WITH TRANSIENT LOGICAL

STANDBY
Figure 1: Rolling Upgrade Using a Transient Logical Standby

Users who have chosen to implement physical standby databases for their HA/DR
requirements can benefit from the minimal downtime advantages of a SQL Apply Rolling
Upgrade by temporarily converting a physical standby database to a logical standby for the
duration of the upgrade. When the upgrade is complete, the logical standby database is
returned to its role as a physical standby for normal processing. This eliminates the
requirement for physical standby users to make a second set of storage available to
implement a rolling upgrade. Performing a rolling upgrade using a transient logical standby
is shown in Figure 1.
The following high-level steps describe a rolling upgrade using a transient logical standby
database:
1. Review prerequisites and preparation best practices and
a. create a guaranteed restore point
b. install upgraded ORACLE_HOME on each node
2. Convert the existing Physical Standby to a Logical Standby
3. Perform the upgrade on the logical standby and resynchronize with the original
primary
4. Switchover
5. Flashback the original primary (now a logical standby) to the guaranteed restore
point from #1
6. Remount the original primary (now a logical standby) under the new Oracle Home
7. Convert the logical standby back to a physical standby and resynchronize with the
new primary, automatically completing the upgrade process
8. Wait for physical standby to be upgraded via the redo stream
9. Switch back to the original configuration (optional)
10. Raise the COMPATIBLE settings
Performing a rolling upgrade using a transient logical standby is similar to the standard SQL
Apply rolling upgrade with the following differences:
 A guaranteed restore point is created on the primary database for the purpose of
flashing it back to become a physical standby after the switchover.
 The conversion of a physical standby to a logical standby uses the new KEEP
IDENTITY clause to retain the same DB_NAME and DBID as that of its primary
database..
 The ALTER DATABASE CONVERT TO PHYSICAL STANDBY statement is used
to convert the original primary from a logical standby to a physical standby.
 The original primary is actually upgraded by means of Redo Apply after it is converted
from a logical standby to a physical standby.
As with a standard SQL Apply rolling upgrade, the transient logical standby is upgraded to
release n while the primary runs uninterrupted at the older release m. When the standby
upgrade is deemed successful, the administrator allows Data Guard to resynchronize the
standby with the primary, and a switchover is performed to transition the standby database
to the primary role running on the new release. While the standby site database operates in
the primary role, the database on the original primary is flashed back to the guaranteed
restore point and converted back to a physical standby. Once the original primary site
database is converted to a physical standby it is then restarted with version n and upgraded
to release n through Redo Apply. If desired, you can then perform a second switchover to
return all databases to their original roles. Total database downtime is limited to the time it
takes to execute a Data Guard switchover and the application or client reconnection time.
Compare this to the longer downtime required for a conventional database upgrade.
Data Guard SQL Apply (logical standby database) is required to perform a database rolling
upgrade. The improved availability is achieved by offloading the following to the logical
standby:
 The database upgrade process
 Any unexpected upgrade problems
 Any preliminary performance troubleshooting
Proof-of-concept tests using a transient logical standby at a large Oracle customer

demonstrated that primary and standby databases can be upgraded to a new release with less
than one minute of total database downtime.
Oracle internal testing with the database supporting Oracle’s enterprise eMail application
hosting 70,000 users showed a 96% reduction in downtime, from 48 minutes to 2 minutes,
when comparing the conventional upgrade method to the SQL Apply rolling upgrade
method.
Using SQL Apply to perform an upgrade will always result in a significant reduction in
planned downtime compared to the conventional database upgrade method.
The generic upgrade steps for any Oracle database are detailed in the Oracle Database Upgrade
Guide 11g (11.1) [7]. Review this documentation before performing a rolling upgrade using a
transient logical standby. The best practices provided in this paper complement the
documentation, but the information in this white paper is not intended to duplicate
information already provided in the documentation.
GENERAL RESTRICTIONS
Some restrictions apply to using the transient logical standby rolling upgrade process.
 The databases must not be part of a Data Guard Broker configuration. Hence, Oracle
Enterprise Manager Grid Control does not support the rolling upgrade process. To
disable and enable the Broker configuration, see the “Preparation Steps” section.
 The Data Guard protection mode must be set to either maximum availability or
maximum performance. Query the PROTECTION_LEVEL column in the
V$DATABASE view to determine the current protection mode setting.
 The LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n initialization parameter for the logical standby database
destination must be set to OPTIONAL to ensure the primary database can proceed
while the logical standby database is being upgraded.
 The COMPATIBLE initialization parameter must match the software release prior to
the upgrade. That is, a rolling upgrade from release X to new release X’ requires that
the COMPATIBLE initialization parameter be set to X on both the primary and standby
databases. Then, after the upgrade and all assurance tests have passed, you can update
the COMPATIBLE parameter to the new target release, X’.
NOTE: once you have updated the COMPATIBLE parameter to the target database
release, you cannot downgrade to an earlier release with flashback database nor the
database downgrade procedure
 When you perform the initial switchover in the rolling upgrade process, you cannot use
the PREPARE TO SWITCHOVER operation because the primary and standby
databases are running different Oracle releases.
 If you have multiple standby databases, review the ‘Multiple Standby Considerations’
section prior to starting the rolling upgrade.
ROLLING UPGRADES USING A TRANSIENT LOGICAL STANDBY

The complete procedure documented here applies to any upgrade with a source (starting)
release of Oracle Database 11.1.0.6 or 11.1.0.7. You can also use a transient logical standby
to perform a rolling upgrade of Oracle Database 10.2, but doing so requires additional steps.
For a complete description about rolling upgrades for release 10.2, including upgrades in a
Real Application Cluster (Oracle RAC) environment, see Oracle MetaLink note: 300479.1.
CONFIRM DATA TYPE SUPPORT

