Top 30 RAC Interview Questions That Helped Me. Are You Prepared?

Getting ready for a RAC interview? Make sure to refresh your knowledge by
reviewing this list of RAC Interview Questions.

What is cache fusion?

In a RAC environment, it is the combining of data blocks, which are shipped

across the interconnect from remote database caches (SGA) to the local node, in
order to fulfill the requirements for a transaction (DML, Query of Data
Dictionary).

What is split brain?

When database nodes in a cluster are unable to communicate with each other,
they may continue to process and modify the data blocks independently. If the

same block is modified by more than one instance, synchronization/locking of

the data blocks does not take place and blocks may be overwritten by others in
the cluster. This state is called split brain.

What is the difference between Crash recovery and Instance recovery?

When an instance crashes in a single node database on startup a crash recovery

takes place. In a RAC enviornment the same recovery for an instance is
performed by the surviving nodes called Instance recovery.

What is the interconnect used for?

It is a private network which is used to ship data blocks from one instance to
another for cache fusion. The physical data blocks as well as data dictionary
blocks are shared across this interconnect.

How do you determine what protocol is being used for Interconnect traffic?

One of the ways is to look at the database alert log for the time period when the
database was started up.

What methods are available to keep the time synchronized on all nodes in
the cluster?

Either the Network Time Protocol(NTP) can be configured or in 11gr2, Cluster

Time Synchronization Service (CTSS) can be used.

What files components in RAC must reside on shared storage?

Spfiles, ControlFiles, Datafiles and Redolog files should be created on shared
storage.

Where does the Clusterware write when there is a network or Storage

missed heartbeat?

The network ping failure is written in $CRS_HOME/log

How do you find out what OCR backups are available?

The ocrconfig -showbackup can be run to find out the automatic and manually
run backups.

If your OCR is corrupted what options do have to resolve this?

You can use either the logical or the physical OCR backup copy to restore the
Repository.

How do you find out what object has its blocks being shipped across the
instance the most?

You can use the dba_hist_seg_stats.

What is a VIP in RAC use for?

The VIP is an alternate Virtual IP address assigned to each node in a cluster.

During a node failure the VIP of the failed node moves to the surviving node
and relays to the application that the node has gone down. Without VIP, the
application will wait for TCP timeout and then find out that the session is no
longer live due to the failure.

How do we know which database instances are part of a RAC cluster?

You can query the V$ACTIVE_INSTANCES view to determine the member

instances of the RAC cluster.

What is OCLUMON used for in a cluster environment?

The Cluster Health Monitor (CHM) stores operating system metrics in the CHM
repository for all nodes in a RAC cluster. It stores information on CPU,
memory, process, network and other OS data, This information can later be
retrieved and used to troubleshoot and identify any cluster related issues. It is a
default component of the 11gr2 grid install. The data is stored in the master
repository and replicated to a standby repository on a different node.
What would be the possible performance impact in a cluster if a less
powerful node (e.g. slower CPUs) is added to the cluster?

All processing will show down to the CPU speed of the slowest server.

What is the purpose of OLR?

Oracle Local repository contains information that allows the cluster processes to
be started up with the OCR being in the ASM storage ssytem. Since the ASM
file system is unavailable until the Grid processes are started up a local copy of
the contents of the OCR is required which is stored in the OLR.

What is the default memory allocation for ASM?

In 10g the default SGA size is 1G in 11g it is set to 256M and in 12c ASM it is
set back to 1G.

How do you backup ASM Metadata?

You can use md_backup to restore the ASM diskgroup configuration in-case of
ASM diskgroup storage loss.

What files can be stored in the ASM diskgroup?

In 11g the following files can be stored in ASM diskgroups.

Datafiles
Redo logfiles
Spfiles

In 12c the files below can also new be stored in the ASM Diskgroup

Password file

What it the ASM POWER_LIMIT?

This is the parameter which controls the number of Allocation units the ASM
instance will try to rebalance at any given time. In ASM versions less than
11.2.0.3 the default value is 11 however it has been changed to unlimited in
later versions.

What is a rolling upgrade?

A patch is considered a rolling if it is can be applied to the cluster binaries

without having to shutting down the database in a RAC environment. All nodes
in the cluster are patched in a rolling manner, one by one, with only the node
which is being patched unavailable while all other instance open.

What are some of the RAC specific parameters?

Some of the RAC parameters are:

CLUSTER_DATABASE
CLUSTER_DATABASE_INSTANCE
INSTANCE_TYPE (RDBMS or ASM)
ACTIVE_INSTANCE_COUNT
UNDO_MANAGEMENT

What is the future of the Oracle Grid?

The Grid software is becoming more and more capable of not just supporting
HA for Oracle Databases but also other applications including Oracles
applications. With 12c there are more features and functionality built-in and it is
easier to deploy these pre-built solutions, available for common Oracle
applications.

What components of the Grid should I back up?

The backups should include OLR, OCR and ASM Metadata.

