mysql cluster allows on- line upgrades, is there anything like that in Oracle?

zigz...@yahoo.com

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Jun 2, 2012, 2:13:08 PM6/2/12

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My company heavily uses SAP with Oracle as underlying database. They have been wanting to install Oracle paces (e.g., upgrade from Oracle 10.2.0.x to 10.2.0.y) without bringing down Oracle. Oracle runs in data guard configuration. I do not know of any way where Oracle patches which upgrade data dictionary... to be installed on-line (without shutting down SAP). Same will be true even if we were using Oracle RAC.

I was reading about mysql Cluster: mysql.com/cluster. It advertises that upgrade of mysql can be done on-line while application is running. Mysql Cluster technology is based on shared nothing architecture which is different from Oracle RAC. That may be the reason MySQL Cluster can do on-line patch installation? Is that correct? I clearly see that an advantage of My SQL high availability even though it may have other shortcomings. IS my understanding correct? I know SAP does not run on mySQL, but I was just curious whether in Oracle there is anyway to install patches on-line when they impact data dictionary. I know some patches which just impact binaries or libraries can be installed on-line, but that is not the case with all patches. I know if one does logical standby, one can do patch installation on-line but logical standby has many restrictions?

Does Oracle have any HA in shared nothing architecture like mysql custer?

Noons

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Jun 3, 2012, 2:06:38 AM6/3/12

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zigz...@yahoo.com wrote,on my timestamp of 3/06/2012 4:13 AM:

> My company heavily uses SAP with Oracle as underlying database.
> They have been wanting to install Oracle paces (e.g., upgrade
> from Oracle 10.2.0.x to 10.2.0.y) without bringing down Oracle.
> Oracle runs in data guard configuration.
> I do not know of any way where Oracle patches which upgrade
> data dictionary... to be installed on-line (without shutting down SAP).
> Same will be true even if we were using Oracle RAC.

Do you also install SAP patches without any shutdown/restart?

Mladen Gogala

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Jun 3, 2012, 3:18:02 AM6/3/12

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On Sat, 02 Jun 2012 11:13:08 -0700, zigzagdna wrote:

> Does Oracle have any HA in shared nothing architecture like mysql
> custer?

Oracle has shared nothing clusters. They're called "MySQL Clusters". As
for HA in shared nothing architecture, it's always achieved by
replication, it cannot be achieved by any other way because there is no
sharing in shared nothing cluster. Oracle supports several types of
replication: advanced replication (trigger based), STREAMS replication,
Golden Gate replication and active standby (11G).

--
http://mgogala.byethost5.com

zigz...@yahoo.com

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Jun 3, 2012, 8:20:24 AM6/3/12

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I am not sure in active standby (11G), one can do rolling uupgrade of database without nring Oracle downtime for few minutes/seconds. I could not find anything on google for active standby, but for physical standby, see link http://blog.csdn.net/sweethouse1128/article/details/6857571 but it requires some down time. Also I do not know whether SAP Oracle Database can be converted to logical standby.

John Hurley

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Jun 3, 2012, 8:50:46 AM6/3/12

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zig:

# I do not know of any way where Oracle patches which upgrade data

dictionary... to be installed on-line (without shutting down SAP).

If 12c does not make you all the way happy then 13h ( heaven ) or 14u
( universe ) ... will do the job!

Mladen Gogala

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Jun 4, 2012, 5:26:09 PM6/4/12

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On Sun, 03 Jun 2012 05:20:24 -0700, zigzagdna wrote:

> I am not sure in active standby (11G), one can do rolling uupgrade of
> database without nring Oracle downtime for few minutes/seconds. I could
> not find anything on google for active standby, but for physical
> standby, see link
> http://blog.csdn.net/sweethouse1128/article/details/6857571 but it
> requires some down time. Also I do not know whether SAP Oracle Database
> can be converted to logical standby.

Active standby IS a physical standby, not a logical standby. Oracle 11g
can have physical standby open in read-only mode. Of course, that
requires an additional EE license. Oracle EE licenses are dirt cheap,
especially if you add diagnostics and performance tuning, RAC and
advanced compression, so that shouldn't be a problem.

--
http://mgogala.byethost5.com

Mladen Gogala

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Jun 4, 2012, 5:29:24 PM6/4/12

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On Sun, 03 Jun 2012 05:50:46 -0700, John Hurley wrote:

> If 12c does not make you all the way happy then 13h ( heaven ) or 14u (
> universe ) ... will do the job!
>

I believe that version 13 will be dubbed 13f, the letter "F" signifying
the first word managers think of when someone mentions additional Oracle
licenses. The word that starts with the letter "F" is, of course,
"Fantastic!". Hopefully, you don't think that my mind is in the gutter
and that I was having some other F-words in mind.

--
http://mgogala.byethost5.com

John Hurley

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Jun 5, 2012, 8:43:57 AM6/5/12

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Mladen:

# Hopefully, you don't think that my mind is in the gutter and that I

was having some other F-words in mind.

Never ... ok ... well hardly ever ... ok ... well ... ok so we all
know what you were thinking!