2 Oracle Clusterware Preinstallation Tasks

2.4.1 Understanding the Oracle Inventory Group

You must have a group whose members are given access to write to the Oracle Central Inventory (oraInventory). The Central Inventory contains the following:

• A registry of the Oracle home directories (Oracle Clusterware, Oracle Database, and Automatic Storage Management) on the system

• Installation logs and trace files from installations of Oracle software. These files are also copied to the respective Oracle homes for future reference.

Other metadata inventory information regarding Oracle installations are stored in the individual Oracle home inventory directories, and are separate from the Central Inventory.

2.4.2 Understanding the Oracle Inventory Directory

The first time you install Oracle software on a system, Oracle Universal Installer checks to see if you have created an Optimal Flexible Architecture (OFA) compliant path in the format u[01-09]/app, such as /u01/app, and that the user running the installation has permissions to write to that path. If this is true, then Oracle Universal Installer creates the Oracle Inventory directory in the path /u[01-09]/app/oraInventory. For example:

/u01/app/oraInventory

If you have set the environment variable $ORACLE_BASE for the user performing the Oracle Clusterware installation, then OUI creates the Oracle Inventory directory in the path $ORACLE_BASE/../oraInventory. For example, if $ORACLE_BASE is set to /opt/oracle/11, then the Oracle Inventory directory is created in the path /opt/oracle/oraInventory.

If you have created neither an OFA-compliant path nor set $ORACLE_BASE, then the Oracle Inventory directory is placed in the home directory of the user that is performing the installation. For example:

/home/oracle/oraInventory

As this placement can cause permission errors during subsequent installations with multiple Oracle software owners, Oracle recommends that you either create an OFA-compliant installation path, or set an $ORACLE_BASE environment path.

For new installations, Oracle recommends that you allow OUI to create the Central Inventory directory. By default, if you create an Oracle path in compliance with OFA structure, such as /u01/app, that is owned by an Oracle software owner, then the Central Inventory is created in the path u01/app/oraInventory using correct permissions to allow all Oracle installation owners to write to this directory.

2.4.3 Determining If the Oracle Inventory and Oracle Inventory Group Exists

When you install Oracle software on the system for the first time, OUI creates the oraInst.loc file. This file identifies the name of the Oracle Inventory group (typically, oinstall), and the path of the Oracle Central Inventory directory. An oraInst.loc file has contents similar to the following:

inventory_loc=central_inventory_location
inst_group=group

In the preceding example, central_inventory_location is the location of the Oracle Central Inventory (oraInventory), and group is the name of the group that has permissions to write to the central inventory.

If you have an existing Oracle Inventory, then ensure that you use the same Oracle Inventory for all Oracle software installations, and ensure that all Oracle software users you intend to use for installation have permissions to write to this directory.

To determine if you have an Oracle Inventory on your system:

Enter the following command:

# more /etc/oraInst.loc

If the oraInst.loc file exists, then the output from this command is similar to the following:

inventory_loc=/u01/app/oracle/oraInventory
inst_group=oinstall

In the previous output example:

• The inventory_loc group shows the location of the Oracle Inventory

• The inst_group parameter shows the name of the Oracle Inventory group (in this example, oinstall).

2.4.4 Creating the Oracle Inventory Group If an Oracle Inventory Does Not Exist

If the oraInst.loc file does not exist, then create the Oracle Inventory group by entering a command similar to the following:

# mkgroup id=501 oinstall

The preceding command creates the group oinstall, with the group ID number 501.

2.4.5 Creating the Oracle Clusterware User

You must create a software owner for Oracle Clusterware in the following circumstances:

• If an Oracle software owner user does not exist; for example, if this is the first installation of Oracle software on the system

• If an Oracle software owner user exists, but you want to use a different operating system user, such as crs, with different group membership, to give separate clusterware and database administrative privileges to those groups in a new Oracle Clusterware and Oracle Database installation.

