RAC Architecture, Background Processes, AWM and Admin Tools

Oracle 11gR2 RAC architecture.

Grid Infrastructure: Clusterware + ASM
Both products installed in the same $GI_ORACLE_HOME

Oracle clusterware components running on each node
–Voting disk: stores cluster membership used by CSS
–OCR stores information about clusterware resources multiplexed OCR for high availability used by CRS
–OLR(Oracle Local Registry): $GI_HOME/cdata/<host>.olr
–Oracle Clusterware Stacks

RAC comprises 2 or more interconnected computers/servers that appear one server to end users or applications. Hence RAC enables you to cluster an Oracle database. RAC uses Oracle Clusterware for the infrastructure to bind multiple servers so they operate as a single system.

GRD ( through GCS and GES processes ) enable Cache Fusion.

ACMS:  Atomic Controlfile to Memory Service (ACMS)

In RAC ACMS per-instance process ensure a distributed SGA memory update is either globally committed if success or globally aborted if a failure occurs.

GTX0-j: Global Transaction Process

The GTX0-j process provides transparent support for XA global transactions.

The database autotunes the number of these processes based on the workload of XA global transactions.

LMON: Global Enqueue Service Monitor

The LMON process monitors global enqueues and resources across the cluster and performs global enqueue recovery operations.

LMD: Global Enqueue Service Daemon

The LMD process manages incoming remote resource requests within each instance.

LMS: Global Cache Service Process

The LMS process maintains records of the data file statuses and each cached block by recording in a Global Resource Directory (GRD). Also controls the flow of messages to remote instances and manages global data block access.           Transmits block images between the buffer caches of different instances.  This processing is part of the Cache Fusion feature.

LCK0: Instance Enqueue Process

The LCK0 process manages non-Cache Fusion resource requests such as library and row cache requests.

RMSn: Oracle RAC Management Processes (RMSn)

The RMSn processes perform manageability tasks for RAC. Tasks accomplished by an RMSn process include creation of resources related to Oracle RAC when new instances are added to the clusters.

RSMN: Remote Slave Monitor manages background slave process creation and communication on remote instances. These background slave processes perform tasks on behalf of a coordinating process running in another instance.

AWM (Automatic Workload Management)

AWM provide optimal performance for users and applications including providing highest availability for database connections, rapid failure recovery, and balancing workloads optimally across the active configuration. In RAC many features that can enhance automatic workload management

a. connection load balancing,

b. fast connection failover

c. the load balancing advisory

d. runtime connection load balancing.

You can take advantage of automatic workload management by using Oracle Database services in noncluster Oracle databases, especially those that use Oracle Data Guard or Oracle Streams.

Automatic workload management includes the following components:

• High Availability Framework:  The Oracle RAC high availability framework enables Oracle Database to always maintain components in a running state. Oracle high availability implies that Oracle Clusterware monitors and restarts critical components if they stop, unless you override the restart processing. Oracle Clusterware and Oracle RAC also provide alerts to clients when configurations change, enabling clients to immediately react to the changes, enabling application developers to hide outages and reconfigurations from end users. The scope of Oracle high availability spans from the restarting of stopped Oracle Database processes in an Oracle database instance to failing over the processing of an entire instance to other available instances.
• Single Client Access Name (SCAN): A single network name and IP addresses defined either in your DNS or GNS that all clients should use to access the Oracle RAC database. With SCAN, you are no longer required to modify your clients when changes occur to the cluster configuration. SCAN also allows clients to use an Easy Connect string to provide load balancing and failover connections to the Oracle RAC database.

Note: SCAN is required regardless of whether you use GNS. If you use GNS, then Oracle automatically creates the SCAN. If you do not use GNS, then you must define the SCAN in DNS.

