Skip Headers

Oracle9i Net Services Administrator's Guide
Release 2 (9.2)

Part Number A96580-02
Go to Documentation Home
Home
Go to Book List
Book List
Go to Table of Contents
Contents
Go to Index
Index
Go to Master Index
Master Index
Go to Feedback page
Feedback

Go to previous page Go to next page
View PDF

15
Enabling Advanced Features of Oracle Net Services

This chapter describes how to configure advanced features of Oracle Net Services, including advanced connect data parameters, load balancing, failover, and connections to non-database services.

This chapter contains these topics:

Configuring Advanced Network Address and Connect Data Information

This section contains the following advanced connect descriptor topics:

Creating a List of Listener Protocol Addresses

A database service may be accessed by more than one network route, or protocol address. In the following example, sales.us.acme.com can connect to sales.us.acme.com using listeners on either sales1-server or sales2-server.

sales.us.acme.com=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS_LIST=
    (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales1-server)(PORT=1521))
    (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales2-server)(PORT=1521)))
  (CONNECT_DATA=
    (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com)))

To add a network protocol address to an existing net service name or database service:

  1. Start Oracle Net Manager.

    See Also:

    "Starting Oracle Net Manager"

  2. In the navigator pane, expand Directory or Local > Service Naming.
  3. Select either a net service name or a database service.

    The right pane displays the current destination service and address list.

  4. In the Address Configuration box, click plus (+).

    A new Address tab appears:

    Text description of netserv3.gif follows.

    Text description of the illustration netserv3.gif

  5. Select the protocol and enter appropriate address information.

    See Also:

    Oracle9i Net Services Reference Guide for details about protocol address parameters

  6. Order the protocol addresses according to where they should be in the protocol address list with the left-arrow and right-arrow buttons. Unless multiple address options are configured, the first address in the list is contacted.

    See Also:

    "Configuring Address List Parameters" for address list options

  7. If you are making these changes to the Local folder, choose File > Save Network Configuration.

Configuring Address List Parameters

When a database service is accessible by multiple listener protocol addresses, specify the order in which the addresses are to be used. The addresses can be chosen randomly or tried sequentially.

When multiple protocol addresses have been configured for a net service name or database service, you can configure the parameters described in Table 15-1.

Table 15-1  Address List Parameters
Parameter Description

SOURCE_ROUTE (Source Routing)

When set to on, instructs Oracle Net to use each address in the order presented until the destination reached. This parameter is required when reaching the destination requires more than one address stop. This parameter is used to enable connections to Oracle Connection Manager.

See Also: "Configuring Clients for Oracle Connection Manager" on page 13-6

FAILOVER (Connect-Time Failover)

At connect time, instructs Oracle Net to fail over to a different listener if the first listener fails when set to on. The number of addresses in the list determines how many addresses are tried. When set to off, instructs Oracle Net to try one address.

Connect-time failover is turned on by default for multiple address lists (ADDRESS_LIST), connect descriptors (DESCRIPTION), and multiple connect descriptors (DESCRIPTION_LIST).

Important: Oracle Corporation recommends not setting the GLOBAL_DBNAME parameter in the SID_LIST_listener_name section of the listener.ora file. A statically configured global database name disables connect-time failover.

LOAD_BALANCE (Client Load Balancing)

When set to on, instructs Oracle Net to progress through the list of protocol addresses in a random sequence, balancing the load on the various listeners. When set to off, instructs Oracle Net to try the addresses sequentially until one succeeds.

Client load balancing is turned on by default for multiple connect descriptors (DESCRIPTION_LIST).


Note:

It is not possible to set client load balancing or connect-time failover with source routing. While connect-time failover and client load balancing select an address from a list, source routing connects to each address in the list sequentially.


Implementation of these parameter depends on the naming method used. Table 15-2 describes the tools to configure connect-time failover or client load balancing. Source routing involves other configuration that goes beyond the scope of this section.

See Also:

"Configuring Clients for Oracle Connection Manager" for more information about configuring clients for source routing

Table 15-2  Address List Configuration for Naming Method Types
Naming Method Tool to Configure Address List Options

Local Naming

Use Oracle Net Manager.

See Also: The procedure that follows

Directory Naming

Use Oracle Net Manager.

See Also: The procedure that follows

Oracle Names

Use either the Oracle Names Control utility's REGISTER command or Oracle Net Manager.

See Also: "Task 7: Register Data with the Oracle Names Server"

To configure connect-time failover or client load balancing:

  1. Start Oracle Net Manager.

    See Also:

    "Starting Oracle Net Manager"

  2. In the navigator pane, expand Directory or Local > Service Naming.
  3. Select either a net service name or a database service.

    The right pane displays the current destination service and address list.

  4. In the Address Configuration box, click Advanced.

    The Address List Options dialog box appears:

    Text description of addrlist.gif follows.

    Text description of the illustration addrlist.gif

    Table 15-3 describes the Address List Options dialog box options.

    Table 15-3  Address List Options Dialog Box
    Option Parameter Setting

    Try each address, in order, until one succeeds

    For release 8.1 and 9i clients, FAILOVER=on

    For pre-release 8.1 clients, SOURCE_ROUTE=off

    Try each address, randomly, until one succeeds

    Note: This option is not enabled if Use Options Compatible with Net8 8.0 Clients is selected.

    LOAD_BALANCE=on

    FAILOVER=on

    Try one address, selected at random

    Note: This option is not enabled if Use Options Compatible with Net8 8.0 Clients is selected.

    LOAD_BALANCE=on

    Use each address in order until destination reached

    SOURCE_ROUTE=on

    Use only the first address

    Note: This option is not enabled if Use Options Compatible with Net8 8.0 Clients is selected.