  In Oracle documentation, a user created to own only Oracle Clusterware software installations is called the crs user. A user created to own either all Oracle installations, or only Oracle database installations, is called the oracle user.

# id oracle

uid=501(oracle) gid=501(oinstall) groups=502(dba),503(oper)

2.4.6 Example of Creating Users and Groups

The following is an example of how to create the Oracle Clusterware software owner (in this case, crs), and a path compliant with OFA structure with correct permissions for the oraInventory directory. This example also shows how to create separate Oracle Database and Oracle ASM homes with correct ownership and permissions, and how to create separate operating system groups for Oracle ASM, Oracle Clusterware, and Oracle Database system privileges:

# groupadd -g 1000 oinstall
# groupadd -g 1100 asmadmin
# groupadd -g 1200 dba
# groupadd -g 1300 asmdba
# groupadd -g 1301 asmoper
# useradd -u 1100 -g oinstall -G asmadmin,asmdba,asmoper crs
# useradd -u 1101 -g oinstall -G dba,asmdba oracle
# useradd -u 1102 -g oinstall -G asmadmin,asmdba,asmoper asm
# mkdir -p /u01/app/crs
# chown -R crs:oinstall /u01
# mkdir -p /u01/app/oracle
# chown oracle:oinstall /u01/app/oracle
# chmod -R 775 /u01
# mkdir /u01/app/asm
# chown asm:oinstall /u01/app/asm

At the end of this procedure, you will have the following:

• /u01 owned by root.

• /u01/app owned by crs:oinstall with 775 permissions. This ownership and permissions enables OUI to create the oraInventory directory, in the path /u01/app/oraInventory.

• /u01/app/crs owned by crs:oinstall with 775 permissions. These permissions are required for installation, and are changed during the installation process.

• /u01/app/oracle owned by oracle:oinstall with 775 permissions.

• /u01/app/asm owned by asm:oinstall with 775 permissions.

2.6.1 IP Address Requirements

Before starting the installation, you must have the following IP addresses available for each node:

• An IP address with an associated network name registered in the domain name service (DNS) for the public interface. If you do not have an available DNS, then record the network name and IP address in the system hosts file, /etc/hosts.

• One virtual IP (VIP) address with an associated network name registered in DNS. If you do not have an available DNS, then record the network name and VIP address in the system hosts file, /etc/hosts. Select an address for your VIP that meets the following requirements:

  • The IP address and network name are currently unused

  • The VIP is on the same subnet as your public interface

  Before installation, check that the default gateway can be accessed by a ping command. During installation, OUI uses the ping command to ensure that the VIP is reachable. To find the default gateway, use the route command, as described in your operating system's help utility. After installation, configure clients to use either the VIP address, or the network name associated with the VIP. If a node fails, then the node's virtual IP address fails over to another node.

• A private IP address with a host name for each private interface

  Oracle recommends that you use private network IP addresses for these interfaces (for example: 10.*.*.* or 192.168.*.*). Use the /etc/hosts file on each node to associate private network names with private IP addresses.

For example, with a two node cluster where each node has one public and one private interface, you might have the configuration shown in the following table for your network interfaces, where the hosts file is /etc/hosts:

To enable VIP failover, the configuration shown in the preceding table defines the public and VIP addresses of both nodes on the same subnet, 143.46.43. When a node or interconnect fails, then the associated VIP is relocated to the surviving instance, enabling fast notification of the failure to the clients connecting through that VIP. If the application and client are configured with transparent application failover options, then the client is reconnected to the surviving instance.

2.6.2 Node Time Requirements

Before starting the installation, ensure that each member node of the cluster is set as closely as possible to the same date and time. Oracle strongly recommends using the Network Time Protocol feature of most operating systems for this purpose, with all nodes using the same reference Network Time Protocol server.

2.6.3 Configuring the Network Requirements

To verify that each node meets the requirements, follow these steps:

1. If necessary, install the network adapters for the public and private networks and configure them with either public or private IP addresses.

