Dbvisit – Standby Database Technology Blog

We have just released Dbvisit 5.2.20 for all platforms.

This version allows for passwords to be stored in encrypted form in the Dbvisit Database Configuration (DDC) file.

The full details of this release are:

New features:

1. Add ENCRYPT_PASSWDS variable to specify if all passwords should be stored encrypted in the DDC file or not. To change the setting run dbvisit_setup and choose option 6.
2. Add SWITCHOVER_WAIT_IN_SEC to control how long Dbvisit waits between each checkpoint iteration for graceful switchover. Total time Dbvisit waits for each checkpoint is set by SWITCHOVER_TIMEOUT_IN_SEC.

Fixes:

1. When standby redo logs are using OMF, graceful switchover may fail. This has been fixed.
2. When log_archive_format on Windows contains %S, the sequence number can be truncated by Oracle. Ensure that Dbvisit also truncates the number the same way.
3. Running dbvisit_setup: Update Dbvisit Database configuration (DDC) file may error for older DDC files.
4. Improve error message for ORA-27048.
5. Improve error message for creation of standby when datafile contains spaces.
6. Improve message for error 5005 when standby controlfile does not contain the archive log sequence.

Dbvisit can be downloaded from our website http://www.dbvisit.com.

We have just released Dbvisit 5.2.18 for all platforms.

This release incorporates a number of suggestions from our customers, which will improve usability of the software. We would like to thank those of you who have made suggestions, and we greatly appreciate your feedback.

From this release forward, all Dbvisit production releases will be an even release number (18, 20, 22, etc) and the development or stage releases will be an uneven number (17, 19, 21 etc).
So 5.2.18 is the production release of 5.2.17.

Some of the highlights in this release are:

• Allow for multiple archive log destinations to be managed by Dbvisit.
• Archive logs can now be managed by specifying partial days. For example keep the archive log files for 3.5 days.
• Improve remote checksum processing. If remote checksum process fails, then only checksum process is repeated, not the whole transfer process.
• Allow for Database which has been recovered with point-in-time recovery with resetlogs where SCN may be lower than current SCN.

The full details of this release are:
New features:

1. Allow for multiple archive log destinations in AMM (Archive Management Module) processing (AMM_PROCESS_MULTIPLE_ARCH_DEST).
2. Improve restartability of standby database creation. Standby Database is now shutdown after all the standby database parameters are obtained.
3. Graceful switchover synchronisation process now includes retries if there are network issues.
4. Improve remote checksum processing. If remote checksum process fails, then only checksum process is repeated, not the whole transfer process.
5. Allow for decimal numbers for DAYS_TO_KEEP_ARCHSOURCE and DAYS_TO_KEEP_ARCHDEST. For example 3.5 days.
6. Detect Oracle XE admin location for Linux.
7. Check for Standby archive log destination during graceful switchover. If location does not exist, then exit as switchover will not be successful.
8. Reduce number of trace file that Dbvisit keeps on server:
   NUM_TRACE_TO_KEEP = 100, DAYS_TO_KEEP_TRACE = 10

9. Check that Database is in archivelog mode.
10. Allow for Database which has been recovered with point-in-time recovery with resetlogs where SCN may be lower than current SCN.
11. Allow for “-” in the DDC file. Example: dbv_prod-vm2.env

Fixes:

1. Improve duplicate archive log handling for OMF files. Include a unique identifier to ensure the same file does not get renamed more than once.
2. Add check for ORA-00342: archived log does not have expected resetlogs SCN.
3. If same archive log is needed more than once by standby database for non RAC, ensure archive log can be compressed.
4. Allow for multiple NLS_LANGUAGE setting during RAC processing.
5. Add 24hour time clock to trace file.
6. Fixed calling AMM from dbv_functions -A
7. Improve error message in Windows if during standby database creation the standby database fails to start.
8. Fixed issue if first_change# is displayed as float, then graceful switchover was not successful.
9. Allow for different instance_name to database_name for graceful switchover.
10. Notify if create standby database process is not able to remove file on standby database.
11. Allow for %d log_archive_format.
12. Check and report if “ORA-00332: archived log is too small” is found.

Dbvisit can be downloaded from our website http://www.dbvisit.com.

Dbvisit 5.2.16 has been released for all platforms.

This is an exciting release as we now have the ability for graceful switchover for RAC and ASM databases. Many companies have been requesting this feature and we are pleased that it is now available.

The roles between a primary RAC node and the standby database can be switched and be switched back with no dataloss. The RAC database will become a single instance database and the other RAC nodes will be shutdown during switchover. However after the switchover the database can be converted back to the original RAC database again very simply.

The standby database creation has also been improved with now a lot more checking on the standby database to see if the correct directories exist.

When Dbvisit detects an error, the Dbvisit trace files is now automatically attached to the email, making the process to send the trace file to support very easy.

The full details of the features are:
New features:

1. Graceful Switchover for ASM and RAC. RAC database will become a single
   instance database during switchover. After switchover database can be
   converted to a RAC database again.
   Note: The Oracle ASM instance needs to be version 11gR1 or higher. The Oracle
   database itself can be Oracle 10g or higher.

2. Upgrade Bitvise WinSSHD to 4.28 and Tunnelier to 4.29 for Windows only.
3. Improve error message when standby fails to start during standby database creation.
4. Add message to remove old archives when activating standby database.
5. Add smtp authentication and other advanced Mail settings.
   See MAILCFG_AUTH_USER and MAILCFG_AUTH_PASSWD settings.

6. Attach trace files to email when Dbvisit errors to forward to Dbvisit support. Set filesize limit of 768000 bytes for attachments.
7. Database files are tested for correct location during creation of standby database. If not correct then user is asked to rename them.
8. Standby redo log names are tested for correct location during graceful switchover.
9. Add variable SEND_MAIL_FLAG_DR to turn off mailing from standby server.
10. Add ability to manually email trace files as attachments with option:
    dbv_functions -m tracefilename

Fixes:

1. Check if Oracle database admin directories exists before creating the standby database.
2. Fixed Dbvisit repository create error in Oracle 8i.
3. Add check for ORA-00344: unable to re-create online log when activating standby database.

Dbvisit can be downloaded from our website http://www.dbvisit.com.

Dbvisit 5.2.15 has been released for all platforms.

Fixes:

1. Create standby database fix. If the size of the tablespace is displayed as a float instead of number, then the insert into the Dbvisit repository fails. This has been fixed.
2. Improve error message when controlfile is a backup controlfile.
3. If the word export is used too many times in the DDC file, then assumes the DDC file is from Dbvisit version 4. This has been fixed.
4. Improve message when standby database has insufficient SGA size.

Dbvisit can be downloaded from http://www.dbvisit.com/download.php.

Dbvisit 5.2.14 has been released for all platforms.

New features:

1. Provide the ability to logon with sys user and password. This can be used when sysdba logon without password cannot be used or when SQLNET.AUTHENTICATION_SERVICES= (NTS) cannot be set.
2. Improve message for error 837, sqlplus not found.
3. Improve message for ORA-01031: insufficient privileges.

Dbvisit can be downloaded from http://www.dbvisit.com/download.php.

Overview of all the latest changes: http://www.dbvisit.com/changes.php