    LOAD_BALANCE=off

    FAILOVER=off

    SOURCE_ROUTE=off

  5. Select one of the address list options, and then click OK.
  6. If you are making these changes to the Local folder, choose File > Save Network Configuration.

The following example shows a tnsnames.ora file configured for client load balancing:

sales.us.acme.com=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS_LIST=
  (LOAD_BALANCE=on)
   (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales1-server)(PORT=1521)) 
   (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales2-server)(PORT=1521)))
  (CONNECT_DATA=
    (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com))) 

The following example shows a tnsnames.ora file configured for connect-time failover:

sales.us.acme.com=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS_LIST=
   (LOAD_BALANCE=off)
   (FAILOVER=ON)
   (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales1-server)(PORT=1521)) 
   (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales2-server)(PORT=1521)))
  (CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com)))

Configuring Advanced Connect Data Parameters

The CONNECT_DATA section of a connect descriptor defines the destination database service. In the following example, SERVICE_NAME defines a service called sales.us.acme.com:

sales.us.acme.com=
 (DESCRIPTION=
   (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales-server)(PORT=1521))
   (CONNECT_DATA=
  (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com))) 

Besides the service name, you can optionally configure the connect data information with the parameters described in Table 15-4.

Table 15-4  Advanced Connect Data Settings
Oracle Net Manager Field/Option tnsnames.ora File Parameter Description

Instance Name

INSTANCE_NAME

Use to identify the database instance to access.

The instance name can be obtained from the INSTANCE_NAME parameter in the initialization parameter file.

Note: This parameter is not enabled if Use Oracle8i Release 8.0 Compatible Identification is checked.

See Also: "About Connect Descriptors"

Session Data Unit Size

SDU

To optimize the transfer rate of data packets being sent across the network, you can specify the session data unit (SDU) size to change the performance characteristics having to do with the packets sent across the network.

See Also: "Configuring Session Data Unit"

Use for Heterogeneous Services

HS

If you want an Oracle database server to access a non-Oracle system through Heterogeneous Services, turn this option on.

See Also: "Configuring Oracle Net Services for Oracle Heterogeneous Services"

Oracle Rdb Settings

Oracle RDB Database

RDB_DATABASE

Specify the file name of the Oracle Rdb database.

See Also: "Configuring Oracle Net Services for an Oracle Rdb Database"

Type of Service

TYPE_OF_SERVICE

Specify the type of service to use for the Oracle Rdb database.

See Also: "Configuring Oracle Net Services for an Oracle Rdb Database"

Global Database Name

GLOBAL_NAME

Use to identify an Oracle Rdb database.

See Also: "Configuring Oracle Net Services for an Oracle Rdb Database"

Implementation of these parameter depends on the naming method used. Table 15-5 describes the tools to configure connect-time failover or client load balancing. Source routing involves other configuration that goes beyond the scope of this section.

See Also:

"Configuring Clients for Oracle Connection Manager" for more information about configuring clients for source routing

Table 15-5  Connect Data Configuration for Naming Method Types
Naming Method Tool to Configure Multiple Address Options

Local Naming

Use Oracle Net Manager.

See Also: The procedure that follows

Directory Naming

Use Oracle Net Manager.

See Also: The procedure that follows

Oracle Names

Use either the Oracle Names Control utility's REGISTER command or Oracle Net Manager.

See Also: "Task 7: Register Data with the Oracle Names Server"

To configure advanced CONNECT_DATA parameters for either a net service name or a database service:

  1. Start Oracle Net Manager.

    See Also:

    "Starting Oracle Net Manager"

  2. In the navigator pane, expand Directory or Local > Service Naming.
  3. Select either a net service name or a database service.

    The right pane displays the current destination service and address list.

  4. In the Service Identification box, click Advanced.

    The Advanced Service Options dialog box appears:

    Text description of connecto.gif follows.

    Text description of the illustration connecto.gif

    See Also:

    Table 15-4 for a description of the fields and options

  5. Enter fields or select options as appropriate, and then click OK.
  6. If you are making these changes to the Local folder, choose File > Save Network Configuration.

Configuring Connection Load Balancing

The connection load balancing feature improves connection performance by balancing the number of active connections among multiple dispatchers. In an Oracle9i Real Application Clusters environment, connection load balancing also has the capability to balance the number of active connections among multiple instances.

Because the PMON process can register with remote listeners, a listener can always be aware of all instances and dispatchers, regardless of their location. Depending on the load information, a listener decides which instance and, if shared server is configured, which dispatcher to send the incoming client request to.

In a shared server configuration, a listener selects a dispatcher in the following order: 1) least loaded node, 2) least loaded instance, and 3) least loaded dispatcher for that instance. In a dedicated server configuration, a listener selects an instance in the following order: 1) least loaded node, and 2) least loaded instance.

If a database service has multiple instances on multiple nodes, the listener selects the least loaded instance on the least loaded node. If shared server is configured, then the least loaded dispatcher of the selected instance is chosen.

An Oracle9i Real Application Clusters environment requires that the dispatchers on each instance be cross registered with the other listeners on the other nodes. This is achieved by the use of the LISTENER attribute of the DISPATCHERS parameter.

See Also:

Note:

For optimum connection load balancing results, the instances that belong to the same database service should be on equivalent hardware and software configurations.


Example: Connection Load Balancing for Shared Server Configuration

Figure 15-1 shows an Oracle9i Real Application Clusters shared server database with two instances, sales1 and sales2, of the same service, sales.us.acme.com. The instances sales1 and sales2 reside on computers sales1-server and sales2-server, respectively. sales1 has one dispatcher and sales2 has two dispatchers. Listeners named listener run on nodes 1 and 2, respectively. The listener attribute in the DISPATCHERS parameter has been configured to allow for service registration of information to both listeners.