2. Register the host names and IP addresses for the public network interfaces in DNS.

3. For each node, register one virtual host name and IP address in DNS.

4. For each private interface on every node, add a line similar to the following to the /etc/hosts file on all nodes, specifying the private IP address and associated private host name:

   10.0.0.1     rac1-priv1
   

5. To identify the interface name and associated IP address for every network adapter, enter the following command:

   # netstat -i
   

   From the output, identify the interface name and IP address for all network adapters that you want to specify as public or private network interfaces.

   Note:

   When you install Oracle Clusterware and RAC, you will require this information.

2.8.1 Tuning Virtual Memory Manager (VMM)

Oracle recommends that you use the vmo command to tune virtual memory using the following values:

For example:

vmo -p -o minperm%=3
vmo -p -o maxperm%=90
vmo -p -o maxclient%=90
vmo -p -o lru_file_repage=0
vmo -p -o strict_maxclient=1
vmo -p -o strict_maxperm=0

You must restart the system for these changes to take effect.

2.8.2 Increasing System Block Size Allocation

Oracle recommends that you increase the space allocated for ARG/ENV list to 128. The size is specified by number of 4K blocks.

For example:

chdev -l sys0 -a ncargs='128'

2.8.3 Configuring Shell Limits

To improve the performance of the software, you must increase the following shell limits for all Oracle software installation owners (oracle, crs) and for the root user (root):

To increase the shell limits:

1. Add the following lines to the /etc/security/limits file:

   default:
           fsize = -1
           core = -1
           cpu = -1
           data = 512000
           rss = 512000
           stack = 512000
           nofiles = 2000
   

2. Enter the following command to list the current setting for the maximum number of process allowed by the Oracle software user:

   /etc/lsattr -E -l sys0 -a maxuproc
   

   If necessary, change the maxuproc setting using the following command:

   /etc/chdev -l sys0 -a maxuproc = 16384
   

3. Repeat this procedure on all other nodes in the cluster.

2.8.4 Configuring User Process Parameters

Verify that the maximum number of processes allowed for each user is set to 2048 or greater:

1. Enter the following command:

   # smit chgsys
   

2. Verify that the value shown for Maximum number of PROCESSES allowed for each user is greater than or equal to 2048.

   If necessary, edit the existing value.

3. When you have finished making changes, press F10 to exit.

2.8.5 Configuring Network Tuning Parameters

Verify that the network tuning parameters shown in the following table are set to the values shown or higher values. The procedure following the table describes how to verify and set the values.

To view the current value specified for these parameters, and to change them if necessary:

1. To check the current values of the network tuning parameters, enter commands similar to the following:

   # no -a | more
   

2. If you must change the value of any parameter, then enter the following command to determine whether the system is running in compatibility mode:

   # lsattr -E -l sys0 -a pre520tune
   

   If the system is running in compatibility mode, then the output is similar to the following, showing that the value of the pre520tune attribute is enable:

   pre520tune enable Pre-520 tuning compatibility mode True
   

3. If the system is running in compatibility mode, then follow these steps to change the parameter values:

   1. Enter commands similar to the following to change the value of each parameter:

      # no -o parameter_name=value
      

      For example:

      # no -o udp_recvspace=655360
      

   2. Add entries similar to the following to the /etc/rc.net file for each parameter that you changed in the previous step:

      if [ -f /usr/sbin/no ] ; then
         /usr/sbin/no -o udp_sendspace=65536
         /usr/sbin/no -o udp_recvspace=655360
         /usr/sbin/no -o tcp_sendspace=65536
         /usr/sbin/no -o tcp_recvspace=65536
         /usr/sbin/no -o rfc1323=1
         /usr/sbin/no -o sb_max=2*655360
         /usr/sbin/no -o ipqmaxlen=512
      fi
      

      By adding these lines to the /etc/rc.net file, the values persist when the system restarts.