It is important to identify unsupported database objects on the primary database before you
create a logical standby database because changes made to unsupported data types and tables
on the primary database will be automatically skipped by SQL Apply on the logical standby
database. See Appendix C, “Data Type and DDL Support on a Logical Standby Database” in the
Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration guide [5] for complete details on how to verify
data type support. Appendix C.9 has specific information related to unsupported tables.
Even if unsupported data types are identified, there are cases when a transient logical
standby procedure can still be used. The determination has to be made if there is a
satisfactory way to handle the unsupported data types. Options for using rolling upgrade
when unsupported data types exist are as follows:
 Suspend or prohibit changes to the unsupported data type objects. Temporarily
suspend or prohibit changes to the unsupported tables for the period of time it takes to
perform the upgrade procedure.
 Use DBA_LOGSTDBY_EVENTS with Oracle Data Pump or with the
Export/Import utility. If you cannot prevent changes to unsupported tables during
the upgrade, any unsupported transactions that occur are recorded in the
DBA_LOGSTDBY_EVENTS table on the logical standby database. After the upgrade is
completed, use Oracle Data Pump or the Export/Import utility to import the changed
tables to the upgraded databases. These features are described in the Oracle Database
Utilities documentation [10].
See Section 12.4 in Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration [5] for further
information.
 Use Extended Datatype Support (EDS). EDS enables SQL Apply to replicate changes
to tables that contain some data types not natively supported. Beginning with Oracle
Database 11g Release 11.1.0.7, SQL Apply supports the ability for triggers to fire on the
logical standby database, which provides the basis of EDS. Thus, the target release
must be 11.1.0.7 or higher. Using EDS does require some additional steps that are
detailed in Appendix B, “Using EDS with a Transient Logical Standby.”
For an overview of EDS, see the MAA white paper Extended Datatype Support. For
details and examples of using EDS to support data types that are not natively supported
by SQL Apply, see the following Support notes:
1. Pre 11.2 - My Oracle Support Note 559353.1
2. 11.2+ - My Oracle Support Note 949516.1Preparation Best Practices
Preparing properly for the upgrade will give you the necessary knowledge and confidence to
complete a successful upgrade. Preparation for an upgrade using a transient logical standby
is very similar to preparation for a normal upgrade. Chapter 2 of the Oracle Database Upgrade
Guide [7] has an excellent set of steps to follow. In addition to those steps, the following
practices are also recommended:
 Review the documentation resources
o Read the Oracle Database Upgrade Guide [7]
o Read the Oracle Database Readme [11]
o Review known issues and post-release Oracle MetaLink notes derived from
Note: 161818.1
o Review and follow the Oracle 11g Upgrade Companion in Oracle MetaLink
Note: 601807.1. This is an important document to review because it contains
a comprehensive set of steps and best practices for upgrading.
 Prepare a new ORACLE_HOME:
o If you are planning to do a patch or patch set upgrade, then clone a new
ORACLE_HOME and apply the patch or patch set to it on both the primary
and standby systems. This is not mandatory when applying patch sets but it is
a recommended practice. Having a separate installation rather than directly
applying the patch or patchset to the existing installation allows for easy
switching between Oracle homes, including if a fallback is necessary. Using a
new ORACLE_HOME is also termed as an out-of-place patch set apply (see
“Cloning ORACLE_HOME for a Patchset Apply”).
o If you are planning to do a release upgrade, then install the new Oracle
Database software into a new ORACLE_HOME on both the primary and the
standby systems.
 Create a test plan that includes the best practices outlined in the 11g Upgrade
Companion in Oracle MetaLink Note: 601807.1, and the following additional practices:
o Upgrade testing.
o Fallback testing: Testing the fallback methods that will be used in the event
that any step fails. Various fallback methods are discussed in the “Fallback”
section later in this paper.
o Handle unsupported tables and objects: If you have any unsupported tables
and have determined a method to handle them within the rolling upgrade,
then ensure that this is in your test plan
 Understand the fallback restoration options for each upgrade step. The following
fallback methods are described in the “Fallback” section later in this paper:
o Backups
o Flashback Database
o Downgrade procedure
 Maintain the same database COMPATIBLE initialization parameter setting on all
databases in the Data Guard configuration until the upgrade has been completely
evaluated. For example, if upgrading from release 11.1.0.6 to 11.1.0.7, then set the
COMPATIBLE initialization parameter to 11.1.0.6.0.
 Follow the best practices described in the MAA “Oracle Database 10g Release 2 Best
Practices: Data Guard Switchover and Failover” [4] white paper to optimize Data
Guard switchover time.
 Ensure beforehand that you have followed the guidelines for relocating Database Services to
the new primary database. See the MAA best practices paper “Client Failover Best Practices
for Highly Available Oracle Databases: Oracle Database 10g Release 2” for more
information.
CONVENTIONS
The following text conventions are used in this document:
PROD PSTBY
Left column is always the primary site Right column is always the standby site
Other labels used in the table header are as follows:
 PROD = Database is in primary role
 PSTBY = Database is in the physical standby role
 LSTBY = Database is in the logical standby role
PREPARATION STEPS
The preparation steps are the basis for an efficient and successful rolling upgrade.
1. If adding EDS for tables that contain unsupported data types, then perform the “Preparing
EDS” steps listed in Appendix B.
If you are using the Data Guard Broker to manage the Data Guard configuration, you
must stop the broker before you begin the rolling upgrade process. You can reenable
the broker after you switch back to the original configuration. However, if you perform
only one switchover, in which you leave the original physical standby site database
running in the primary database role, then you must remove the Broker configuration
and re-create it.
If you have implemented Fast-Start Failover, then you must disable fast-start failover
before you can disable broker management of the configuration.
PROD PSTBY
DGMGRL> disable configuration;
ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET

DG_BROKER_START=FALSE SCOPE=BOTH; DG_BROKER_START=FALSE SCOPE=BOTH;
2. If you are using Oracle Streams then stop Streams capture on the Primary (PROD)
before you start the rolling upgrade process. Note that Streams capture remains
stopped until the switchover to the transient logical standby (STBY).
PROD PSTBY
exec dbms_capture_adm.stop_capture
(capture_name
=>'STRMADMIN_CAPTURE');
3. If standby redo log files do not already exist, then create standby redo log files of the
same size as the online redo log files on the primary and the standby databases so that
you can enable real-time apply later. See Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration [5]
for guidelines to create standby redo log files
PROD PSTBY
ALTER DATABASE ADD STANDBY LOGFILE ALTER DATABASE ADD STANDBY LOGFILE
(’+PROD’) SIZE 50M; (’+PSTBY’) SIZE 50M;
... ...
4. Set the protection level to MAXIMUM AVAILABILITY or MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE

for the rolling upgrade process.
PROD PSTBY
SELECT PROTECTION_MODE FROM SELECT PROTECTION_MODE FROM