Figure 15-1 Load Balancing Environment for a Shared Server Configuration

Text description of net81034.gif follows
Text description of the illustration net81034.gif


The listeners_sales value in (LISTENER=listeners_sales) can be then resolved through a local tnsnames.ora file on the both servers as follows:

listeners_sales= 
 (DESCRIPTION= 
   (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales1-server)(PORT=1521))
   (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales2-server)(PORT=1521)))

Based on the environment, the following actions occur. The numbered actions correspond to the arrows shown in Figure 15-2:

  1. PMON processes for instances sales1 and sales2 register with both listeners. The listeners are updated on the load of the instances and dispatchers dynamically. The following load information is registered:

    sales1-server sales2-server

    1 Minute Node Load Average

    600

    400

    sales1 sales2

    Number of Connections to Instance

    200

    300

    dispatcher1 dispatcher2 dispatcher 3

    Number of Connections to Dispatchers

    200

    100

    200

    The load average on sales2-server (400) is less than the load average on sales1-server (600). This can happen if more processing is required on sales1-server. The number of connections to sales1 (200) is the same as that of its only dispatcher, dispatcher1. The number of connections on sales2 (300) is the sum of the connections on its two dispatchers, dispatcher2 (100) and dispatcher 3 (200). Therefore, sales2 has more connections than sales1. In this example, sales2-server is the least loaded node, sales2 is the least loaded instance, and dispatcher2 is the least loaded dispatcher.

  2. The client sends a connect request.

    A connect descriptor is configured to try each protocol address randomly until one succeeds:

    sales.us.acme.com= 
     (DESCRIPTION= 
      (LOAD_BALANCE=on)
      (FAILOVER=on)
      (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales1-server)(PORT=1521))
      (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales2-server)(PORT=1521))
      (CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com)))
    
    

    The listener on sales1-server was randomly chosen to receive the client connect request.

    The listener on sales1-server compares the load of the instances sales1 and sales2. The comparison takes into account the load on nodes sales1-server and sales2-server, respectively. Since sales2-server is less loaded than sales1-server, the listener selects sales2-server over sales1-server.

  3. The listener compares the load on dispatchers dispatcher2 and dispatcher3. Because dispatcher2 is less loaded than dispatcher3, the listener redirects the client connect request to dispatcher2.
  4. The client connects directly to dispatcher2.

Figure 15-2 Load Balancing Example for a Shared Server Configuration

Text description of net81033.gif follows
Text description of the illustration net81033.gif


Example: Connection Load Balancing for Dedicated Server Configuration

Figure 15-3 shows an Oracle9i Real Application Clusters dedicated server database with two instances, sales1 and sales2, of the same service, sales.us.acme.com. The instances sales1 and sales2 reside on computers sales1-server and sales2-server, respectively. Listeners named listener run on nodes 1 and 2, respectively. The REMOTE_LISTENER parameter has been configured to allow for service registration of information to both listeners.

Figure 15-3 Load Balancing Environment for a Dedicated Server Configuration

Text description of net81125.gif follows
Text description of the illustration net81125.gif


The listener_sales2 value in (REMOTE_LISTENER=listener_sales2) can be then resolved through a local tnsnames.ora file on the sales1-server as follows:

listener_sales2= 
 (DESCRIPTION= 
   (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales2-server)(PORT=1521)))

The listener_sales1 value in (REMOTE_LISTENER=listener_sales1) can be then resolved through a local tnsnames.ora file on the sales2-server as follows:

listener_sales1= 
 (DESCRIPTION= 
   (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales1-server)(PORT=1521)))

Based on the environment, the following actions occur. The numbered actions correspond to the arrows shown in Figure 15-4:

  1. PMON processes for instances sales1 and sales2 register with both listeners. The listeners are updated on the load of the instances dynamically. The following load information is registered:

    sales1-server sales2-server

    1 Minute Node Load Average

    450

    200

    sales1 sales2

    Number of Connections to Instance

    200

    150

    In this example, sales2-server is the least loaded node and sales2 is the least loaded instance.

  2. The client sends a connect request.

    A connect descriptor is configured to try each protocol address randomly until one succeeds:

    sales.us.acme.com= 
     (DESCRIPTION= 
      (LOAD_BALANCE=on)
      (FAILOVER=on)
      (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales1-server)(PORT=1521))
      (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sales2-server)(PORT=1521))
      (CONNECT_DATA=(SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com)))
    
    

    The listener on sales1-server was randomly chosen to receive the client connect request.

    The listener on sales1-server compares the load of the instances sales1 and sales2. The comparison takes into account the load on nodes sales1-server and sales2-server, respectively. Since sales2-server is less loaded than sales1-server, the listener selects sales2-server over sales1-server.

  3. The listener on sales1-server redirects the client connect request to the listener on sales2-server.
  4. The client connects to the listener on sale2-server. The listener starts a dedicated server process, and the dedicated server process inherits the connection request from the listener.

Figure 15-4 Load Balancing Example for a Dedicated Server Configuration

Text description of net81126.gif follows
Text description of the illustration net81126.gif


Configuring Transparent Application Failover


Note:

Transparent Application Failover (TAF) is available with Oracle9i Enterprise Edition.


TAF instructs Oracle Net to fail over a failed connection to a different listener. This enables the user to continue to work using the new connection as if the original connection had never failed.

TAF involves manual configuration of a net service name that includes the FAILOVER_MODE parameter included in the CONNECT_DATA section of the connect descriptor.

This sections covers the following topics:

What TAF Restores

TAF automatically restores some or all of the following elements associated with active database connections. Other elements, however, may need to be embedded in the application code to enable TAF to recover the connection.