4. If the system is not running in compatibility mode, then enter commands similar to the following to change the parameter values:

   • ipqmaxlen parameter:

     no -r -o ipqmaxlen=512
     

   • Other parameter:

     no -p -o parameter=value
     

   Note:

   If you modify the ipqmaxlen parameter, then you must restart the system.

   These commands modify the /etc/tunables/nextboot file, causing the attribute values to persist when the system restarts.

2.9.1 Checking Existing SSH Configuration on the System

To determine if SSH is running, enter the following command:

$ ps -ef | grep sshd

If SSH is running, then the response to this command is one or more process ID numbers. In the home directory of the software owner that you want to use for the installation (crs, oracle), use the command ls -al to ensure that the .ssh directory is owned and writable only by the user.

You need either an RSA or a DSA key for the SSH protocol. RSA is used with the SSH 1.5 protocol, while DSA is the default for the SSH 2.0 protocol. With OpenSSH, you can use either RSA or DSA. The instructions that follow are for SSH1. If you have an SSH2 installation, and you cannot use SSH1, then refer to your SSH distribution documentation to configure SSH1 compatibility or to configure SSH2 with DSA.

2.9.2 Downloading and Installing SSH Filesets

1. Install the OpenSSL package in the AIX bonus package installation disks, or download OpenSSL from the following URL:

   http://www-306.ibm.com/software/

   You require an IBM ID or Partner World ID to access this site.

2. Install the following file sets from the AIX Base installation media:

   • openssh.base

   • openssh.license

   • openssh.msg.en_US

   • openssh.man.en_US

   You can also obtain filesets from the following URL:

   http://sourceforge.net/projects/openssh-aix

3. Start the sshd daemon by running the following command:

   /usr/bin/startsrc -s sshd 
   

   Note:

   If the AIX server on which OpenSSH is installed also has GSA installed, then the SSH daemon will not start. This is a known problem.

   To resolve this issue, check to see if the sshd user exists on the system. If not, then create it using the following commands:

   mkgroup sshd
   mkuser -a pgrp=sshd login=false home=/var/empty gecos="OpenSSH\
   privilege separation" account_locked=true sshd
   

2.9.3 Configuring SSH on Cluster Member Nodes

To configure SSH, you must first create RSA or DSA keys on each cluster node, and then copy all the keys generated on all cluster node members into an authorized keys file that is identical on each node. Note that the SSH files must be readable only by root and by the software installation user (oracle, crs, asm), as SSH ignores a private key file if it is accessible by others. When this is done, then start the SSH agent to load keys into memory. In the examples that follow, the RSA key is used.

You must configure SSH separately for each Oracle software installation owner that you intend to use for installation.

To configure SSH, complete the following:

2.9.4 Enabling SSH User Equivalency on Cluster Member Nodes

After you have copied the authorized_keys file that contains all keys to each node in the cluster, complete the following procedure, in the order listed. In this example, the Oracle Clusterware software owner is named crs:

1. On the system where you want to run OUI, log in as the crs user.

2. Use the following command syntax, where hostname1, hostname2, and so on, are the public hostnames (alias and fully qualified domain name) of nodes in the cluster to run SSH from the local node to each node, including from the local node to itself, and from each node to each other node:

   [crs@nodename]$ ssh hostname1 date
   [crs@nodename]$ ssh hostname2 date
       .
       .
       .
   