V$DATABASE; V$DATABASE;
5. Set and adjust the LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameters and ensure that none include
the MANDATORY attribute, all use the VALID_FOR attribute, and eliminate any DELAY
attributes. Including the DB_UNIQUE_NAME attribute is required only if the
LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG parameter is configured, but specifying DB_UNIQUE_NAME

is a recommended practice
PROD PSTBY

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1=' LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_1='
LOCATION=USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST LOCATION=USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DEST
VALID_FOR=(ONLINE_LOGFILES, VALID_FOR=(ONLINE_LOGFILES,
ALL_ROLES) DB_UNIQUE_NAME=prod' ALL_ROLES) DB_UNIQUE_NAME=pstby'
SCOPE=BOTH; SCOPE=BOTH;

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_2= LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_2=
'SERVICE=pstby LGWR ASYNC 'SERVICE=prod LGWR ASYNC NOAFFIRM
NOAFFIRM DELAY=0 OPTIONAL DELAY=0 OPTIONAL REOPEN=15
REOPEN=15 MAX_FAILURE=10 MAX_FAILURE=10
VALID_FOR=(ONLINE_LOGFILES, VALID_FOR=(ONLINE_LOGFILES,
PRIMARY_ROLE) PRIMARY_ROLE)
DB_UNIQUE_NAME=pstby' SCOPE=BOTH; DB_UNIQUE_NAME=prod' SCOPE=BOTH;

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_3= LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_3=
'LOCATION=USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DES 'LOCATION=USE_DB_RECOVERY_FILE_DES
T VALID_FOR=(STANDBY_LOGFILES, T VALID_FOR=(STANDBY_LOGFILES,
STANDBY_ROLE) STANDBY_ROLE)
DB_UNIQUE_NAME=prod' SCOPE=BOTH; DB_UNIQUE_NAME=pstby' SCOPE=BOTH;

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_1=ENABLE LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_1=ENABLE


6. Ensure you correctly set the FAL_SERVER, FAL_CLIENT, LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG, and

STANDBY_FILE_MANAGEMENT initialization parameters:
PROD PSTBY
ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET FAL_SERVER=’prod’

FAL_SERVER=’pstby’ SCOPE=BOTH; SCOPE=BOTH;
ALTER SYSTEM SET FAL_CLIENT=’prod’ ALTER SYSTEM SET

SCOPE=BOTH; FAL_CLIENT=’pstby’ SCOPE=BOTH;

LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG=’dg_config= LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG=’dg_config=
(prod,pstby)’ SCOPE=BOTH; (prod,pstby)’ SCOPE=BOTH;

STANDBY_FILE_MANAGEMENT=’AUTO’ STANDBY_FILE_MANAGEMENT=’AUTO’
7. Set the LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT parameter whether or not the file system

structure is identical, to pre-clear the online redo logs and to optimize switchover time
(See the MAA white paper: “Oracle Database 10g Release 2 Best Practices: Data Guard
Switchover and Failover” [4] for more information). Do this in conjunction with the
following step (to enable Flashback Database), because the LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT
parameter is static and can only be switched during a restart. If the files systems are
identical, then just set each side of the convert pair to a blank (for example:. ALTER SYSTEM
SET LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT= ‘ ’,’ ’ SCOPE=SPFILE;)
PROD PSTBY

LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT= ’+PSTBY/’, LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT= ’+PROD/’,
’+PROD/’ SCOPE=SPFILE; ’+PSTBY/’ SCOPE=SPFILE;
8. Enable Flashback Database on both the primary and standby databases.
 When you enable Flashback Database on the standby database, it allows you to flash
back the standby database if failures occur during the upgrade or patch process (prior
to changing the database COMPATIBLE parameter).
 Enabling Flashback Database on the primary system requires that you restart the
database, allow sufficient I/O bandwidth, and provide additional disk space for the
flashback log files located in the Flash Recovery Area. This is important because when
a guaranteed restore point is created, a lack of sufficient free space in the Flash
Recovery Area will cause the database operation to stop and wait for additional space to
become available.
See the Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Users Guide [9] for complete details about
using Flashback Database.
PROD PSTBY
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE Optional:

(In an Oracle RAC environment for all instances) SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE
STARTUP MOUNT STARTUP MOUNT
ALTER DATABASE FLASHBACK ON; ALTER DATABASE FLASHBACK ON;
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;
9. Create a guaranteed restore point on the primary database PROD. To provide the ability to
flashback the database on the standby site as well (for example, in case an error occurs while
applying a patch or upgrading the database upgrade), then create a guaranteed restore point
on PSTBY, too.
PROD PSTBY
CREATE RESTORE POINT PRE_UPGRADE_1 Optional:

GUARANTEE FLASHBACK DATABASE; CREATE RESTORE POINT PRE_UPGRADE_2
GUARANTEE FLASHBACK DATABASE;
RECOVER MANAGED STANDBY DATABASE
USING CURRENT LOGFILE DISCONNECT;
CONVERSION TO LOGICAL STANDBY STEPS

The new Oracle Database 11g KEEP Now the physical standby is converted to a logical standby by creating a LogMiner
IDENTITY clause ensures that the
logical standby database keeps its dictionary on PROD and synchronizing the transient logical standby with PSTBY . Including
database ID (DBID) identical to the the new Oracle Database 11g KEEP IDENTITY clause (on the SQL*Plus ALTER
primary. This facilitates the later step
when you convert the transient DATABASE RECOVER TO LOGICAL STANDBY statement) ensures that the logical
logical standby database back to its standby database keeps its DBID, which is identical to the ID of the PROD database.
original role as a physical standby.
At this point the new logical standby LSTBY receives the necessary redo information from
PROD to populate its own LogMiner dictionary. This step can take a few minutes but it does
not affect availability. You can monitor the dictionary build by querying the
V$LOGSTDBY_STATE view. When it returns ”IDLE” that indicates the build completed
and SQL Apply is proceeding. The output of querying V$LOGSTDBY_STATE will change
from ”INITIALIZING” to ”WAITING FOR DICTIONARY LOGS” to ”LOADING
DICTIONARY” to ”APPLYING” and finally to “IDLE.”
PROD PSTBY
ALTER DATABASE RECOVER MANAGED

STANDBY DATABASE CANCEL;
EXECUTE DBMS_LOGSTDBY.BUILD;
If Oracle RAC then must be mounted exclusive.

