Oracle9iAS Repository Administration and Management Oracle Application Server Tips by Burleson Consulting

Because isadb is an Oracle database, the Oracle9iAS components rely on this database being available when they are started.  After the components are started, the Isadb database can be stopped without adverse effects to OHS and Java.  However, some Oracle9iAS components will not be able to function without Isadb, including SSO, portal and wireless.

Hence, the Isadb database is a central point of failure for your Oracle9iAS enterprise, and the administrator should take steps to ensure continuous availability of the Isadb database.  These actions may include:

• Using Oracle9i Standby Database (DataGuard)

• Oracle9i Real Application Clusters (RAC)

• Triple mirroring of disks

While the Oracle documentation does not specifically mention the use of Oracle9i RAC as a availability option for Oracle9iAS, using RAC for the repository can protect your from lock-ups due to instance failure.  Remember, when the infrastructure repository is not available, users cannot access the SSO login server, and the whole enterprise stops.  Because the infrastructure is such a critical component of Oracle9iAS, using a high-availability tool such as Oracle9i RAC clusters guarantees continuous availability for the enterprise because Oracle Transparent Application Failover (TAF) component will automatically continue processing any in-flight transactions if there is a failure on any Iasdb instance.

The Oracle9iAS administrator must be able to manage and administer the infrastructure instance and Oracle has several tools to aid in the process.  Let?s take a quick review of the infrastructure administration tasks.

Starting and Stopping the Infrastructure

While performing general maintenance and backups, the Oracle9iAS administrator must stop and re-start the infrastructure instance.  Because of its tight coupling to important Oracle9iAS components, the infrastructure database must be started in a specific order.  While the startup procedures for the infrastructure are the same as any other Oracle database, we must remember that iasdb must be running before other Oracle9iAS components are started.  Here is the order of Iasdb startup steps:

1. Start the iasdb listener process (lsnrctl start)

2. Start the iasdb database

3. Start the OID

4. Start emctl

5. Start the Oracle HTTP Server (OHS)

6. Start the OC4J_Das

If you are using any optional Oracle9iAS products, you may also include the following startup steps:

1. Start the Web Cache

2. Start the OEM Intelligent Agent

3. Start OMS

With all these steps, it should come as no surprise that the Oracle9iAS administrator uses scripts to start and stop the Oracle9iAS components. 

Oracle9iAS uses a hierarchy of shell scripts to perform the start operations, with calls to Oracle executables at the lowest level (Figure 2.5):

Re-draw from attached PowerPoint

Figure 2.5: The hierarchy of Oracle9iAS scripts

Here is the main driving script to start all the Oracle9iAS infrastructure and mid-tier components:

startall.ksh
/bin/ksh
./startinfra.sh
sleep 10
./startmidtier.sh
sleep 10

Note that this script calls the start scripts for the infrastructure followed by calls to start the mid-tier application.  Let?s examine these scripts and see their features.  The start script for the infrastructure issues these Oracle9iAS commands:

1. Start listener - $ORACLE_HOME/bin/lsnrctl start

2. Start the iasdb database

$ORACLE_HOME/bin/sqlplus /nolog<<EOF
connect / as sysdba
startup

3. Start all opmnctl controlled processes - $ORACLE_HOME/opmn/bin/opmnctl startall

4. Check status of infrastructure with DCM - $ORACLE_HOME/dcm/bin/dcmctl getState -v -i $INFRA

5. Start OMS - $ORACLE_HOME/bin/emctl start oms

6. Start OEM

$ORACLE_HOME/bin/emctl start agent
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/emctl start em

Here is the whole script, ready for you to use.  Please note that the emctl commands are normally performed manually because they prompt for a password and are not easily scripted.

startinfra.sh
# cat startinfra.sh

#!/bin/bash
# script created by mikael.fransson@oracle.com

# Save the original path and restore it at the end of the script
export SAVED_PATH=$PATH

# Customize ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_SID to your environment

export ORACLE_HOME=/home/oracle/infra904
export
PATH=$PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/bin:$ORACLE_HOME/dcm/bin:$ORACLE_HOME/webcache/bin:$ORACL
_HOME/opmn/bin
export ORACLE_SID=iasdb
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/lib
# Customize the following two to your environment
export DISPLAY=localhost:0.
export INFRA=infra_904.appvr.localdomain.com
echo
echo Starting Listener
echo -----------------
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/lsnrctl start
echo
echo Starting Database
echo -----------------
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/sqlplus /nolog<<EOF
connect / as sysdba
startup
EOF

echo
echo Starting all opmnctl controlled processes
echo -----------------------------------------
$ORACLE_HOME/opmn/bin/opmnctl startall

echo
echo Checking status of app server instances
echo ---------------------------------------
echo Getting status for $INFRA
$ORACLE_HOME/dcm/bin/dcmctl getState -v -i $INFRA