Client-Server Database Connections

TAF automatically reestablishes the connection using the same connect string or an alternate connect string that you specify when configuring failover.

Users' Database Sessions

TAF automatically logs a user in with the same user ID as was used prior to failure. If multiple users were using the connection, then TAF automatically logs them in as they attempt to process database commands. Unfortunately, TAF cannot automatically restore other session properties. These properties can, however, be restored by invoking a callback function.

Executed Commands

If a command was completely executed upon connection failure, and it changed the state of the database, TAF does not resend the command. If TAF reconnects in response to a command that may have changed the database, TAF issues an error message to the application.

Open Cursors Used for Fetching

TAF allows applications that began fetching rows from a cursor before failover to continue fetching rows after failover. This is called "select" failover. It is accomplished by re-executing a SELECT statement using the same snapshot, discarding those rows already fetched and retrieving those rows that were not fetched initially. TAF verifies that the discarded rows are those that were returned initially, or it returns an error message

Active Transactions

Any active transactions are rolled back at the time of failure because TAF cannot preserve active transactions after failover. The application instead receives an error message until a ROLLBACK is submitted.

Serverside Program Variables

Serverside program variables, such as PL/SQL package states, are lost during failures; TAF cannot recover them. They can be initialized by making a call from the failover callback.

See Also:

Oracle Call Interface Programmer's Guide

TAF Database Configurations

TAF works with the following database configurations to effectively mask a database failure:

FAILOVER_MODE Parameters

The FAILOVER_MODE parameter must be included in the CONNECT_DATA section of a connect descriptor. FAILOVER_MODE can contain the subparameters described in Table 15-6.

Table 15-6  Subparameters of the FAILOVER_MODE Parameter
FAILOVER_MODE Subparameter Description

BACKUP

Specify a different net service name for backup connections. A backup should be specified when using preconnect to pre-establish connections.

TYPE

Specify the type of failover. Three types of Oracle Net failover functionality are available by default to Oracle Call Interface (OCI) applications:

  • session: Set to failover the session. If a user's connection is lost, a new session is automatically created for the user on the backup. This type of failover does not attempt to recover selects.
  • select: Set to enable users with open cursors to continue fetching on them after failure. However, this mode involves overhead on the client side in normal select operations.
  • none: This is the default. No failover functionality is used. This can also be explicitly specified to prevent failover from happening.

METHOD

Determines how fast failover occurs from the primary node to the backup node:

  • basic: Set to establish connections at failover time. This option requires almost no work on the backup server until failover time.
  • preconnect: Set to pre-established connections. This provides faster failover but requires that the backup instance be able to support all connections from every supported instance.

RETRIES

Specify the number of times to attempt to connect after a failover. If DELAY is specified, RETRIES defaults to five retry attempts.

Note: If a callback function is registered, then this subparameter is ignored.

DELAY

Specify the amount of time in seconds to wait between connect attempts. If RETRIES is specified, DELAY defaults to one second.

Note: If a callback function is registered, then this subparameter is ignored.


Note:

Oracle Net Manager does not provide support for TAF parameters. These parameters must be manually added.


TAF Implementation

Important:

Do not set the GLOBAL_DBNAME parameter in the SID_LIST_listener_name section of the listener.ora. A statically configured global database name disables TAF.

Depending on the FAILOVER_MODE parameters, you can implement TAF in a number of ways. Oracle recommends the following methods:

Example: TAF with Connect-Time Failover and Client Load Balancing

Implement TAF with connect-time failover and client load balancing for multiple addresses. In the following example, Oracle Net connects randomly to one of the protocol addresses on sales1-server or sales2-server. If the instance fails after the connection, the TAF application fails over to the other node's listener, reserving any SELECT statements in progress.

sales.us.acme.com=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (LOAD_BALANCE=on) 
  (FAILOVER=on) 
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales1-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales2-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (CONNECT_DATA=
     (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com) 
     (FAILOVER_MODE=
       (TYPE=select) 
       (METHOD=basic))))

Example: TAF Retrying a Connection

TAF also provides the ability to automatically retry connecting if the first connection attempt fails with the RETRIES and DELAY parameters. In the following example, Oracle Net tries to reconnect to the listener on sales1-server. If the failover connection fails, Oracle Net waits 15 seconds before trying to reconnect again. Oracle Net attempts to reconnect up to 20 times.

sales.us.acme.com=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales1-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (CONNECT_DATA=
     (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com) 
     (FAILOVER_MODE=
       (TYPE=select) 
       (METHOD=basic)
       (RETRIES=20)
       (DELAY=15))))

Example: TAF Pre-Establishing a Connection

A backup connection can be pre-established. The initial and backup connections must be explicitly specified. In the following example, clients that use net service name sales1.us.acme.com to connect to the listener on sales1-server are also preconnected to sales2-server. If sales1-server fails after the connection, Oracle Net fails over to sales2-server, preserving any SELECT statements in progress. Likewise, Oracle Net preconnects to sales1-server for those clients that use sales2.us.acme.com to connect to the listener on sales2-server.

sales1.us.acme.com=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales1-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (CONNECT_DATA=
     (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com) 
     (INSTANCE_NAME=sales1) 
     (FAILOVER_MODE=
       (BACKUP=sales2.us.acme.com) 
       (TYPE=select) 
       (METHOD=preconnect))))
sales2.us.acme.com=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales2-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (CONNECT_DATA=
     (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com) 
     (INSTANCE_NAME=sales2)
     (FAILOVER_MODE=
       (BACKUP=sales1.us.acme.com) 
       (TYPE=select) 
       (METHOD=preconnect))))

TAF Verification

You can query FAILOVER_TYPE, FAILOVER_METHOD, and FAILED_OVER columns in the V$SESSION view to verify that TAF is correctly configured.

