Ensuring Data Reliability and High Availability with Oracle Data Guard 19c

Table of Contents

Introduction:

In today’s digital landscape, data reliability and high availability are paramount for businesses to ensure uninterrupted operations and safeguard against potential downtime and data loss. Oracle Data Guard 19c is a powerful feature that provides a robust solution for achieving these goals. In this article, we will take a deep dive into Oracle Data Guard 19c, specifically focusing on its switchover and failover capabilities.

Understanding Switchover and Failover:

Switchover and failover are two critical processes in Oracle Data Guard that allow seamless transitions between primary and standby databases. While switchover is a planned operation initiated by the database administrator, failover is an automatic process triggered in response to a failure or a planned maintenance activity.

Switchover Process:

The video demonstrates the switchover process in a lab environment. Before performing a switchover, it is crucial to ensure the standby database’s readiness using the validate command. The video highlights the significance of monitoring each step closely and allowing Data Guard some time to catch up with the latest updates. The switchover process provides administrators with the ability to validate the standby database’s functionality and seamlessly switch to it when necessary.

Failover Process:

In the event of a primary database failure, failover becomes crucial to ensure minimal disruption to business operations. The video showcases the failover process and emphasizes the importance of conducting validation checks. It demonstrates how fast start failover (FSO) takes care of the failover process, automatically reinstating the database to a functional state. This feature provides administrators with peace of mind, knowing that their data remains protected and accessible.

Real-Time Failovers with Fast Start Failover (FFO):

Oracle Data Guard 19c introduces the fast start failover (FFO) feature, which enables automatic real-time failovers. FFO continuously monitors the primary and standby databases, ensuring immediate failover in the event of a failure. The video highlights the behavior of the Observer node, which tracks all activities without taking direct actions. It also showcases how FFO handles the reinstatement of the database, providing a seamless transition and minimizing downtime.

Conclusion:

Oracle Data Guard 19c is a powerful tool for ensuring data reliability and high availability. Its switchover and failover capabilities, along with the introduction of fast start failover, offer businesses a robust solution to mitigate the risks associated with downtime and data loss. By implementing Oracle Data Guard 19c, organizations can have peace of mind, knowing that their critical data remains protected and accessible, even in the face of unexpected failures or planned maintenance activities.