RE: RAC with one node as a DR solution

  • From: "Ruel, Chris" <Chris.Ruel@xxxxxxx>
  • To: "ckaj111@xxxxxxxx" <ckaj111@xxxxxxxx>, "oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2014 16:32:56 +0000

I am not 100% sure I follow what you are trying to describe and also my 
definitions of DR may differ from you or others.  In any case, here is my take:


1.       RAC is not a DR solution.  I would categorize RAC as an HA (High 
Availability) solution.  RAC protects you from node/isolated hardware failures 
with respect to HA.

2.       Solutions for DR from Oracle would certainly include Dataguard and 
some would even include Streams/Replication and GoldenGate.

3.       A DR solution implies that you have a separate system that is isolated 
(geographically separate) from the primary site to insulate from things like 
localized power outages, server room fire, or even a natural disaster that 
takes out a data center.

4.       While there is such thing as extended RAC (long distance nodes 
connected by dark fiber) you probably don't want to even consider that if cost 
is a concern of yours.

You know, if you are simply looking for a DR solution, I think Dataguard is 
probably your best bet.  You do not have to pay for Active DataGuard (AD) to 
use regular Dataguard.  However, Regular Dataguard requires that you license 
your remote site which can be expensive by itself...especially when you 
consider that w/o AD its usage is limited.

FWIW, one of the things I configured in the past used non-Active Dataguard.  
The client wanted to use the remote site for some things though.  W/o AD, the 
only option really is to open the database read only to use it.  When that 
occurs, of course, you fall behind keeping it up with the primary.  Instead, we 
created two standby database on the remote server.  One, we left in apply mode 
all the time for failover purposes.  The other was opened (read/write) every 
morning at 8:00...used all day, then, closed at 8:00 PM, flashed back so 
archives could be applied from the primary and brought back up to speed so that 
when it opened at 8:00 AM the next day it was a fresh copy of the primary.  
Now, your business rules and needs may not support this sort of configuration 
but it was one way we were able to leverage our standby site for some usage 
while still staying protected and minimizing costs.

Another option for DR outside of Oracle is to use some sort of wide-area san 
mirroring...then, you could have Oracle installed at the remote site such that 
all you need to do is shutdown the primary and start it remotely.  I think 
though that there is a lot of gray area in terms of licensing this 
configuration as you would probably want to periodically test it which would 
require starting the software stack.  With RAC One Node, from my understanding, 
you have 10 calendar days per year that you can "activate" your secondary node 
without a licensing penalty (for things like maintenance, patches, etc.).  
Perhaps, you could use SAN mirroring with RAC One Node and avoid the cost of 
licensing your DR site.  If a failure is detected on the primary node, The 
secondary node would start up.  Personally, I have zero experience with a 
wide-area RAC One Node configuration...I am just theorizing a possible solution 
for you that might be worth looking into.  Good luck!

Chris..



Chris Ruel * Oracle Database Administrator
cruel@xxxxxxx<mailto:cruel@xxxxxxx> * Desk:317.759.2172 * Cell 317.523.8482

From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On 
Behalf Of Chris King
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2014 10:45 AM
To: oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RAC with one node as a DR solution

I'm considering a two-node RAC for a new production environment. For the DR, 
I'd hoped to use active data guard, but it's very expensive. I've avoided the 
architectural option of adding a third node, but locating it in the DR 
environment, because the network to DR will be slower.

Is there a way to set up 3-node RAC, with one node as DR, such that the node in 
DR can be set to NOT hold up the other two nodes due to any network latency?

The node in DR would not have to be up to the minute. It would be acceptable to 
be up to 30 minutes behind.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

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