Use the V$SESSION view to obtain information about the connected clients and their TAF status. For example, query the FAILOVER_TYPE, FAILOVER_METHOD, and FAILED_OVER columns to verify that you have correctly configured TAF as in the following SQL statement:

SELECT MACHINE, FAILOVER_TYPE, FAILOVER_METHOD, FAILED_OVER, COUNT(*)
FROM V$SESSION
GROUP BY MACHINE, FAILOVER_TYPE, FAILOVER_METHOD, FAILED_OVER;

The output before failover resembles the following:

MACHINE              FAILOVER_TYPE FAILOVER_M FAI   COUNT(*)
-------------------- ------------- ---------- --- ----------
sales1               NONE          NONE       NO          11
sales2               SELECT        PRECONNECT NO           1

The output after failover is:

MACHINE              FAILOVER_TYPE FAILOVER_M FAI   COUNT(*)
-------------------- ------------- ---------- --- ----------
sales2               NONE          NONE       NO          10
sales2               SELECT        PRECONNECT YES          1

Note:

You can monitor each step of TAF using an appropriately configured OCI TAF CALLBACK function.


See Also:

Specifying the Instance Role for Primary and Secondary Instance Configurations

The INSTANCE_ROLE parameter is an optional parameter for the CONNECT_DATA section of a connect descriptor. It enables you to specify a connection to the primary or secondary instance of Oracle9i Real Application Clusters and Oracle9i Real Application Clusters Guard configurations.

This parameter is useful when:

INSTANCE_ROLE supports the following values:

primary -- Specifies a connection to the primary instance

secondary -- Specifies a connection to the secondary instance

any -- Specifies a connection to whichever instance has the lowest load, regardless of primary or secondary instance role

Example: Connection to Instance Role Type

In the following example, net service name sales_primary enables connections to the primary instance, and net service name sales_secondary enables connections to the secondary instance.

sales_primary=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales1-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales2-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (CONNECT_DATA=
     (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com) 
     (INSTANCE_ROLE=primary)))
sales_secondary=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales1-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales2-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (CONNECT_DATA=
     (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com) 
     (INSTANCE_ROLE=secondary)))

Example: Connection To a Specific Instance

There are times when Oracle Enterprise Manager and other system management products need to connect to a specific instance regardless of its role to perform administrative tasks. For these types of connections, configure (INSTANCE_NAME=instance_name) and (INSTANCE_ROLE=any) to connect to the instance regardless of its role.

In the following example, net service name sales1 enables connections to the instance on sales1-server and sales2 enables connections to the instance on sales2-server. (SERVER=dedicated) is specified to force a dedicated server connection.

sales1=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales1-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (CONNECT_DATA=
     (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com) 
     (INSTANCE_ROLE=any)
     (INSTANCE_NAME=sales2)
     (SERVER=dedicated)))
sales2=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales2-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (CONNECT_DATA=
     (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com) 
     (INSTANCE_ROLE=any)
     (INSTANCE_NAME=sales2)
     (SERVER=dedicated)))

Example: TAF Pre-Establishing a Connection

If Transparent Application Failover (TAF) is configured, a backup connection can be pre-established to the secondary instance. The initial and backup connections must be explicitly specified. In the following example, Oracle Net connects to the listener on sales1-server and preconnects to sales2-server, the secondary instance. If sales1-server fails after the connection, the TAF application fails over to sales2-server, the secondary instance, preserving any SELECT statements in progress.

sales1.acme.com=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales1-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (CONNECT_DATA=
     (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com) 
     (INSTANCE_ROLE=primary) 
     (FAILOVER_MODE=
       (BACKUP=sales2.acme.com) 
       (TYPE=select) 
       (METHOD=preconnect))))
sales2.acme.com=
 (DESCRIPTION=
  (ADDRESS=
       (PROTOCOL=tcp)  
       (HOST=sales2-server)  
       (PORT=1521)) 
  (CONNECT_DATA=
     (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com) 
     (INSTANCE_ROLE=secondary)))

Configuring Session Data Unit

Before sending data across the network, Oracle Net buffers and encapsulates data into the SDU. Oracle Net sends the data stored in this buffer when the buffer is full, flushed, or when RDBMS tries to read data. When large amounts of data are being transmitted or when the message size is consistent, adjusting the size of the SDU buffers can improve performance, network utilization, or memory consumption.

The SDU size can range from 512 bytes to 32 KB. The default SDU for the client and the database is 2 KB.

Optimal SDU size depends on the maximum segment size (MSS) and message fragmentation. For TTC connections, configuring an SDU size larger than the 2 KB default requires configuring the SDU on both the client and server computers. When the configured values do not match, the lower of the two values will be used.

To minimize packet header overhead and message fragmentation, set the SDU size as a multiple of the MSS. When Oracle Advanced Security encryption is not used, increase the SDU size by one (1). For example, the TCP/IP version 4 MSS on Ethernet is 1460 bytes. Use a multiple of 1460 for the SDU size if encryption is used. If encryption is not used, increase the SDU size to 1461.

The packet header overhead and message fragmentation can be measured using a network sniffer or by analyzing Oracle Net trace files.

Client Configuration

To configure the client, set the SDU size with the SDU parameter in a connect descriptor as follows:

net_service_name=
 (DESCRIPTION=
   (SDU=2920)
   (ADDRESS=...)
   (ADDRESS=...)
   (CONNECT_DATA=
     (SERVER_NAME=sales.us.acme.com)))

Database Server Configuration

Database server configuration depends upon whether or not the database is configured to use shared server or dedicated server processes.

Shared Server Configuration

If using shared server processes, set the SDU size in the DISPATCHERS parameter as follows:

DISPATCHERS="(DESCRIPTION=(ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp))(SDU=2920))"

Ensure that the SDU size matches the value configured for the client.