ALTER SYSTEM SET
CLUSTER_DATABASE=FALSE
SCOPE=SPFILE;
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE
STARTUP MOUNT
PROD PSTBY
ALTER DATABASE RECOVER TO LOGICAL

STANDBY KEEP IDENTITY;
If Oracle RAC then reset CLUSTER_DATABASE.

ALTER SYSTEM SET
CLUSTER_DATABASE=TRUE
SCOPE=SPFILE;
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE
STARTUP MOUNT
ALTER DATABASE OPEN;
Note: If using EDS, skip this step. Do not start

SQL Apply until after the logical standby upgrade and after
the steps for “Configuring EDS Logging Table Triggers” in
Appendix B are run.
ALTER DATABASE START LOGICAL
STANDBY APPLY IMMEDIATE;
EXECUTE DBMS_LOGSTDBY.APPLY_SET(
'LOG_AUTO_DELETE', 'FALSE');
Wait for this query to display “IDLE”:

SELECT SESSION_ID, STATE FROM
V$LOGSTDBY_STATE;
CREATE AN ARCHIVED REDO LOG REPOSITORY

Optionally, you can create an archived redo log repository with the same database release
(the target release) and COMPATIBLE setting as the primary database so that redo is still
received while applying the patch or upgrading the database. See My Oracle Support note
434164.1. Creating a repository ensures you can meet the recovery point objective (RPO) in
the event the primary site fails during the upgrade of the logical.
PERFORM PATCH APPLY OR UPGRADE STEPS

Because you will perform the upgrade or apply the patch or patch set first on the logical
standby database, you must stop SQL Apply before you can perform the necessary upgrade
steps. At this point, it is recommended to create another guaranteed restore point on the
logical standby as a fallback possibility.
PROD LSTBY
ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER DATABASE STOP LOGICAL

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_2=DEFER STANDBY APPLY;
SCOPE=MEMORY;
CREATE RESTORE POINT PRE_UPGRADE_3

GUARANTEE FLASHBACK DATABASE;
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE
1. Set the environment to the new ORACLE_HOME.
 Perform the database upgrade on the logical standby using either the Database Upgrade
Assistant (DBUA) or the manual upgrade method with catupgrd.sql Using the
DBUA is the recommended method because it handles all parameter changes and any
updates to the Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR) in an Oracle RAC environment. See the
“Oracle Database Upgrade Guide 11.1 ” [7] for complete upgrade instructions.
Note: Although you can change the COMPATIBLE parameter on the logical standby
site to the new version, it is not required or recommended.
o Changing the COMPATIBLE parameter now is against best practice.
The best practice is to change COMPATIBLE after successfully completing
the rolling upgrade process and after you have successfully verified and tested
the configuration. Changing the COMPATIBLE parameter requires that you
restart both databases.
o Changing COMPATIBLE at this stage will prevent use of the downgrade
procedure or the ability to flash back the database to a point prior to
this. You cannot revert the COMPATIBLE parameter back to its earlier value
once it has been set to a higher release value. If you raise the value of the
COMPATIBLE parameter at this point, the only way to revert LSTBY to its
original role as a physical standby database is to restore an earlier backup or
completely recreate the standby database.
2. The upgrade is now complete. If you are using EDS then perform the steps in
“Configuring EDS Logging Table Triggers” in Appendix B.
3. If an archived redo log repository was used then you can use the RMAN CATALOG
command to catalog the archived redo log repository archivelog destination to avoid
resending those logs. e.g.:
PROD PSTBY
RMAN> CATALOG START WITH

'+PSTBY/ALOGREP/ARCHIVELOG/’;
4. Start SQL Apply

PROD LSTBY
ALTER SYSTEM SET STARTUP

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_2=ENABLE
SCOPE=MEMORY;
Note: If using EDS, perform the steps in “Configuring

EDS Logging Table Triggers” in Appendix B before starting
SQL Apply.
ALTER DATABASE START LOGICAL
STANDBY APPLY IMMEDIATE;
Up to this point there’s no impact on availability of the primary database.
CREATE AN ARCHIVED REDO LOG REPOSITORY

Optionally, you can create an archived redo log repository with the same database release
(the target release) and COMPATIBLE setting as the primary database so that redo is still
received while applying the patch or upgrading the database. See Oracle MetaLink note
434164.1. Creating a repository ensures you can meet the recovery point objective (RPO) in
the event the primary site fails during this step.
SWITCHOVER
Perform a switchover to relocate the primary role to the standby site. Although a switchover
incurs some downtime you can minimize the application downtime to less than 1 minute if
you applied the switchover best practices described in the “Preparation Best Practices”
section.
The “SWITCHOVER TO LOGICAL STANDBY;” command cannot use the “WITH
SESSION SHUTDOWN” clause so you need to manually shutdown sessions.
PROD LSTBY  PROD
Wait for this query to display “TO STANDBY” or proceed

to switchover with session disconnect
SELECT SWITCHOVER_STATUS FROM
V$DATABASE;
ALTER DATABASE COMMIT TO

SWITCHOVER TO LOGICAL STANDBY;
Wait for this query to display “TO PRIMARY” or proceed

to switchover with session disconnect:
V$DATABASE;

SWITCHOVER TO LOGICAL PRIMARY;
If using Oracle Streams then start Streams capture. Note

capture will go back in time and mine the redo logs that got
generated while it was down.
exec
dbms_capture_adm.start_capture
('STRMADMIN_CAPTURE');
RETRANSFORMATION INTO A PHYSICAL STANDBY DATABASE

The former primary database, which is currently running as the transient logical standby
(LSTBY), cannot provide disaster recovery because it is running under a lower database
version than the new primary database, and cannot receive redo. Thus, you must convert
LSTBY back into a physical standby database.
1. If using EDS, remove EDS components by performing the steps in “Removing EDS”
in Appendix B.
2. Defer the redo transmission from the primary to the standby and then flash back the
standby to the guaranteed restore point.
LSTBY  PSTBY PROD
ALTER SYSTEM SET

LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_2=DEFER
SCOPE=MEMORY;
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
STARTUP MOUNT;
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO RESTORE
POINT PRE_UPGRADE_1;
3. Set your environment to use the new ORACLE_HOME. Issue the ALTER DATABASE
CONVERT TO PHYSICAL STANDBY statement to convert the logical standby to a
physical standby database.
LSTBY  PSTBY PROD
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
Switch to the new ORACLE_HOME
STARTUP MOUNT;
ALTER DATABASE CONVERT TO PHYSICAL
STANDBY;
4. Because the CONVERT TO PHYSICAL statement dismounts the database, you must
remount the PSTBY database.
PSTBY PROD
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE
STARTUP MOUNT;
5. If you previously set the COMPATIBLE parameter to the higher target database release
number on the LSTBY site, then you must set COMPATIBLE to the same value on the
PROD site. Remember that changing the value of the COMPATIBLE parameter eliminates
most options for downgrading.
PSTBY PROD
ALTER SYSTEM SET COMPATIBLE=’...’