   For example:

   [crs@node1 crs]$ ssh node1 date
   The authenticity of host 'node1 (xxx.xxx.100.101)' can't be established.
   RSA key fingerprint is 7z:60:60:zz:48:48:z1:a0:f7:4e.
   Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
   Warning: Permanently added 'node1,xxx.xxx.100.101' (RSA) to the list of
   known hosts.
   Enter passphrase for key '/home/crs/.ssh/id_rsa':
   Mon Dec 4 11:08:13 PST 2006
   [crs@node1 crs]$ ssh node1.example.com date
   The authenticity of host 'node1.example.com (xxx.xxx.100.101)' can't be
   established.
   RSA key fingerprint is 7z:60:60:zz:48:48:z1:a0:f7:4e.
   Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
   Warning: Permanently added 'node1.example.com,xxx.xxx.100.101' (RSA) to the
   list of known hosts.
   Enter passphrase for key '/home/crs/.ssh/id_rsa':
   Mon Dec 4 11:08:13 PST 2006
   [crs@node1 crs]$ ssh node2 date
   Enter passphrase for key '/home/crs/.ssh/id_rsa':
   Mon Dec 4 11:08:35 PST 2006
   .
   .
   .
   

   At the end of this process, the public hostname for each member node should be registered in the known_hosts file for all other cluster member nodes.

   If you are using a remote client to connect to the local node, and you see a message similar to "Warning: No xauth data; using fake authentication data for X11 forwarding," then this means that your authorized keys file is configured correctly, but your ssh configuration has X11 forwarding enabled. To correct this issue, proceed to Section 2.9.5, "Setting Display and X11 Forwarding Configuration."

3. Repeat step 2 on each cluster node member.

4. On each node, enter the following commands to start the SSH agent, and to load the SSH keys into memory:

   $ exec /usr/bin/ssh-agent $SHELL
   $ /usr/bin/ssh-add
   

   At the prompt, enter the pass phrase for each key that you generated.

   For example:

   [crs@node1 .ssh]$ exec /usr/bin/ssh-agent $SHELL
   [crs@node1 .ssh]$ ssh-add
   Enter passphrase for /home/crs/.ssh/id_rsa
   Identity added: /home/crs/.ssh/id_rsa (/home/crs/.ssh/id_rsa)
   

   These commands start the ssh-agent on the node, and load the RSA keys into memory so that you are not prompted to use pass phrases when issuing SSH commands

If you have configured SSH correctly, then you can now use the ssh or scp commands without being prompted for a password or a pass phrase. For example:

[crs@node1 ~]$ ssh node2 date
Mon Feb 26 23:34:42 UTC 2007
[crs@node1 ~]$ ssh node1 date
Mon Feb 26 23:34:48 UTC 2007
[crs@node1 ~]$ ssh node2

If any node prompts for a password or pass phrase, then verify that the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file on that node contains the correct public keys, and that you have created an Oracle software owner with identical group membership and IDs.

2.9.5 Setting Display and X11 Forwarding Configuration

• If you are on a remote terminal, and the local node has only one visual (which is typical), then use the following syntax to set the DISPLAY environment variable:

  Bourne and Korn shells

  $ export DISPLAY=hostname:0
  

  C shell:

  $ setenv DISPLAY hostname:0
  

  For example, if you are using the Bourne shell, and if your hostname is node1, then enter the following command:

  $ export DISPLAY=node1:0
  

• To ensure that X11 forwarding will not cause the installation to fail, create a user-level SSH client configuration file for the Oracle software owner user, as follows:

  1. Using any text editor, edit or create the software installation owner's ~/.ssh/config file.

  2. Make sure that the ForwardX11 attribute is set to no. For example:

     Host *
           ForwardX11 no
     

2.9.6 Preventing Oracle Clusterware Installation Errors Caused by stty Commands

During an Oracle Clusterware installation, OUI uses SSH to run commands and copy files to the other nodes. During the installation, hidden files on the system (for example, .cshrc) will cause makefile and other installation errors if they contain stty commands.

To avoid this problem, you must modify these files in each Oracle installation owner user home directory to suppress all output on STDERR, as in the following examples:

• Bourne or Korn shell:

  if [ -t 0 ]; then
     stty intr ^C
  fi
  

• C shell:

  test -t 0
  if ($status == 0) then
     stty intr ^C
  endif
  

  Note:

  When SSH is not available, the Installer uses the rsh and rcp commands instead of ssh and scp.

