How to Use Oracle Failsafe With Oracle Data Guard for RDBMS versions 10g

How to Use Oracle Failsafe With Oracle Data Guard for RDBMS versions 10g
	Doc ID:	373204.1	Type:	HOWTO
	Modified Date:	01-JUL-2009	Status:	PUBLISHED

In this Document
  Goal
  Solution
  References

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Applies to:

Oracle Fail Safe - Version: 10.1.0.2
Microsoft Windows 2000
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 (64-bit Itanium)
Microsoft Windows (64-bit) on Intel Itanium

Goal

This document describes at a high level how Oracle Failsafe and Oracle DataGuard can be used together in the same environment running RDBMS 10g.

Solution

Oracle Failsafe and Oracle DataGuard may be used in the same environment.   There is however one caveat to this caused by this pending enhancement request: 

Bug 4404952 : DG BROKER DOES NOT SUPPORT COLD-FAILOVER CLUSTERS

Due to the fact that the DataGuard Broker cannot yet work effectively with databases configured in cold failover environments, databases that are made highly available through Failsafe cannot be managed by the DataGuard Broker. 
An extension of this issue is that Grid Control DataGuard Wizard component also cannot be used for this environment since this wizard's functionality is based (almost) entirely on the presence of a DataGuard Broker.

Note: It is technically possible to configure a DataGuard configuration for a primary or standby database that is part of a Failsafe group / belongs to a Virtual host, however, at the moment that this database fails over within its cluster, say from Node 'A' to Node 'B' the DataGuard configuration will become invalidated and will need to be rebuilt.

The recommended configuration for using Oracle Failsafe with Oracle DataGuard is to use Oracle DataGuard without creating a DataGuard configuration, ie, a primary and standby database environment without DataGuard Broker management.

Keep in mind that it IS possible to use Grid Control with Oracle Failsafe.  See Note 298238.1: Oracle10g Grid Control with Oracle Fail Safe for full details on integrating Grid Control with Oracle Failsafe.

Therefore, Failsafe may in fact be used with DataGuard (without a DataGuard configuration)
AND
Failsafe may be used with Grid Control (all except the DataGuard wizard)

Full integration of Failsafe with DataGuard is possible for 9i with the same restrictions
See Metalink Note:259902.1 : Oracle 9i Data Guard and Oracle Fail Safe
for full details.

Note:  this is specfically covered in the linked to white paper entitled:
Disaster-Tolerant High Availability
Oracle Data Guard with Oracle Fail Safe
An Oracle White Paper
June 2002

6.1 Performing an Oracle Fail Safe (MSCS) Failover
Pages 79 - 80

References

Note 259902.1 - Oracle 9i Data Guard and Oracle Fail Safe
Note 298238.1 - Oracle10g Grid Control with Oracle Fail Safe
http://failsafe.us.oracle.com/fscollateral/ofsdg33_27.pdf

Keywords

DATAGUARD ; FAILOVER ; FAILSAFE ; BROKER ; PRIIMARY ;