# If you want to automatically start the EM website
# uncomment the following lines.
# Remember stopping EM requires a password.
#
#echo Starting the EM website
#echo -----------------------
#$ORACLE_HOME/bin/emctl start oms
#$ORACLE_HOME/bin/emctl start agent
# Restore the original path
export PATH=$SAVED_PATH

Once the infrastructure is started, we invoke another script to start the mid-tier application.  This script performs the following actions:

1. Start all OPM processes - $ORACLE_HOME/opmn/bin/opmnctl startall

2. Check mid-tier status - $ORACLE_HOME/dcm/bin/dcmctl getState -v -i $MIDTIER

3. Start Enterprise manager - $ORACLE_HOME/bin/emctl start em

Here is the final script, ready to run.

startmidtier.sh

#!/bin/bash
# script maintained by mikael.fransson@oracle.com

# Save the original path and restore it at the end of the script
export SAVED_PATH=$PATH

# Customize ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_SID to your environment
export ORACLE_HOME=/home/oracle/oraportal904
export
PATH=$PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/bin:$ORACLE_HOME/dcm/bin:$ORACLE_HOME/webcache/bin: \$ORACLE_HOME/opmn/bin
export ORACLE_SID=iasdb
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/lib

# Customize the following two to your environment
export DISPLAY=localhost:0.0
export MIDTIER=porta904.appsvr.localdomain.com

echo
echo Starting midtier instance with portal
echo Other components such as Forms, Reports and Discoverer
echo  should also be started here.
echo ------------------------------------
$ORACLE_HOME/opmn/bin/opmnctl startall

echo Sleeping 45 seconds
sleep 45

echo
echo Checking status of app server instances
echo ---------------------------------------
echo Getting current stat of $MIDTIER
# $ORACLE_HOME/dcm/bin/dcmctl getState -v -i $MIDTIER

echo
echo Starting EM
echo -----------
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/emctl start em

# Restore the original path
export PATH=$SAVED_PATH

We also have scripts to stop the infrastructure.  Note that the stopping process is the exact inverse of the start, shutting-down all the Oracle9iAS processes before stopping the infrastructure database:

stopinfra.sh
#!/bin/bash
# script maintained by mikael.fransson@oracle.com

# Save the original path and restore it at the end of the script
export SAVED_PATH=$PATH

# Customize ORACLE_HOME and ORACLE_SID to your environment
export ORACLE_HOME=/home/oracle/infra904
export
PATH=$PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/bin:$ORACLE_HOME/dcm/bin:$ORACLE_HOME/webcache/bin: \$ORACLE_HOME/opmn/bin
export ORACLE_SID=iasdb
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$ORACLE_HOME/lib

# Customize the following two to your environment
export DISPLAY=localhost:0.0
export INFRA=infra_904.appsvr.localdomain.com

echo
echo getting current state of $INFRA
$ORACLE_HOME/dcm/bin/dcmctl getState -v -i $INFRA
echo Stopping all opmn managed processes in $INFRA
$ORACLE_HOME/opmn/bin/opmnctl stopall
echo Sleeping 5
sleep 5

echo
echo Stopping Database Listener
echo -----------------
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/lsnrctl stop

echo
echo Stopping Database
echo -----------------
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/sqlplus /nolog<<EOF
connect / as sysdba
shutdown immediate
EOF

echo
echo Stopping Database Listener
echo -----------------
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/lsnrctl stop

echo
echo Stopping EM
$ORACLE_HOME/bin/emctl stop em<<EOF
<ias_admin_password>
EOF

# Restore the original path
export PATH=$SAVED_PATH

echo ------------------------------------------
echo
echo Listing processes owned by ias
ps -ef|grep ias
echo
echo Be Sure to kill any rogue processes

Note: The String <iasadmin_password> should be replaced with your password.

Now that we have reviewed the infrastructure administrative components, let?s turn our attention to the most important infrastructure component, Oracle single-sign-on, commonly called SSO.

This is an excerpt from "Oracle 10g Application Server Administration Handbook" by Don Burleson and John Garmany.