Is there an easy way to verify the inventory for all remote nodes

You can run the opatch lsinventory -all_nodes command from a single node to
look at the inventory details for all nodes in the cluster.

why voting disk is always in odd numbers ?

selected disks in storage area from node r greater than 50% of disks in storage
area.(if we have 2 disks in storage area, u select one==>50%of disks(1) this is
equal to 50% not greater than 50% so,we mAINTAIN ODD NO. OF DISKS IN
STORAGE AREA(STANDARD STORAGE)
Oracle RAC Interview Questions & Answers

1. Where are the Clusterware files stored on a RAC environment?

The Clusterware is installed on each node (on an Oracle Home) and on the
shared disks (the voting disks and the CSR file)
2. Where are the database software files stored on a RAC environment?
The base software is installed on each node of the cluster and the
database storage on the shared disks.
3. What kind of storage we can use for the shared Clusterware files?
- OCFS (Release 1 or 2)
- raw devices
- third party cluster file system such as GPFS or Veritas
4. What kind of storage we can use for the RAC database storage?
- OCFS (Release 1 or 2)
- ASM
- raw devices
- third party cluster file system such as GPFS or Veritas
5. What is a CFS?
A cluster File System (CFS) is a file system that may be accessed (read and
write) by all members in a cluster at the same time. This implies that all
members of a cluster have the same view.
6. What is an OCFS2?
The OCFS2 is the Oracle (version 2) Cluster File System which can be used for
the Oracle Real Application Cluster.
7. Which files can be placed on an Oracle Cluster File System?
- Oracle Software installation (Windows only)
- Oracle files (controlfiles, datafiles, redologs, files described by the bfile
datatype)
- Shared configuration files (spfile)
- OCR and voting disk
- Files created by Oracle during runtime
Note: There are some platform specific limitations.
8. Do you know another Cluster Vendor?
HP Tru64 Unix, Veritas, Microsoft
9. How is possible to install a RAC if we dont have a CFS?
This is possible by using a raw device.
10. What is a raw device?
A raw device is a disk drive that does not yet have a file system set up. Raw
devices are used for Real Application Clusters since they enable the sharing of
disks.
11. What is a raw partition?
A raw partition is a portion of a physical disk that is accessed at the lowest
possible level. A raw partition is created when an extended partition is created
and logical partitions are assigned to it without any formatting. Once formatting
is complete, it is called cooked partition.
12. When to use CFS over raw?
A CFS offers:
- Simpler management
- Use of Oracle Managed Files with RAC
- Single Oracle Software installation
- Autoextend enabled on Oracle datafiles
- Uniform accessibility to archive logs in case of physical node failure
- With Oracle_Home on CFS, when you apply Oracle patches CFS guarantees
that the updated Oracle_Home is visible to all nodes in the cluster.
Note: This option is very dependent on the availability of a CFS on your
platform.
13. When to use raw over CFS?
- Always when CFS is not available or not supported by Oracle.
- The performance is very, very important: Raw devices offer best performance
without any intermediate layer between Oracle and the disk.
Note: Autoextend fails on raw devices if the space is exhausted. However the
space could be added online if needed.
14. What CRS is?
Oracle RAC 10g Release 1 introduced Oracle Cluster Ready Services (CRS), a
platform-independent set of system services for cluster environments. In
Release 2, Oracle has renamed this product to Oracle Clusterware.
15. What is VIP IP used for?
It returns a dead connection IMMIDIATELY, when its primary node fails.
Without using VIP IP, the clients have to wait around 10 minutes to receive
ORA-3113: end of file on communications channel. However, using
Transparent Application Failover (TAF) could avoid ORA-3113.
16. Why we need to have configured SSH or RSH on the RAC nodes?
SSH (Secure Shell,10g+) or RSH (Remote Shell, 9i+) allows oracle UNIX
account connecting to another RAC node and copy/ run commands as the local
oracle UNIX account.
17. Is the SSH, RSH needed for normal RAC operations?
No. SSH or RSH are needed only for RAC, patch set installation and clustered
database creation.
18. Do we have to have Oracle RDBMS on all nodes?
Each node of a cluster that is being used for a clustered database will typically
have the RDBMS and RAC software loaded on it, but not actual data files
(these need to be available via shared disk).
19. What are the restrictions on the SID with a RAC database? Is it limited
to 5 characters?
The SID prefix in 10g Release 1 and prior versions was restricted to five
characters by install/ config tools so that an ORACLE_SID of up to max of
5+3=8 characters can be supported in a RAC environment. The SID prefix is
relaxed up to 8 characters in 10g Release 2, see bug 4024251 for more
information.
20. Does Real Application Clusters support heterogeneous platforms?
The Real Application Clusters do not support heterogeneous platforms in the
same cluster.