SCOPE=SPFILE;
SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE
STARTUP MOUNT;
6. If an archived redo log repository was used then you can use the RMAN CATALOG
command to catalog the archived redo log repository archivelog destination to avoid
resending those logs. e.g.:
PSTBY PROD
RMAN> CATALOG START WITH

'+PROD/ALOGREP/ARCHIVELOG/’;
7. Start Redo Apply on the physical standby database PSTBY. Data Guard will synchronize
the physical standby database with the primary database PROD.
PSTBY PROD
RECOVER MANAGED STANDBY DATABASE ALTER SYSTEM SET

USING CURRENT LOGFILE DISCONNECT; LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_2=ENABLE;
8. When Redo Apply starts, it registers a new incarnation from the primary database.
During that time, Redo Apply will be in a wait state, looping every 10 seconds until the
new incarnation is registered. A sample of that sequence of alert log messages is similar
to the following:
Managed Standby Recovery starting Real Time Apply
MRP0: Incarnation has changed! Retry recovery...
Errors in file
/u01/app/oracle/diag/rdbms/PROD/PROD/trace/PROD_mrp0_741.trc:
ORA-19906: recovery target incarnation changed during recovery
<10 second gap >
Managed Standby Recovery not using Real Time Apply
Errors in file
/u01/app/oracle/diag/rdbms/PROD/PROD/trace/PROD_mrp0_741.trc:
ORA-19906: recovery target incarnation changed during recovery
Fast Parallel Media Recovery enabled
. . .
. . .
Setting recovery target incarnation to 4
RFS[3]: Incarnation entry added for Branch(resetlogs_id): 647358813 (PROD)
Fri Feb 22 14:10:36 2008
Setting recovery target incarnation to 4
Fast Parallel Media Recovery enabled
RFS[1]: Archived Log:
'+PROD/PROD/archivelog/2008_02_22/thread_1_seq_3.2334.647359837'
parallel recovery started with 3 processes
. . .
Media Recovery start incarnation depth : 1, target inc# : 4, irscn :
1002171
Waiting for all non-current ORLs to be archived...
Clearing online redo logfile 1 +PROD/PROD/onlinelog/group_1.1629.647333483
Clearing online log 1 of thread 1 sequence number 13
If the primary and standby databases are running on identical systems, then there’s no
reason to perform a switchover to have PSTBY return to the standby role. Thus, the whole
rolling upgrade has incurred just one switchover operation with minimal downtime. You can
wait to perform another switchover to return the PROD database to run in the role of the
primary database during the next planned maintenance operation.
SWITCHBACK STEPS
This section describes how to perform a second switchover to return the original primary
database (PROD) back in the role as the primary database and to return the original physical
standby (PSTBY) into the role of the physical standby database. This step is optional as
long as your standby site can support your production operations.
PSTBY  PROD PROD  PSTBY
Wait for this query to display “TO STANDBY” or proceed

SELECT SWITCHOVER_STATUS
FROM V$DATABASE;

SWITCHOVER TO STANDBY WITH SESSION
SHUTDOWN;
Wait for this query to display “TO PRIMARY” or proceed

V$DATABASE;

SWITCHOVER TO PRIMARY;
ALTER DATABASE OPEN; SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;

STARTUP MOUNT;
RECOVER MANAGED STANDBY DATABASE

USING CURRENT LOGFILE DISCONNECT;
CLEANUP STEPS
The following example shows how to drop the existing guaranteed restore point and any others
that are no longer needed to prevent running out of disk space.
PROD PSTBY
SELECT NAME FROM V$RESTORE_POINT SELECT NAME FROM V$RESTORE_POINT

WHERE GUARANTEE_FLASHBACK_DATABASE WHERE GUARANTEE_FLASHBACK_DATABASE
=’YES’; =’YES’;
DROP RESTORE POINT PRE_UPGRADE_1; DROP RESTORE POINT <name>;
If the Data Guard Broker has been used at the beginning of this process, reenable it as shown in
the following example.
PROD PSTBY

DG_BROKER_START=TRUE SCOPE=BOTH; DG_BROKER_START=TRUE SCOPE=BOTH;
DGMGRL> enable configuration;
MULTIPLE STANDBY DATABASE CONSIDERATIONS

It is possible to perform the transient logical standby rolling upgrade process with bystander
physical standby databases and/or bystander logical standby databases in place. Bystanders
are any additional standby databases that are in the same Data Guard configuration as the
physical standby database used to execute the upgrade. This section describes the steps to
handle each type of bystander database.
Bystander Physical Standby Database Considerations
The bystander physical standby databases can be manually upgraded by executing the
following steps:
1. Prior to starting the process, create a Guaranteed Restore Point (GRP) on each
bystander physical standby database that you wish to retain in the Data Guard
configuration after the upgrade has completed. Perform the following steps to
create the GRP:
a. Stop Redo Apply on the bystander physical standby database:
SQL> ALTER DATABASE RECOVER MANAGED STANDBY
DATABASE CANCEL;
b. As the SYSDBA user, create the GRP:
SQL> CREATE RESTORE POINT PRE_UPGRADE GUARANTEE
FLASHBACK DATABASE;
c. Start Redo Apply:
DATABASE USING CURRENT LOGFILE DISCONNECT;
2. Clone the Oracle Home at each bystander standby and upgrade the cloned Oracle
Home to the new version.
3. After the “Retransformation Into a Physical Standby Database” step of the
transient rolling upgrade:
a. Stop Redo Apply on the bystander physical standby database:
DATABASE CANCEL;
b. If the bystander database is an Oracle RAC database, shut down all but one
database instance:
$ srvctl stop instance –d <bystander database name>
–i <bystander instance> –o abort
c. Flash back the bystander physical standby database to the PRE_UPGRADE
GRP:
SQL> FLASHBACK DATABASE TO RESTORE POINT

