ASM / RAC / GI

GI 19.31 and 19.32: trace file flooding in mgmtca.trc can happen

Thanks to Peter Lehmann who always alerts me about findings and encounters he had in his test and production RAC cluster environments. Peter dropped me an email the other day, and I share his suspicion that this may effect many in the coming weeks operating RAC environments. If you don’t have a RAC, you may not see this happening with GI 19.31 and 19.32: trace file flooding in mgmtca.trc can happen.

GI 19.31 and 19.32: trace file flooding in mgmtca.trc can happen

Photo by Giovanna Gomes on Unsplash

What happens?

It took me a bit of searching, and Peter collected a lot of information already.

Two months after patching GI …

AHUBFILE files in ASM in Oracle 23ai – what is it?

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI AWR Data Guard 4

I really love our customers. Many people are so super-smart. A few weeks ago I delivered a full-day hands-on workshop for ora2know in Munich and some (positively) crazy people fly in very early morning from the other end of Germany to attend. Others catch a train at night time (which is the bigger adventure in Germany these days). I feel really grateful since this was also a pay-for-it workshop. It was a great day, I’ve had lots of fun – and the attendees hopefully as well. Dagmar sent me an email a few days later with the subject similar to …

AutoUpgrade may run into a timeout when GI is lower than 19.10.0

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI Patch Recommendation 9

The other day I received a question from a colleague about the risk of having GI and database both not being on the same RU. And a long while ago I blogged about it. We recommend that you keep it in synch. But you don’t have to. At the same time I received a wish from Ernst Leber to post something on the blog he and his colleague had trouble with when upgrading to 19c in a RAC environment. AutoUpgrade hung. But he titled his email with “not an AutoUpgrade problem!”. Still I agree, it is worth to write …

ORA-29702 – and your instance does not startup in the cluster anymore

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI Flaws and Pitfalls Patch Recommendation 11

This is the right blog post for a Friday 13th. And please forgive me – I wanted to put this on the blog earlier as two of my customers hit this weeks ago already. But it must have fallen through the cracks. Still, now it is hopefully not too late to tell you what you should do if you hit ORA-29702 – and your instance does not startup in the cluster anymore. Especially when you tested a database upgrade – and after a restore, the database doesn’t want to start, no matter what you try.

ORA-29702 - and your instance does not startup in the cluster anymore

Photo by Nadine Shaabana

Which database version can be used with Grid Infrastructure 19c?

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI 25

This will be a very short blog post today. But a colleague asked me this question just a few minutes ago: Which database version can be used with Grid Infrastructure 19c? And I realized that I neither put it on the blog yet nor did I bookmark it. But I answered this question several times already.

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

Which database version can be used with Grid Infrastructure 19c?

There are 4 sources I did check:

MOS Notes on MyOracle Support
Oracle Documentation
Certification Information on MyOracle Support
Database Upgrade Blog

At first, I answered with MOS …

MGA Issue – and it is fixed with Oracle 19.8.0 and newer

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI Flaws and Pitfalls 6

Where do I start? One of the customer accounts I worked the longest time with recently upgraded to Oracle 19c on Exadata. They are an Exadata customer since 2009. After going live on 19c, a few days later they hit an MGA Issue – and it is fixed with Oracle 19.8.0 and newer. But question no.1 was: Why hasn’t Oracle warned us – and how could we have learned about it?

MGA Issue - and it is fixed with Oracle 19.8.0 and newer

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

What is the MGA?

OK, I have heard of SGA and PGA. But MGA? The first two hits when I search with …

Does your GI RU/RUR patch level has to match your database’s?

Posted on June 11, 2020 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI 5

A long while ago I blogged about whether you should keep your patch versions between Grid Infrastructure and Databases Homes in synch, or not. And today, Daniel dropped me a note mentioning that this old blog post may need an update for 18c/19c. He’s right. And as I’ve had trouble finding my old blog post, I title this one a bit more obvious: Does your GI RU/RUR patch level has to match your database’s?

Does your GI RU/RUR patch level has to match your database's?

Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash

Before Oracle Database 18c

Since Oracle 18c we move from a 5-number release schema to a 3-number one. …

AutoUpgrade – New Version with RAC Database Upgrade Support

Posted on April 1, 2020 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI AutoUpgrade 32

Thanks to all our customers who participated in our evaluation test for RAC upgrade support with the AutoUpgrade Tool. And my colleagues worked hard to deliver the new version as quickly as possible. Just to make sure: This is not an April’s fools blog post. Since 2 days, you can download AutoUpgrade – New Version with RAC Database Upgrade Support.

AutoUpgrade - New Version with RAC Database Upgrade Support

Picture by: Jason Yuen on Unsplash

Where to download it?

