Disaster Recovery (DR) drill using Oracle Data Guard

Performing a Disaster Recovery (DR) drill using Oracle Data Guard involves several best practices to ensure a successful and seamless process. Oracle Data Guard provides a robust solution for disaster recovery and data protection, but careful planning and execution are essential for effective DR drills. Here are the best practices:

Define Objectives:

• Clearly define the objectives of the DR drill (e.g., recovery time objective (RTO), recovery point objective (RPO), validation of failover procedures).

Documentation:

• Ensure all procedures and steps are well-documented.
• Have an up-to-date runbook that includes failover, switchover, and fallback procedures.

Stakeholder Communication:

• Inform all stakeholders about the drill schedule and potential impact.
• Assign roles and responsibilities to team members.

Pre-Drill Preparations:

Verify Data Guard Configuration:

• Ensure that the primary and standby databases are synchronized.
• Check the Data Guard configuration using the DGMGRL utility or Oracle Enterprise Manager.

Backup:

• Take a full backup of the primary and standby databases.
• Verify the integrity of backups.

Testing Environment:

• Preferably, perform the DR drill in a test environment that closely mimics the production setup.
• If performing in production, ensure minimal impact on end-users and plan for a maintenance window.

Performing the DR Drill:

Switchover Process:

• Switchover is a planned role reversal between the primary and standby databases.
• Perform a switchover to make the standby database the new primary.
• Verify that the new primary database is functioning correctly.

Switchover Steps:

• Check Switchover Readiness:

[oracle@orashouki ~]$ dgmgrl

DGMGRL> connect sys

Connected.

DGMGRL> show configuration

Configuration - dg_MyInstance

Protection Mode: MaxPerformance

Databases:

sisprod - Primary database

sisstdby - Physical standby database

Fast-Start Failover: DISABLED

Configuration Status:

SUCCESS

DGMGRL> VALIDATE DATABASE verbose 'sisstdby';

• Perform the Switchover:

[oracle@orashouki ~]$ dgmgrl

DGMGRL> connect sys

Connected.

DGMGRL> switchover to sisstdby;

DGMGRL> exit

Note: If needed restart the new standby database (SISPROD)

• Verify the Switchover:-

DGMGRL> SHOW CONFIGURATION;

DGMGRL> VALIDATE DATABASE verbose 'sisstdby';

Post-Drill Activities:

Switchover Back (If Applicable):

• If this was a switchover drill, perform another switchover to return to the original configuration.

Review and Document:

• Review the entire process and document any issues encountered.
• Update the runbook and procedures based on lessons learned.

Restore Configuration:

• Ensure that the Data Guard configuration is returned to its original state, if necessary.
• Verify that both primary and standby databases are synchronized