Dedicated Server Configuration

If using dedicated server processes for a database that is dynamically registered with the listener through service registration, then the SDU size cannot be set. Instead, the 2 KB default is used.

If using dedicated server processes for a database that is registered with the listener through static configuration in the listener.ora file, then set the SDU size in the SID_DESC section of the listener.ora file as follows:

SID_LIST_listener_name=
  (SID_LIST= 
    (SID_DESC=
     (SDU=2920)
     (SID_NAME=sales)))

Ensure that the SDU size matches the value configured for the client.

Configuring Connections to Non-Oracle Database Services

The following topics describe how to configure connections to non-Oracle database services:

Configuring Oracle Net Services for External Procedures

An external procedure is a procedure called from another program, but written in a different language. An example would be a PL/SQL program calling one or more C routines that are required to perform special-purpose processing.

You can configure the listener to listen for external procedure calls. When an application calls an external procedure, the listener starts an external procedure agent named extproc. Using the network connection established by the listener, the application passes the following information to the agent:

The agent then loads the DLL and runs the external procedure and passes back to the application any values returned by the external procedure.

The agent must reside on the same computer as the application making the external procedure call.

This section contains the following topics:

Default Configuration for External Procedures

Oracle Net Configuration Assistant configures a listener to accept connections for both the database and external procedures during a database server installation. In addition, Oracle Net Configuration Assistant configures a net service name for the external procedures in tnsnames.ora file on the database server. The external procedure agent will only be able to load DLLS from $ORACLE_HOME/lib on UNIX operating systems and ORACLE_HOME\bin on Windows NT.

Figure 15-5 shows the default configuration in the listener.ora file.

Figure 15-5 listener.ora File with Default External Procedure Setup

LISTENER=
  (DESCRIPTION=
    (ADDRESS_LIST=
      (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=sale-server)(PORT=1521))
      (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=ipc)(KEY=extproc))))
SID_LIST_LISTENER=
  (SID_LIST=
    (SID_DESC=
      (GLOBAL_DBNAME=sales.us.acme.com)
      (ORACLE_HOME=/oracle9i)
      (SID_NAME=sales))
    (SID_DESC=
    (SID_NAME=plsextproc)
    (ORACLE_HOME=/oracle9i)
    (PROGRAM=extproc)))

Figure 15-6 shows the default configuration in the tnsnames.ora file.

Figure 15-6 tnsnames.ora File with Default External Procedure Setup

EXTPROC_CONNECTION_DATA=            
 (DESCRIPTION=                     
   (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=ipc)(KEY=extproc))                      
   (CONNECT_DATA=
    (SID=extproc)))

Modifying Configuration of External Procedures for Higher Security

To achieve a higher level of security in a production environment, modify the default configuration by performing the following tasks:

  1. Configure and run a separate listener dedicated to servicing external procedure requests.

    The extproc agent spawned by the listener inherits the operating system privileges of the listener. Therefore, configure this listener to run with operating system privileges lower than those of the listener for the database.

  2. Restrict the DLLs that the extproc agent can load by listing them explicitly in the listener.ora file.

The details of these tasks follow.

To modify the default configuration for a higher level of security:

  1. Remove the external procedure entries for the default listener configured by Oracle Net Configuration Assistant.

    For most installation types, this listener is named LISTENER.

    1. Start Oracle Net Manager.

    2. In the navigator pane, expand Local > Listeners.
    3. Select the listener configured by Oracle Net Configuration Assistant.
    4. From the list in the right pane, select Listening Locations.
    5. Click the Address 2 tab containing the protocol address for the external procedures.
    6. Click Remove Address.
    7. From the list in the right pane, select Other Services.
    8. Click the Service 2 tab containing the service information for external procedures.
    9. Click Remove Service.
  2. Create another listener to exclusively handle external procedures:
    1. In the navigator pane, select Listeners.
    2. Click plus (+) from the toolbar or select Edit > Create.

      The Choose Listener Name dialog box appears.

    3. Enter a unique listener name, such as LISTENEREXTPROC, in the Listener Name field.
    4. Click OK.
  3. Configure an IPC protocol address.
    1. Select the newly-created listener.
    2. From the list in the right pane, select Listening Locations.
    3. Click Add Address.

      A new Address tab appears.

      Text description of externaa.gif follows.

      Text description of the illustration externaa.gif

    4. From the Protocol list, select IPC, and enter a value for the Key. Oracle Corporation recommends a key value of extproc.


      Note:

      If the computer has more than one Oracle home or more than one listener, each listener must specify a unique KEY. For example, you can use extproc1 for the first listener, extproc2 for the second listener, and so on.


      See Also:

      "Configuring Listening Protocol Addresses" for more information about configuring listener protocol addresses

  4. Add service information about extproc in the listener.ora file, including the parameters described in Table 15-7.

    Table 15-7  External Procedures Settings in listener.ora
    Oracle Net Manager Field listener.ora Parameter Description

    Program Name

    PROGRAM

    Specify the name of the external procedure agent executable.

    Note: On Windows NT, the executable must reside in the ORACLE_HOME\bin directory.

    Environment

    ENVS

    Specify the EXTPROC_DLLS environment variable to restrict the DLLs that extproc is allowed to load. Without the EXTPROC_DLLS environment variable, extproc loads DLLs from $ORACLE_HOME/lib on UNIX operating systems and ORACLE_HOME\bin on Windows NT.

    Set EXTPROC_DLLS to one of the following values:

    • Colon-separated list of the DLLs

      Syntax: "DLL:DLL"

      Description: This value allows extproc to load the specified DLLs and the DLLs from $ORACLE_HOME/lib on UNIX operating systems and ORACLE_HOME\bin on Windows NT. You must enter the complete directory path and file name of the DLLs.