As usual, you can download the newest version – in this case 19.8 aka 20200327 from MOS Note: 2485457.1:

You simply copy the new version into your 19c (or …

Do you need to apply OJVM patches to Grid Infrastructure?

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI Patch Recommendation 19

From time to time, when I discuss OJVM patching with customers, I hear the following question: Do you need to apply OJVM patches to Grid Infrastructure? I’m carrying around this topic since months actually.

Do you need to apply OJVM patches to Grid Infrastructure?

Photo by Jakub Kriz on Unsplash

A quick MOS check

Well, you’d assume this is something MOS does give you an answer within fractions of a second. But nope. I found a lot but unfortunately not what I was looking for. What I found instead where community discussions where applying OJVM patches to a 12.1.0.2 GI installation corrupted the inventory. Hence, there seems to be some …

GI Patch 28553832 may be needed before you upgrade to 19c

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI Flaws and Pitfalls 11

Thanks to my colleague Sebastian Alasino who works in the MAA team out of the UK. Sebas highlighted this issue to. And I’d like to share it with you when you attempt to upgrade Grid Infrastructure to Oracle 19c. If you have the Docker RPM installed and you were lazy on patching, then GI Patch 28553832 may be needed before you upgrade to 19c.

GI Patch 28553832 may be needed before you upgrade to 19c

Photo by Daniel Frank on Unsplash

What is the issue?

If the Docker Engine RPM is installed and your GI version is 12.1.0.2, 12.2.0.1 or 18c below a certain patch level, the CSSD demon fails to …

Where does the database link SYS_HUB come from?

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI Flaws and Pitfalls 6

This blog lives a lot from customer’s feedback and updates. And these days, Nicolas Jardot from dbi-services in Switzerland sent me an email asking: Where does the database link SYS_HUB come from? And if he can delete it or if it has any deeper purpose. Neither Google nor MOS reveal a lot of useful information

Where does the database link SYS_HUB come from?

I took my vanilla 18.3.0 database in our hands-on lab and check:

column owner format a5
column db_link format a12
column username format a12
column host format a12

select con_id, owner, db_link, username, host from cdb_db_links;

    CON_ID

DBCA 12.2 does not update /etc/oratab in GI / RAC

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI Behavior Change 12

Interesting things happen. And I learned (credits to Arun Gupta and others) that there is a change in Oracle Database 12.2 environments I wasn’t aware: The DBCA 12.2 does not update /etc/oratab in GI / RAC environments. Let me give you some extra information and hints on this topic as it may cause some strange situations.

DBCA 12.2 does not update /etc/oratab in GI / RAC

Arun Gupta commented on the blog:

Another case in point. DBCA fails to update the /etc/oratab file in 12.2 when a database is created. There is no documentation of this behavior. So, I opened

GIMR DB in Oracle Database 12.2

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI 0

I did blog in the past already about the Grid Infrastructure Management Repository Database (GIMR DB):

Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) database now mandatory in Oracle GI 12.1.0.2

SID and DBNAME are kept the same in Oracle Database 12.2. But there are a few changes and additions in Oracle Database 12.2.0.1.

GIMR DB in its own Disk Group

During a fresh installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12.2.0.1 you’ll have the chance to create a disk group for GIMR DB:

GIMR DB – Gets its own disk group in Oracle 12.2

But you can migrate GIMR DB into a separate disk …

Keep your patch versions between Grid Infrastructure and Databases Homes in synch

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI Patch Recommendation 10

Keep your patch versions between Grid Infrastructure and Databases Homes in synch I’ve had some interesting discussions with Anil Nair, our RAC Product Manager and a customer in the past days. The customer was looking for a definite statement that they can have a higher version of Patch Set Updates (PSUs) or Proactive Bundle Patches (BPs) in the Database homes than in the Grid Infrastructure home managing the resources.

For Oracle Database 18c, 19c and onward, please read instead:

Does your GI RU/RUR patch level has to match your database’s? (June 11, 2020)

Can you have different PSU/BP versions between Database and GI homes?

Yes, you can have a higher version PSU …

Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) – Datapatch?

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI Patch Recommendation 0

I have blogged about the Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) a while back:

Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) database now mandatory in Oracle GI 12.1.0.2

And Markus Michalewicz, our Director of Product Management, Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC), has published a very interesting and helpful insight article about GIMR on July 30, 2015. Read it here:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-handle-oracle-gimr-markus-michalewicz

Since Oracle Database 12.1.0.2 the GIMR database will be created by default – and it is a single tenant database having a CDB$ROOT and one active PDB.

Recently the question came up if – in the likely event of applying a PSU …

Upgrade the Operating System in a RAC Environment

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI 29

Last week at the upgrade workshop in Budapest a customer had a interesting and – I believe – not uncommon question.

