Want to create a Golden Image on my client with DB up???

[KPS]

Hi,

I'm wondering if I can create a Golden Image of a client server. This client server is a 9i Oracle Database Server. Will this be possible to keep the DB up and running or will it have adverse effects on the Database while the archive/gzip is being created?

ie:) Might it put locks on memory or tables that Oracle uses or have any other effects??


Thanks,
-Ken

[Steven E. Protter]

If you shut the database down and use a recent version of Ignite with the pax patch, you can completely duplicate the database.

If you leave the database up the datafiles will replicate but will be useless.

SEP

[Brian Bergstrand]

You really have your Oracle DB store in vg00? Generally, that is considered a no-no. Why would you want your Oracle data in a golden image anyway? Golden images should only be the OS and applications. So I could see including the Oracle install, but not the Oracle data. Anything outside of vg00 should be restored from a non-ignite backup.

Having said that, I don't think the gzip process will hurt your live data, but it will corrupt the data stores in the image itself. You will have to replay the log if you are lucky, and it may just corrupt them completely.

[Steven E. Protter]

Brian a Golden image gets the whole server, not just vg00. You are quite correct on what that will do to an open database.

SEP

[Brian Bergstrand]

Ken, SEP,

Sorry, I was thinking make_(net|tape)_recovery.

[KPS]

Just want to be clear, I do not have the Oracle 9i DB on vg00. I'm just concerned that if the make of the Golden Image is going, will it cause any problems or cause Oracle DBF files to be unusable why the make_sys_image is going?


Tks,
-Ken

[Brian Bergstrand · Accepted solution]

Ken, sorry about that I misread your request. Your live database should be fine while make_image is in progress, but your database files on the image file will be corrupt. You probably don't care about that though.

If you want good db files on your image, you will have to shutdown the DB before making the image.

HTH.

[Steven E. Protter]

Me too on the misread.

Part of the make_sys_image process does alter the /etc/passwd file. That could cause problems with database files.

I have noticed that for short periods during the Golden image build where the group I put oracle in was missing.

Our policy has been to make those images since that point with the database down.

SEP