21. Are there any issues for the interconnect when sharing the same switch
as the public network by using VLAN to separate the network?
RAC and Clusterware deployment best practices suggests that the interconnect
(private connection) be deployed on a stand-alone, physically separate,
dedicated switch. On big network the connections could be instable.
22. What is the Load Balancing Advisory?
To assist in the balancing of application workload across designated resources,
Oracle Database 10g Release 2 provides the Load Balancing Advisory. This
Advisory monitors the current workload activity across the cluster and for each
instance where a service is active; it provides a percentage value of how much
of the total workload should be sent to this instance as well as service quality
flag.
23. How many nodes are supported in a RAC Database?
With 10g Release 2, we support 100 nodes in a cluster using Oracle
Clusterware, and 100 instances in a RAC database. Currently DBCA has a bug
where it will not go beyond 63 instances. There is also a documentation bug for
the max-instances parameter. With 10g Release 1 the Maximum is 63.
24. What is the Cluster Verification Utiltiy (cluvfy)?
The Cluster Verification Utility (CVU) is a validation tool that you can use to
check all the important components that need to be verified at different stages of
deployment in a RAC environment.
25. What versions of the database can I use the cluster verification utility
(cluvfy) with?
The cluster verification utility is release with Oracle Database 10g Release 2 but
can also be used with Oracle Database 10g Release 1.
26. If I am using Vendor Clusterware such as Veritas, IBM, Sun or HP, do
I still need Oracle Clusterware to run Oracle RAC 10g?
Yes. When certified, you can use Vendor Clusterware however you must still
install and use Oracle Clusterware for RAC. Best Practice is to leave Oracle
Clusterware to manage RAC. For details see Metalink Note 332257.1 and for
Veritas SFRAC see 397460.1.
27. Is RAC on VMWare supported?
Yes.
28. What is hangcheck timer used for ?
The hangcheck timer checks regularly the health of the system. If the system
hangs or stop the node will be restarted automatically.
There are 2 key parameters for this module:
-> hangcheck-tick: this parameter defines the period of time between checks of
system health. The default value is 60 seconds; Oracle recommends setting it to
30seconds.
-> hangcheck-margin: this defines the maximum hang delay that should be
tolerated before hangcheck-timer resets the RAC node.
29. Is the hangcheck timer still needed with Oracle RAC 10g?
Yes.
30. What files can I put on Linux OCFS2?
For optimal performance, you should only put the following files on Linux
OCFS2:
- Datafiles
- Control Files
- Redo Logs
- Archive Logs
- Shared Configuration File (OCR)
- Voting File
- SPFILE
31. Is it possible to use ASM for the OCR and voting disk?
No, the OCR and voting disk must be on raw or CFS (cluster file system).
32. Can I change the name of my cluster after I have created it when I am
using Oracle Clusterware?
No, you must properly uninstall Oracle Clusterware and then re-install.
33. What the O2CB is?
The O2CB is the OCFS2 cluster stack. OCFS2 includes some services. These
services must be started before using OCFS2 (mount/ format the file systems).
34. What the OCR file is used for?
OCR is a file that manages the cluster and RAC configuration.
35. What the Voting Disk file is used for?
The voting disk is nothing but a file that contains and manages information of
all the node memberships.
36. What is the recommended method to make backups of a RAC
environment? RMAN to make backups of the database, dd to
backup your voting disk and hard copies of the OCR file.
37. What command would you use to check the availability of the RAC
system?
crs_stat -t -v (-t -v are optional)
38. What is the minimum number of instances you need to have in order to
create a RAC?
You can create a RAC with just one server.
39. Name two specific RAC background processes
RAC processes are: LMON, LMDx, LMSn, LKCx and DIAG.
40. Can you have many database versions in the same RAC?
Yes, but Clusterware version must be greater than the greater database version.
41. What was RAC previous name before it was called RAC?OPS: Oracle
Parallel Server
42. What RAC component is used for communication between
instances?Private Interconnect.
43. What is the difference between normal views and RAC views?A RAC
view has the prefix G. For example, GV$SESSION instead of V$SESSION
44. Which command will we use to manage (stop, start) RAC services in
command-line mode?
srvctl
45. How many alert logs exist in a RAC environment?
A- One for each instance.
46. What are Oracle Clusterware Components
Voting Disk Oracle RAC uses the voting disk to manage cluster membership
by way of a health check and arbitrates cluster ownership among the instances
in case of network failures. The voting disk must reside on shared disk.
Oracle Cluster Registry (OCR) Maintains cluster configuration information
as well as configuration information about any cluster database within the
cluster. The OCR must reside on shared disk that is accessible by all of the
nodes in your cluster
47. How do you backup voting disk
#dd if=voting_disk_name of=backup_file_name
48. How do I identify the voting disk location
#crsctl query css votedisk
49. How do I identify the OCR file location
check /var/opt/oracle/ocr.loc or /etc/ocr.loc ( depends upon platform)
or
#ocrcheck
50. What is SCAN?
Single Client Access Name (SCAN) is s a new Oracle Real Application Clusters
(RAC) 11g Release 2 feature that provides a single name for clients to access an
Oracle Database running in a cluster. The benefit is clients using SCAN do not
need to change if you add or remove nodes in the cluster.