  If there are hidden files that contain stty commands that are loaded by the remote shell, then OUI indicates an error and stops the installation.

2.10.1 Procedure for Configuring Oracle Software Owner Environments

To set the Oracle software owners' environments, follow these steps, for each software owner (crs, oracle, asm):

1. Start a new terminal session; for example, start an X terminal (xterm).

2. Enter the following command to ensure that X Window applications can display on this system:

   $ xhost + hostname
   

   The hostname is the name of the local host.

3. If you are not already logged in to the system where you want to install the software, then log in to that system as the software owner user.

4. If you are not logged in as the user, then switch to the software owner user you are configuring. For example, with the crs user:

   $ su - crs
   

5. To determine the default shell for the user, enter the following command:

   $ echo $SHELL
   

6. Open the user's shell startup file in any text editor:

   • Bourne shell (sh) or Korn shell (ksh):

     $ vi .profile
     

   • C shell (csh or tcsh):

     % vi .login
     

7. Enter or edit the following line, specifying a value of 022 for the default file mode creation mask:

   umask 022
   

8. If the ORACLE_SID, ORACLE_HOME, or ORACLE_BASE environment variable is set in the file, then remove the appropriate lines from the file.

9. Save the file, and exit from the text editor.

10. To run the shell startup script, enter one of the following commands:

    • Bourne or Korn shell:

      $ . ./.profile
      

    • C shell:

      % source ./.login
      

11. If you are not installing the software on the local system, then enter a command similar to the following to direct X applications to display on the local system:

    • Bourne or Korn shell:

      $ DISPLAY=local_host:0.0 ; export DISPLAY
      

    • C shell:

      % setenv DISPLAY local_host:0.0
      

    In this example, local_host is the host name or IP address of the system that you want to use to display OUI (your workstation or PC).

12. If you determined that the /tmp directory has less than 400 MB of free disk space, then identify a file system with at least 400 MB of free space and set the TEMP and TMPDIR environment variables to specify a temporary directory on this file system:

    Note:

    You cannot use a shared file system as the location of the temporary file directory (typically /tmp) for Oracle RAC installation. If you place /tmp on a shared file system, then the installation fails.

    1. Use the df -k command to identify a suitable file system with sufficient free space.

    2. If necessary, enter commands similar to the following to create a temporary directory on the file system that you identified, and set the appropriate permissions on the directory:

       $ su - root
       # mkdir /mount_point/tmp
       # chmod 775 /mount_point/tmp
       # exit
       

    3. Enter commands similar to the following to set the TEMP and TMPDIR environment variables:

       • Bourne or Korn shell:

         $ TEMP=/mount_point/tmp
         $ TMPDIR=/mount_point/tmp
         $ export TEMP TMPDIR
         

       • C shell:

         % setenv TEMP /mount_point/tmp
         % setenv TMPDIR /mount_point/tmp
         

13. To verify that the environment has been set correctly, enter the following commands:

    $ umask
    $ env | more
    

    Verify that the umask command displays a value of 22, 022, or 0022 and that the environment variables you set in this section have the correct values.

2.13.1 Entering Cluster Verification Utility Commands

Cluster Verification Utility is provided with two scripts: runcluvfy.sh, which is designed to be used before installation, and cluvfy, which is in the path CRS_home/bin. The script runcluvfy.sh contains temporary variable definitions which enable it to be run before installing Oracle Clusterware or Oracle Database. After you install Oracle Clusterware, use the command cluvfy to check prerequisites and perform other system readiness checks.

Before Oracle software is installed, to enter a Cluster Verification Utility command, change directories and start runcluvfy.sh using the following syntax:

cd /mountpoint
./runcluvfy.sh options

In the preceding example, the variable mountpoint represents the mountpoint path for the installation media and the variable options represents the Cluster Verification Utility command options that you select. For example:

$ cd /mnt/dvdrom
$ ./runcluvfy.sh comp nodereach -n node1,node2 -verbose

By default, when you enter a Cluster Verification Utility command, Cluster Verification Utility provides a summary of the test. During preinstallation, Oracle recommends that you obtain detailed output by using the -verbose argument with the Cluster Verification Utility command. The -verbose argument produces detailed output of individual checks. Where applicable, it shows results for each node in a tabular layout.