“How can I upgrade my Linux Operating System in my RAC environment without taking the entire cluster down?”

In this specific case the customer wanted to upgrade from RHEL 5.10 to RHEL6 or RHEL7.

Let’s assume it’s the typical 2-node-RAC where one wants to upgrade in a rolling fashion. And the data is stored within ASM.

Drain Node 1 (i.e. take the workload off) – this will be the node getting upgraded first
Remove Node 1 from the cluster

Grid Infrastructure PSU Jan 2015 – Am I too intolerant?

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI Patch Recommendation 6

Germans are not only known for being precise and timely – but sometimes also for being too direct. Well, Roy could tell you stories … and I always honor his politeness 🙂

Enough about stereotypes. I work with a customer at the moment on their 12c upgrades. And I did recommend the most recent PSU (Patch Set Updates) for their Grid Infrastructure environments running Oracle Restart. Same of course for the database homes but this blog post will just name some findings I’ve had the other night when trying to apply the January 2015 GI PSU to my …

Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) database now mandatory in Oracle GI 12.1.0.2

Posted on August 22, 2014 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI Oracle Database 12c 30

During the installation of Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12.1.0.1 you’ve had the an option to choose YES/NO to install the Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) database MGMTDB – but as of Oracle 12.1.0.2 Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) database now mandatory in Oracle GI 12.1.0.2:

Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) database now mandatory in Oracle GI 12.1.0.2

GIMR database now mandatory in Oracle GI 12.1.0.2

With Oracle Grid Infrastructure 12.1.0.2 this choice has become obsolete and the above screen does not appear anymore. The GIMR database has become mandatory.

What do we stored in the GIMR?

You’ll find it in the Oracle 12.1.0.2 documentation via this link.

In addition please see the …

Upgrade to Grid Infrastructure – but OCR and VOTING on RAW?

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI 0

Just received this question from a colleague these days:

“The current customer environment is 10.2.0.5 on Linux with a 2 node RAC cluster having OCR and Voting Disks on RAW devices. Customer is concerned about the possibility of upgrading to 11gR2 Grid infrastructure first before they could upgrade to 12c Grid
infrastructure.”

Now the answer is written down in MOS Note 1572925.1:
How to Upgrade to 12c Grid Infrastructure if OCR or Voting File is on Raw/Block Devices

Basically the MOS Note says:
You will have to relocate your OCR/Voting to a supported device BEFORE you can upgrade …

Creating ASM for test purposes in the file system

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Mike.Dietrich ASM / RAC / GI 7

First of all, I’m back after pausing for a while – sorry for not updating the blog in the past weeks … and you won’t see many updates in the following weeks as it’ll be holiday season (and we Germans have sooooo many public holidays) 🙂

Anyway, back to tech topics. Today I want to test Oracle Restart upgrades. Oracle Restart internally is called SIHA (Single Instance High Availability) which explains the topic a bit more. Basically it means having your database reside in ASM and let Oracle Clusterware take care on it, even though you don’t have a cluster. …

ASM / RAC / GI

GI 19.31 and 19.32: trace file flooding in mgmtca.trc can happen

What happens?

AHUBFILE files in ASM in Oracle 23ai – what is it?

AutoUpgrade may run into a timeout when GI is lower than 19.10.0

ORA-29702 – and your instance does not startup in the cluster anymore

Which database version can be used with Grid Infrastructure 19c?

Which database version can be used with Grid Infrastructure 19c?

MGA Issue – and it is fixed with Oracle 19.8.0 and newer

What is the MGA?

Does your GI RU/RUR patch level has to match your database’s?

Before Oracle Database 18c

AutoUpgrade – New Version with RAC Database Upgrade Support

Where to download it?

Do you need to apply OJVM patches to Grid Infrastructure?

A quick MOS check

GI Patch 28553832 may be needed before you upgrade to 19c

What is the issue?

Where does the database link SYS_HUB come from?

Where does the database link SYS_HUB come from?

DBCA 12.2 does not update /etc/oratab in GI / RAC

DBCA 12.2 does not update /etc/oratab in GI / RAC

GIMR DB in Oracle Database 12.2

GIMR DB in its own Disk Group

Keep your patch versions between Grid Infrastructure and Databases Homes in synch

Can you have different PSU/BP versions between Database and GI homes?

Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) – Datapatch?

Upgrade the Operating System in a RAC Environment

Grid Infrastructure PSU Jan 2015 – Am I too intolerant?

Grid Infrastructure Management Repository (GIMR) database now mandatory in Oracle GI 12.1.0.2

GIMR database now mandatory in Oracle GI 12.1.0.2

Upgrade to Grid Infrastructure – but OCR and VOTING on RAW?

Creating ASM for test purposes in the file system

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