PRE_UPGRADE;
d. Shut down the bystander standby database:
e. Mount the bystander physical standby database using the upgraded Oracle
Home.
f. Start Redo Apply on the bystander physical standby database:
DATABASE USING CURRENT LOGFILE DISCONNECT;
g. If the bystander physical standby database is an Oracle RAC database, start the
remaining database instances:
$ srvctl start instance –d <bystander database
name> –i <bystander instance> –o <startup option>
h. Drop the Guaranteed Restore Point:
DROP RESTORE POINT PRE_UPGRADE;
Bystander Logical Standby Database Considerations
Use the following process to maintain bystander logical standby databases as part of the
transient logical standby rolling upgrade:
1. Before beginning the transient logical rolling upgrade process:
a. All bystander logical standby databases must be manually upgraded to the
target Oracle RDBMS version.
b. On each bystander logical standby database create a database link that points to
the physical standby database that will take on the role of transient logical
standby during the upgrade process. The Oracle SYSTEM userid should be
explicitly specified in the CONNECT TO clause.
SQL> CREATE DATABASE LINK <link name> CONNECT TO
SYSTEM IDENTIFIED BY <password> USING <tns alias of
transient logical standby>;
c. On the physical standby database that will take on the role of transient logical
standby during the upgrade process, ensure there is a
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n parameter setting for each bystander logical
standby database. These should be defined with
VALID_FOR=(ONLINE_LOGFILES,PRIMARY_ROLE) and have
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_n=ENABLE.
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SET
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n=’SERVICE=<bystander logical
service> LGWR ASYNC
VALID_FOR=(ONLINE_LOGFILES,PRIMARY_ROLE)
DB_UNIQUE_NAME=<bystander logical db unique name>;
SQL> ALTER SYSTEM SET
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_STATE_n=ENABLE;
2. During the transient logical upgrade process:
a. SQL Apply should continue running on the bystander logical standby
databases.
b. Ensure the bystander logical standby databases do not have a large lag behind
the primary database. You can use a query similar to the following to
determine SQL Apply progress. See ‘Managing a Logical Standby Database’ in
the Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration Guide 11g Release 1 and 11g
Release 2 documentation for more information on monitoring SQL Apply.
SQL> ALTER SESSION SET NLS_DATE_FORMAT = 'DD-MON-YYYY
HH24:MI:SS';
SQL> SELECT APPLIED_TIME, APPLIED_SCN, MINING_TIME,
MINING_SCN FROM V$LOGSTDBY_PROGRESS;
APPLIED_TIME APPLIED_SCN MINING_TIME

MINING_SCN
-------------------- ----------- -------------------- -------
----
29-JUL-2011 12:00:05 346791023 29-JUL-2011 12:10:05
3468810134
c. After the “Retransformation Into a Physical Standby Database” step of the

transient rolling upgrade, the transient logical standby database has assumed
the primary role. At this time, on each bystander logical standby database:
i. Check that the bystander logical standby has received and processed the
End-of-Redo (EOR) marker from the switchover. The following query
should return SWITCHOVER in the VALUE column
SQL> SELECT NAME, VALUE FROM
SYSTEM.LOGSTDBY$PARAMETERS WHERE NAME=’COMPLETED
SESSION’;
NAME VALUE
------------------ -------------------------
COMPLETED_SESSION SWITCHOVER
ii. The bystander logical standby database must now be informed that it will
be applying redo from a new primary database. Issue the following
command on the bystander logical standby:
SQL> ALTER DATABASE START LOGICAL STANDBY APPLY
NEW PRIMARY <db link name created in step 1b of
this section>;
Note: Starting SQL Apply with the NEW PRIMARY clause will not start SQL
Apply in Real Time Apply (RTA) mode. This version of the command will
accept the IMMEDIATE clause but will ignore it. To enable RTA, after
starting SQL Apply with the NEW PRIMARY clause, stop SQL Apply and
restart it with the IMMEDIATE clause. Do not specify the NEW PRIMARY
clause on this or any subsequent start of SQL Apply as part of the transient
logical standby rolling upgrade process. When you switch back to your original
configuration, the bystander logical standby databases will follow to the new
primary database with no additional action.
d. When all of the bystander logical standby databases have been changed to the
new primary, continue on with the rest of the transient logical rolling upgrade
process (“Switchback Step” if needed).
3. After completing the transient logical upgrade process, on each bystander logical
standby database, optionally, drop the database links created in Step 1b of this
section. The database link can be retained to use in future transient logical rolling
upgrade operations if desired.
SQL> DROP DATABASE LINK <link name>;
FALLBACK BEST PRACTICES

This section describes the following fallback practices:
1. Backups
2. Flashback Database
3. Downgrades
The Flowchart in Figure 2 presents an overview of which fallback option is viable at each
step of the SQL Apply Rolling Upgrade.
Figure 2: SQL Apply Rolling Upgrade with Transient Logical Fallback Options
BACKUPS
Ensure that you take database and software backups on the primary and the standby
databases prior to starting the upgrade process. The software backups should include the
oraInventory directory tree. Taking software backups are necessary only if they have
never been done and if you are applying the patch set directly to the existing
ORACLE_HOME tree rather than applying the patch set to a newly installed separate
ORACLE_HOME.
FLASHBACK DATABASE
Flashback Database is a method to achieve very fast point-in-time recovery and is most
often the quickest way to fall back to the previous release. Note that data from any
transactions that occur after the point in time to which the database is recovered are lost.
Flashback Database is an excellent tool for backing out the database upgrade on the logical
standby before the first switchover in the SQL Apply rolling upgrade process. Using
Flashback Database with sufficient space and creating a guaranteed restore point
immediately prior to the upgrade is the fastest method to fallback as compared to a restore
operation or a database downgrade.
Following switchover, and after the production workload is running on the original standby
database, any Flashback operation will result in data loss. Deciding to use Flashback
Database versus downgrading the database typically entails a tradeoff between the speed at
which you need to return the primary database to the previous release and the amount of
data loss that you can tolerate.
NOTE: You can use Flashback Database to fall back to the pre-upgrade release only if you
have not changed the COMPATIBLE database parameter to the target release. See the
“General Restrictions” section in this white paper for additional information.
The steps for flashing back the database after a failed upgrade (due to a failure while running
the catupgrd.sql script or a DBUA failure) are as follows:
1. Shut down the upgraded database.
2. Startup mount the database under the new ORACLE_HOME
3. Use Flashback Database to return to the guaranteed restore point that was taken prior
to the upgrade:
SQL> flashback database to restore point PRE_LOGICAL_UPGRADE;
4. Shut down the database