2.13.2 Using CVU to Determine if Installation Prerequisites are Complete

You can use Cluster Verification Utility to determine which system prerequisites for installation are already completed. Use this option if you are installing Oracle 11g release 1 (11.1) on a system with a pre-existing Oracle software installation. In using this option, note the following:

• You must complete the prerequisites for using Cluster Verification Utility, notably configuring SSH between all nodes in the cluster, before you can complete a clusterwide status check.

• Cluster Verification Utility can assist you by finding preinstallation steps that need to be completed, but it cannot perform preinstallation tasks

Use the following syntax to determine what preinstallation steps are completed, and what preinstallation steps must be performed

$ ./runcluvfy.sh stage -pre crsinst -n node_list 

In the preceding syntax example, replace the variable node_list with the names of the nodes in your cluster, separated by commas.

For example, for a cluster with mountpoint /mnt/dvdrom/, and with nodes node1, node2, and node3, enter the following command:

$ cd /mnt/dvdrom/
$ ./runcluvfy.sh stage -pre crsinst -n node1,node2,node3

Review the Cluster Verification Utility report, and proceed to the sections of the preinstallation chapter to complete additional steps as needed.

2.13.3 Using the Cluster Verification Utility Help

The cluvfy commands have context-sensitive help that shows correct syntax usage based on the command line arguments that you enter.

If you enter an invalid Cluster Verification Utility command, then Cluster Verification Utility shows the correct usage for that command. For example, if you type runcluvfy.sh stage -pre dbinst, then Cluster Verification Utility shows the correct syntax for the database preinstallation checks that Cluster Verification Utility performs with the dbinst stage option. The following is a list of context help commands.

• cluvfy -help —Cluster Verification Utility displays detailed command information.

• cluvfy comp -list—Cluster Verification Utility displays a list of components that can be checked, and brief descriptions of how each component is checked.

• cluvfy comp -help—Cluster Verification Utility displays detailed syntax for each of the valid component checks.

• cluvfy stage -list—Cluster Verification Utility displays a list of valid stages.

• cluvfy stage -help—Cluster Verification Utility displays detailed syntax for each of the valid stage checks.

2.13.4 Using Cluster Verification Utility with Oracle Database 10g Release 1 or 2

You can use Cluster Verification Utility on the Oracle Database 11g release 1 (11.1) media to check system requirements for Oracle Database 10g release 1 (10.1) and later installations. To use Cluster Verification Utility to check 10. 2 installations, append the command flag -r 10gR2 to the standard Cluster Verification Utility system check commands.

For example, to perform a verification check for a Cluster Ready Services 10. 2 installation, on a system where the media mountpoint is /mnt/dvdrom, and the cluster nodes are node1, node2, and node3, enter the following command:

$ cd /mnt/dvdrom
$ ./runcluvfy.sh stage -pre crsinst -n node1,node2,node3 -r 10gR2

2.13.5 Verbose Mode and "Unknown" Output

If you run Cluster Verification Utility using the -verbose argument, and the command responds with UNKNOWN for a particular node, then this is because Cluster Verification Utility cannot determine if a check passed or failed. The following is a list of possible causes for an "Unknown" response:

• The node is down

• Executables required by Cluster Verification Utility are missing in the /bin directory in the Oracle Clusterware home or Oracle home directory

• The user account starting Cluster Verification Utility does not have privileges to run common operating system executables on the node

• The node is missing an operating system patch, or a required package

• The node has exceeded the maximum number of processes or maximum number of open files, or there is a problem with IPC segments, such as shared memory or semaphores