Clone RHAS 4 Oracle Server

[Paul Rafferty]

Hello
I need to add a node to an Oracle Rac cluster the node will be identical to the two existing nodes - redhat linux AS 4 on a DL585 that has two 72 gig disks using raid 1 for the OS. Its connected to an emc shared storage for all other data.

My question is,

Can I break the mirror on one of my existing nodes and build the new server using the raid functionality.
Then once the system is built modify the server config to reflect new host configuration.

Thanks in advance.

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

Several options:

http://www.acronis.com
Costs money.

Norton Ghost. Costs less money but the box is offline during the backup.

http://www.mondorescue.org
Costs nothing, but there is no corporation behind it.

SEP

[Paul Rafferty]

Does this mean using the mirrored raid to copy the server is not an option I could use.

[aa-ee]

Not sure if I properly understand. But why don't you :-
* shutdown the existing server.
* Removed one of the mirror disks (I take it you using hardware RAID 1)
* Put removed drive in new server (same slot as the one removed from)
* Boot in single user mode.
* change ip and host name of new server
* reboot new server
* restart old server (fail missing drive)
* replace missing disks

Hoppe this helps
Adrian

[Paul Rafferty]

Hi,
Thats exactly what I want to do.
It seems, to me anyway, the simplest, cleanest way to replicate a server, o/s,
Patches and software.

I was not sure if there were many things to look out for, and why it wouldn't be a common way of replicating a server with the same hardware config ie mirrored disks.

I'll talk to Oracle about the cluster config and the mods required.

But with the o/s once the hostname and network / san configurations are modified
what else would need modifying is the redhat serial number kept somewhere on the server?

Would I need to change this for up2date support, I will have all the new license details.

[aa-ee]

Yes, you will need to re-register the up2date. Also if you use OCFS you will need to :-

# after changing a NIC (MAC), regen a new GUID
ocfs_uid_gen -r
then:
mount -t ocfs -o reclaimid /dev/diskpart /file/system

Not sure about the Orlace stuff, we are supported by "Oracle on Demand"

[aa-ee]

We do our server builds via a kickstart server but hard to keep up to date.

[Hagmann Mike]

Hi Paul

we do our Server build with a self made System Clone ( based on Rsync )

How big is your RAC Cluster ? We will test also a RAC installation with DL585. We are now build up a Linux Infrastruktur for our SAP Env. with Red Hat Cluster / GFS with DL585.

Maybe we can share some Information about Linux Clustering.

Regards Mike

[Paul Rafferty]

Hi,
Currently we have just the two nodes.
The third is arriving within the next week or so with the fourth node to follow a couple of weeks later.

We are running 64 bit and have both oracle 9 on ocfs 2 and version 10 on asm. Whilst this configuration is supported the advice is to move away from the Multiversioned Rac to just running 10 which we intend to do, but probabley not til next year.


So far we haven't really applied any great load to the system but this is about to change as we start to shift more stuff onto it.

Paul.

[Hagmann Mike]

Hi

that sounds great, and what do you use for the Clusterinterconnect?

we have several two nodes Cluster and also a 4 Node Cluster , all with SAP. all with SSI connected to a HP EVA.

regards
Mike