Avamar Client Installation for Oracle 12cR2 RAC Database

This document outlines the step-by-step process for installing and configuring the Avamar Client and RMAN plugin on an Oracle 12cR2 Real Application Clusters (RAC) database. This setup enables Avamar to perform RMAN backups of your RAC database.

Prerequisites

• Access to the Avamar Client and RMAN plugin RPM files.

• root privileges on all RAC nodes.

• Knowledge of your Oracle Clusterware Home and Oracle Home paths.

• Avamar Administrator Server address and domain.

Installation and Configuration Steps

Step 1: Install Avamar Client RPM

Install the core Avamar client RPM package on all RAC nodes.

rpm -ivh AvamarClient-linux-sles11-x86_64-7.5XXXXXX.rpm

(Replace AvamarClient-linux-sles11-x86_64-7.5XXXXXX.rpm with the actual filename of your Avamar Client RPM.)

Step 2: Install Avamar RMAN RPM

Install the Avamar RMAN plugin RPM package on all RAC nodes. This RPM provides the necessary integration for RMAN backups.

rpm -ivh AvamarRMAN-linux-sles11-x86_64-7.5XXXXXXXX.rpm

(Replace AvamarRMAN-linux-sles11-x86_64-7.5XXXXXXXX.rpm with the actual filename of your Avamar RMAN RPM.)

Step 3: Client Configuration for RAC Node 1

Perform the RAC client configuration on the first node using the rac_config utility.

Navigate to the Avamar client binaries directory:

cd /usr/local/avamar/bin/

Execute the rac_config script:

[root@Hostname1 bin]# ./rac_config

Follow the prompts as shown in the example:

• Enter the path of Oracle Clusterware Home: /XXXX/XXXXX/product/12.2.0/grid

  • (This should be your actual Grid Infrastructure Home path.)

• Using ORACLE_HOME: /XXXX/XXXXX/product/12.2.0/grid

  • (Confirms the detected Oracle Home, which should be the Grid Home.)

• Setting PATH set for Oracle commands

• Oracle cluster version 12cR2

• Do you want to configure on a cluster shared filesystem? [y/n] [y]: n

  • (Choose 'n' if /usr/local/avamar/var is not on a shared filesystem. If you have a shared filesystem for Avamar configuration, you might choose 'y'.)

• Enter the full path of var directory location[]: /usr/local/avamar/bin/var

  • (This is where Avamar will store its variable data. Ensure it's local to each node if not using a shared filesystem.)

• Using /usr/local/avamar/bin/var as var directory location

• Enter the cluster scan name [scanXXXX]: scanXXXX

  • (Enter your Oracle SCAN name. If it's already detected correctly, you can just press Enter.)

• Using scanXXXX as hostname

• Now adding resource EMCagent.

• The resource EMCagent is added successfully.

The script will then provide instructions for the next steps:

1. Run rac_config with the same var directory on other nodes.

2. Run /usr/local/avamar/ora_rac/bin/avregister to register and activate this client with the Administrator server.

3. Copy cid.bin and avagent.cfg from Hostname1 to other nodes.

Step 4: Client Configuration for RAC Node 2 (and other nodes)

Repeat the rac_config process on each subsequent RAC node (e.g., Hostname2). Ensure you provide the same var directory location as used on Hostname1.

cd /usr/local/avamar/bin/
[root@Hostname2 bin]# ./rac_config

Follow the same prompts, providing consistent information.

Step 5: Register Client to Avamar Server

After rac_config has been run on all nodes, register the client with the Avamar Administrator server from one of the RAC nodes (e.g., Hostname1).

[root@Hostname1 bin]# /usr/local/avamar/ora_rac/bin/avregister

Follow the prompts:

• Enter the Administrator server address (DNS text name or numeric IP address, DNS name preferred): Backup server name/IP

  • (Provide the hostname or IP address of your Avamar Administrator server.)

• Enter the Avamar server domain [clients]: (Press Enter for default 'clients' or specify your domain)

The registration process will then proceed, showing output similar to this:

avagent.d Info: Client Agent not running.           [PASSED]
avagent Info : Logging to /usr/local/avamar/ora_rac/var/avagent.log
avagent Info : - Reading /usr/local/avamar/ora_rac/var/avagent.cmd
avagent.d Info: Client activated successfully.      [  OK  ]
avagent Info : Logging to /usr/local/avamar/ora_rac/var/avagent.log
avagent Info : - Reading /usr/local/avamar/ora_rac/var/avagent.cmd
avagent Info : daemonized as process id 25161
avagent.d Info: Client Agent started.               [  OK  ]
avagent.d Info: Stopping Avamar Client Agent (avagent)...
avagent.d Info: Client Agent stopped.               [  OK  ]
CRS-2672: Attempting to start 'EMCagent' on 'Hostname1'
CRS-2676: Start of 'EMCagent' on 'Hostname1' succeeded
Registration Complete.

Step 6: Transfer Configuration Files to Other Nodes

The avregister command creates or updates critical configuration files (cid.bin and avagent.cfg) on the node where it was executed. These files need to be copied to the corresponding var directory on all other RAC nodes to ensure consistent client registration across the cluster.

cp /usr/local/avamar/ora_rac/var/cid.bin /usr/local/avamar/ora_rac/var/avagent.cfg Hostname2:/usr/local/avamar/ora_rac/var/

(Replace Hostname2 with the actual hostname of your second RAC node, and repeat for any other nodes in the cluster.)

After these steps, your Avamar client and RMAN plugin should be successfully installed and configured across your Oracle 12cR2 RAC database, ready for backup operations.