Unit 18:

Oracle DataGuard Overview

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Agenda

• Data Guard overview

• Data Guard architecture

• Data loss versus data divergence

• Physical versus logical standby

• Failover versus switchover

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Oracle Data Guard
• Oracle’s primary disaster recovery solution
– Complimentary to RAC high availability solution
– May also be used to maintain separate reporting instance(s)
• Provides one or more “standby” copies of the primary
production database
– Physical (Identical structure as primary)
– Logical (Index/Schema differences)
• Production workload can be failed over to a standby database
if the primary database becomes unavailable
• Multiple Log Capture and Log Apply options
– Synchronous or asynchr onous log data transmission
– Continuous or deferred log apply

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Agenda

• Data Guard overview

• Data Guard architecture

• Data loss versus data divergence

• Physical versus logical standby

• Failover versus switchover

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Oracle Data Guard architecture

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Oracle Data Guard with RAC (primary site)

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Oracle Data Guard with RAC (primary and standby sites)

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Agenda

• Data Guard overview

• Data Guard architecture

• Data loss versus data divergence

• Physical versus logical standby

• Failover versus switchover

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Data Guard protection modes
• Maximum performance (default)
– Provides the highest level of data prot ection possible without affecting the performance of
the primary database
– Redo log data is shipped to the standby asynchronously to the application running on the
primary
– During failover, some data loss (committed transactions) is likely
• Maximum protection
– Ensures no data loss will occur if the primary database fails
– Requires redo log data to be written to standby prior to transaction commit
– If the standby is not available, work on primary cannot commit
– Production application may be seriously degraded over distance
• Maximum availability
– When standby is available, operates in “Maximum Protection” mode
– When standby is not available, operates in “Maximum Performance” mode
– Production application may be seriously degraded over distance
– Data loss is possible (if no connectivity to standby preceding primary failure)
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Data protection modes

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Data divergence (1 of 2)
• Typically, the consistent state of a standby database will “lag”
the consistent state of the primary database
– If updates are actively being applied to the standby, there
may only be a few seconds of lag time
– If updates are not actively being applied to the standby, the
lag could be hours (or days)
• Might be used to protect against application induced data corruption
• Might be used to provide “end of day” image for reporting purposes
• During a failover/switchover operation, the greater the degree
of data divergence, the long er the time required to br ing the
standby up to the most recent consistent state possible
– The degree of data divergence is not related to data loss –
only failover time

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Data divergence (2 of 2)

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Agenda

• Data Guard overview

• Data Guard architecture

• Data loss versus data divergence

• Physical versus logical standby

• Failover versus switchover

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Physical standby
• A “Physical Standby” is physically id entical to the primary
database
– Block for block byte match
– Identical database schemas – including indexes
• Standby Modes:
– Redo Apply
• Redo data is actively being applied to the standby
• The standby database is not accessible by users/applications
– Open Read-Only
• Redo apply activity is deferred
• The standby database is accessible for read-only (query) access

– Open Read/Write
• The standby database is accessible for read & write purposes
• If flashed back to prior state, may again be used for physical standby

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Logical standby
• A “Logical Standby” does not have to be physically
identical to the primary database
– Schema can be altered, e.g. add indexes or
materialized views
– Updates are applied to a logical standby by replaying
the SQL statements executed on the primary database
– Logical Standby database available for read access,
even when SQL statements are being replayed.

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Agenda

• Data Guard overview

• Data Guard architecture

• Data loss versus data divergence

• Physical versus logical standby

• Failover versus switchover

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Oracle Data Guard architecture (normal mode)

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Oracle Data Guard architecture (failover)

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Oracle Data Guard architecture (switchover)

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