    • ONLY (Recommended for maximum security)

      Syntax: "ONLY:DLL:DLL"

      Description: This value allows extproc to load only the specified DLLs. You must enter the complete directory path and file name of the DLLs.

    • ANY

      Syntax: "ANY"

      Description: This value allows extproc to load any DLL. ANY disables DLL checking.

    Examples:

    "EXTPROC_DLLS=/home/xyz/mylib.so:/home/abc/urlib.so,LD_LIBRARY_
    PATH=/private/xpm/lib:/private/mylibs, 
    MYPATH=/usr/ucb:/usr/local/packages,APL_ENV_FILE=/apl/conf/env.txt"
    
    "EXTPROC_DLLS=ONLY:/home/xyz/mylib.so:/home/abc/urlib.so,LD_
    LIBRARY_PATH=/private/xpm/lib:/private/mylibs, 
    MYPATH=/usr/ucb:/usr/local/packages,APL_ENV_FILE=/apl/conf/env.txt"
    
    "EXTPROC_DLLS=ANY,LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/private/xpm/lib:/private/mylibs, 
    MYPATH=/usr/ucb:/usr/local/packages,APL_ENV_FILE=/apl/conf/env.txt"
    

    SID

    SID_NAME

    Specify a system identifier for the external procedure agent by any name.

    Oracle Home Directory

    ORACLE_HOME

    Specify the Oracle home location of the agent.

    To configure service information about extproc in the listener.ora file:

    1. From the list in the right pane, select Other Services.
    2. Click Add Service.

      A new Service tab appears.

      Text description of external.gif follows.

      Text description of the illustration external.gif

    3. Enter extproc in the Program Name field, the EXTPROC_DLLS environment variable in the Environment Variable field, a system identifier, such as extproc, in the SID field, and the Oracle home where the extproc executable resides in the Oracle Home Directory field.
  5. Choose File > Save Network Configuration.

    The listener.ora file updates with information for external procedures, as shown in the following output:

    LISTENEREXTPROC=
     (DESCRIPTION=
      (ADDRESS=
         (PROTOCOL=ipc)(KEY=extproc)))
    SID_LIST_LISTENEREXTPROC=
      (SID_LIST=
        (SID_DESC=
         (PROGRAM=extproc)
         (ENVS="EXTPROC_DLLS=ONLY:/home/xyz/mylib.so:/home/abc/urlib.so,
    LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/private/xpm/lib:/private/mylibs,
    MYPATH=/usr/ucb:/usr/local/packages,APL_ENV_FILE=/apl/conf/env.txt") (SID_NAME=extproc) (ORACLE_HOME=/oracle9i)))
  6. Start the listener for external procedures from a user account with lower privileges than the oracle user.

    Ensure that this user account does not have general access to oracle-owned files. Specifically, this user should not have permission to read or write to database files or to the Oracle server address space. In addition, this user should have read access to the listener.ora file, but must not have write access to it.

    Running the listener with lower privileges also prevents you from using Listener Control utility SET commands to alter the configuration of this listener in the listener.ora file. For this reason, Oracle Corporation recommends that you complete listener.ora file configuration prior to running the listener.

    See Also:

Configuring Oracle Net Services for Oracle Heterogeneous Services

Heterogeneous Services are an integrated component within the Oracle database server, and provides the generic technology for accessing non-Oracle systems from the Oracle database server. Heterogeneous Services enable you to:

While Heterogeneous Services provides the generic technology in the Oracle database server, a Heterogeneous Service agent is required to access a particular non-Oracle system.

To initiate a connection to the non-Oracle system, the Oracle database server starts an agent process through the listener on the gateway. For the Oracle database server to be able to connect to the agent, perform the following steps:

  1. Configure the listener on the gateway to listen for incoming requests from the Oracle database server and spawn Heterogeneous Services agents by configuring the parameters described in Table 15-8 in the listener.ora file.

    Table 15-8  Heterogeneous Services Settings in listener.ora
    Oracle Net Manager Field listener.ora Parameter Description

    SID

    SID_NAME

    Specify the Oracle System Identifier (SID).

    Oracle Home

    ORACLE_HOME

    Specify the Oracle home location of the agent executable.

    Program Name

    PROGRAM

    Specify the name of the agent executable.

    To configure the SID, ORACLE_HOME, and PROGRAM parameters:

    1. Start Oracle Net Manager.

    2. In the navigator pane, expand Local > Listeners.
    3. Select a listener.
    4. From the list in the right-pane, select Other Services.
    5. Click Add Service.

      A new Service tab appears.

      Text description of listeneb.gif follows.

      Text description of the illustration listeneb.gif

    6. Enter the program name in the Program Name field that will be executed to create a gateway, the Oracle home where the agent executable resides in the Oracle Home Directory field, and the SID or service name of the non-Oracle system in the SID field.
    7. Choose File > Save Network Configuration.

      The listener.ora file updates information about the Heterogeneous Services, as shown in the following:

      SID_LIST_LISTENER=
       (SID_LIST=
       (SID_DESC=
       (SID_NAME=sybase_gtw)
       (ORACLE_HOME=/oracle9i)
       (PROGRAM=tg4sybs)))
      
  2. On the computer where the Oracle database resides, set up a net service name to connect to the listener on the gateway. The connect descriptor must also include the HS=ok clause to make sure the connection uses Heterogeneous Services:
    1. Start Oracle Net Manager.

    2. Create a net service name that can be used for connections from the Oracle database server to a non-Oracle system.

      See Also:

      "Task 1: Configure Net Service Names" for net service name creation for local naming

    3. In the navigator pane, expand Local > Service Naming.
    4. Select the net service name.
    5. Click Advanced in the Service Identification group box.