5. Startup mount the database under the old ORACLE_HOME
6. Issue the OPEN RESETLOGS command to open the database:
SQL> alter database open resetlogs;
DOWNGRADE
To run the downgrade procedure, use the manual downgrade steps documented in Chapter
7 of the Oracle Database Upgrade Guide 11g Release 1 (11.1) [7]. Performing a downgrade
generally takes as long as the upgrade procedure and backs out the patch set changes while
maintaining any transactional changes. In cases where transactional changes have taken
place since the upgrade and there is no other way to restore the data, then you should
perform a downgrade procedure. A prerequisite to downgrading is that the COMPATIBLE
database parameter must have remained at the release to which you are downgrading .
TRANSIENT LOGICAL STANDBY FALLBACK CONSIDERATIONS
The fallback practices when using a Transient Logical Standby differ from the fallback
practices you would use after performing a standard SQL Apply Rolling Upgrade. The
flowchart shown in Figure 2 presents an overview of which fallback options are viable at
each step for a rolling upgrade with transient logical standby.
In general, ensure you have taken the proper backups prior to invoking the rolling upgrade.
APPENDIX A- CLONING THE ORACLE_HOME TO APPLY A PATCH SET

For an out-of-place (creating a new ORACLE_HOME) patch set apply, it is
recommended to clone the existing ORACLE_HOME. The following procedure
shows the commands you would use on a Linux system:
1. As the root user, on each node in the cluster, copy the existing ORACLE_HOME
to the new ORACLE_HOME location. (This requires no downtime.) For example:
cp –pr /u01/app/oracle/product/11.1.0.6
/u01/app/oracle/product/11.1.0.7
2. Validate that any file changes between the source ORACLE_HOME and the
copied ORACLE_HOME are ok (only log files may differ):
> diff -q -r /u01/app/oracle/product/11.1.0.6
/u01/app/oracle/product/11.1.0.7
3. As the OS user that owns the Oracle software, add the new ORACLE_HOME
software to the Oracle Inventory using a cloning script. For example:
#!/bin/sh
echo "Clone started at `date`" | tee -a clone.log
perl /u01/app/oracle/product/11.1.0.7/clone/bin/clone.pl
ORACLE_HOME=/u01/app/oracle/product/11.1.0.7
ORACLE_HOME_NAME=11gR1P2 '-O"CLUSTER_NODES={chi01,chi02}"'
'-O"LOCAL_NODE=chi01"'
echo "Clone ended at `date`" | tee -a clone.log
4. As root user, run the root.sh script on each node.

5. Apply the patch set to the newly cloned ORACLE_HOME
(/u01/app/oracle/product/11.1.0.7)
Note: If the source ORACLE_HOME contains any hard links or symbolic links
these will also be cloned. If any of these links in the cloned ORACLE_HOME
reference the source ORACLE_HOME then you must manually change them to
point to the cloned ORACLE_HOME path.
APPENDIX B- USING EDS WITH A TRANSIENT LOGICAL STANDBY

For an overview of Extended Datatype Support (EDS), see the MAA white paper
Extended Datatype Support.
For details and examples of using EDS to support data types that are not natively
supported by SQL Apply, see the following Support notes:
3. Pre 11.2 - My Oracle Support Note 559353.1
4. 11.2+ - My Oracle Support Note 949516.1
The table and trigger names provided

follow the examples in MetaLink Note Using EDS with a transient logical is intended for use while the standby is a logical
565069.1. standby and once the standby is converted back to a physical standby EDS is no
See MetaLink Note 559353.1 for longer necessary.
additional EDS logging table and EDS
trigger examples. PREPARING EDS
Prior to converting the physical standby to a logical standby perform the following
steps to setup EDS. These steps are performed on the primary database for each
table that requires EDS support.
1. On the primary database, for each schema that contains a table that requires
EDS support, grant execute privilege on the DBMS_LOGSTDBY package.
e.g. (where OBJUSER is the schema)
SQL> connect system/<password>
SQL> grant execute on dbms_logstdby to OBJUSER;
2. Create the logging table on the primary database
e.g. OBJUSER.PLAYERS_LOG
3. Create the base table trigger on the primary database
e.g. OBJUSER.PLAYERS_PRI_TRG
4. Create the logging table trigger on the primary database
e.g. OBJUSER.PLAYERS_STBY_TRG
NOTE: If the starting release is Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1.0.6) then
create all logging table triggers disabled. For example:
SQL> create trigger PLAYERS_STBY_TRG disable ...
In Oracle Database 11g Release 1 (11.1.0.6), logging table triggers will

generate warnings during compilation and will impact operations on
the base table if they are not disabled. Invalid logging table triggers
will be successfully compiled and enabled on the logical standby
database once it has been upgraded to the later release.
Before starting SQL Apply for the CONFIGURING EDS LOGGING TABLE TRIGGERS
first time, upgrade the logical
standby database and configure the After the physical standby has become a logical standby and the logical standby has
logging table triggers.
been upgraded configure the logging table triggers. These commands are run on
the upgraded logical standby database for each logging table trigger used by EDS.
NOTE: The following steps must be done prior to starting SQL Apply for
the first time. If SQL Apply is started before these steps are performed,
updates performed on the primary database to EDS-supported tables during
the upgrade will not be applied to the upgraded logical standby database.
1. As SYS, temporarily disable GUARD, then enable and compile logging table
triggers
SQL> alter session disable guard;
SQL> alter trigger OBJUSER.PLAYERS_STBY_TRG compile;
SQL> alter trigger OBJUSER.PLAYERS_STBY_TRG enable;
SQL> alter session enable guard;
2. Set the FIRE_ONCE trigger firing property for all logging table triggers to
FALSE
SQL> execute dbms_ddl.set_trigger_firing_property('OBJUSER',
'PLAYERS_STBY_TRG', fire_once => FALSE);
REMOVING EDS
Once the switchover takes place and the upgraded logical standby becomes the new
primary, drop all the EDS objects on the primary.
SQL> drop trigger OBJUSER.PLAYERS_STBY_TRG;
SQL> drop trigger OBJUSER.PLAYERS_PRI_TRG;
SQL> drop table OBJUSER.PLAYERS_LOG;
REFERENCES
1. Oracle Maximum Availability Architecture
http://www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/availability/htdocs/maa.htm
2. Oracle Data Guard

