Searching for a way to move a database cross platform with minimal down time

  • From: Claudia Zeiler <czeiler@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:31:18 -0800

Hello All,
We have just moved database A to a new server by taking a hot backup, copying 
it to the new server, creating a standby database, and at the appointed hour 
switching over to the new server.

Now the company would like us to do the same with database B.  Only there is 
one little hitch.  DB_B is currently on an AIX system.  The new server will be 
Solaris.   (they are the same endian)
Certainly, we can 1. Stop the database
2. Rman convert
3. Move the files to the new server
4.restore the database to the new server.

But this is a far slower process than the clean switch over to the new server 
that we were able to use with DB_A.

I keep trying to force a solution that, so far, isn't there. " The convert 
statement will convert a database, tablespace, or file.  Maybe it will convert 
the archivelog files."  "No, the documentation is clear, it converts DATAfiles. 
"  That was a good case of wishful reading.

"Well, maybe we could create a logical standby database and use 'sql apply'.  
Surely sql is platform independent."  Again, the documentation is clear, "The 
following list describes hardware and operating system requirements for using 
Data Guard:      * The operating system and platform architecture on the 
primary and standby locations must be the same."  
(http://stanford.edu/dept/itss/docs/oracle/10g/server.101/b10823/standby.htm#52221)

I give up.  Can any of you suggest a cool approach to the issue.  Surely a high 
availability site has converted cross platform before.  There must be a way.

The database in question is a single instance,  1Tb, running on Oracle 10.2.0.4.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have to offer,
Sincerely,
Claudi a  Zeiler

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