      The Advanced Service Options dialog box appears.

      Text description of hetereog.gif follows.

      Text description of the illustration hetereog.gif

    6. Click Use for Heterogeneous Services, and then click OK.
    7. Choose File > Save Network Configuration.

      The tnsnames.ora file updates with the new net service name configured for Heterogeneous Services, as shown in the following:

      sybase_gtw=
       (DESCRIPTION=
        (ADDRESS=(PROTOCOL=tcp)(HOST=gate_server)(PORT=1521))
        (CONNECT_DATA=
          (SERVICE_NAME=sybase_gtw)
          (HS=ok)))
      

Configuring Oracle Net Services for an Oracle Rdb Database

Oracle Rdb is a database for Digital's 64-bit operating systems. Because Oracle Rdb has its own listener, the client interacts with Rdb in the same manner as it does with an Oracle database.

To initiate a connection to an Oracle Rdb, set up a net service name to connect to the Oracle Rdb database using the parameters described in Table 15-9.

Table 15-9  Oracle RDB Database Settings in a Connect Descriptor
Oracle Net Manager Field tnsnames.ora Parameter Description

Rdb Database

RDB_DATABASE

Specify the file name of an Oracle Rdb database.

Type of Service

TYPE_OF_SERVICE

Specify the type of service to use for an Oracle Rdb database. It is used by Rdb interface tools. This feature should only be used if the application supports both Oracle Rdb and Oracle database services, and you want the application to load balance between the two.

Global Database Name

GLOBAL_NAME

(Optional) Specify the Oracle Rdb database.

See Also:

Oracle Rdb documentation

To configure a client for an Oracle Rdb database, use Oracle Net Manager:

  1. Start Oracle Net Manager.

    See Also:

    "Starting Oracle Net Manager"

  2. Create a net service name that can be used for connections from the Oracle server to a non-Oracle system.

    See Also:

    "Task 1: Configure Net Service Names" for net service name creation for local naming

  3. In the navigator pane, expand Directory or Local > Service Naming.
  4. Select the net service name.
  5. Click Advanced in the Service Identification group box.

    The Advanced Service Options dialog box appears.

    Text description of oraclerd.gif follows.

    Text description of the illustration oraclerd.gif

    See Also:

    Table 15-9 for a description of the Oracle Rdb fields

  6. Enter the file name of an Oracle Rdb database in the Rdb Database field.
  7. Optionally, enter the global database name in the Global Database Name field, and, if needed, specify the type of service in the Type of Service field, and then click OK.
  8. Choose File > Save Network Configuration.

    The tnsnames.ora file updates with the new net service name configured for the Oracle Rdb database, as shown in the following:

    alpha5=
      (DESCRIPTION=
        (ADDRESS=...)
        (CONNECT_DATA=
          (SERVICE_NAME=generic)
          (RDB_DATABASE=[.mf]mf_personnel.rdb)
       (GLOBAL_NAME=alpha5)))
    
    
    
    

    In the following example, TYPE_OF_SERVICE is used to load balance between an Oracle Rdb database service and an Oracle database service:

    alpha5=
     (DESCRIPTION_LIST=
      (DESCRIPTION=
        (ADDRESS=...)
        (CONNECT_DATA=
         (SERVICE_NAME=generic)
         (RDB_DATABASE=[.mf]mf_personnel.rdb)
         (GLOBAL_NAME=alpha5)))
      (DESCRIPTION=
       (ADDRESS=...)
        (CONNECT_DATA=
         (SERVICE_NAME=sales.us.acme.com))
      (TYPE_OF_SERVICE=oracle9_database))
    
    See Also:

    Oracle Rdb documentation

Configuring the Listener and the Oracle Database To Limit Resource Consumption By Unauthorized Users

Unauthorized access to the listener or database server can result in denial-of-service attacks, whereby an unauthorized client attempts to block authorized users' ability to access and use the system when needed. Malicious clients may attempt to flood the listener or database server with connect requests that have the sole purpose of consuming resources, such as connections, processes, or threads. To mitigate these types of attacks, configure limits that constrain the time in which resources can be held prior to authentication. Client attempts to exceed the configured limits will result in connection terminations and an audit trail containing the IP address of the client being logged.

To limit the resource consumption by unauthorized users and enable the audit trail, set time-limit values for the parameters described in Table 15-10. These parameters do not have default values.

Table 15-10  Connect-Timeout Parameters 
Parameter Description

INBOUND_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_listener_name in listener.ora

Specify the time, in seconds, for the client to complete its connect request to the listener after the network connection had been established.

If the listener does not receive the client request in the time specified, then it terminates the connection. In addition, the listener logs the IP address of the client and an ORA-12525: TNS:listener has not received client's request in time allowed error message to the listener.log file.

See Also:

SQLNET.INBOUND_CONNECT_TIMEOUT parameter in sqlnet.ora on the database server

Specify the time, in seconds, for a client to connect with the database server and provide the necessary authentication information.

If the client fails to establish a connection and complete authentication in the time specified, then the database server terminates the connection. In addition, the database server logs the IP address of the client and an ORA-12170: TNS:Connect timeout occurred error message to the sqlnet.log file. The client receives either an ORA-12547: TNS:lost contact or an ORA-12637: Packet receive failed error message.

See Also: "Resolving the Most Common Error Messages for Oracle Net Services" for a description of error message workarounds

When specifying values for these parameters, consider the following recommendations:

For example, you can set INBOUND_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_listener_name to 2 seconds and INBOUND_CONNECT_TIMEOUT parameter to 3 seconds. If clients are unable to complete connections within the specified time due to system or network delays that are normal for the particular environment, then increment the time as needed.