• Load Balancing Advisory: This is the ability of the database to provide information to applications about the current service levels being provided by the database and its instances. Applications can take advantage of this information to direct connection requests to the instance that provides the application request with the best service quality to complete the application’s processing. Oracle Database has integrated its Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) and Oracle Data Provider for .NET (ODP.NET) connection pools to work with the load balancing information. Applications can use the integrated connection pools without programmatic changes.
• Services:  Services enable you to group database workloads and route the work to the optimal instances that are assigned to process the service. Furthermore, you can use services to define the resources that Oracle Database assigns to process workloads and to monitor workload resources. Applications that you assign to services transparently acquire the defined automatic workload management characteristics, including high availability and load balancing rules. Many Oracle Database features are integrated with services, such as Resource Manager, which enables you to restrict the resources that a service can use within an instance. Some database features are also integrated with Oracle Streams, Advanced Queuing (to achieve queue location transparency), and Oracle Scheduler (to map services to specific job classes).In Oracle RAC databases, the service performance rules that you configure control the amount of work that Oracle Database allocates to each available instance for that service. As you extend your database by adding nodes, applications, components of applications, and so on, you can add more services.
• Server Pools: Server pools enable the CRS Administrator to create a policy which defines how Oracle Clusterware allocates resources. An Oracle RAC policy-managed database runs in a server pool. Oracle Clusterware attempts to keep the required number of servers in the server pool and, therefore, the required number of instances of the Oracle RAC database. A server can be in only one server pool at any time. However, a database can run in multiple server pools. Cluster-managed services run in a server pool where they are defined as either UNIFORM (active on all instances in the server pool) or SINGLETON (active on only one instance in the server pool).
• Connection Load Balancing: Connection load balancing occurs when the connection is created. Connections for a given service are balanced across all of the running instances that offer the service. You should define how you want connections to be balanced in the service definition. However, you must still configure Oracle Net Services. When you enable the load balancing advisory, the listener uses the load balancing advisory for connection load balancing.
  
  

Administrative Tools for RAC 

Oracle enables you to administer a cluster database as a single system image through Oracle Enterprise Manager, SQL*Plus, or through Oracle RAC command-line interfaces such as Server Control Utility (SRVCTL):

• Oracle Enterprise Manager: Oracle Enterprise Manager has both the Database Control and Grid Control GUI interfaces for managing both noncluster database and Oracle RAC database environments. Oracle recommends that you use Oracle Enterprise Manager to perform administrative tasks whenever feasible.
• Server Control Utility (SRVCTL): SRVCTL is a command-line interface that you can use to manage an Oracle RAC database from a single point. You can use SRVCTL to start and stop the database and instances and to delete or move instances and services. You can also use SRVCTL to manage configuration information, Oracle Real Application Clusters One Node (Oracle RAC One Node), Oracle Clusterware, and Oracle ASM.
• SQL*Plus commands operate on the current instance. The current instance can be either the local default instance on which you initiated your SQL*Plus session, or it can be a remote instance to which you connect with Oracle Net Services.
• Cluster Verification Utility (CVU): CVU is a command-line tool that you can use to verify a range of cluster and Oracle RAC components, such as shared storage devices, networking configurations, system requirements, and Oracle Clusterware, in addition to operating system groups and users. You can use CVU for preinstallation checks and for postinstallation checks of your cluster environment. CVU is especially useful during preinstallation and during installation of Oracle Clusterware and Oracle RAC components. Oracle Universal Installer runs CVU after installing Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Database to verify your environment.Install and use CVU before you install Oracle RAC to ensure that your configuration meets the minimum Oracle RAC installation requirements. Also, use CVU for verifying the completion of ongoing administrative tasks, such as node addition and node deletion.
• DBCA: DBCA is the recommended method for creating and initially configuring Oracle RAC, Oracle RAC One Node, and Oracle noncluster databases.
• NETCA: Configures the network for your Oracle RAC environment.

Clusterware provides the infrastructure necessary to run Oracle Real Application Clusters (Oracle RAC). Oracle Clusterware also manages resources, such as virtual IP (VIP) addresses, databases, listeners, services etc.