Plan for upgrading clustered Oracle database server from Windows NT to 2003
We have a clustered Oracle database on Windows NT running 8.1.6.3 and Failsafe 3.1.2 and two web servers running OAS 4.0 (not clustered) also on NT.
We want to upgrade the database and the operating systems to Windows 2003 on all four servers.
- What would be the most efficient way of doing the upgrade that will bring the system down minimally as we are 24x7? It seems that several upgrades need to be done at the same time because of compatiblity.
- If we upgrade a database to 9i on a Windows NT machine and backup the database, then we wipe out the server and install Windows 2003 and Oracle 9i, can we then just restore the data from the backup or do we need to do anything else?
The only possible problem with your plan is the compatibility of 9i and NT.
I'd double-check the compatibility matrix for that combination before
continuing. I know that Failsafe has improved a lot since 3.1.2, and it is
still alive and well. I would take the approach of wiping out one server and
installing the target versions of all software (so that you have two
standalone systems, each a part of a 1-node cluster). Then, I'd make plans to
upgrade the database by either in-place upgrade (running the proper scripts)
or by export/import. With this plan, you should be able to perform the
upgrade without losing the ability to back out if things don't go well (by
turning on the node running the "old" versions). If things do go well, you
just need to reinstall/rebuild the old cluster member to have the new versions
of all software, and then join the "new" cluster.
This was first published in November 2004
Join the conversationComment
Share
Comments
Results
Contribute to the conversation