http://www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/availability/htdocs/DataGuardOverview.html
3. Oracle Database 10g Release 2 Best Practices: Data Guard SQL Apply
www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/availability/pdf/MAA_WP_10gR2_SQLApplyBestPr
actices.pdf
4. Oracle Database 10g Release 2 Best Practices: Data Guard Switchover and
Failover
http://www.oracle.com/technology/deploy/availability/pdf/MAA_WP_10gR2_Switchove
rFailoverBestPractices.pdf
5. Oracle Data Guard Concepts and Administration 11g Release 1 (11.1) (Part #B28294)
http://otn.oracle.com/pls/db111/db111.to_toc?partno=b28294
6. Oracle Database High Availability Overview 11g Release 1 (11.1) (Part #B28281)
7. Oracle Database Upgrade Guide 11g Release 1 (11.1) (Part #B28300)

8. Oracle Data Guard Broker 11g Release 1 (11.1) (Part Number B28295)
9. Oracle Database Backup and Recovery Users Guide 11g Release 1 (11.1)
(Part Number B28270)
10. Oracle Database Utilities 11g Release 1 (11.1) (Part Number B28319)
11. Oracle Database Readme 11g Release 1 (11.1) Part Number B28280
CHANGE RECORD
Date Summary of Changes
5/23/12  Removed “ALTER DATABASE RECOVER
MANAGED STANDBY DATABASE CANCEL;” from
the last row of the “CONVERSION TO LOGICAL
STANDBY STEPS” table.
1/23/12  Added steps table for “Conversion to Logical
Standby” back in as they had been erroneously
dropped.
 Reordered this table to go from newest to oldest.
10/24/11  Added stop and start of Oracle Streams capture if
Oracle Streams is in use. Stop capture before the
rolling upgrade starts and start the capture on the
newly upgraded primary after the switchover.
9/26/11  Fixed incorrect Figure reference in the fallback
section.
8/11/11  Changed SYNC to ASYNC in the “Multiple
Standby Database Considerations” section
example.
8/1/11  Added a reference to the “Database Rolling
Upgrades Made Easy” MAA best practice paper.
 Removed the “You cannot have any bystander
logical standby databases…” restriction from the
“General Restrictions” section.
 Added the “Multiple Standby Database
Considerations” section.
Database Rolling Upgrade Using Transient Logical Standby, Oracle Data Guard 11g
May 2012
Authors: Ray Dutcher, Mike Dietrich
Contributing Authors: Lawrence To, Joe Meeks, Viv Schupmann, Doug Utzig
Oracle USA, Inc.

World Headquarters
500 Oracle Parkway
Redwood Shores, CA 94065
U.S.A.
Worldwide Inquiries:
Phone: +1.650.506.7000
Fax: +1.650.506.7200
oracle.com
Copyright © 2008, Oracle. All rights reserved.
This document is provided for information purposes only and the
contents hereof are subject to change without notice.
This document is not warranted to be error-free, nor subject to any
other warranties or conditions, whether expressed orally or implied
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Database Rolling Upgrade Using Transient Logical Standby:

Executive Summary ........................................................................................... 2

Database Rolling Upgrade with Transient Logical Standby:

OVERVIEW: ROLLING DATABASE UPGRADE WITH TRANSIENT LOGICAL

Figure 1: Rolling Upgrade Using a Transient Logical Standby

Proof-of-concept tests using a transient logical standby at a large Oracle customer

the COMPATIBLE parameter to the new target release, X’.

ROLLING UPGRADES USING A TRANSIENT LOGICAL STANDBY

CONFIRM DATA TYPE SUPPORT

Other labels used in the table header are as follows:

 PROD = Database is in primary role

 PSTBY = Database is in the physical standby role

 LSTBY = Database is in the logical standby role

DGMGRL> disable configuration;

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET

4. Set the protection level to MAXIMUM AVAILABILITY or MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE

SELECT PROTECTION_MODE FROM SELECT PROTECTION_MODE FROM

LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG parameter is configured, but specifying DB_UNIQUE_NAME

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET

6. Ensure you correctly set the FAL_SERVER, FAL_CLIENT, LOG_ARCHIVE_CONFIG, and

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET FAL_SERVER=’prod’

ALTER SYSTEM SET FAL_CLIENT=’prod’ ALTER SYSTEM SET

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET

7. Set the LOG_FILE_NAME_CONVERT parameter whether or not the file system

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER SYSTEM SET

8. Enable Flashback Database on both the primary and standby databases.

SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE Optional:

CREATE RESTORE POINT PRE_UPGRADE_1 Optional:

CONVERSION TO LOGICAL STANDBY STEPS

ALTER DATABASE RECOVER MANAGED

If Oracle RAC then must be mounted exclusive.

ALTER DATABASE RECOVER TO LOGICAL

If Oracle RAC then reset CLUSTER_DATABASE.

ALTER DATABASE OPEN;

Note: If using EDS, skip this step. Do not start

Wait for this query to display “IDLE”:

CREATE AN ARCHIVED REDO LOG REPOSITORY

PERFORM PATCH APPLY OR UPGRADE STEPS

ALTER SYSTEM SET ALTER DATABASE STOP LOGICAL

CREATE RESTORE POINT PRE_UPGRADE_3

1. Set the environment to the new ORACLE_HOME.

RMAN> CATALOG START WITH

4. Start SQL Apply

ALTER SYSTEM SET STARTUP

Note: If using EDS, perform the steps in “Configuring

Up to this point there’s no impact on availability of the primary database.

CREATE AN ARCHIVED REDO LOG REPOSITORY

Wait for this query to display “TO STANDBY” or proceed

ALTER DATABASE COMMIT TO

Wait for this query to display “TO PRIMARY” or proceed

ALTER DATABASE COMMIT TO

If using Oracle Streams then start Streams capture. Note

RETRANSFORMATION INTO A PHYSICAL STANDBY DATABASE

LSTBY  PSTBY PROD

ALTER SYSTEM SET

Switch to the new ORACLE_HOME