APPLIES TO:
Oracle Database Backup Service - Version N/A and later
Oracle Database Cloud Exadata Service - Version N/A and later
Oracle Database Cloud Service - Version N/A and later
Oracle Database - Enterprise Edition - Version 12.1.0.1 and later
Oracle Database Cloud Schema Service - Version N/A and later
Information in this document applies to any platform.
GOAL
During the creation of a standby database or after having altered the password for any user granted the SYSDBA,SYSOPER or SYSDG privileges the password file must be copied from the primary site to the standby site.
The Oracle Database Enterprise Edition 12.1.0.1 and above can now store password files in ASM diskgroups. By default if dbca is used to create a RAC database, the password file is created in an ASM diskgroup on the Primary site.
The documentation states that the password file must be copied from the Primary to the Standby sites:
Oracle Data Guard Configurations and Broker Configurations
https://docs.oracle.com/database/121/DGBKR/concepts.htm#DGBKR015
This HOW TO details the procedure and commands for copying the password file from the Primary site to the standby site when these password files are held in an ASM diskgroup.
IMPORTANT: The ASM diskgroup used to store the password files on the standby site MUST have it's COMPATIBLE.ASM attribute set to 12.1.
SOLUTION
NOTE: In the images and/or the document content below, the user information and environment data used represents fictitious data from the Oracle sample schema(s), Public Documentation delivered with an Oracle database product or other training material. Any similarity to actual environments, actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended in any manner.
For the purposes of this document, the following fictitious environment is used as an example to describe the procedure:
Primary database: db121
Standby database: db121stb
Configuration: rs1_dg
Disk groups: +DATA, +FRA
Database instances: db1211,db1212
Oracle user: Oracle
Grid user: Grid
Instance Name: plb102
Nodes: Node1, Node2
***************
The procedure for copying the file across from the Primary site to the standby site is as the following:
- On the Primary site as the grid user, copy the password file out of ASM on to a file system based location, in this case /tmp
Primary Site:
oracle@node1 dbs$ su - grid
Password:
grid@node1 \~$ . oraenv
ORACLE_SID = grid ? +ASM1
The Oracle base has been set to /u01/app/grid
grid@node1 \~$ asmcmd
ASMCMD> pwcopy +DATA/DB121/PASSWORD/pwddb121.256.867607273 /tmp/orapwdb121
copying +DATA/DB121/PASSWORD/pwddb121.256.867607273 -> /tmp/orapwdb121
ASMCMD> exit
- Copy the password file to one of the Standby RAC nodes
Primary Site:
oracle@node1 dbs$ scp /tmp/orapwdb121 node1:/tmp/orapwdb1211
..
.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
oracle@node2's password:
orapwdb121 100% 7680 7.5KB/s 00:00
- On the standby node that now has a copy of the password file, copy the password file into ASM as grid user. The ASM command pwcopy can be used to perform this task. Make sure the file is placed in the diskgroup and sub-directory for the standby identified through its db_unique_name value. In this case +DATA and DB121STB.
Standby Site:
$ su - grid
Password:
grid@node1 \~$ . oraenv
ORACLE_SID = grid ? +ASM1
The Oracle base has been set to /u01/app/grid
grid@node1\~$ asmcmd
ASMCMD> pwcopy /tmp/orapwdb1211 +DATA/DB121STB/orapwdb1211
copying /tmp/orapwdb1211 -> +DATA/DB121STB/orapwdb1211
ASMCMD> ls -l +DATA/DB121STB/orapwdb1211
Type Redund Striped Time Sys Name
PASSWORD UNPROT COARSE FEB 26 11:00:00 N orapwdb1211 => +DATA/ASM/PASSWORD/pwdasm.279.872680185
ASMCMD> exit
- As the owner of the RDBMS software for the database, update the clusterware resource for the database and set the location of the password file to be used by the database using srvctl modify database command.
Standby Site:
$ su - oracle
Password:
oracle@node1\~$ . oraenv
ORACLE_SID = oracle ? db1211
The Oracle base has been set to /u01/app/oracle
oracle@node1 \~$ srvctl modify database -d db121stb -pwfile +DATA/DB121STB/orapwdb1211
oracle@node1\~$ srvctl config database -d db121stb
Database unique name: db121stb
Database name:
Oracle home: /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1
Oracle user: oracle
Spfile: /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0/dbhome_1/dbs/spfiledb1211.ora
Password file: +DATA/DB121STB/orapwdb1211
Domain: <domain>
Start options: mount
Stop options: immediate
Database role: PHYSICAL_STANDBY
Management policy: AUTOMATIC
Server pools:
Disk Groups: DATA,FRA
Mount point paths:
Services:
Type: RAC
Start concurrency:
Stop concurrency:
OSDBA group: dba
OSOPER group:
Database instances: db1211,db1212
Configured nodes: node1, node2
Database is administrator managed
Note: if the --dbuniquename switch in pwcopy is used, the following errors will appear after the file has been copied.
ASMCMD> pwcopy --dbuniquename db121stb /tmp/orapwdb1211 +DATA/DB121STB/orapwdb1211
copying /tmp/orapwdb1211 -> +DATA/DB121STB/orapwdb1211
PRCD-1163 : Failed to modify database db121stb
PRCR-1071 : Failed to register or update resource ora.db121stb.db
CRS-0245: User doesn't have enough privilege to perform the operation
ASMCMD-9453: failed to register password file as a CRS resource
These errors are expected due to user role separation. Please use steps above instead.